June 20th, 2008
After a quick breakfast at the cowboy inn across the hotel in Kanab, we started our journey, bag and baggage. We would be driving through Utah via the Zion National Park to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Zion is located on the Colorado Plateau, and borders the Great Basin and Mojave Desert provinces. To say that it is spectacular in every sense of the world is just an understatement. Those towering cliffs in shades of red, beige, brown, that impossible looking trail that was called Angel’s Landing, the totally divine view on reaching Angel’s Landing.... those are frames that will remain etched in my memory as long as I live. This place is another one on my “must revisit” list.
The entrance to the National Park area was met by a round of applause on the bus, as Kris told us that Zion was his personal favorite. As we entered Zion, our bus drove through the mile-long Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, which has six large windows cut through the massive sandstone cliff. Traffic through this tunnel is always one way, and vehicles queue up on both sides, waiting for permission to drive through the tunnel. The official manning the entrance sternly warns you, “You should not stop inside the tunnel at any cost.”
There was a lot to do at Zion, in fact for the few hours we would spend there, we had so many options that I was confused for a while. Should I do the Riverside Trail, the Angel’s Landing Trail... or just take it easy? My muscles were still aching from the hike down the Grand Canyon the previous day, yet I couldn’t resist the urge to do the Angel’s Landing Trail. Kris had warned us that it was a strenuous trail. Finally, my longing for more adventure defeated my inertia to take it easy.
True to all that I had heard, it was very, very steep... so steep that we had to pull ourselves up with steel chains on the trail. However, the good part was that the trail was paved and well maintained, unlike the North Kaibab Trail down the Grand Canyon. The trail culminates in a pinnacle-like seat, and gives a stunning view of the cliffs and cliff structures all around. This is a hike that should never be done by anyone even remotely scared of heights. It is a rather difficult trail, especially if you are not the kinds who go hiking and rock climbing very often.... very narrow and dizzyingly steep.
We spent almost six hours at Zion – and it still felt so less. There was a lot to see there, and there were shuttles running across the length of the park that would drop tourists at different points; unfortunately we didn’t have enough time. Well... another time!
After Zion, we started our drive to Las Vegas. I should confess here that Las Vegas was the only destination on this trip that I had never been too excited about. All the same, I am glad I saw it, because now I have a first hand view of it.
We drove through a desert to reach Vegas at around 7 pm. It was scorching hot. The heat was baking our bodies – it was 111 F (over 43 degrees Celsius)! I felt as if I had been put inside an oven. The heat reminded me of the summers back home in Patna.
After checking in and freshening up, we drove to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. We returned to the hotel after dinner, and again went out at 8:30 pm for a night tour of the city. The one thing that strikes you when you go to Las Vegas is the jazz and show. It is all the more obvious when you step out at night. Oh those hotels and casinos! Those were spectacular sights in their own right, but not the kind I enjoy too much. So, I’ll just say here, sorry Vegas, I’m not doing you justice.
One of the highlights of that evening was the fake Wilson-Jennifer wedding, performed by an 'Elvis Presley'. Kris, Angie and Markos had successfully conned us before that ‘ceremony’. We all enjoyed a hearty laugh.
From there, we went on to the strip and Fremont Street. We watched Viva Vision, the world’s largest LED display screen atop Fremont Street go ablaze at 11-30 pm. The lights there just dazzled my tired eyes. I was completely exhausted by then and dying to crash into my bed.
Most of the group stopped to enjoy the Vegas night life on the way to the hotel; Rose, Melissa and I were the only ones to return to the hotel. I got to my room at 1 am, and just crashed. The next day, I would return to the Grand Canyon in a helicopter.
June 21st, 2008
I had an excellent breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs and coffee at Coco’s. At 9-30 am Kris led us to the pickup point for the shuttle that would take us to the Boulder City, from where we would go on a helicopter to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
The drive to Boulder City was over an hour, and the shuttle coach was the most luxurious coach I’ve ever set foot on. By the way, Boulder City is the only city in the state of Nevada where gambling is prohibited. Kind of strange isn’t it? For a city that is right next to Las Vegas – literally the gambling capital...
The company operating the helicopter tour was Papillon Tours. We waited in the reception area for about an hour. We were all weighed, and then divided into groups of six based on weight balancing requirements on helicopters.
When we finally took off, I was really excited. I had the seat right next to the pilot, which gave me the best view from the helicopter as I looked down. I was returning to the Grand Canyon in a very grand way!
We saw Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, literally flew over them, gasping in admiration at the results that human imagination and effort can achieve. Hoover Dam, also known as Boulder Dam, was completed in 1935. It is located in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the states of Arizona and Nevada.
Lake Mead is the reservoir created behind the dam. It is the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the United States. The water held in Lake Mead is released to communities in southern California and Nevada.
Sitting on the helicopter, we admired in awe the curves and bends of the Colorado River as its water found its way through the Grand Canyon. The helicopter ride was about 45 minutes long; and we landed right at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, just by the side of the Colorado River. There was no manmade structure there. Standing at the bottom of the canyon, by the river, I felt so small and inconspicuous. What was I in that canyon? Just a small dot...melting away.... it was a strange feeling.
It was extremely hot there – that was the maximum heat I’ve ever been in, in my whole life… 120 F (almost 49 degree Celsius)!!!
We were to stay in the canyon for only 40 minutes and thankfully so, for otherwise the heat would have killed us.
We flew back to Boulder City, from where we were transported to our hotel in Las Vegas. It was 4 pm by the time I reached my room. I was so tired, I took a half an hour nap. Later in the evening, I had a light dinner and then headed to the Stratosphere. Getting to the top of the Stratosphere was good, but as I said earlier, I am not that ardent an appreciator of jazz and show, and while writing or narrating my impression of Vegas, I don’t do justice to all that it has to offer.
I was fast asleep by 11 pm. The next day would mark the end of this great vacation, as we would head to Los Angeles, California.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Vacations – The Grand Canyon!
June 19th, 2008
This was the day I would say my first hello to the Grand Canyon in person. I had been looking forward to this ever since I had planned this trip. I was fascinated by this natural wonder when I first studied it in seventh grade geography. At that time, the thought that I’ll actually hike down the canyon one day had not really occurred to me, though I was filled with the insurmountable desire to see it with my own eyes. That was seventeen years back....to this day the fascination remains!
It seems like such a long time.... I am seventeen years older than when I studied the whole sub-chapter on the Grand Canyon for my geography exam. And yet, the funny thing is that I don’t feel it was that long back. I don’t feel that seventeen years have passed. And I don’t know why either. Did time stop for me? Or did it pass so quick that I didn’t realize? Or may be, I was traveling at the same speed as time, and that’s why I never felt that I was moving ahead in time....because both of us were so much in synch, so with each other in harmony...... that I didn’t feel that I left anything behind. It all came with me; it was all a part of me. It felt strange.... and gratifying.
We were going to the less frequented North Rim of the canyon. We were inside the National Park by 8-30 am. We had the whole day to hike. I started with walking around a little getting different views of the canyon and clicking some photos. However, time wasn’t to be idled away if I wanted to hike down the canyon… the only trail that would take me down into the canyon was the North Kaibab Trail. Of course, going down all the way to the Colorado River and making it back up in a day’s hike was impossible – I decided to go as far down as I could. I would get to the Red Wall Bridge, which descends down about 3250 feet, and make my way back up. What a day it was! I felt quite proud of my accomplishment. It is not everyday that I climb up and down over a couple of thousands feet slope. The fact that I did it motivated me to promise myself to return to the Grand Canyon, and hike all the way down to the bottom and up.... some day.
There are no words to describe the Grand Canyon – it feels so surreal, so out of the world, so magnificent.... you are just awestruck and speechless in wonder! The rock structures, the variety of colors, the slopes, the weathered rocks.... they just make you feel as if you were in a different world. I loved it, loved it, loved it. In that moment, I just wanted to be there forever.... forget all about work, home, and everything else in life. Just be there...forever.
Kris had warned us about the possible consequences of not carrying enough food and water, while going hiking down the canyon on a hot day. There were quite a few posters around the sundry shop as well, reminding people of what to do and what not to do while going down hiking. I didn’t need any more warnings or reminders. I bought four 1 liter bottles of water, a few granola bars, a couple of packs of salted chips and pretzels. I was already carrying bananas and an apple from the hotel.
I had normally been doing the hikes by myself, except for the Mammoth Hot Springs trail in Yellowstone, which I had done along with Wilson and Nick. However, here, given the more strenuous nature of the trail, it was sensible to do it in a group, or at least with a companion. Vicki was my companion on this hike.
After a quick visit to the restroom (since there would be no restrooms on the trail till we reached the Supai Tunnel) and a nice coating of a super high SPF (50) sunscreen, generously offered by Ben, one of the fellow travelers from Australia, who was shocked on discovering that all Vicki and I were carrying was a tiny bottle of SPF 15 sunscreen, we started our hike. The North Kaibab Trail is the only trail on the Northern Rim that goes all the way down to the canyon. We started near the Grand Canyon Lodge, and the first 1.2 miles we walked were on the Birdle Trail. The Birdle Trail then leads to the North Kaibab Trail. We were on the Northern Kaibab Trail within half an hour of starting our hike. So far, so good! It did feel quite hot.
