Glacier National Park. Montana

The first thing you notice stepping into Montana is the sky. It is all around and it is big. If there is a term called city idiot, I would probably have personified it. I couldn't help gape repeatedly at the sky. Montana is called Big Sky country. I now understand why. The next thing you will notice is how friendly the people are. Hello or a Howdy is a customary must! And finally the traffic speed. 70 mph is almost a given and yet driving here is peaceful and even enjoyable!

Glacier National Park (GNP) is only a short drive away from Kalispell airport. The meadows soon give way to winding and climbing roads. Before you know it, you are inside the park. A few miles inside is the small village of Apgar. I stayed at the Village Inn here. Every guest staying here gets this view of Lake McDonald all to themselves!


I am sure there are a million blog posts and travelogues written about GNP. I still feel it is one post too little. So let me add one more!

Designated as a world heritage site and a biosphere reserve, the park is a place hopefully everyone will get a chance to visit and experience at least once. I feel eternally grateful to folks like George Bird Grinnell who had the courage to fight for, set aside and protect GNP from commercial piece meal development we all know today as suburbia.

There is so much to shoot(photograph) and see here. Every turn, every corner here is a potential photo op. I went on a photo snapping spree, worried that I might forget the sights. In retrospect, I should have just taken it easy, absorbed and enjoyed the place a little more! Anyways....bring loads of memory cards!

Photography can be a challenge. Weather changes fast around here. One moment it is sunny, the next it is overcast, windy and rainy. When in doubt, bracket your exposure like crazy. Clear blue skies will make your pictures sweeter. So if you find clear blue sky, you know what to do.

The park is a hiking paradise. The popular ones tend to get crowded. So get up early. Early morning hikes can be the most rewarding. Peace, quiet and wildlife. I ran into a baby black bear, numerous white tail deers, mountain goats, wild sheep, chattering variety of birds and rows upon rows of wildflowers glistening in the morning dew.



The hike that was most memorable was the one headed to Grinnell Lake along Josephine Lake.


Hiking isn't the only activity available. There is biking, boating, kayaking, canoing, fishing, camping and most importantly just chilling! One activity that is a must is going along Going to the Sun road. The road connects the western and eastern ends of the park. Sadly, the road was partially closed when I was there! Parts that I did see, simply blew me away. Pictures from the trip are here

While there are many many great things to say about the park, there are a few sad notes too. I found that park was being made too accessible. Power boats and helicopter tours are annoying and just plain wrong. Just when you think you are snuggled away from civilization you will hear that annoying sound of a helicopter. The biggest problem for the park though is climate change. The glaciers in the park are receding. There are also increased number of wild fires. While the national park service claims forest fires are a good thing, I have a feeling climate change is taking a heavy toll on the park. All the more reason why we need to offset our travel footprint. I am sure this Columbian Ground Squirrel would really appreciate that.

Spring

Spring is here finally. Feels great!

Bird Watching

Some visitors are always welcome!

Orlando...

Orlando....Not sure what to say? Nothing much actually. A little too commercial and a little too crowded for my taste. Did manage to click a few photographs though

The trip was carbon neutral, thanks to easy & affordable carbon credits from Terrapass



Update: I forgot to mention one thing. Folks at Disney will fingerprint you on entry. Came as a shocker and it felt quite invasive. If you hate getting yourself tagged, you can demand a non finger print entry option. Just FYI...

African World Festival. Milwaukee

Milwaukee has a festival almost every week. Last week it was the African World Festival. It was more of a contemporary African American festival with traditional African arts, crafts, dresses and food also present. I had a good time. A few more pictures from the festival are here.

PS: All my photographs are hosted on flickr. My apologies to readers not able to get to flickr.

New Jersey. Garden State

I always thought of New Jersey as endless suburbia. While it is prime suburbia, there are pockets of goodness. The picture above is from a blueberry farm there.

A few more pictures here

Michigan. Great Lakes

Sorry about the long silence.....

A few pictures from my recent trip to Michigan

Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

Home to the Cherokee, the Smoky Mountains is also called Sha-co-na-qe, meaning "place of blue smoke." The trees, the local vegetation and the high humidity of the area together combine to create a blue smoke like effect that surrounds the mountains. Unfortunately, one has to get up really early in the morning these days to see it. Thanks to pollution and smog, the blue smoke effect is becoming increasingly rare. It is replaced by a smoggy haze. I am not sure if I captured mother nature in the photograph or man made pollution!

