Beyond Here

Cuckoo continues her photography competition with a different topic each month. The topic for this month is Clouds and here is my entry. This picture was taken this summer when we visisted Alaska. We were driving from Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs, the day had been clear for the most part when suddenly the clouds started reeling in. We stopped at this pond and the clouds were stark grey.

A few months ago, we went wine tasting with a couple of friends and came across this barn in front of one of the tasting rooms. In front of the barn was this very interesting "Official weather station"

During our trip to Alaska one day was dedicated to a drive down Richardson Highway. Richardson Highway runs from Fairbanks to Valdez, a distance of about 350 miles. Google Maps will tell you otherwise - that Richardson Highway runs from Delta Junction to Valdez and that the section before it is Steese Highway, but the actual road signs mark it as going from Fairbanks to Valdez. Before leaving I had done some search on the internet - there were people who claimed it to be the most scenic highway in Alaska. Plus when we started it looked like it was going to be a pleasant day. Our 2 prior days in Denali had been cloudy and rainy at times and so I was really looking forward to the drive. Our first majestic glimpse was that of the Alaska range that started coming into view pretty much as soon as we were leaving Fairbanks. As we crossed Delta Junction and the range came closer the views kept getting better.... Plus there were long stretches of the highway when we couldn't see a car for ...

A friend recently asked me what our exact trip plan for Alaska was and I forwarded her a small spreadsheet I maintain for longer trips. I thought it might be useful for other people planning a trip. Here is a snapshot of what I ended up sending to her.

Sunit and I have run into bears unexpectedly twice before. The first time left us scared - we were all alone on a hike in Yosemite. The second time was jaw dropping - we saw a sow and 2 cubs crossing the road, from the safety of our car. So it was no surprise that one of the items on our itinerary to Alaska was a visit to Katmai - home to the grizzly bear. The Katmai National Park has the largest concentration of brown bears in the world. It also provides one of the safest environs to see bears. There are viewing platforms along the mouth of Brooks river and Brooks falls and though one has to leave the safety of the platform when going from one platform to another (about a mile or more apart), this is still the best way to see grizzlies closely without any need for binoculars or zoom lens. When the salmon visit the river for spawning, about 70-80 bears congregate at the brooks falls to catch fish. Our final day saw us making a day trip to Katmai. Our travel plans were booked through Ka...

Cuckoo has been a regular visitor on my blog and I saw that she is hosting a photography competition on a different topic each month. Thats interesting. Now here's a reason for me to go back and look at all the pictures we take. The topic for this month is Sunrise and here is my entry. We were on a boat (ketuvallam) in Allepey in Kerala. At night we were docked near a paddy field. And early morning my parents woke us up to this cloudy sunrise...

July in Alaska is a wonderful time to see wildflowers. And we did not have to make an effort to see them - they were all around - lining the roads, along our hikes, near lakes, even the grass had a pink hue to it. Below are some of the shots of wildflowers - lupines, campunalas, irises, grass etc.

June 27th - finally it was time to leave for our much awaited trip to Alaska. We had booked the flights way back in February and I had spent the last month or so planning out the other stays/campsites etc. Some last minute scrambling, packing etc. and we were on our way. We took the United flight to Anchorage where we were to sync up with a couple of our friends. Just before landing, around 11.30 at night we looked outside the window - all we could see was mountain after mountain covered with snow. And we could see it, it being summer and Alaska being close to North Pole it is hardly dark here during the summer days. We saw the view under and were all spruced up for the trip. View from the plane The first section of the trip (3 days) was a visit to Denali National Park. Denali is a 4 hour drive from Anchorage. The first night we drove up there and stayed outside. The drive itself was full of vast panoramic vistas, braided rivers and huge mountains. The one thing missing was blue skies ...

Notice anything weird in this picture ? It is a mirror image, isn't it ? Even though the title of the post pretty much gives it away, the picture above is of a few people standing near Mirror Lake at Yosemite National Park. And just to prove that the reflections are that good, I have actually inverted the image above. Mirror Lake is a seasonal lake. A short 1.1 mile (2.2 miles roundtrip) hike, this is an easy walk. The lake is seasonal because it appears (it is of significant size) only when the waters in the high altitudes is melting. As summer sets in much of the water disappears and is replaced by meadows with pools of water here and there. The hike here is off the beaten track. S and I always like coming here as early in the morning as possible - there are fewer people and we find the quiet around this place is very relaxing. And Mt. Watkins always looks splendid with its reflection in the lake.