The Birdle Trail was on more or less flat ground, just slightly undulating, but the Kaibab Trail..... it was literally a trail, and a narrow one at that. A narrow winding, sloping, unpaved, dusty trail, swirling down to the canyon. This was going to be fun! Oh, and in case I hadn’t mentioned before, mules (a donkey-horse hybrid) also used the same trail.
So there we were – stepping down cautiously at times and racing down at times. We stopped for a brief while at the Coconino Overlook, which gives a nice view of the canyon. Near the overlook, we were met by a party on mules coming up. Since the trail is so narrow, we had to stop and stand still against the rocks as the mules crossed us. The tour guide, while pointing to the Coconino Overlook, was saying, “... it is also known as the suicide point”.
We kept on racing down, taking a break once in a while to consume the fruits, snacks and water we were carrying. It was quite hot, and I needed a sip or two of water literally every five minutes.
When we reached the Supai Tunnel, we found fresh water there. I refilled the empty bottles with the fresh, cold water, and rightly so, for I had already finished almost half of my water supplies, without getting down to the Red Wall Bridge, and fully well realizing that the hike back up would be a lot more strenuous than the race down. It had taken us a little over two hours to get down to our target point.
We saw some nice views of the canyon, distinct colors, naturally carved rocks during our hike. We also walked through vast stretches of stinking mule poop on the trail, trying to hold our breath for a while to avoid inhaling that disgusting odor, but giving up soon in order to breathe.
While going downhill, my feet slipped at one point, and I slid down. I was quick to regain balance though, and made a swift catch of the edges with my hands, and was up on two feet in less than a minute. It didn’t hurt, since I fell on my bag. I mention it here, because years from now, when I’ll be reading this again, I know I will smile to myself thinking, ‘I fell down in the Grand Canyon’!
Estimating that we’d take twice the time to go back up, we turned back at the bridge, and started making our way back up. And oh boy! No sooner had we walked for a few minutes on that upward slope that we started gasping and panting. The climb back up was going to be tough! For the first hour, we managed quite okay ... walking for some time, pausing for a couple of minutes, and then continuing again. However, it was getting hotter now, and the direct heat of the sun seemed to burn a fire on my head (even though I was wearing a baseball cap). By the end of the second hour, we had starting taking five minute breaks, after walking for only five minutes at a time. I was sweating, and my heart seemed to bounce out of my mouth if I didn’t stop every five minutes. I thanked God for the fresh water supplies at the Supai Tunnel. Several people crossed us on our way back up. Most of them asked us how far the fresh water stretch was.... it was very clear from our state that we were climbing back up. We must have looked really wasted.
Getting back to the Coconino Overlook was such a relief! It meant we weren’t that far off. We took a good 20 minute break there – eating the fruits and snacks, along with sips of water.
It was Vicki who spotted another party of mules coming our way, and she suggested we keep sitting till they crossed.
Vicki: “You are not afraid of mules, are you?”
Me: “No”
Now while I’m not scared of mules or similar creatures, I’m not a great animal lover, and normally don’t like to be overly friendly with just any animal I come face to face with.
(Actually that holds true for people as well).
So there I was, perched on a rock eating a granola bar, when another party of mules crossed us. Now in that group, there was one undisciplined mule that didn’t quite walk very straight and swayed its head to look at me very intently, as I was gobbling up the granola bar. I thought it had even moved its head in my direction.
That caused me to pull myself back a little, saying, “Ughh... why is it looking at my granola bar?!”
Vicki was amused, and asked, “Are you sure you are not scared of mules?”
Me: “Of course not. All the same, I don’t quite enjoy mules staring at me when I am eating a granola bar!”
I hadn’t tried to be funny, but for some reason, not only Vicki, but even the rider of the mule broke into a hearty laugh at my response.
Well, a good laugh never hurts.
We started climbing back up. The last one hour of our return trip was something like walking ten paces at a time and resting for five minutes.
Finally, we made it back up! It was such a feeling of victory! It was just the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but it felt like the top of the world.
We were back with the group near the lodge within an hour; and were back on the bus by 5 pm. It had been an exhausting, but a very fulfilling day.
I picked up a salad for dinner, and after cleaning myself up, and packing most of my stuff, went to bed. The next morning, we would leave Kanab, stop at the gorgeous Zion National Park for three hours, and make our way to the Sin City of Las Vegas.
This was the day I would say my first hello to the Grand Canyon in person. I had been looking forward to this ever since I had planned this trip. I was fascinated by this natural wonder when I first studied it in seventh grade geography. At that time, the thought that I’ll actually hike down the canyon one day had not really occurred to me, though I was filled with the insurmountable desire to see it with my own eyes. That was seventeen years back....to this day the fascination remains!
It seems like such a long time.... I am seventeen years older than when I studied the whole sub-chapter on the Grand Canyon for my geography exam. And yet, the funny thing is that I don’t feel it was that long back. I don’t feel that seventeen years have passed. And I don’t know why either. Did time stop for me? Or did it pass so quick that I didn’t realize? Or may be, I was traveling at the same speed as time, and that’s why I never felt that I was moving ahead in time....because both of us were so much in synch, so with each other in harmony...... that I didn’t feel that I left anything behind. It all came with me; it was all a part of me. It felt strange.... and gratifying.
We were going to the less frequented North Rim of the canyon. We were inside the National Park by 8-30 am. We had the whole day to hike. I started with walking around a little getting different views of the canyon and clicking some photos. However, time wasn’t to be idled away if I wanted to hike down the canyon… the only trail that would take me down into the canyon was the North Kaibab Trail. Of course, going down all the way to the Colorado River and making it back up in a day’s hike was impossible – I decided to go as far down as I could. I would get to the Red Wall Bridge, which descends down about 3250 feet, and make my way back up. What a day it was! I felt quite proud of my accomplishment. It is not everyday that I climb up and down over a couple of thousands feet slope. The fact that I did it motivated me to promise myself to return to the Grand Canyon, and hike all the way down to the bottom and up.... some day.
There are no words to describe the Grand Canyon – it feels so surreal, so out of the world, so magnificent.... you are just awestruck and speechless in wonder! The rock structures, the variety of colors, the slopes, the weathered rocks.... they just make you feel as if you were in a different world. I loved it, loved it, loved it. In that moment, I just wanted to be there forever.... forget all about work, home, and everything else in life. Just be there...forever.
Kris had warned us about the possible consequences of not carrying enough food and water, while going hiking down the canyon on a hot day. There were quite a few posters around the sundry shop as well, reminding people of what to do and what not to do while going down hiking. I didn’t need any more warnings or reminders. I bought four 1 liter bottles of water, a few granola bars, a couple of packs of salted chips and pretzels. I was already carrying bananas and an apple from the hotel.
I had normally been doing the hikes by myself, except for the Mammoth Hot Springs trail in Yellowstone, which I had done along with Wilson and Nick. However, here, given the more strenuous nature of the trail, it was sensible to do it in a group, or at least with a companion. Vicki was my companion on this hike.
After a quick visit to the restroom (since there would be no restrooms on the trail till we reached the Supai Tunnel) and a nice coating of a super high SPF (50) sunscreen, generously offered by Ben, one of the fellow travelers from Australia, who was shocked on discovering that all Vicki and I were carrying was a tiny bottle of SPF 15 sunscreen, we started our hike. The North Kaibab Trail is the only trail on the Northern Rim that goes all the way down to the canyon. We started near the Grand Canyon Lodge, and the first 1.2 miles we walked were on the Birdle Trail. The Birdle Trail then leads to the North Kaibab Trail. We were on the Northern Kaibab Trail within half an hour of starting our hike. So far, so good! It did feel quite hot.
The Birdle Trail was on more or less flat ground, just slightly undulating, but the Kaibab Trail..... it was literally a trail, and a narrow one at that. A narrow winding, sloping, unpaved, dusty trail, swirling down to the canyon. This was going to be fun! Oh, and in case I hadn’t mentioned before, mules (a donkey-horse hybrid) also used the same trail.
So there we were – stepping down cautiously at times and racing down at times. We stopped for a brief while at the Coconino Overlook, which gives a nice view of the canyon. Near the overlook, we were met by a party on mules coming up. Since the trail is so narrow, we had to stop and stand still against the rocks as the mules crossed us. The tour guide, while pointing to the Coconino Overlook, was saying, “... it is also known as the suicide point”.
We kept on racing down, taking a break once in a while to consume the fruits, snacks and water we were carrying. It was quite hot, and I needed a sip or two of water literally every five minutes.
When we reached the Supai Tunnel, we found fresh water there. I refilled the empty bottles with the fresh, cold water, and rightly so, for I had already finished almost half of my water supplies, without getting down to the Red Wall Bridge, and fully well realizing that the hike back up would be a lot more strenuous than the race down. It had taken us a little over two hours to get down to our target point.
We saw some nice views of the canyon, distinct colors, naturally carved rocks during our hike. We also walked through vast stretches of stinking mule poop on the trail, trying to hold our breath for a while to avoid inhaling that disgusting odor, but giving up soon in order to breathe.