As always, hiking was the only thing on my mind. Smoky Mountain National Park is a treasure of trails and hence my eagerness to visit this park. To my shock however, the park roads this holiday weekend were an endless stream of oversized SUVs, pickup trucks and loud bikes. The loud bikes probably upset me the most. The hiking trails weren't any better either. The easy and popular hiking trails turned out to be crowd magnets. When you have to walk huddled among people with the sound of traffic in the background, it is no longer hiking, it is grocery shopping in suburbia! Solitude was slowly becoming a lost cause and a naive expectation!

Things would soon improve!



I was finally a happy happy person when I hit the Appalachian trail(aka The AT). This beauty of a trail,over 2100 mile long starts in Maine and goes all the way to Georgia. Almost entirely through wilderness.

I just hiked a small section of it. It is strenuous and crowd free and every bit worth it. At about 5000-6000 feet above sea level this is an experience not to be missed. Every once a while, the cool mountain breeze brushes you by. You instantly forget your aching feet. It lifts your spirits and makes you even think about walking the entire trail. Then again....There are over 4000 people who attempt to thru-hike the trail every year, just about 400 of them succeed and I am pretty sure there are millions of folks like me, who just dream about it!

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy bestows the title "2000 miler" upon the few who manage to complete the hike. Who knows...One day may be I will be a 2000 miler!

The national park is a protected biosphere reserve for several species of plants and animals. I didn't run into any of the famed black bears. But I did see a tiny little snake slither by, a few sparrows chirp away, one wild turkey hiding behind a bush and plenty of rosebay rhododendrons in full bloom.



At the edge of the national park is the beautiful little town of Gatlinburg. It reminded me of Santa Fe in many ways. Not to be missed is the Pancake Pantry in downtown Gatlinburg. Very friendly people. Great pancakes! A great way to start your day. In my case, a great way to end my trip.

I have a few more pictures here

A little too hectic

When life gets too hectic and stressful, a sunrise, a little solitude and a deep breath can really help.

Quote of the day
"For fast-acting relief, try slowing down."~Lily Tomlin (via quotegarden.com)

Redwoods, California

It was way back in 1999 when I first heard of the Redwood forests. An environmental activist by the name of Julia Hill lived atop a 1000 year old redwood for more than 700 days. She was trying to save it from being logged. The tree was finally spared and later named Luna. But not before several old growth trees were cut down.

Watching the news, I wondered... How could someone live like that? Why would someone want to do something like that?

Last week, I found the answers to my questions. All it took was a walk among these quiet giants. Gazing up, I sensed my own smallness and I felt a sense of awe, admiration and respect. This is a timeless place. Born when Aztecs and Mayans ruled South America, these redwoods have nurtured and nourished the land here for centuries. Intense logging however has reduced these forests to a tiny fraction. Only 4% of the old growth redwood forests remain. Any and every effort to save them is worthy.

My trip began on Christmas. It was raining when I reached. Winter brings much needed rain to the Redwood coast. Forests glisten and look extra green. Rain or no rain, all I wanted to do was hike among the tall ones. I hiked and I hiked and I hiked some more. With very few tourists this time of the year, the hikes can be a peaceful and soothing experience. All you hear is the rain, the rain drops, the streams and occasionally your own thoughts.

This is a tree hugger's paradise. The first few days, I was like a kid in a candy store. I was trying to photograph every single tree. Low light, the height of the trees and the rain makes the redwoods very difficult to photograph. Well, that didn't stop me. I probably took about a 1000 pictures. And I hiked all possible trails. The hike I enjoyed the most was the James Irvine trail. It was a 8 mile hike to the Fern Canyon and back. It was around lunch time when I walked straight into a herd of grazing Roosevelt Elks. They didn't run. Everyone looked up and at me, decided I was harmless and continued their merry grazing. I sat down, ate my granola bars and took plenty of pictures.

I have a few pictures here

The rain gods were kind to me. The rain was light and enjoyable the entire time. It was as if they were waiting for me to leave!

As I said before, this place is a tree hugger's paradise. It is also a tree hugger's heartbreak. Luna (the saved tree) was badly damaged by morons who hated Julia. Logging of old growth redwood continues today. Pacific Lumber Company owns large parts of this area and to them it is just a matter of profits. Several lawsuits have been filed and continue to be filed against the company. In a materialistic world, I am not sure how much time these forests have left. It is a consolation however to know that there are people who care and are willing to fight.

