The journey not the arrival that matters

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page – St. Augustine


Hola Amigos,

Welcome to the Fall Trip 2 for the season 2010. 
(If you are wondering where is Fall Trip 1 - I'm yet to publish it :-))

Where:
Mammoth Caves National Park & Great Smoky Mountain National Park

When:
Oct - 4th Weekend - 20101023/24
(Articles suggested that last 3 weeks of October are the best times in Fall to visit smoky - Having visited New Hampshire on First week of October, we settled for 4th week for Smoky)

How long:
2 Days - Pretty much enough to cover both National Parks ( 3 days would be good deal if you like to hike more )

Who:
We settled with head count of 5 for this trip - Scud, Fahad, Gowri, Baat & Jyothi

Route:

View Larger Map

Brief Plan:
Day 1: Land in Nashville - Pick Car - Head to Mammoth Cave NP - Finish Breakfast +Lunch - Take Historic Entrance Tour  - Take New Entrance Tour - When it turns dark, head to Alcoa for Stay (Dinner on the way)

Day 2: Wake up early - Head to Cades Cove for Wildlife viewing (if lucky) & Historic building visits - Head to Roaring Folk Mountain Road - Go for a short hike in popular trail - Finish Lunch - Head to Clingmans Dove - Watch Falls Colors till Evening - Head to Oconaluftee and drive in Blue Ridge Highway till its Dark - Finish Dinner - Start driving back to Nahsville Airport 

Day 3: Once reaching the airport and returning the car - Take rest in Airport till your departure time - Take flight - Happy Journey

Things to Carry:
1) We are NOT Camping - so NO Sleeping Bags required
2) 2 Pair of clothes for yourself
3) Extra pair of socks if one get wet
4) Camera (If you've one)
5) Shoe with decent grip (We'll go for a short hike)
6) Weather Jacket (It could be cold in the Cave & the Peak)

See you in Nashville Airport. Happy journey.

Cheers,
FD

It was May 26 2010, 


Long weekend was right at the corners and it seemed strange to me that I've not made any clear cut plans for the trip till that night. ( My work load during the past 2 weeks is all to be blamed )


And finally found some time that night to look at what are the mountains, grasslands, plateaus, plains, rivers, valleys, canyons, caves and 'what nots' we can explore during the 3 and half days.

Yo! we had Rocky Mountain, Mount Evans, Black Canyon, and Rafting in mind... 

But wait!!!! 
Middlefork river in Sacremento is as good as Colorado for Rafting....
If we are visiting Black Canyon, we should visit canon city also, but sorry we dont have time...
We are also missing Great Sand dunes which is near by... ( We may not want to visit now, but we should visit some time later )

Thats when an evil devil struck my mind asking "Why not plan a separate trip for Black Canyon, Great sand Dunes and Canon city Later" and try out South Dakota & North Dakota in this trip?????? :-)  

Hmmmmm... Pretty interesting!!!!! After all South Dakota and North Dakota in already in Place-to-Visit list ( I agree every state is in list - But this one I really wanna visit )

Thats when we got the brand new plan.... Well, Here is it... 

Who is in the Trip?
Abdul Driver Fahad
FNU (Not FLU) Harshavardhana
Mukundappa-SAT a.k.a MS Sriharsha
Kutchery Kitty Krishna
Rajiv First US Trip Sarma

What are we doing?

Wind Cave National Park, Mt.Rushmore, Devils Tower National Monument - Day 1
Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Day 2
Badlands National Park - Day 3
Rocky Mountain Drive - Day 4 (Depending on the Time)


What States are we covering?
Colorado
Wyoming
North Dakota
South Dakota
Montana
Nebraska

How are we doing it?
Friday:
10:45 PM - Thats when all 5 reach Denver
11:45 PM - Reach Car Rentals and Pick one
12:30 AM - Finish walmat shopping ( Pack required food for some days )
01:00 AM - Start our pleasant journey
(Over Night Journey)

Saturday:
07:00 AM - Reach Wind Cave National Park & Freshen up
08:40 AM - Take Natural Entrance Cave tour ( Next Tour is at 9.20 AM - But we should not waste time :-)
10:30 AM - Done with the Tour - Start for Mt. Rushmore
12:00 PM - Mt. Rushmore Here we go - Have lunch stroll around for some time
03:00 PM - Start from Mt.Rushmore for Devils Tower
06:00 PM - Reach Devils tower - Spend sunset
09:00 PM - Reach Spearfish, SD and have a pleasant sleep
(Stay in Spearfish)

Sunday:
08:00 AM - Wake up guys, Finish BF and get ready for Theodore Roosevelt National Park ( 3 and half hour drive )
11:30 AM - Reach NP stroll around
01:00 PM - Finish lunch and continue stroll
03:00 PM - Start back to Spearfish, SD
06:00 PM - Reach Hotel and Sleep well
(Stay in Spearfish)