While going downhill, my feet slipped at one point, and I slid down. I was quick to regain balance though, and made a swift catch of the edges with my hands, and was up on two feet in less than a minute. It didn’t hurt, since I fell on my bag. I mention it here, because years from now, when I’ll be reading this again, I know I will smile to myself thinking, ‘I fell down in the Grand Canyon’!
Estimating that we’d take twice the time to go back up, we turned back at the bridge, and started making our way back up. And oh boy! No sooner had we walked for a few minutes on that upward slope that we started gasping and panting. The climb back up was going to be tough! For the first hour, we managed quite okay ... walking for some time, pausing for a couple of minutes, and then continuing again. However, it was getting hotter now, and the direct heat of the sun seemed to burn a fire on my head (even though I was wearing a baseball cap). By the end of the second hour, we had starting taking five minute breaks, after walking for only five minutes at a time. I was sweating, and my heart seemed to bounce out of my mouth if I didn’t stop every five minutes. I thanked God for the fresh water supplies at the Supai Tunnel. Several people crossed us on our way back up. Most of them asked us how far the fresh water stretch was.... it was very clear from our state that we were climbing back up. We must have looked really wasted.
Getting back to the Coconino Overlook was such a relief! It meant we weren’t that far off. We took a good 20 minute break there – eating the fruits and snacks, along with sips of water.
It was Vicki who spotted another party of mules coming our way, and she suggested we keep sitting till they crossed.
Vicki: “You are not afraid of mules, are you?”
Me: “No”
Now while I’m not scared of mules or similar creatures, I’m not a great animal lover, and normally don’t like to be overly friendly with just any animal I come face to face with.
(Actually that holds true for people as well).
So there I was, perched on a rock eating a granola bar, when another party of mules crossed us. Now in that group, there was one undisciplined mule that didn’t quite walk very straight and swayed its head to look at me very intently, as I was gobbling up the granola bar. I thought it had even moved its head in my direction.
That caused me to pull myself back a little, saying, “Ughh... why is it looking at my granola bar?!”
Vicki was amused, and asked, “Are you sure you are not scared of mules?”
Me: “Of course not. All the same, I don’t quite enjoy mules staring at me when I am eating a granola bar!”
I hadn’t tried to be funny, but for some reason, not only Vicki, but even the rider of the mule broke into a hearty laugh at my response.
Well, a good laugh never hurts.
We started climbing back up. The last one hour of our return trip was something like walking ten paces at a time and resting for five minutes.
Finally, we made it back up! It was such a feeling of victory! It was just the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but it felt like the top of the world.
We were back with the group near the lodge within an hour; and were back on the bus by 5 pm. It had been an exhausting, but a very fulfilling day.
I picked up a salad for dinner, and after cleaning myself up, and packing most of my stuff, went to bed. The next morning, we would leave Kanab, stop at the gorgeous Zion National Park for three hours, and make our way to the Sin City of Las Vegas.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Vacations – Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole and Utah
June 17th, 2008
It was the longest drive of the trip, and a very scenic one for the most part. We had a pretty early start, having finished breakfast by 6-30 am and on the bus by 7 am. By 8 am, we were out of Montana and had re-entered the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. We went down south Wyoming. I said goodbye to Yellowstone a little after 10 am, with a promise to myself that I would come back, Life and God permitting.
We kept going south..... and were soon face to face with the most amazing view of the Grand Tetons and the Snake river. The stop there was short, and we were soon back on the bus. Jackson Hole (in Wyoming), a super famous winter ski resort was going to be our lunch stop. We crossed the Jackson Airport, and viola! we got signal back on our cell phones after six days!! Jackson Hole was a super amazing town. We stopped in downtown, and I can best described it as New York City meets Deadwood. The downtown area was bustling with lovely, interesting shops and restaurants, a couple of parks on the side, a few bank ATMs here and there, lots of cars parked along the road, though not quite as many actually moving on the road, an occasional majestic horse-cart cantering on the road.... and lots and lots and lots of people. The temperature was 83, unlike in Montana, where it was in the low 40s.
Jackson Hole is a very famous ski resort – I was told the crowds here in the winter snow season enormously outnumber what we were witnessing at that time. This place certainly is a ‘must come back’ on my list of places in America. We just had an hour here, and one hour certainly didn’t do justice to this place.
We started from Jackson Hole at 1 pm. We would drive through the state of Idaho to Utah. The drive through the mountains was very scenic and beautiful. I caught a few interesting names of ranches during that stretch, fancying ‘Puzzleface’ the most. It was a long, long drive, and once we left the mountains and the hilly regions, it became a bit monotonous. There was a brief stop at Idaho Falls, where I just stretched my limbs. We finally got to Salt Lake City at 7:30 pm. Our hotel was in downtown. After checking in and freshening up, I walked down to the Mormon Temple Grounds. Salt Lake City was actually founded by Mormons, who were the first non-Indians to settle permanently in the Salt Lake Valley.
I spent an hour walking around the downtown area, and picked up a salad and iced tea for dinner.
To be honest, I enjoyed smaller towns like Deadwood, Cody and Madison a lot more. Anyway, the next morning would see me sailing in a hot air balloon over Park City. The pickup was at 6 am, so I hurried to get to bed early enough to catch at least seven hours of sleep.
June 18th, 2008
It was the eagerly anticipated hot air balloon day – the first one in life for me. It was a soothing experience going up slowly in the air on the balloon, but it was too slow an experience. The balloon drifted with us for almost an hour over Park City, we did catch some nice sights from up above, but overall it was below my expectations. I had anticipated a lot more excitement – it turned out to be a very ‘slow experience’.
Here, I must say that the landing wasn’t a very soothing experience. Our balloon landed over a fairly large bush, after breaking off a few of the surrounding fences. It wasn’t fun at all. Two guys in the balloon had to get down and actually tug the balloon along to get it close to the closest unpaved road that was vehicle-approachable. There were quite a few bugs, insects, and flies in the patch that we landed.
We seemed to have been there for ages. For a while, I thought we would never get out of that balloon! As if that was not enough, it was so late by the time we returned to the hotel that breakfast was over. Missing breakfast is never fun for me, always makes me grumpy.
Kris was considerate enough to make an unscheduled brunch stop – so that helped. We were on way to Kanab that day – it would be our base for the Grand Canyon trip.
The drive through Utah was again very captivating – distinct red rock structures dancing up in the backdrop of a clear blue sky.... looked absolutely majestic.
We stopped for a few hours at the Bryce Canyon National Park – famous for its hoodoos, the red rock spires and horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters. There was time to finish one trail – and it was an absolute treat to the eyes. As I walked down (and then up) the Navajo Trail, I noticed that the rocks distinctly changed colors as the elevation changed.
We reached Kanab a little after 6 pm. We were getting to warmer territories now, with temperatures in the 80s. After checking in and freshening up, we all met for a group dinner at an inn right across the street from the hotel.
It was a very interesting ambience – pure cowboy style dinner! Food was good, dessert was even better.
And most importantly, I was happy.
The next day would be my first date with the Grand Canyon. You have no idea how long I had waited for this.
It was the longest drive of the trip, and a very scenic one for the most part. We had a pretty early start, having finished breakfast by 6-30 am and on the bus by 7 am. By 8 am, we were out of Montana and had re-entered the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. We went down south Wyoming. I said goodbye to Yellowstone a little after 10 am, with a promise to myself that I would come back, Life and God permitting.
We kept going south..... and were soon face to face with the most amazing view of the Grand Tetons and the Snake river. The stop there was short, and we were soon back on the bus. Jackson Hole (in Wyoming), a super famous winter ski resort was going to be our lunch stop. We crossed the Jackson Airport, and viola! we got signal back on our cell phones after six days!! Jackson Hole was a super amazing town. We stopped in downtown, and I can best described it as New York City meets Deadwood. The downtown area was bustling with lovely, interesting shops and restaurants, a couple of parks on the side, a few bank ATMs here and there, lots of cars parked along the road, though not quite as many actually moving on the road, an occasional majestic horse-cart cantering on the road.... and lots and lots and lots of people. The temperature was 83, unlike in Montana, where it was in the low 40s.
Jackson Hole is a very famous ski resort – I was told the crowds here in the winter snow season enormously outnumber what we were witnessing at that time. This place certainly is a ‘must come back’ on my list of places in America. We just had an hour here, and one hour certainly didn’t do justice to this place.
We started from Jackson Hole at 1 pm. We would drive through the state of Idaho to Utah. The drive through the mountains was very scenic and beautiful. I caught a few interesting names of ranches during that stretch, fancying ‘Puzzleface’ the most. It was a long, long drive, and once we left the mountains and the hilly regions, it became a bit monotonous. There was a brief stop at Idaho Falls, where I just stretched my limbs. We finally got to Salt Lake City at 7:30 pm. Our hotel was in downtown. After checking in and freshening up, I walked down to the Mormon Temple Grounds. Salt Lake City was actually founded by Mormons, who were the first non-Indians to settle permanently in the Salt Lake Valley.
I spent an hour walking around the downtown area, and picked up a salad and iced tea for dinner.
To be honest, I enjoyed smaller towns like Deadwood, Cody and Madison a lot more. Anyway, the next morning would see me sailing in a hot air balloon over Park City. The pickup was at 6 am, so I hurried to get to bed early enough to catch at least seven hours of sleep.
