Mt Tamalpais – Best camping ever!

Ever wondered what it feels like walking in the clouds as the cold, fluffy light clouds caress your body or sleeping to the waves of ocean?? Ever thought of waking up to chirping birds and see wild flowers in all colors and beautiful panoramic views with ocean on all sides just a few feet away?? Ever imagined of having a private beach with lot of sea stars and cliffs to explore all to yourself?? The life suddenly takes on an unhurried quiet pace and you forget the rest of the world! This is not a dream, but our experience camping at Rocky point-Steep Ravine Environmental Campground. 

A very foggy day, I felt pity for all those visitors in the passing by tourist buses. They had no clue what they were missing, even the Golden gate bridge towers weren’t visible to their entire length let alone Alcatraz Island or Bay bridge. But we decided to continue driving to Point Reyes, this time to explore the north end. It was the day of Far West Fest(voted Best Music Festival in Marin), so there were more people than usual near Inverness, a small community in Point Reyes.  The Tule Elk reserve was completely covered in fog so we missed the hundreds of pairs of eyes watching us except for two groups. 

At McClures beach, we saw a seal in the waves near to the beach staring at us as if it wanted to come out. We took Tomales point trail but returned halfway losing the amazing views to the fog. 

The Abbotts lagoon trail took us past a fresh water pond to a footbridge crossing the brackish lagoon with a sandy shoreline and a open ocean. We were shocked to see the lagoon totally engulfed in fog on our way back from the trail. 

The fog followed us to Highway 1. We were lost in it for a while, drove here and there but then finally found our campground at an unbelievable location. Just off hwy 1 with a locked gate on west, one mile south of Stinson Beach, Rocky point-Steep Ravine Cabins and Environmental Campground was part of Mt Tamalpais state park and right on pacific! (The gate could be opened with a key combination emailed upon reserving the campsite.) Two playful dears welcomed us and we drove carefully down the narrow road, nothing being visible on either sides. The campsites were little walk from parking, so carts were available to carry stuff to the sites. We were able to hear the loud waves setting up the tent and sure the ocean was close by. As the night passed, the clouds slowly moved away and we could see rows of lights from the Stinson beach across the shining ocean.

Next morning as we came out of our tent, the scenery had changed, nothing in common with the day before. The clouds dispersed and clear skies emerged. There were wild flowers everywhere, the sea shone blue and we could feel the warmth of the sun rays. 

We climbed down the cliff to the beach and played with the fierce waves hitting the rocks. 

We went exploring around, there were only seven primitive campsites and nine rustic cabins each with great views.We saw Bunnies running along, a seagull trying hard to eat sea star, fearless geckos and a snail. We enjoyed breakfast overlooking ocean, packed everything and started driving back. 

All along the way, we could see the rugged coast reminding us of Big Sur and the Muir overlook was just awesome. 

At the Golden gate bridge, there were huge crowds taking advantage of the perfectly clear day. 

We had lunch and walked on the streets near 19^th Avenue sipping bubble tea, wondering what a perfect ending to our California trip.

Camping @ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea

Unlike my previous posts, this one doesn’t describe a place or a trip. I want to share my thoughts on the way I experience camping and how I feel about it. Two years ago, I went on my first camping trip around this time. I still remember the day we drove to Upnorth Michigan and camped at Brimley state park(my first blog post). The nights were so cold and frankly, I felt its just not my type. Over the last two years, we visited and camped at few national and state parks. Each time, I realized camping is the best way to enjoy nature’s rugged beauty..I liked it even more!

 We usually do hiking or tour local attractions for most of the day. As we go on these nature trails, the best things always come unexpected. We walk to a waterfall, a viewpoint or a landmark but we see many true wonders all the way. Its surprising to see hardcore backpackers to determined older couples, curious kids and people hiking with toddlers on their backs, everyone enjoy their share. There is definitely a lot of passion involved and we build a relationship with nature, between us and ourselves! I remember the lines I read from the Ken Burns interview(the filmmaker of The National Parks: America's Best Idea), “That's what happens in a national park. You can stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon and see rock that is 1.7 billion years old, but it matters very much who's holding your hand. We save these places, and they show us a glimpse of what the land was like before–but there are also intimate histories. Parks are places where we forge connections.” As quoted by John Muir, In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. Some find God, some draw inspiration, some just have good times while some make memories for a lifetime. We capture few in camera while others get imprinted on our mind forever, whatever it is, we are sure to return with a smile. 

