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From a good vacation. 4 days just flew past. Will post the travel diary soon. The cascade mountains of Oregon are breathtaking. Mt. Bachelor, The Three Sisters, Broken Top, Mt.Jefferson, Mt.Washington offer some of the breathtaking views no one can expect.
I was primarily focused on skiing and after 2 days I could barely lift my legs. Learning ski turns is one hell of a job and learning to turn without coaching is even more difficult. Somehow I learnt it and can now manage the blue runs. After 2 days of skiing happened to visit Smith Rock State park and decided to take a 2.5 mile hike which is quite strenous but the views of a monkey face shaped rock were worth every effort.
As the year ends, just thought of putting down the places I got to see:

Nature:

1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona - Summers can be killing, but the views of the canyon - unsurpassed. The best activity - rafting along the colorado river.
2. Redwood National Park, California - Its hard to believe that the seqouias are nearly 2000 years old and the sheer magnitude of these trees makes one realize how tiny the human body is.
3. Point Reyes National Seashore, California - One of California's best kept secrets. Just an hour from SFO, the seashore has everything to offer for a nature lover from backpacking to whale watching.
4. Yosemite National Park, Califorina - Donno what to say - just splendid. Been there twice and long to go again and again.
5. Mono Lake and the eastern Sierras, California - Just the huge expanse of this lake makes one wonder how it would have been if the incoming waters had not been diverted to Los Angeles. The limestone crystals emerging from the lake are a natural wonder.
5. Oregon Coast, Oregon - The drive from the oregon california border until Astoria in northern oregon is probably one of the most scenic drives in the continental US. I took 5 days to drive along this magnificient rocky coastline and the experience was more than what I had expected.
6. Columbia River Gorge, Oregon - I havent seen so many waterfalls in a single region elsewhere. Multnomah falls, Wahkeena falls, Latourel falls, silver creek falls and horse tail falls are the famous few. Fall is probably the best season to visit the gorge as it tends to be less crowded.
7. Mt.Hood National Forest, Oregon - Not very far from the gorge, the Mt.Hood national forest region is a hiker's paradise. The vast network of trails are impressive and so are the views of Mt Hood from all around the national forest. This is also a skiing paradise in winter.
8. Mt.Rainier National Park, Washington - A fairly undisturbed national park in washington. Guess all the tourists pour into the olympic national park.
9. Mammoth Caves National Park, Kentucky - Supposedly the largest cave system in the world. If there is something that can be described about caves - its the 'darkness'.Whether u keep your eyes shut or open, makes no difference.
10. Mt.Bachelor and the cascade mountain ranges, Oregon: Another winter landscape paradise, but with most of the access roads closed in winter getting around can be difficult. Given the right conditions, the mountains offer great vistas.

Urban:

1. New York, New York: Love At First Sight - thats how I can describe the city. Someone once asked me where would I live given a choice and I said - give me two choices - I'll alternate between NYC and Mumbai :)
2. Louisville, Kentucky: A typical southern town. The traffic lights in this city suck, they dont turn green forever.
3. Los Angeles, California: No matter what time of the day it is traffic never moves in LA. Its always bumper to bumper and yeah the shady downtown parts are pretty scary. The city is an absolute concrete jungle.
4. San Francisco, California: The best part of the town, a beautiful beach just minutes from the downtown, the great Golden gate bridge and the nearby wine country which is home to some of the world's best wines.
5. Seattle, Washington - A music lover's city in the west coast, Oh and yes a coffee lover's paradise.
6. Cincinatti, Ohio - On a saturday afternoon, the downtown was deserted. No more comments.
7. Austin, Texas - A great college town and the Texan blondes - need I say more.

Work has kept me unusually busy over the past few weeks and hence am unable to update the blog regularly. So christmas is here, and as there is festive fervor everywhere. Shopping malls have become human zoos virtually :). Am going to find some respite in the cascade mountain ranges. Specifically will be skiing in the Mt.Bachelor and if possible will take a hike down the three sisters and the broken top. So heres wishing everyone a merry christmas and a great holiday weekend.

I Shouldn't Be Alive

Forget about Survivor or Lost or Fear Factor. This new program on Discovery channel will send the producers of these shows to a tailspin. Its about real life experiences of people who have cheated death or should I say survived a close death. Its just bone chilling to watch the ordeal of adventure seekers, stranded amidst deserts, oceans and mountains, surviving for days without food and water and somehow making it back into civilization. The programs are adaptations of real life experiences with intermittent commentaries by the survivors themselves.
In my view the most inspiring adventure adaptation is a documentary 'Touching The Void', a saga of 2 climbers on a climbing adventure in the Andes.A must see for all adventure lovers. Another must read is the novel 'Into Thin Air' - a reporter's quest to conquer Mt.Everest. Another worthy mention is the documentary of Captain Scott's expedition to the south pole. Some of these adaptations will bring out that adventure spirit and make you feel as if you are just sitting at the comfort of your home and doing absolutely nothing, but for others they seem totally boring.