June 18th, 2008
It was the eagerly anticipated hot air balloon day – the first one in life for me. It was a soothing experience going up slowly in the air on the balloon, but it was too slow an experience. The balloon drifted with us for almost an hour over Park City, we did catch some nice sights from up above, but overall it was below my expectations. I had anticipated a lot more excitement – it turned out to be a very ‘slow experience’.
Here, I must say that the landing wasn’t a very soothing experience. Our balloon landed over a fairly large bush, after breaking off a few of the surrounding fences. It wasn’t fun at all. Two guys in the balloon had to get down and actually tug the balloon along to get it close to the closest unpaved road that was vehicle-approachable. There were quite a few bugs, insects, and flies in the patch that we landed.
We seemed to have been there for ages. For a while, I thought we would never get out of that balloon! As if that was not enough, it was so late by the time we returned to the hotel that breakfast was over. Missing breakfast is never fun for me, always makes me grumpy.
Kris was considerate enough to make an unscheduled brunch stop – so that helped. We were on way to Kanab that day – it would be our base for the Grand Canyon trip.
The drive through Utah was again very captivating – distinct red rock structures dancing up in the backdrop of a clear blue sky.... looked absolutely majestic.
We stopped for a few hours at the Bryce Canyon National Park – famous for its hoodoos, the red rock spires and horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters. There was time to finish one trail – and it was an absolute treat to the eyes. As I walked down (and then up) the Navajo Trail, I noticed that the rocks distinctly changed colors as the elevation changed.
We reached Kanab a little after 6 pm. We were getting to warmer territories now, with temperatures in the 80s. After checking in and freshening up, we all met for a group dinner at an inn right across the street from the hotel.
It was a very interesting ambience – pure cowboy style dinner! Food was good, dessert was even better.
And most importantly, I was happy.
The next day would be my first date with the Grand Canyon. You have no idea how long I had waited for this.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Vacations – Awesome Yellowstone!
June 15th, 2008
I had a sumptuous breakfast of French toast with strawberry on side at a cozy little place called ‘Granny’s’ just a couple of blocks away from the hotel in Cody. After breakfast, I walked about two miles to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Historical Center.
Cody, like Deadwood is a very small town. There is a refreshing, idyllic flavor to it – very, very different from NYC, Chicago or San Francisco.
I had been wondering all this while – how many of us have actually experienced America in even partial totality....
These small towns, villages and hamlets scattered through the heartland of this spectacular country were so distant and different from the America I knew till now.
What was it about these places that made them so endearing to me? What was it that calmed down every little nagging fear and worry I had about future and reassured me that the end would be the best one possible? What was it that left me with the satisfying feeling that no matter how I looked, no matter what accent I spoke in, no matter what I did, ate or wore, I would never be out of place here? What was it that told me that I somehow belonged here, and would continue to belong even if I were thousands of miles away?
Would I ever come back here.... in search of peace? ... In search of myself? ... In search of everything that makes me what I am?
I was left wondering on a beautiful Sunday morning.
Lunch was over by 1 pm, and then we headed to the great Yellowstone National Park. I feel compelled to state here, that when I said the drive from Gillette to Cody was marvelous, gorgeous and spectacular beyond words, I did not know that the best was yet to come! I simply find it impossible to capture the beauty of the drive from Cody to Yellowstone in words. No words, pictures or descriptions can do justice to that kind of natural beauty and the emotions it evoked. It had the divinity that would bring you back to life when you were totally wasted away... it had the beauty that would make you fall in love with yourself when you were heartbroken... it had the extraordinariness that would make you believe in God even if you had been an atheist all your life. A beauty so divine, so pristine and so extraordinary – that I just felt blessed experiencing it in person, absorbing as much of it as I could, so much so, that even now, when I’m sitting at my desk at home after a hectic day’s work, I’m still overwhelmed with joy and contentment by a mere memory of those days.
We made several stops at Yellowstone that day. I saw a Bald Eagle fly out of its nest, a huge Grizzly Bear from a distance and many Bisons, Deers, Elks and Antelopes.
The geysers and the pools surrounding those hot water springs were a sight – brilliant colors of green, rusty brown and blue all mixed together, as if by divine artistry. I did a lot of hiking that day, and totally enjoyed it. The last stop for the day was at The Old Faithful. And oh boy! She indeed is an old faithful! We saw her go all the way up in majestic glory at exactly the same time as predicted. It was one of those moments when you feel so mysteriously connected with nature. We had dinner at the Old Faithful Inn that evening.
Bisons are the masters of the road in Yellowstone, comfortably holding up lines of cars and buses, just because they choose to take half an hour to lazily cross a thirty feet road. They would nonchalantly stand in the middle of the road, just chewing away whatever they were chewing. If after waiting for a while, the driver of the vehicle being held up honked, they would just look up, and start chewing with a little less laziness, but would not move. Our bus was held up for half an hour by one such bison.
I was wondering aloud, “These bisons just don’t care, standing there in the middle with all this honking”.
Charles cheekily commented, “If you were that big, would you care?”
Hmm... well, probably not.
It was past 8 pm by the time we finished dinner and past 9 pm by the time we got back to our scheduled stop at West Yellowstone in Montana – the land of clear blue skies. We would stay here two nights, before leaving for Utah.
We had another day to spend at Yellowstone – the whole of the next day. Glad that I did not have to unpack and pack the same night, I fell asleep as soon as I got into the bed.
June 16th, 2008
This was by far the best day of the trip for me – my idea of rejuvenation. Lots of hiking, lots of spectacular sights, lots of photos!
We left the hotel in Montana around 8-30 am, and were in Yellowstone National Park a little before 10. I walked a trail around several active geysers – including the Steamboat Geyser, which is the largest active geyser on the face of the earth. The Norris Geyser, Porcelein Basin, Emerald Pool.... left me clicking one photo after another. Irrespective of the number of clicks, I could never fully capture the awe inspiring natural splendor of the sights I saw.
Then came the slightly steep trail around the Mammoth Hot Springs – I completed the entire trail and shot some memorable photos at the Liberty Cap, Opal Terrace, Minerva Terrace, Orange Spring Mound, New Highland Spring and Canary Spring.
After the Mammoth Hot Springs hike, we stopped at the splendid Yellowstone Falls. Not too far from there were several trails around the Grand Yellowstone Canyon. I was spellbound by the different hues of the massive rocks in the canyon. The best piece of artistry I have seen in rocks!
We again had dinner at the Old Faithful Inn – and returned to our hotel at around 9 pm. We needed to be on the bus with our luggage by 6-30 am the next morning – it was going to be the longest drive of the trip – from West Yellowstone in Montana to Salt Lake City, Utah.
I had a sumptuous breakfast of French toast with strawberry on side at a cozy little place called ‘Granny’s’ just a couple of blocks away from the hotel in Cody. After breakfast, I walked about two miles to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Historical Center.
Cody, like Deadwood is a very small town. There is a refreshing, idyllic flavor to it – very, very different from NYC, Chicago or San Francisco.
I had been wondering all this while – how many of us have actually experienced America in even partial totality....
These small towns, villages and hamlets scattered through the heartland of this spectacular country were so distant and different from the America I knew till now.
What was it about these places that made them so endearing to me? What was it that calmed down every little nagging fear and worry I had about future and reassured me that the end would be the best one possible? What was it that left me with the satisfying feeling that no matter how I looked, no matter what accent I spoke in, no matter what I did, ate or wore, I would never be out of place here? What was it that told me that I somehow belonged here, and would continue to belong even if I were thousands of miles away?
Would I ever come back here.... in search of peace? ... In search of myself? ... In search of everything that makes me what I am?
I was left wondering on a beautiful Sunday morning.
Lunch was over by 1 pm, and then we headed to the great Yellowstone National Park. I feel compelled to state here, that when I said the drive from Gillette to Cody was marvelous, gorgeous and spectacular beyond words, I did not know that the best was yet to come! I simply find it impossible to capture the beauty of the drive from Cody to Yellowstone in words. No words, pictures or descriptions can do justice to that kind of natural beauty and the emotions it evoked. It had the divinity that would bring you back to life when you were totally wasted away... it had the beauty that would make you fall in love with yourself when you were heartbroken... it had the extraordinariness that would make you believe in God even if you had been an atheist all your life. A beauty so divine, so pristine and so extraordinary – that I just felt blessed experiencing it in person, absorbing as much of it as I could, so much so, that even now, when I’m sitting at my desk at home after a hectic day’s work, I’m still overwhelmed with joy and contentment by a mere memory of those days.
We made several stops at Yellowstone that day. I saw a Bald Eagle fly out of its nest, a huge Grizzly Bear from a distance and many Bisons, Deers, Elks and Antelopes.
The geysers and the pools surrounding those hot water springs were a sight – brilliant colors of green, rusty brown and blue all mixed together, as if by divine artistry. I did a lot of hiking that day, and totally enjoyed it. The last stop for the day was at The Old Faithful. And oh boy! She indeed is an old faithful! We saw her go all the way up in majestic glory at exactly the same time as predicted. It was one of those moments when you feel so mysteriously connected with nature. We had dinner at the Old Faithful Inn that evening.