Being in the bay area puts us in close proximity to Yosemite National Park. We both absolutely love the place. Infact our trips to the place have always been special. The very first time we went there, we hit the park during perfect weather and full waterfalls. And since we did venture on one of the less frequented hikes, we also had a not-so-desired bear encounter that left us a little bit unsettled. Our second trip to the place was during fall and the fall colors had us going ga-ga over the place. Fall in Yosemite was definitely beautiful. So it was no wonder that when we set off friday evening for another trip we were absolutely impatient with excitement and what the place had in store for us. It was an uneventful drive for the first couple of hours except for a long stretch when there were loads of white and purple wildflowers along the road. Till we were closer to the park and suddenly S hit the brakes - there were 4 deer on the road. And when it comes to wildlife the rule here is...

It happened at one of the vista points along Highway 1 recently. A squirrel very graciously posed while we went click-click with our camera. Infact we clicked quite a few with the little one looking here and there and even straight into the camera lens. It was not scared at all...we were expecting it to scurry away but it was just not ready to leave.

In the end though, it is always the California poppy that rules! While driving back on Highway 1 we chanced upon a number of patches of these, but this one particular patch was especially bright orange.

Coming back to the weekend trip to see wildflowers.... While travelling down from our place we drove on Highway 101. All along the highway, after every mile were these markers reminding us that 101 is the historic El Camino Real. Since we could not stop the car just anywhere, (and I was hell bent upon taking a picture of this marker,) it took some time and effort before I could take a shot of this marker from the moving car. I was very pleased myself. Till yesterday, when I was walking to a nearby grocery store on El Camino Real near our home (its a slow driving street instead of a fast moving highway when it runs through any city) and what should I see but the same markers. So much for putting in all that extra effort. In any case, I actually found the whole 101 route to be very scenic, especially this time of the year since it was all green and colorful with flowers. On our way back we drove back on Highway 1 along the coast. We decided to stretch our legs at the Fiscalini Ranch Pres...

I have to intersperse my wildflower trip account with this post on Rome. A lot of our friends are travelling to Rome this year (atleast 3 in the immediate friend circle) - and everytime they ask me for planning tips, I am reminded that I completely forgot to blog about our Italy travel. Actually we were so caught up in moving etc. that blogging about Italy took a back seat. So here are some tips especially for Rome: 1. Buy yourself one of those Rick Steve's guide for Italy/Rome - it is very useful with very handy tips. A lot of the tips here are from that book that we used and found to be useful. 2. Pack light - If possible pack all your stuff into a big carry on, so your luggage does not get delayed or re-routed. It happened to one of our friends - they reached Venice without their luggage and spent much of their trip shopping for clothes - Infact they got their luggage back only after they had returned to US. Even when we tried to check-in our luggage at the train station at Zuri...

While there was a lot of lavendar and blue wildflowers around this season, this is definitely the year of yellow. And the star attraction of our trip was a drive to Cottonwood Canyon Road off Highway 166. Since this was basically wide open space, we could park anywhere, climb the hills, walk among the flowers (of course on foot paths so as not to trample on the flowers). Here are some pictures from the time spent there. P.S. BTW the credit for alerting me to the wildflowers in Cottonwood Canyon goes to the author of the following blog . I came across his posts when looking for wildflower locations near our place and that is how we reached Cottonwood Canyon. Thanks kmw. It was a weekend well spent, all thanks to your tip.

The central California coast is looking magnificent this wildflower season. We went searching for them last weekend and once we were in the area, did not have to search much. They were pretty much everywhere. Lining the highways were yellow, lavendar and blue flowers (lupine) along with lots of california poppies. At times it was difficult to keep the eye on the road. The following pictures were taken on Shell Creek Road, off CA-58, right before reaching the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Since it was not a freeway, there was plenty of time to walk around and observe the flowers at length.

These days there are california poppies blooming all around this place. They reminded me of these poppy fields growing in the wild that we came across outside Lausanne in Switzerland last year. We were having a hard time figuring our way out of the city in the car, when we came across these. Getting lost can be fun sometimes.

A picnic at Golden Gate State Park.... And the flowers were in full bloom after the long winter. Spring is definitely here! P.S. Mridula, this one is for you :-)

We moved to the San Francisco area in August, and by the time we were all settled, the city was very cold. So at the first sight of pleasant weather, my husband dragged me to the city to explore -that was last weekend. The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Crooked Street were all visited by us before so Sunit insisted we doscover the quainter historical parts - we decided to visit Mission Dolores - the oldest structure in San Francisco. Much of the structure, though restored, still stands on the original adobe walls and looks like how it did when it was constructed in the eighteenth century. Here are some pictures from the trip. Stained glass window inside the Basilica The Basilica - I really liked the light streaming in from the stained glass windows and creating the red glow inside The Cemetery - You can see that spring is here and cherry blossom trees are in full bloom The Chapel Light streaming in through a window in the Chapel P.S. I am so glad spring is her...