After a physically tiring day, we like to spend the evening at the campsite in solitude. Far from the crowds and the modern lifestyle, we would sit at the campfire with a favorite book, cook listening to oldies, enjoy the nature sounds: the birds, the creeks and the waves, talk endlessly into the night watching skies or take a walk in the campground and meet the friendly neighbors. Once there was this old couple at smokies who helped us set up our canopy and saved our firewood from rain when we were out hiking. Then there was this another group who got their preschoolers along,  invited us to their campsite for a coffee on a cold night and said they were building their character. No doubt, there is so much to learn: the endurance to climates, become outdoorsy, adjust, act responsible and several opportunities to learn life lessons with fun. After years, these kids will come back, bring their children and memories along and the saga continues. Visited by generations, there is, as John Muir said, a practical sort of immortality in these parks. I hope, my friends, when you make a visit to a park next time, camp a night or take time for a short hike with your beloved ones. Pause for a second from your busy lives and experience the deep abiding love and power of Mother Nature!

Camping on the coast - A day on Ocean

The dream of camping close to the ocean came true last weekend at Manresa state beach. The campground was upland and the beach was accessible through a big staircase. We walked up to the ocean at night and it looked beautiful with the water shining in the moonlight. Unbelievably, there was an entire row of houses there that have this beauty as their backyard! That is California…we find private properties wherever and sad to say, the campgrounds are party places for big crowds. Anyways, we were able to hear the waves as the noise subsided and the night moved in. Next day, we did a short hike in the Forest of Nisene Marks state park and visited some beaches around. Every beach was different in the scenery it offered and Surfing was seen predominantly in all of them.

Natural bridges state beach: Great for picnicking and bbq, with many benches near the beach

 Lighthouse field state beach: Very windy, great for a walk along the west cliff drive, a 3 mile long ocean front street

 Santa Cruz Beach Broadwalk: California's oldest oceanfront amusement park

 Seacliff state beach: Known for its fishing pier and concrete freighter, The Palo Alto

 Elkhorn Slough kayaking: A 3 hr guided tour to see tons of playful otters, seals and birds closer than ever expected

Camping in the West 3 – Redwoods

World’s largest living tree – Monarch of the North Coast – Living link to the Age of Dinosaurs, Redwoods grow from seeds the size of a tomato seed yet can weigh 500 tons and stand taller than the Statue of Liberty. California Redwoods are a combination of national and 3 state parks: Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks. Further south on 101, Avenue of the Giants surrounded by Humboldt Redwoods State Park, offers by far the most outstanding display of these giant trees in the entire 500 mile redwood belt. A variant of these coastal Redwoods are Giant Sequoias grown only on the western slope of Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges. 

 On the way to California from Crater lake, we stopped by Rogue Gorge just off  hwy 62 which offers an interesting display of pothole formations.  By the time we reached Jedediah Smith state park, the visitor center was closed. Not sure of campsite availability and unable to plan the trip further, we chose to drive to Crescent city and stay at a private RV camp park for the night. We drove on the shore to catch Sunset but it was too windy to even get out of the car!!

Next day, We enjoyed morning walk on the beach, got the maps at the crescent city Information center and drove through Crescent beach and Klamath river overlooks. I was told we can find sea lions and whales from here, but wasn’t lucky enough.

At Klamath tour thru tree, it felt amazing to drive through a Redwood tree (only three drive-thru trees remain in California). We initially thought these were natural, but then didn’t like the fact that they were formed from forest fires or actually cut so. Next we drove through “Newton B Drury Scenic Pkwy” in Prairie Creek Redwoods State park and hiked to Trillium falls. It was a misadventure because we got lost (first time ever in our hiking history) and there were no actual falls and no spot of Elk.