Bisons are the masters of the road in Yellowstone, comfortably holding up lines of cars and buses, just because they choose to take half an hour to lazily cross a thirty feet road. They would nonchalantly stand in the middle of the road, just chewing away whatever they were chewing. If after waiting for a while, the driver of the vehicle being held up honked, they would just look up, and start chewing with a little less laziness, but would not move. Our bus was held up for half an hour by one such bison.
I was wondering aloud, “These bisons just don’t care, standing there in the middle with all this honking”.
Charles cheekily commented, “If you were that big, would you care?”
Hmm... well, probably not.
It was past 8 pm by the time we finished dinner and past 9 pm by the time we got back to our scheduled stop at West Yellowstone in Montana – the land of clear blue skies. We would stay here two nights, before leaving for Utah.
We had another day to spend at Yellowstone – the whole of the next day. Glad that I did not have to unpack and pack the same night, I fell asleep as soon as I got into the bed.
June 16th, 2008
This was by far the best day of the trip for me – my idea of rejuvenation. Lots of hiking, lots of spectacular sights, lots of photos!
We left the hotel in Montana around 8-30 am, and were in Yellowstone National Park a little before 10. I walked a trail around several active geysers – including the Steamboat Geyser, which is the largest active geyser on the face of the earth. The Norris Geyser, Porcelein Basin, Emerald Pool.... left me clicking one photo after another. Irrespective of the number of clicks, I could never fully capture the awe inspiring natural splendor of the sights I saw.
Then came the slightly steep trail around the Mammoth Hot Springs – I completed the entire trail and shot some memorable photos at the Liberty Cap, Opal Terrace, Minerva Terrace, Orange Spring Mound, New Highland Spring and Canary Spring.
After the Mammoth Hot Springs hike, we stopped at the splendid Yellowstone Falls. Not too far from there were several trails around the Grand Yellowstone Canyon. I was spellbound by the different hues of the massive rocks in the canyon. The best piece of artistry I have seen in rocks!
We again had dinner at the Old Faithful Inn – and returned to our hotel at around 9 pm. We needed to be on the bus with our luggage by 6-30 am the next morning – it was going to be the longest drive of the trip – from West Yellowstone in Montana to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Vacations – Cody, Wyoming
June 14th, 2008
We were going to Rodeo land today; I had breakfast at Silverado, checked out of the hotel and boarded the bus. The drive was beautiful – distant sloping hills, greenery all around and a dazzling clear blue sky. A classic green meets blue picture at the horizon. Sitting back, I was gazing outside and feeling enormously satisfied with myself and everything around me.
We crossed the South Dakota border into Wyoming within an hour of the morning ride. The ‘Welcome to Wyoming’ sign was met with a round of applause. We stopped at what is the first of America’s 74 national monuments: Devil’s Tower. It is a really tall pillar of rock, rising over 1200 feet over ground level and has a top that appears flat, but is actually round, and of the size of a football field. It is also known as Bears Lodge, and is a sacred site for many American Indians.
I walked a trail around the circumference of the tower. Midway through the trail was a magnificent view of the valley on the other side. The stop at the tower was for about an hour.
For those of you who have seen the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Devil's Tower is the place where the action takes place, where everybody is headed to, for the climax of the movie.
This is one of Steven Spielberg's early movies, it became famous around the same time that I was born in another part of the world.
We stopped again at a short distance from the tower to have a closer look at the cute prairie dogs, who had sprung out of their holes to wave to us!
The lunch stop was in a town called Gillette. I just had a veggie sub and a banana shake. It felt hot outside. We boarded the bus at 2:40 pm and then started the long and absolutely scenic drive from Gillette to Cody. That stretch was one of the most scenic territories I have driven through. Marvelously, fabulously gorgeous! It was also the second longest drive of the trip.
We drove through the Bighorn Mountains, which make up the Rockies and had a breathtaking view of the snow capped mountains. We kept on going uphill, and after a while, were in a gorgeous, mountainous valley with pine trees and snow all around, a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains on one side and a brilliantly blue sky over us like canopy. Yes, there was snow outside..... in June! It must have been really cold outside.
Oh! What a beautiful drive! Just this one drive was worth taking this trip.
We got to Cody at 7:30 pm. We were going to a Rodeo starting at 8 pm – so it was close. We just dropped our bags and rushed to the Rodeo. There was a lot of energy in the atmosphere at the Rodeo. It was good; but I realized it wasn’t my kind of entertainment. I was dying to get back to the hotel, mainly because it was getting too cold outside at the Rodeo. The night temperature had dropped to low 40s and I just had a plain sweatshirt to keep me warm. It wasn’t enough. By the end of the Rodeo, I was hiding in the hood and had pulled the sleeves well up to cover my palms.
We got back to the hotel at 11 pm. I didn’t even realize how soon I fell asleep. The next morning, we had some time to roam around in Cody, and we would then head to Yellowstone National Park – a national park that spans the three states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, and is as big as the state of Connecticut.
We were going to Rodeo land today; I had breakfast at Silverado, checked out of the hotel and boarded the bus. The drive was beautiful – distant sloping hills, greenery all around and a dazzling clear blue sky. A classic green meets blue picture at the horizon. Sitting back, I was gazing outside and feeling enormously satisfied with myself and everything around me.
We crossed the South Dakota border into Wyoming within an hour of the morning ride. The ‘Welcome to Wyoming’ sign was met with a round of applause. We stopped at what is the first of America’s 74 national monuments: Devil’s Tower. It is a really tall pillar of rock, rising over 1200 feet over ground level and has a top that appears flat, but is actually round, and of the size of a football field. It is also known as Bears Lodge, and is a sacred site for many American Indians.
I walked a trail around the circumference of the tower. Midway through the trail was a magnificent view of the valley on the other side. The stop at the tower was for about an hour.
For those of you who have seen the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Devil's Tower is the place where the action takes place, where everybody is headed to, for the climax of the movie.
This is one of Steven Spielberg's early movies, it became famous around the same time that I was born in another part of the world.
We stopped again at a short distance from the tower to have a closer look at the cute prairie dogs, who had sprung out of their holes to wave to us!
The lunch stop was in a town called Gillette. I just had a veggie sub and a banana shake. It felt hot outside. We boarded the bus at 2:40 pm and then started the long and absolutely scenic drive from Gillette to Cody. That stretch was one of the most scenic territories I have driven through. Marvelously, fabulously gorgeous! It was also the second longest drive of the trip.
We drove through the Bighorn Mountains, which make up the Rockies and had a breathtaking view of the snow capped mountains. We kept on going uphill, and after a while, were in a gorgeous, mountainous valley with pine trees and snow all around, a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains on one side and a brilliantly blue sky over us like canopy. Yes, there was snow outside..... in June! It must have been really cold outside.
Oh! What a beautiful drive! Just this one drive was worth taking this trip.
We got to Cody at 7:30 pm. We were going to a Rodeo starting at 8 pm – so it was close. We just dropped our bags and rushed to the Rodeo. There was a lot of energy in the atmosphere at the Rodeo. It was good; but I realized it wasn’t my kind of entertainment. I was dying to get back to the hotel, mainly because it was getting too cold outside at the Rodeo. The night temperature had dropped to low 40s and I just had a plain sweatshirt to keep me warm. It wasn’t enough. By the end of the Rodeo, I was hiding in the hood and had pulled the sleeves well up to cover my palms.
We got back to the hotel at 11 pm. I didn’t even realize how soon I fell asleep. The next morning, we had some time to roam around in Cody, and we would then head to Yellowstone National Park – a national park that spans the three states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, and is as big as the state of Connecticut.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Vacations – To the Mid-West, Deadwood, Mt Rushmore
June 10th, 2008
I was up by 6-30 am, got ready, and packed the rest of my stuff to go down to the lobby.
The lobby was brimming with the road trip team. I had a quick and light breakfast, checked out, filled in some required details for the tour operator, and then lined up to board the bus for one of the most magnificent vacations I’ve had in my life.
This was going to be interesting, I was thinking as I was waiting to load my small suitcase in the bus. For the next twelve days, I would be on the road for the major part of the day, driving across twelve different states and wake up in a new place practically everyday. That was a lot of moving around!
I was also a little apprehensive, given my childhood history of motion sickness. Of course, as I would gradually discover, that annoying weakness no longer ailed me.
Another thing to be thankful for!
Our tour manager was Kris Ankarlo, a 29 year old passionate American from Philadelphia, who had studied media and politics, had worked in politics for a few years, including being a part of the team doing John Kerry’s Presidential campaign in 2004, got burned out, decided to do ‘something different’ and landed with the job of a tour manager with Contiki Tours.
We started at 7:30 am, crossed Six Flags Great America and made our first stop at the Miller’s Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We spent about 2 hours there, had a tour of the brewery, and then were led to the executive hall for free samples of Miller’s beers. For teetotalers, there were free soft drinks and pretzels.
After the brewery, we drove through the heart of the city to make our lunch stop in downtown Milwaukee. Vicki, Lucy and I went to a pizza place for lunch.
The main feature of building architecture in Milwaukee was buildings with rounded tops – I would compare the architecture of Madison, which had more pointed top structures with that of Milwaukee later that day, when we were roaming on the roads of the University Town (that is a nickname for Madison).
