Either 50+ miles or vacation-like amenities - on a lake or in the mountains, etc.

Alot of the value at least in the SF bay area is again lack of land just look at a map.. bay in the middle big mountains all around the bay with limited develop-able land.. so lack of supply TECH and high paying jobs creates stunning values.  

There are great views out to the distance of a mountain range and the desert.

Would definitely be interested in connecting and sharing CA mountain town STR information.

However, my Kwikset is in a very rural, mountain area (Lake Lure NC) and I have a 3 story cabin.

The Poconos has always been hit or miss (unlike Smoky Mountains or Panhandle or Tampa where you have way more successful STRs), but right now the Poconos is worse than ever:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/530/topics/1157934-shor...

Congrats on your mountains of equity you have.  

But, naive instagram followers sometimes send hundreds of millions in cumulative investment dollars to these social media personalities, allowing them to buy their beach/mountain homes just with the acquisition fees. 3) Ability to make lopsided bets that can't result in losses for the syndicator (only their LPs): Because of the naivete of their investors and lopsided power dynamic, the syndicator can pursue strategies that give them the ability to make lopsided bets that ensure generational wealth for their family (their LP investors take all the risk). 

Outside of real estate, I enjoy being outside and enjoying all that Denver and the Rocky Mountains has to offer. 

If you are looking for high appreciation, low cash flow - I would direct you to tech markets, coastal / mountain markets.