I'm sitting at gate C6...Alaska Airlines...in Reno. A slot machine is making tiki-tiki-tak sound behind. Yday was dha meeting. The day before is when I drove from Vegas to Reno...via a beautiful, beautiful terrain.
Last weekend I was in Lubbock...and the flight to Denver...it took off then landed again because one of the 3 hydraulics failed...I didn't know what it meant...but midair I was thinking...all this...everything can come to an end just like that. I just felt thank you and expressed lot of love to everyone connected. And then I put my passport inside my pant pocket...:)) the person sitting next to me...observed :) then I was ready for whatever.. but we landed quite smoothly. Took another plane from Denver to Vegas.
Many years ago, I saw an image of death valley's cracked up land in one inflight magazine I think...or was it natgeo? it stayed with me...it seemed like nothingness. where there's nothing...nothing...lowest point...it's minus 282 feet below sea level (mumbai is 46 feet above sea level)....driest place in America...apparently, there were humans here 9,000 years ago. I kept reading Shoshone Shoshone...it's a tribe...occupied 1,000 years ago.
**
Ah, I'm in Mumbai now...few days later. It's afternoon 2.20pm on a sunday. Aa is doing his comprehension. I ate something from fatty bao.
Where was I?
Ya, I never even started. That morning I was in that las vegas hotel. they upgraded me to one large suite. There was this big room...then another bedroom...with one big tub. I took bath in the big tub in the morning. And left. I was too bored with vegas the previous night...and hardly stepped out of my hotel. I was also tired. I remember eating some burrito.
That morning I started driving early. Called mummy and nana on the way. She feared the name...death valley. It amused me. The road was nice and long...i felt happy getting out of vegas...the skies opened up...the land opened up. and then began to look like Ladakh...same rough terrain...sand, rough and then snowy mountains in the distance. That thing of hot and cold at the same time. Ladakh is a cold desert. this seemed the same.
I didn't look at directions much before starting. Just some vague idea. I had a paper map. Then somewhere along the way...I saw a sign that took left. There was one of those cabin toilets. I peed there. Then decided to keep going...so that road cuts into california. It seems to be route 160 that I took then I took a left. It was only then that I realized death valley is in california...i thought it was nevada.
I didn't know what to expect. What I had come there to see. But here was Nature all abound. Dry. Rough terrain. I felt happy. there was nothing there. nothingness. very early on, there were some cabin type houses or restaurants...that seemed closed or protected from rough weather. that feeling one gets.
I stopped at some point...I had to pay an automated machine to enter death valley. Some $30 or so. I met the park ranger type lady...she was putting a newsletter there. I requested her to take a pic. And took one newsletter myself. And continued on. I think I spoke 2-3 people that day...she was one.
Soon I reached the inner areas of death valley...there were signs to indicate that I was going below sea level. It started getting hot. Along the way I think it had rained too. I reached Badlands...that was the first point where I stopped. A longish windy road (you had to walk) takes you up to the view point. If I had time, I could've trekked here and there. It looked stunning. Wavy, wavy mountains...like waves of ocean but it's land...yellowish, brownish, orangish...vast...all around. I really felt happy.
There were many Japanese and Chinese tourists taking pics, walking, doing their thing.
I kept driving again. I reached Furnace Creek. there was a visitor center where I bought cards...I didn't have more water or food..I got both those. Bought some gifts too I think. Continued on. I didn't think much of Furnace Creek except that it suddenly got very hot. I didn't have time to go back to the lowest point. The lady said the cracked land thing shows up only after rains.
I went further to one deviation. Looking at google maps, I figure I was on 190. But I can't believe I was there in that terrain...it looks surreal. there was one point where it seemed like no man's land...bauxite was on the ground...some minerals...whitish...i touched it...it seemed very sulphur like...then I thought why did I touch it. I didn't have so much water to wash or even sanitizer. Anyways...I went inside, inside one route...and then got back to the main road.
I kept driving. I knew I was gaining altitude...going out of death valley. I got a text from ed. about some complaint etc. It distracted me. But anyways here I was...beautiful mountains now...green and such...I was taking the longer route...may be 1 hour more. but I took longer eventually.
I realized I was on the other side of Sequoia...I was in Sequoia and Kings Canyon last year...the mountains..Sierra mountains divide the land. How different it looks here? How different it looks there. I passed through a desert...sand was blowing. I opened the windows and some sand came in. I wanted to explore more, more but I was also aware I had to reach Reno for my meeting the next day. Sleep early etc.
On the way it snowed...I was surprised...I saw desert, harsh sun, rain and now snow. I enjoyed it. It looked now like I was in some fairy tale place...the trees...like christmas trees with snow on it...how beautiful it was wah!
I stopped here and there.
Haan I remember this lake...Mono lake. https://www.google.com/maps/@37.9769317,-119.1354837,3a,60y,49.49h,86.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szbYcA6nlYZmjfwYTEGO8CQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
It looked so beautiful like Manasarovar. It looked so similar...a lake amongst high passes. It's on the other side of Yosemite.