We reached Madison before 5 pm; we were put up in a hotel that was slightly on the outskirts, but we had plenty of time to actually go downtown Madison and explore a bit.
After checking in and freshening up, four of us – Vicki, Lucy, Sonia and I headed to downtown Madison. We called for a cab – the driver was a very friendly person, made suggestions to us on what to see and by what time to get back, before dropping us near the Lake Michigan lakefront.
Madison is a very sweet little town, with nice, cozy looking houses, young crowd (students at University of Madison/Wisconsin), friendly people and a beautiful lakefront.
Madison is the capital of Wisconsin, and the Capitol Building there is fashioned pretty much on the lines of the Capitol at Washington D.C., only that the one at Madison looks much more fresh, being newer. The Capitol building was a beautiful sight at night, after it was dark.
We had dinner again at Penny’s noodle shop. After dinner, Vicki and Sonia headed for an open air concert, while Lucy and I headed back to the hotel. I sent an sms to my parents from my cell that night, little knowing that I would not have reception for the next seven days of the road trip (I would have reception only once we got to Jackson Hole) and this was the only time my family would hear from me during the first half of my tour.
June 11th, 2008
Kris had instructed us to be ready with our luggage by 7-30 am sharp, so there I was, along with all other tour members again waiting outside the bus with my luggage. Breakfast was meager – a muffin, an orange and a bottle of water.
We drove through vast expanses of Prairies. The mid-west was flood stricken, and although the tour route was not exactly through an affected region, I did see some signs of flooding as we drove through Wisconsin, Minnesota and northern parts of Iowa. It was raining through the afternoon. And I saw lots and lots and lots of windmills. I saw the majestic Mississippi river, the largest river in North America for the first time.
Our lunch stop was at Onalaska in Minnesota. It was cloudy and humid. It had started to rain by the time we had finished lunch and got back on the bus. That day we watched a movie on bus “Miracle” – a sports movie around the US men’s hockey team that won the gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics, defeating the highly favored Soviet team, so much so, that their victory was referred to as “Miracle on Ice”.
It had been raining all along outside as we drive through Minnesota, but as soon as we crossed the border to enter South Dakota, weather almost instantaneously changed – it was sunny and nice. By the way, temperatures were much lower than what I had expected for June. We stopped at Sioux River Falls, took some photos, and then checked into the hotel in the city of Sioux Falls. Later that evening, I took a walk down to the Veterans’ Memorial.
We were going to drive across the state of South Dakota the next day and stop in Deadwood for two nights.
June 12th, 2008
The drive through the state of South Dakota was a long, long one – the third longest of the trip. This place was so different from the rest of US I had seen. We stopped at the Corn Palace – yes, a huge palace made of corn. There was an interesting gift-shop inside, and people actually spent more time than we were supposed to in that place. We would later regret it, because it would just make our journey longer.
After the Corn Palace, we made a stop at the Badlands, so named because it was really difficult to do any kind of cultivation there. A walk through the Badlands is sometimes described as a walk on the surface of the moon, because of the light soil, sedimentary pinnacles and steep plateaus. I walked a two mile trail through the surface – it was refreshing. As we drove out of the badlands, we also saw the Black Mountains. We were now in the Native American Indian territory. It was just so different!
Lunch was really late, at 3-30. I was starving. We stopped at a small town called Wall Drug for lunch. It was a very interesting place, with lots of cowboy merchandize, amazing, small, sweet shops and a very cute, cozy feel.
There was no vegetarian option available for lunch – I ended up having a chicken fillet sandwich and hot tea. Tea was awesome.
This place was really cheap; coffee was available for 5 cents. For the first time during my stay in the US did I see coffee being sold for 5 cents!
The road to the hotel was not simple from here – we had to turn around after going almost two-thirds the way in one direction; there was a detour. We finally got to the historic Franklin Hotel in Deadwood late in the evening. Interestingly, I got the Kevin Costner suite. As I’ve said so many times while describing this stretch of US, it was really different. Totally different feel; kind of rustic, but still town-like. I saw a bunch of people dressed as cowboys enact a shooting drama on the street.
Temperatures were in the 50s, really cold for the clothing I had. I wasn’t prepared for such temperatures in summer. We had also moved to Mountain Time, now two hours behind New York.
Thankfully, the stop in Deadwood was for two days – so at night and the next morning I wouldn’t have to go through the pain of unpacking, packing and checking out all over again. I was tired, and fell asleep as soon as I got into bed.
June 13th, 2008
Friday, the 13th, in a place that’s called Deadwood – doesn’t that give you a creepy feeling? A lot of my fellow travelers were screaming about their rooms being haunted and seeing ghosts!
While I was totally amused, to be fair to them, some of the rooms did look quite eerie.
We had a delicious breakfast comprising eggs, pancakes, fruits, yoghurts and juice at Silverado that was right across the street. Then, we got onto the bus to go and see Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument.
It took us an hour and a half to get there. Mount Rushmore was a delight to eyes. Faces of four Presidents carved in white stone stood up above the mountain, looking down like guardians of America. I walked a long trail, took lots of photos, stopped strangers along the trail and asked them to click photos of me in the scenic backgrounds, bought lots of souvenirs and felt totally happy with myself.
From Mt Rushmore, we were headed to the Crazy Horse monument. This monument hasn’t been completed yet, but whenever it is, it will be the most majestic monument standing in the mountains. Sadly though, I don’t think I will live to see it being completed. Work on the monument started 60 years back. The face has been sculpted, but more than half of the design remains to be carved out. The good thing is that the family spearheading the work believes that it is progress towards completion that is most important, not setting a target date for completion. Even that day as we were at the monument, I could hear blasts, which indicated that work was going on.
I had a late and light lunch that day – a soft pretzel and hot chocolate. I was back in the hotel by 5 pm. I made the most of my evening by walking around Deadwood Main Street for a couple of hours. There was a band playing live music, and people of all age groups had gathered, listening to the live music with a beer in hand, enjoying the Friday evening.
Deadwood is a really small town, with a population of only about 1800 people. It is a very cozy little American town, and had a totally rejuvenating effect on me. I loved it.
I was in a happy mood as I went back to my suite. I wasn’t going to go to bed in that happy a mood though – I had switched on the TV to watch some news, and heard that Tim Russert had died of a heart attack. He had a sudden attack while at work, collapsed and died of coronary thrombosis. One of the fallouts of the crazy lifestyle you get into when you are immensely successful – I guess, to be that good at work, and be famous for it, you knowingly or unknowingly commit too many atrocities on your body – get less than 4 hours of sleep, sometimes no sleep, loads of caffeine, gobble down junk food, don’t exercise, and basically have an immensely irregular lifestyle. After a point, the body can’t take it any more, and just breaks down.
The news also reiterated to me something I had been mulling over for some time now – to make the best of life while it lasts. Try not to leave things for some other day. Say it now, do it now, experience it now. In the end, we are all dust. The fun is in making the most of the time you’ve got. Absorb as much of the world inside of you as you can. Give as much of yourself to the world as you can. And with such somber thoughts, I said goodnight to myself. The next morning, we would leave for Cody, Wyoming.
I was up by 6-30 am, got ready, and packed the rest of my stuff to go down to the lobby.
The lobby was brimming with the road trip team. I had a quick and light breakfast, checked out, filled in some required details for the tour operator, and then lined up to board the bus for one of the most magnificent vacations I’ve had in my life.
This was going to be interesting, I was thinking as I was waiting to load my small suitcase in the bus. For the next twelve days, I would be on the road for the major part of the day, driving across twelve different states and wake up in a new place practically everyday. That was a lot of moving around!
I was also a little apprehensive, given my childhood history of motion sickness. Of course, as I would gradually discover, that annoying weakness no longer ailed me.
Another thing to be thankful for!
Our tour manager was Kris Ankarlo, a 29 year old passionate American from Philadelphia, who had studied media and politics, had worked in politics for a few years, including being a part of the team doing John Kerry’s Presidential campaign in 2004, got burned out, decided to do ‘something different’ and landed with the job of a tour manager with Contiki Tours.
We started at 7:30 am, crossed Six Flags Great America and made our first stop at the Miller’s Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We spent about 2 hours there, had a tour of the brewery, and then were led to the executive hall for free samples of Miller’s beers. For teetotalers, there were free soft drinks and pretzels.
After the brewery, we drove through the heart of the city to make our lunch stop in downtown Milwaukee. Vicki, Lucy and I went to a pizza place for lunch.
The main feature of building architecture in Milwaukee was buildings with rounded tops – I would compare the architecture of Madison, which had more pointed top structures with that of Milwaukee later that day, when we were roaming on the roads of the University Town (that is a nickname for Madison).
We reached Madison before 5 pm; we were put up in a hotel that was slightly on the outskirts, but we had plenty of time to actually go downtown Madison and explore a bit.
After checking in and freshening up, four of us – Vicki, Lucy, Sonia and I headed to downtown Madison. We called for a cab – the driver was a very friendly person, made suggestions to us on what to see and by what time to get back, before dropping us near the Lake Michigan lakefront.
Madison is a very sweet little town, with nice, cozy looking houses, young crowd (students at University of Madison/Wisconsin), friendly people and a beautiful lakefront.