Monday:
09:00 AM - Finish BF and Start from Spearfish to Badland National Park
10:30 AM - Reach NP, Do all short hikes and roam around till afternoon
02:00 PM - Finish lunch and continue strolling
04:00 PM - Start driving to Rocky's ( 6-7 Hrs Drive )
(Half Night Journey - Sleep in Car rest of the time at REST AREA)

Tuesday:
07:00 AM - Start driving to Rocky Mountain NP
09:00 AM - Finish Breakfast
10:00 AM - Continue visiting all vista points - May be short hikes
01:00 PM - Lunch and continue roaming
02:00 PM - Start back to Denver
05:00 PM - Reach Airport, Drop Car and Get set to fly back
(Reach home and have a pleasant sleep)

What about the Bookings?
Car - I've already booked a Full-Size SUV
Room - Asked Baat to book 'Howard Johnson' for 2 nights @ Spearfish, SD

Are we camping?
No - It will be overkill for this trip - We need a cozy sleep :-)

What should you carry?
1) 4 Pair of Clothes
2) Extra pair of Socks (You know why)
3) Jacket (Rain Jacket if you have one)
4) Sunglasses (May be it will be sunny, May be it will be breezy, God only knows)
5) Cap
6) iPod/iPhone/Smart phones with Songs (If you have one)
7) Whatever personal item you wanna carry
8) And Loads of Energy & Enthusiasms



Cheers,
FD

What is Wave?
Multicolored, eroded rock formations dominate most of southeast Utah, though particularly outstanding is the desert either side of the Paria River, beneath the Vermilion Cliffs  along the Cottonwood Canyon Road or at the Paria Rimrocks. This is Coyote Buttes, which was unknown before the mid 1990s but is now quite popular because of just one formation, 'The Wave', a small ravine between eroded sandstone domes formed of amazingly beautiful rocks containing thin, swirling strata.

Its an amazing place to visit during Late Spring or Autumn.

More details about 'The Wave' can be found in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave,_Arizona
http://www.zionnational-park.com/coyote-buttes-paria.htm
http://besthike.com/northamerica/usasouthwest/paria.html

Some Gallery
http://www.zionnational-park.com/images/album2/index59.htm
http://www.zionnational-park.com/images/album2/index4.htm

Visiting Coyote Butte requires Permit which needs to be applied 4 months in advance. Best time to Visit to this place is Apr & May.  For Visiting in May, we need to apply before Feb 1st.

We were looking for a maximum of 4-5 people for the trip since the suggested number group size is less than 5. The Non-refundable application charge is $5 per person.


I applied for May 8th or 9th or 15th ( We had only 3 choices ) on January. On Feb 1st, there was a lottery and we were extremely lucky to get a slot on 15th.

Who is in?

Fahad from California
Schumi from Ohio
Naddy from Arizona
Naga from Kansas
MS from California

Flight Details:
Arrival:
Schumi 09:25 PM
Naddy 09:35 PM
Fahad 09:55 PM
Naga         10:18 PM
MS         10:35 PM

Depart:
Schmi 11:10 PM
Naga         12:45 AM
Fahad 06:25 AM
Naddy 06:30 AM
MS         07:15 AM

Maps:

Route & Timing:
Friday:
11:00 PM - Receive everyone + Get ready with Car (Hope there are no flight delays for anyone)
11:55 PM - Finish Shopping @ Walmart Super Center

Saturday:
12:00 AM - Start driving to Wire Pass Trail Head - Its a 4 and half hour journey from here
05:00 AM - Reach Trail Head
06:00 AM - (Optional) We can pitch the tent here and sleep OR Sleep in the Car
09:00 AM - Finish break fast and start to Coyotte Buttes North - The full day is ours
04:00 PM - Return back to Trail head
05:00 PM - Do whatever you feel like until night or We'll work out some plan here...
10:00 PM - Finish dinner and have a good night

Sunday:
08:00 AM - Finish breakfast
09:00 AM - Start to Buckskin Gultch - The day till 3 is ours
03:00 PM - Return back to Trail head
03:30 PM - Start to LV
09:00 PM - Reach LV, Finish dinner and send Schumi
10:00 PM - Reach Hotel and checkin (Some of us might want to take rest)
11:30 PM - Drop Naga at airport and return back to Sleep/Casinos

Monday:
05:00 AM - Wake up (If sleeping), Drop the car at airport and head to flight
06:00 AM - Happy flying...

Things completed:
Permit - Ready (But I'm yet to receive it, should be getting on Saturday hopefully)
Car - Booked
Campground for Saturday - Available at Wire Pass trail Head (no booking required)
Stratosphere booked for 1 night @ LV

Things to Carry and general instructions:
Please carry the usual hiking stuffs, We might have to walk in the water, so carry extra pair of socks. A Head light or Torch light is must. Climate is expected to be moderate. Carry a jacket for any case.