I kept driving...I reached Reno after a long time...during the final part of trip I was talking to srik. I had no desire to go left to Lake Tahoe etc. I reached Reno after some 10-12 hours of driving.
Last weekend I was in Lubbock...and the flight to Denver...it took off then landed again because one of the 3 hydraulics failed...I didn't know what it meant...but midair I was thinking...all this...everything can come to an end just like that. I just felt thank you and expressed lot of love to everyone connected. And then I put my passport inside my pant pocket...:)) the person sitting next to me...observed :) then I was ready for whatever.. but we landed quite smoothly. Took another plane from Denver to Vegas.
Many years ago, I saw an image of death valley's cracked up land in one inflight magazine I think...or was it natgeo? it stayed with me...it seemed like nothingness. where there's nothing...nothing...lowest point...it's minus 282 feet below sea level (mumbai is 46 feet above sea level)....driest place in America...apparently, there were humans here 9,000 years ago. I kept reading Shoshone Shoshone...it's a tribe...occupied 1,000 years ago.
**
Ah, I'm in Mumbai now...few days later. It's afternoon 2.20pm on a sunday. Aa is doing his comprehension. I ate something from fatty bao.
Where was I?
Ya, I never even started. That morning I was in that las vegas hotel. they upgraded me to one large suite. There was this big room...then another bedroom...with one big tub. I took bath in the big tub in the morning. And left. I was too bored with vegas the previous night...and hardly stepped out of my hotel. I was also tired. I remember eating some burrito.
That morning I started driving early. Called mummy and nana on the way. She feared the name...death valley. It amused me. The road was nice and long...i felt happy getting out of vegas...the skies opened up...the land opened up. and then began to look like Ladakh...same rough terrain...sand, rough and then snowy mountains in the distance. That thing of hot and cold at the same time. Ladakh is a cold desert. this seemed the same.
I didn't look at directions much before starting. Just some vague idea. I had a paper map. Then somewhere along the way...I saw a sign that took left. There was one of those cabin toilets. I peed there. Then decided to keep going...so that road cuts into california. It seems to be route 160 that I took then I took a left. It was only then that I realized death valley is in california...i thought it was nevada.
I didn't know what to expect. What I had come there to see. But here was Nature all abound. Dry. Rough terrain. I felt happy. there was nothing there. nothingness. very early on, there were some cabin type houses or restaurants...that seemed closed or protected from rough weather. that feeling one gets.
I stopped at some point...I had to pay an automated machine to enter death valley. Some $30 or so. I met the park ranger type lady...she was putting a newsletter there. I requested her to take a pic. And took one newsletter myself. And continued on. I think I spoke 2-3 people that day...she was one.
Soon I reached the inner areas of death valley...there were signs to indicate that I was going below sea level. It started getting hot. Along the way I think it had rained too. I reached Badlands...that was the first point where I stopped. A longish windy road (you had to walk) takes you up to the view point. If I had time, I could've trekked here and there. It looked stunning. Wavy, wavy mountains...like waves of ocean but it's land...yellowish, brownish, orangish...vast...all around. I really felt happy.
There were many Japanese and Chinese tourists taking pics, walking, doing their thing.
I kept driving again. I reached Furnace Creek. there was a visitor center where I bought cards...I didn't have more water or food..I got both those. Bought some gifts too I think. Continued on. I didn't think much of Furnace Creek except that it suddenly got very hot. I didn't have time to go back to the lowest point. The lady said the cracked land thing shows up only after rains.
I went further to one deviation. Looking at google maps, I figure I was on 190. But I can't believe I was there in that terrain...it looks surreal. there was one point where it seemed like no man's land...bauxite was on the ground...some minerals...whitish...i touched it...it seemed very sulphur like...then I thought why did I touch it. I didn't have so much water to wash or even sanitizer. Anyways...I went inside, inside one route...and then got back to the main road.
I kept driving. I knew I was gaining altitude...going out of death valley. I got a text from ed. about some complaint etc. It distracted me. But anyways here I was...beautiful mountains now...green and such...I was taking the longer route...may be 1 hour more. but I took longer eventually.
I realized I was on the other side of Sequoia...I was in Sequoia and Kings Canyon last year...the mountains..Sierra mountains divide the land. How different it looks here? How different it looks there. I passed through a desert...sand was blowing. I opened the windows and some sand came in. I wanted to explore more, more but I was also aware I had to reach Reno for my meeting the next day. Sleep early etc.
On the way it snowed...I was surprised...I saw desert, harsh sun, rain and now snow. I enjoyed it. It looked now like I was in some fairy tale place...the trees...like christmas trees with snow on it...how beautiful it was wah!
I stopped here and there.
Haan I remember this lake...Mono lake. https://www.google.com/maps/@37.9769317,-119.1354837,3a,60y,49.49h,86.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szbYcA6nlYZmjfwYTEGO8CQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
It looked so beautiful like Manasarovar. It looked so similar...a lake amongst high passes. It's on the other side of Yosemite.
I kept driving...I reached Reno after a long time...during the final part of trip I was talking to srik. I had no desire to go left to Lake Tahoe etc. I reached Reno after some 10-12 hours of driving.