Madison is the capital of Wisconsin, and the Capitol Building there is fashioned pretty much on the lines of the Capitol at Washington D.C., only that the one at Madison looks much more fresh, being newer. The Capitol building was a beautiful sight at night, after it was dark.
We had dinner again at Penny’s noodle shop. After dinner, Vicki and Sonia headed for an open air concert, while Lucy and I headed back to the hotel. I sent an sms to my parents from my cell that night, little knowing that I would not have reception for the next seven days of the road trip (I would have reception only once we got to Jackson Hole) and this was the only time my family would hear from me during the first half of my tour.
June 11th, 2008
Kris had instructed us to be ready with our luggage by 7-30 am sharp, so there I was, along with all other tour members again waiting outside the bus with my luggage. Breakfast was meager – a muffin, an orange and a bottle of water.
We drove through vast expanses of Prairies. The mid-west was flood stricken, and although the tour route was not exactly through an affected region, I did see some signs of flooding as we drove through Wisconsin, Minnesota and northern parts of Iowa. It was raining through the afternoon. And I saw lots and lots and lots of windmills. I saw the majestic Mississippi river, the largest river in North America for the first time.
Our lunch stop was at Onalaska in Minnesota. It was cloudy and humid. It had started to rain by the time we had finished lunch and got back on the bus. That day we watched a movie on bus “Miracle” – a sports movie around the US men’s hockey team that won the gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics, defeating the highly favored Soviet team, so much so, that their victory was referred to as “Miracle on Ice”.
It had been raining all along outside as we drive through Minnesota, but as soon as we crossed the border to enter South Dakota, weather almost instantaneously changed – it was sunny and nice. By the way, temperatures were much lower than what I had expected for June. We stopped at Sioux River Falls, took some photos, and then checked into the hotel in the city of Sioux Falls. Later that evening, I took a walk down to the Veterans’ Memorial.
We were going to drive across the state of South Dakota the next day and stop in Deadwood for two nights.
June 12th, 2008
The drive through the state of South Dakota was a long, long one – the third longest of the trip. This place was so different from the rest of US I had seen. We stopped at the Corn Palace – yes, a huge palace made of corn. There was an interesting gift-shop inside, and people actually spent more time than we were supposed to in that place. We would later regret it, because it would just make our journey longer.
After the Corn Palace, we made a stop at the Badlands, so named because it was really difficult to do any kind of cultivation there. A walk through the Badlands is sometimes described as a walk on the surface of the moon, because of the light soil, sedimentary pinnacles and steep plateaus. I walked a two mile trail through the surface – it was refreshing. As we drove out of the badlands, we also saw the Black Mountains. We were now in the Native American Indian territory. It was just so different!
Lunch was really late, at 3-30. I was starving. We stopped at a small town called Wall Drug for lunch. It was a very interesting place, with lots of cowboy merchandize, amazing, small, sweet shops and a very cute, cozy feel.
There was no vegetarian option available for lunch – I ended up having a chicken fillet sandwich and hot tea. Tea was awesome.
This place was really cheap; coffee was available for 5 cents. For the first time during my stay in the US did I see coffee being sold for 5 cents!
The road to the hotel was not simple from here – we had to turn around after going almost two-thirds the way in one direction; there was a detour. We finally got to the historic Franklin Hotel in Deadwood late in the evening. Interestingly, I got the Kevin Costner suite. As I’ve said so many times while describing this stretch of US, it was really different. Totally different feel; kind of rustic, but still town-like. I saw a bunch of people dressed as cowboys enact a shooting drama on the street.
Temperatures were in the 50s, really cold for the clothing I had. I wasn’t prepared for such temperatures in summer. We had also moved to Mountain Time, now two hours behind New York.
Thankfully, the stop in Deadwood was for two days – so at night and the next morning I wouldn’t have to go through the pain of unpacking, packing and checking out all over again. I was tired, and fell asleep as soon as I got into bed.
June 13th, 2008
Friday, the 13th, in a place that’s called Deadwood – doesn’t that give you a creepy feeling? A lot of my fellow travelers were screaming about their rooms being haunted and seeing ghosts!
While I was totally amused, to be fair to them, some of the rooms did look quite eerie.
We had a delicious breakfast comprising eggs, pancakes, fruits, yoghurts and juice at Silverado that was right across the street. Then, we got onto the bus to go and see Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument.
It took us an hour and a half to get there. Mount Rushmore was a delight to eyes. Faces of four Presidents carved in white stone stood up above the mountain, looking down like guardians of America. I walked a long trail, took lots of photos, stopped strangers along the trail and asked them to click photos of me in the scenic backgrounds, bought lots of souvenirs and felt totally happy with myself.
From Mt Rushmore, we were headed to the Crazy Horse monument. This monument hasn’t been completed yet, but whenever it is, it will be the most majestic monument standing in the mountains. Sadly though, I don’t think I will live to see it being completed. Work on the monument started 60 years back. The face has been sculpted, but more than half of the design remains to be carved out. The good thing is that the family spearheading the work believes that it is progress towards completion that is most important, not setting a target date for completion. Even that day as we were at the monument, I could hear blasts, which indicated that work was going on.
I had a late and light lunch that day – a soft pretzel and hot chocolate. I was back in the hotel by 5 pm. I made the most of my evening by walking around Deadwood Main Street for a couple of hours. There was a band playing live music, and people of all age groups had gathered, listening to the live music with a beer in hand, enjoying the Friday evening.
Deadwood is a really small town, with a population of only about 1800 people. It is a very cozy little American town, and had a totally rejuvenating effect on me. I loved it.
I was in a happy mood as I went back to my suite. I wasn’t going to go to bed in that happy a mood though – I had switched on the TV to watch some news, and heard that Tim Russert had died of a heart attack. He had a sudden attack while at work, collapsed and died of coronary thrombosis. One of the fallouts of the crazy lifestyle you get into when you are immensely successful – I guess, to be that good at work, and be famous for it, you knowingly or unknowingly commit too many atrocities on your body – get less than 4 hours of sleep, sometimes no sleep, loads of caffeine, gobble down junk food, don’t exercise, and basically have an immensely irregular lifestyle. After a point, the body can’t take it any more, and just breaks down.
The news also reiterated to me something I had been mulling over for some time now – to make the best of life while it lasts. Try not to leave things for some other day. Say it now, do it now, experience it now. In the end, we are all dust. The fun is in making the most of the time you’ve got. Absorb as much of the world inside of you as you can. Give as much of yourself to the world as you can. And with such somber thoughts, I said goodnight to myself. The next morning, we would leave for Cody, Wyoming.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Vacations – New York to Chicago
June 7th, 2008
2:30 pm
I’m sitting in the waiting area for Amtrak passengers at the Penn Station, eagerly looking forward to boarding the 3-30 pm Lake Shore Limited 49 to Chicago; feeling quite content with myself as I try to imagine how much my tiny little heart with bounce with joy when my eyes would try to absorb the beauty of the picturesque route by the Hudson. In discovering the beauty of this country through these first time travels to unknown territories, I know, I would unravel more and more of myself. And these discoveries would probably leave me in awe of this earth, the creator . . . and perhaps, even myself!
3:45 pm
The train was on time, and I’m now gliding through this beautiful landscape by the Hudson. The afternoon sun illuminated the river water, and made it appear like a vast field of glittering gold!
We crossed Riverdale, Ludlow, Yonkers, Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, and made a brief stop at Croton-Harmon. For some reason, my mind raced back to that April Saturday afternoon at the Seville DD in San Francisco. I came across a few remarkable people on that assignment. The nicest, smartest, best people I’ve known in my life. I learnt so much, not just about work and business, also about living life in general, giving life its due. Life showers gifts from unexpected quarters!
I felt blessed.
5:00 pm
We crossed Cold Spring. I was starving, having eaten pretty light all day. In another twenty minutes, we had crossed Poughkeepsie, and I walked to the café, unable to sit without eating any more. I settled on having a snack consisting of a pack of chips and hot tea.
In the next two hours or so, the train traveled through a forest-like landscape; full of different kinds of trees. There were numerous shades of green, and an occasional white popping up here and there; I felt as if I was swimming through a vast green ocean!
I turned to pay some attention to my fellow travelers. There were three kids with their mother at a distance, and towards the right, an overweight, stout American with long, untidy, unkempt hair, and tattoos over every visible part of his body except for his face.
The train kept stopping for no reason intermittently, which led me to believe that we’d certainly not make it to Chicago before 11 am. I did not mind it. It was a beautiful ride.
If someone were to ask me what eternal bliss meant, I would have said at that point that this was closest I got to it. If I could fill all my life in one moment, that moment would be it. (This same feeling came back to me so many times during the next two weeks at Yellowstone, at the Grand Canyon, at Zion that I’ve really lost count!).
9:30 pm
It had turned dark by now. I retired to sleep, only to be disturbed at 11 pm by DHS officials who were walking around checking for valid visas of non-US citizens.
June 8th, 2008
6:20 am
I’m up, I had slept okay. I walked over to the dining car for breakfast, ordered a child’s portion french toast and orange juice. The dining car was fashioned like a nice, cozy restaurant. We had crossed Pennsylvania, and were traveling through Ohio.
In the next two hours, I saw people working on vast expanses of farms, and horses grazing in the fields. This certainly felt like a holiday!