Cheers,
FD


Apri 5th 2010,

Ever since I started visiting places in US, I always wanted to experience a National Park in Midwest and North East regions of US.

One that looked feasible was Cuyahoga Valley NP in Ohio and Shenandoah NP in Virginia. I thought about this because Schumi (alias Vidyashankar), a close friend of mine and a avid like me is staying in Cleveland, Ohio. That makes planning easier.

I started looking for Tickets to nearby Airports.  San Francisco to Pittsburgh worked out well!!!! Booked the ticket straight away and what followed is below.. :)


Who are going to be there?
Group 1
1) Fahad from California
2) Balaji from Wisconsin
3) Scud from Texas
4) Arun from Ohio
5) Jyothi from New Jersey


Group 2
1) Vidyashankar from Ohio
2) VidyaRaman from Connecticut
3) Kasthuri from Ohio
4) Sriram from Ohio
5) Atul from Ohio

Plan for May 1-2 2010
Saturday:

Weather:
Weather is expected to be moderately sunny (but you never know, it changes drastically). So be prepared for Rain & Shine during the trek. 

Hike:
Its a 8 miles round trip which includes some rock scrambling. Expected to take 6 Hrs. We'll start around 8-9 AM in the morning, reach summit, finish lunch and return back by 3 PM. Please plan to carry a small bag for yourself to carry 1) Two Litres of Water 2) Snacks 3) Food

Route:

Plan:
08:00 PM - Schumi, Finish your dinner and start from Cleveland 
10:10 PM - Pick Balaji at Pittsburgh and go to Rentals for car pickup and hang around till 11:10 PM. 
11:10 PM - Come to Airport and pick rest of us
11:30 PM - Add additional drivers and start towards West entrance of Shenandoah Park, we have 5 and half hour journey
05:00 AM - Reach west entrance and refresh at Visitor center ( Finish breakfast on the way)
06:00 AM - Start driving towards Old Rag parking lot and visit all vista points enroute
08:00 AM - Reach Trail Head/Parking Lot and start hiking
03:00 PM - End of Trek
03:30 PM - Start driving to Cleveland, OH ( Home Sweet Home to Sleep) - 6 and half hours drive from here
10:00 PM - Reach Cleveland and sleep nicely



Sunday:

Weather:
Per forecast, its gonna be Showers. Take out your rain jackets & head to Cuyahoga Valley NP for some time pass


Plan:
10:00 AM - Vidya talked about Lake Erie, Visit in the morning spend some time and start to NP
01:00 PM - Reach Cuyahoga Valley NP, Finish Breakfast or Lunch depending on what time we reach
02:00 PM - Finish lunch and start driving towards Pittsburgh
04:30 PM - Reach Temple, Say Hi to Venkatesh
05:00 PM - Start from Temple and reach Airport by 6:00 PM
06:00 PM - Drop Fahad and proceed to Rentals for returning
07:00 PM - Rest of people reach Airport and fly to respective destinations.

Reference:

Good, we were all set!!!!! There were slight changes in the timing, But everything went on well. I loved the 8 miles hike in Old Rug mountain and Leisure visit to Lake Erie, Cuyahoga Valley NP and Pittsburgh Temple.

Cheers,
FD

Feb 1st 2010

The State of Colorado in US is a travelers paradise, There are lot of lot of places to go, You'll have tough time deciding where to go and what to see, Here is something that happened to us.

Vidya & Naga were back in US after 6 months in India. Vidya and I have met for few trips in US, But Naga and I haven't. We wanted to recreate the fun we use to have when we go for weekend trips to Western ghats back in India. So we were looking for our first trip together sometime in March or April.

March wont be a good idea since winter wouldn't have been over by then. So we were looking for Apr. Vidya's Birthday is on April 11th. So why not celebrate Vidya's birthday in a Trip???? Vidya & Naga are ready, then what else???? We are ready with a rough plan to land to Denver, CO.

Naga, Vidya, Me and Nike (Last minute addition) immediately booked our flight tickets. The only thing pending is to decide where to go in Colorado. :-)

There are 7 National Parks in the vicinity of Denver, We had to choose 2-3 for this trip.
Arches National Park, Utah
Canyon Lands National Park, Utah
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Rocky Mountain, CO
Great Sand Dunes, CO
Black Canyon, CO
Mesa Verde, CO

After all the monitoring of the Weather, Snow, Road & Trail conditions, we settled for Arches & Canyon lands National Park in Utah.

Here is the final simple plan:
Day 1: Canyon Lands National Park, Utah
Day 2: Arches National Park, Utah
Day 3: Decide at Run time ( Finally we did Pikes Peak & Colorado Springs )


View Larger Map

Overall, it was a wonderful Trip....

Cheers,
FD


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