Quote of the day
"Every religion in the world builds shrines, temples, and churches so people can worship and feel connected to creation and the Creator. Yet the ancient forest cathedrals are continuously desecrated by industrial logging practices. Protecting the sacred forest ecosystems is a moral imperative on behalf of all life and compels all spiritual people to unite in this common goal."~ Julia Hill, Founder of CircleOfLife.org

Merry Christmas

Growing up, Christmas, Onam, Deepavali and Holi were my favorite days of the year. In a diverse country like India, there are so many nice festivals and holidays. Friends and neighbors would come over with delicious sweets on Deepavali (and other festive occasions). On Christmas, it would be us returning the good will. The traditional Kerala plum cake (or fruit cake) is the best. Not to mention the traditional Appam & Stew.

Christmas in India was never about buying people gifts (Things are beginning to change). There was no last minute shopping. No stress and no panic. And no concept of Santa Claus. I always thought Santa Claus hovered around North America. It was simply a great day :)

Needless to say, I am feeling a little home sick. So I googled some and I found a traditional plum cake recipe. It looked a little intimidating. But I had to do it. To my surprise and delight, it came out pretty yum!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year every one!

Am off to California for some tree hugging.

Quote of the day
"Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer.... Who'd have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously?"~Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes (via quotegarden.com)

Arizona. Grand Canyon State

Journeyed over to Arizona this Thanksgiving weekend. While every single tourist seemed headed to the Grand Canyon, I chose to stay in the heart of red rock country aka Sedona. A quiet little town snuggled among red towers of sandstone. Cathedral rock, Coffee pot, Bell & Snoopy to name a few. The town reminded me of Santa Fe in some ways. Places like this always attract the painters, the sculptors, the photographers and at times characters like me.

Sedona is rich in history too. There are several Native American historical sites close to Sedona. (Another reason why I chose Sedona) Native American culture and history is something close to my heart. The Sinagua lived here from about 500 AD to around 1400 AD. Sinagua is a Spanish word meaning without water. People without water. Sedona like vast portions of Arizona is very dry. The climate is harsh and water scarce. Archaeological findings indicate that the Sinagua were a very resourceful people. They truly understood the land. Trees, shrubs, grass and cactus which looked dry and insignificant to me, were deeply valuable to the Sinagua. They all had a purpose. For example, the commonly found Yucca plant was used as food, as medicine, as fiber and various other things!

The Tuzigoot National Monument, the Wupatki National Monument and the Montezuma Castle National Monument all provide a glimpse into what was a rich culture. Around 1400 AD, these settlements were mysteriously abandoned. Archaeologists have no clue why!. The Hopi however believe the Sinagua migrated to the north and joined them.




While in Arizona, the Grand Canyon is a "Did you not go there? What is wrong with you ?" must visit.

If you are looking to absorb the grand view, a holiday weekend is probably not the best of time. People from all over the world busy clicking, smiling, giggling, yaking, profounding and busy posing. People eagerly waiting for other people to get off that perfect Kodak point.

This was my first visit to the Canyon. Even though I wished all the tourists would vanish, it was a great experience nevertheless. Some day I would like to hike all the way to the bottom. Soak up the whole place all to myself.

All in all, a nice trip. Expanded my collection of Native American pottery. And the pictures came out well exposed. Am beginning to get a better handle on exposure and color finally. Happy!

I have a few more pictures here

Quote of the day
"You know you're from Arizona when you feed your chickens ice cubes to keep them from laying hard-boiled eggs."~Local Saying (via Quote Garden)

Just weird!

Quote of the day
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."~Hunter S. Thompson

My second photography assignment

My second photography assignment. Domestic Icon B&W. It was the same drill as before. Shoot about 140 pictures. Create a contact sheet out of that. Submit the favorite 3 for evaluation.

This time around, I got a B.
Whopping improvement over my B- last time :)

I have the other two pictures here.

Quote of the day
"You know how Einstein got bad grades as a kid? Well, mine are even worse!" ~Calvin, In Literature/Calvin And Hobbes

My first photography assignment

My first photography assignment. Black & White Abstraction. I had to shoot about 140 pictures. Create a contact sheet out of that. Select 3 pictures I really liked and submit them for evaluation. I got a B-

I have the other two pictures here. Guess I shouldn't be quitting my day job any time soon :)

Quote of the day
"Photography to the amateur is recreation, to the professional it is work, and hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it may be."~Edward Weston

A riot of colors

Fall is finally here. It is my favorite time of the year. Although monsoon will always remain my favorite favorite.