By 10 am, we were traveling through Indiana. We would briefly touch Michigan before finally getting to Illinois.
Journeys like these fascinate me. Getting to the destination is good, but it’s the journeys that are the most fun!
11:00 am
The train finally reached the Union Station, Chicago. I had lunch at the food court at the Union Station, and then just walked over to my hotel on West Adams Street.
Chicago is a beautiful city – the Chicago River flows through the city and numerous arching bridges over the river just make it a beautiful place to walk.
The sky was overcast when I reached; by the time I was in the hotel freshening up, it had started raining. Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to waste the one-and-a-half day I had in this beautiful city. So, armed with my windcheater and umbrella, I went out, to go to Millennium Park, Grant Park and Navy Pier. And lo! The Rain Gods had relented! For me! :-)
These small joys of life make it so spectacular!
After spending some time in Millennium Park, I headed to Navy Pier, and again got lucky to be able to board an Architectural Tour on the Chicago River barely five minutes before it was going to start! Chicago really is a remarkable city. Very distinct architecture. Some famous structures, some marvelous buildings. After the tour was over, I spent some time admiring the Lake Michigan waterfront, then headed to Grant Park, and then spent time wandering on Michigan Avenue.
I had seen a lot for half a day – but I wasn’t satisfied. I then walked over to the Sears Tower, for no tourist visit to Chicago is complete without going all the way to the top of the Sears Tower and getting a view of the city and its neighboring areas from there. Quite amazing! The view of the city from the top was truly spectacular.
Chicago is an architectural delight. Sears Tower is the highest building in North America, in fact, I should say, in the whole of the developed world. Worldwide, it is now the fourth highest, the first three are in Asia, first in Taipei and the second and third in Malaysia.
By the end of the day, I was dead tired. I just had a bowl of garden salad for dinner, and crashed while watching “Recount” on HBO.
I patted myself on the back for choosing the Amtrak route to Chicago and booking into a hotel in downtown.
June 9th, 2008
I had breakfast at Panera Bread. I walked around a bit in Chicago downtown, watching the Monday morning bustle, even as I was enjoying every moment of my vacation. I had to check out of this hotel and check in to Day’s Inn at Lincoln Park this afternoon – that was the place where the road trip would start.
I checked out a little before noon, and actually walked to Lincoln Park. It was a nice, but long walk. I got to see a lot of Chicago. After checking in at the Day’s Inn, I went out again, had lunch at Dunkin Donuts, and then went to the Hancock Observatory, and then to Lincoln Park Zoo. From the zoo, I walked over to the Lake Driveway, and spent some time at the lakeshore. It had started raining, but stopped in half an hour.
I made my way back to the hotel – met up with fellow travelers at the hotel lobby in the evening. Met Vicki (Victoria), Jenny, Lucy and Sonia at the lobby. Lucy, Sonia and I later went out for dinner to Penny’s noodle shop. I had a chow salad – it was really good; felt good to get some vegetables down my stomach without the usual doze of cheese. I was back in my room by 9-30 pm, packed up most of my stuff. We were to check out of the hotel and meet at the lobby to start our grand road trip all the way to Los Angeles the next morning at 7-30 am.
I don’t know how much time it would take me to complete writing all about the vacation, but I did want to get the first part in, before I lost interest in writing it down. Probably the next installment next weekend!
2:30 pm
I’m sitting in the waiting area for Amtrak passengers at the Penn Station, eagerly looking forward to boarding the 3-30 pm Lake Shore Limited 49 to Chicago; feeling quite content with myself as I try to imagine how much my tiny little heart with bounce with joy when my eyes would try to absorb the beauty of the picturesque route by the Hudson. In discovering the beauty of this country through these first time travels to unknown territories, I know, I would unravel more and more of myself. And these discoveries would probably leave me in awe of this earth, the creator . . . and perhaps, even myself!
3:45 pm
The train was on time, and I’m now gliding through this beautiful landscape by the Hudson. The afternoon sun illuminated the river water, and made it appear like a vast field of glittering gold!
We crossed Riverdale, Ludlow, Yonkers, Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, and made a brief stop at Croton-Harmon. For some reason, my mind raced back to that April Saturday afternoon at the Seville DD in San Francisco. I came across a few remarkable people on that assignment. The nicest, smartest, best people I’ve known in my life. I learnt so much, not just about work and business, also about living life in general, giving life its due. Life showers gifts from unexpected quarters!
I felt blessed.
5:00 pm
We crossed Cold Spring. I was starving, having eaten pretty light all day. In another twenty minutes, we had crossed Poughkeepsie, and I walked to the café, unable to sit without eating any more. I settled on having a snack consisting of a pack of chips and hot tea.
In the next two hours or so, the train traveled through a forest-like landscape; full of different kinds of trees. There were numerous shades of green, and an occasional white popping up here and there; I felt as if I was swimming through a vast green ocean!
I turned to pay some attention to my fellow travelers. There were three kids with their mother at a distance, and towards the right, an overweight, stout American with long, untidy, unkempt hair, and tattoos over every visible part of his body except for his face.
The train kept stopping for no reason intermittently, which led me to believe that we’d certainly not make it to Chicago before 11 am. I did not mind it. It was a beautiful ride.
If someone were to ask me what eternal bliss meant, I would have said at that point that this was closest I got to it. If I could fill all my life in one moment, that moment would be it. (This same feeling came back to me so many times during the next two weeks at Yellowstone, at the Grand Canyon, at Zion that I’ve really lost count!).
9:30 pm
It had turned dark by now. I retired to sleep, only to be disturbed at 11 pm by DHS officials who were walking around checking for valid visas of non-US citizens.
June 8th, 2008
6:20 am
I’m up, I had slept okay. I walked over to the dining car for breakfast, ordered a child’s portion french toast and orange juice. The dining car was fashioned like a nice, cozy restaurant. We had crossed Pennsylvania, and were traveling through Ohio.
In the next two hours, I saw people working on vast expanses of farms, and horses grazing in the fields. This certainly felt like a holiday!
By 10 am, we were traveling through Indiana. We would briefly touch Michigan before finally getting to Illinois.
Journeys like these fascinate me. Getting to the destination is good, but it’s the journeys that are the most fun!
11:00 am
The train finally reached the Union Station, Chicago. I had lunch at the food court at the Union Station, and then just walked over to my hotel on West Adams Street.
Chicago is a beautiful city – the Chicago River flows through the city and numerous arching bridges over the river just make it a beautiful place to walk.
The sky was overcast when I reached; by the time I was in the hotel freshening up, it had started raining. Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to waste the one-and-a-half day I had in this beautiful city. So, armed with my windcheater and umbrella, I went out, to go to Millennium Park, Grant Park and Navy Pier. And lo! The Rain Gods had relented! For me! :-)
These small joys of life make it so spectacular!
After spending some time in Millennium Park, I headed to Navy Pier, and again got lucky to be able to board an Architectural Tour on the Chicago River barely five minutes before it was going to start! Chicago really is a remarkable city. Very distinct architecture. Some famous structures, some marvelous buildings. After the tour was over, I spent some time admiring the Lake Michigan waterfront, then headed to Grant Park, and then spent time wandering on Michigan Avenue.
I had seen a lot for half a day – but I wasn’t satisfied. I then walked over to the Sears Tower, for no tourist visit to Chicago is complete without going all the way to the top of the Sears Tower and getting a view of the city and its neighboring areas from there. Quite amazing! The view of the city from the top was truly spectacular.
Chicago is an architectural delight. Sears Tower is the highest building in North America, in fact, I should say, in the whole of the developed world. Worldwide, it is now the fourth highest, the first three are in Asia, first in Taipei and the second and third in Malaysia.
By the end of the day, I was dead tired. I just had a bowl of garden salad for dinner, and crashed while watching “Recount” on HBO.
I patted myself on the back for choosing the Amtrak route to Chicago and booking into a hotel in downtown.
June 9th, 2008
I had breakfast at Panera Bread. I walked around a bit in Chicago downtown, watching the Monday morning bustle, even as I was enjoying every moment of my vacation. I had to check out of this hotel and check in to Day’s Inn at Lincoln Park this afternoon – that was the place where the road trip would start.
I checked out a little before noon, and actually walked to Lincoln Park. It was a nice, but long walk. I got to see a lot of Chicago. After checking in at the Day’s Inn, I went out again, had lunch at Dunkin Donuts, and then went to the Hancock Observatory, and then to Lincoln Park Zoo. From the zoo, I walked over to the Lake Driveway, and spent some time at the lakeshore. It had started raining, but stopped in half an hour.
I made my way back to the hotel – met up with fellow travelers at the hotel lobby in the evening. Met Vicki (Victoria), Jenny, Lucy and Sonia at the lobby. Lucy, Sonia and I later went out for dinner to Penny’s noodle shop. I had a chow salad – it was really good; felt good to get some vegetables down my stomach without the usual doze of cheese. I was back in my room by 9-30 pm, packed up most of my stuff. We were to check out of the hotel and meet at the lobby to start our grand road trip all the way to Los Angeles the next morning at 7-30 am.
I don’t know how much time it would take me to complete writing all about the vacation, but I did want to get the first part in, before I lost interest in writing it down. Probably the next installment next weekend!
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