Trip notes: California and Vegas, 2015
We criss crossed self drove 2972 miles in the West Coast US covering San Francisco, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Grand Canyons, Hoover dam, Colorado River, Los Angeles-Santa Monica, Long Beach, Highway 1 - Cambria Lading, Big Sur, SFO Northern bay scenic drive, Muir woods, Mount Tamalpais and surrounding National Park, Golden Gate national park, South Lake Tahoe, San Rafael, San Jose and Fremont.
Fulva and I shared some nostalgic moments passing by Santa Cruz; the name sake Santa Cruz in Bombay is where we grew up, met and married!!
On this trip we visited many national parks, natural formations, desert, snow, mountains, oceans and cliffs, man-made monuments, universities, centre of expertise (Griffith Observatory, Universal studios, SJ tech museum etc.), meeting friends, learning and having lot of fun together. Our past journeys to Australia, US East Coast, Asia, and India had similar themes though our cultural and environmental interactions were different.
We received warm and wonderful reception everywhere, weather was perfect, security was not a concern, and our dietary needs were well taken care.
Team play ensured family bonding, planning, scheduling and seamless execution, safe and happy travels, and an enriching journey. Balaji and Suma’s guidance and trip within SFO provide to be invaluable. Thanks to my family (for the inspiration), Balaji, Suma and everyone that made our trip memorable!
The close ties of native Indians with nature, their efforts (with the Park authorities) in worshiping and preserving Grand Canyons and various National park in US is commendable. The pristine waters at South Lake Tahoe, Colorado River and the Pacific Ocean is a reflection of efforts spent on preservation and conservation. Buying fresh, organic, and homemade produce at the farmers markets at Cerritos and along Highway 1 brought us closer to people that hold nature pristine.
We learned what nature has provided, diverse and in abundance, and what humans could dream and build pushing beyond its limits; we humans seem so tiny, egos crushed, in the backdrop of the grand canyons and redwood trees at Muir wood. The helicopter in front of the Grand Canyon’s seems like a small “fly” and our life span short compared to redwood trees that have survived more than 1000 years+. After experiencing the well preserved natural beauty of various places and the starry night at the Death Valley and Cambria Landing, it appeared that human seemed so insignificant compared to the entire universe and the mother earth.
It was also amazing to understand the life cycle a migration patterns of sea lions and the whales, commitment of these animals to their family and their fight to survive extinction. The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits showed how much existed prior to the current age and how much of our past is yet to be discovered!
Our visit to Hoover dam, the San Jose tech museum, aircraft carrier USS Hornet, Golden Gate and other bridges, Universal Studios, Griffith Observatory and the space voyages, the David Copperfield show, LV strip, Stamford, and other places showed us first-hand how much of human energy, love for labour and intellect, understanding nature and self-drive can push us all beyond our limits. Our tour of a few universities gave us a glimpse and importance of higher learning institutions and their impact on human spirit and intellect. Connecting the dots, nature’s abundance has so much for us to learn from and apply.
The visits to a Jain temple and a few Hindu temples in LA, San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento and our dining at the Vegan, Chinese and Indian restaurants was an interesting insight on freedom of faith and seamless spread of cultures around the world. Balaji mentioned that many students from University of Berkeley visit the ISCON temple and once Steve Jobs used to visit this temple.
Technology made our travel easy and safe – airplanes, rental car, GPS mapping, i-phone, google maps and search services, expedia, and a portable multi-purpose cooker.
Some of our whatsup moments of which Balaji identified one! - hated driving after sunset, struggled to accept instructions form the GPS though Fulva loved my plight and I missed instructions whenever felt like protesting (or ensuring safety), difficulty in finding gears and direction lights in the vehicles – still struggling after returning to Singapore, waking up early to catch maximum day light, the mint chocolates at Ghirardelli, an afternoon fog at Santa Monica Pier, the feeling of creepiness at the “believe it or not” museum and the transformer ride at Universal studios, walk over “stars” along the walk of fame, US$60 parking fine from LAPD for one minute of overtime parking at the Hollywood walk of fame, a very hot i-phone (which went dead) after running the GPS for an hour, and so on.
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