Quote of the day
"How strange that Nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!" ~Emily Dickinson

New Hampshire. Live free or die

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear New Hampshire, is probably presidential primaries and elections. Right ?

Hart's Location with a population of just 37 along with Dixiville Notch are two counties that are among the first to vote and declare their results. And the media is all over it.

The tradition of midnight voting dates all the way back to 1948. Here is an interesting fact. Since 1996, the candidate who won the 37 votes of Hart's Location, went on to win the elections.

Having said all that, politics will be the last thing I will associate with New Hampshire. From now on, I will always think of the Green Mountain Ranges of New Hampshire, the water falls, the rivers, the farms, the lakes, the apples, the apple orchards and the friendly people.

Time just flew by and soon it was the last day. Like all trips, this one too had to end. On the way back, I stopped at a road sign that said fresh apples and cold apple cider. After a long day hike to Arethusa falls, the very mention of fresh apple cider made me giddy with thirst. Needless to say, the cider tasted yum.

The lady selling the cider asked me about my trip. I told her that I enjoyed every moment of it. I did wish, I arrived two weeks later. In time for the fall riot of colors.

Having gulped all the cider I could, I said my thank yous and good byes. I finally said, "You folks are so lucky to be living in such a beautiful place".

She smiled.

Vermont. Green mountain state

I swung by Vermont and New Hampshire last week. First stop was Vermont. True to its license plate, Vermont is indeed a green mountain state. Everywhere you go and everywhere you look, you will find mountains and mountains lush with greenery. I was like a kid in a candy store :)



For the most part, I stayed off the beaten path. One could go hours together not seeing a single soul. No traffic lights and definitely no Walmarts, Costcos and other eye sores. Every now and then one passes by an idyllic farm. The cows and the sheep would raise their heads curious to know who was passing by. They, like me, seemed to be enjoying the weather. The weather was a soothing cool. The morning mist would linger around making the mountains look even more majestic. Fall, just around the corner. The trees just waiting to burst into colors.



I have a few more pictures here . The highlight of the trip was a visit to the million dollar green toilet. All that and much more in my next post.

A bat is a bat even if it is not flat

I have always enjoyed watching cricket. Never baseball. I just don't know why!!! Well, last week, I happened to get free tickets to a Chicago cubs game. Even better, the tickets came with free food. The very thought of free food and the chance to shoot, made me jump and grab the tickets. And off I went.

Took the train, took the bus, walked a little, took the train again, walked some more till I finally reached the stadium. I have become a public transportation junkie these days, trying to unshackle myself from my car and my suburban mindset. The great thing about trains and buses is the opportunity to read, to reflect and to see amusing things. A guy wearing a pink thong would definitely constitute as amusing. Don't you think ?

The game turned out to be a little boring (my humble apologies to all those crazy cubs fans). I spent almost all my time at the game, shooting. At the same time furiously trying to remember the things that were taught in the photography class. All in all, a fun day!

Turkish cultural festival, Chicago

To be honest, I know very little about Turkey. I know that is a largely secular state with a majority Muslim population and that it is actively seeking European Union membership. So when I heard that there was a Turkish cultural festival in Chicago, I was more than excited.

Spent an entire day absorbing the culture, the music, the dance and of course the food. Gulping would probably better describe my eating there. The bakhlavas, the boregis and the kebabs were yum, yum & yum. I am not so sure about the Turkish coffee though. It may look very tempting served in a cute little cup. Don't let the size of the cup fool you. Strong doesn't even begin to describe it. The lady selling the coffee was horrified to see me put about 10 spoons of sugar into mine :)

The Whirling Dervishes were the main attraction of the event. The Whirling Dervishes trace their origin to the 13th century Ottoman Empire. The Dervishes, also known as the Mevlevi Order, are Sufis. As I understood it, the whirling is a form of meditation. It represents a mystical spiritual journey. The dervishes whirl, raising one hand towards heaven and the other down towards earth.

On my way back, I couldn't help but add Turkey to my ever growing list of must-visit countries. May be some day, I will get a chance to visit. In the meantime, I need to read some more about Turkey.