Evening, we walked in Lady Bird Johnson Grove when finally I started to admire the giant redwoods, with tall beautiful plants and flowers. Walking in the Grove between the sky touching giants left us awe inspired. We felt they have lot to say having witnessed so many changes for eons from extinction of dinosaurs to dawn of humans, surviving the forest fires and other calamities, yet stand proud reaching for skies. A wonder by themselves, these magnificent redwoods along the coastline preserve the prairies and also serve as home for a variety of wildlife species as Murrelets and Elks. At night we stayed at a campground at Myers Flat campsite right by Eel river and were quite surprised to find access to web in the woods. 

Can you find me?

Next morning we took the south entrance to the Avenue of the Giants and drove through this world-famous 31-mile scenic drive. It was simply wonderful to walk around experiencing the peace in the cool hush of these ancient old growth forests and more beautiful are the foggy mornings with warm sunrays piercing through the tree tops to reach the cool forest grounds. 

We stopped at the Founders grove, Rockefeller forest, etc, taking pictures and admiring the nature. By afternoon we got onto the hwy 101 through North entrance and started driving back towards WA with Redwood bark and leaves as souvenirs.

Camping in the West 2 – Crater Lake National Park

A Paradise!!!! These were the first words to come out of my mouth still amazed and stuck in disbelief. The north entrance of the park, which passes through Pumice desert, gave us no idea of what we were going to see soon. The pristine blue water ringed by cliffs covered in greenery and white snow blanket was the best view till date.

Filled with rain and melted snow, Crater lake is the deepest lake in U.S formed when a volcano called Mount Mazama erupted and collapsed into itself. Later eruptions formed Wizard island which further adds to the beauty(no wonder why its called so),  and offers its own trails. Rim Drive, a 33-mile road circles the caldera rim with pullouts and lookouts for scenic lakeviews(closed from mid October to late June).

Cleetwood cove trail is the only way to access the water, so boat tour requires hiking 2.2 miles round trip on this strenuous trail. It was indeed, believe me! The 1 and 3/4 hour narrated boat tour circles the inside of the caldera, with a stop at Wizard island and a close-up look at Phantom ship. Unfortunately, we missed the tour as it was available only from July to mid September. I was quite surprised to see few people jump in the ice cold water and swim, though just for a couple of min.

 We drove on Rim drive to Rim Village which has a Café and Gift shop, visitor center and Crater lake lodge(I am sure it would be damn expensive). We had our lunch watching the lake and left in awe that a cataclysmic eruption has evolved into such beauty!!  Nature is a true wonder..

Camping in the West 1 – Olympic National Park

A unique experience which left us disturbed for almost a month after returning to Michigan, water seemed no more blue, trees no longer appeared green and life never was the same…just longing to go back. A two week car camping trip from Seattle to San Francisco in June-July 2010, covering Olympic National Park, WA, Crater Lake National Park, OR , Redwood National Park, CA and finally Mt Rainier National Park, WA with about a 1000 mile drive on pacific coast offered totally different and breath taking scenery each moment!

Some wise decisions we made:

- These duffel bags came really handy to fit in all our camping equipment. It was a lot of careful planning, shopping and packing because we had to fly to Seattle.

- Renting an SUV proved very convenient and the Radio NRI, a bollywood radio station to listen to for all 40 hr drive was such a nice addition 

- We did more of car camping this time: hiking and driving in the day, camp at night and set out early next morning with everything packed. No driving back and no cooking in the morning saved us a lot of time. Also it was fun to grill at the beaches in the noon and savor a hot lunch.

Day 1: Seattle- The place with which Rama and I fell in love at the first sight! Was it the glimpse of Mt Rainier over the Lake Washington or the greenery with the misty skies or was it our wonderful hosts…couldn’t figure out why We drove in downtown and roamed around the place- Art museum, Aquarium, Qwest field, Fish market, had a great Mediterranean lunch and in the evening bought some food/camping supplies like propane cylinders.

Day 2: The route to Olympic National Park from Seattle includes a vehicle cum passenger ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and then continue on Hwys 104/101 to Olympic National Park Visitor Center. These visitor centers offer a lot of valuable information and maps, so we always make sure to stop by. We were initially scared when checked in to Heart O’ the Hills campground, it was rustic, pretty much uncleared and had very few people with an option to choose a campsite unlike Smokies. We set up the tent fast and drove to Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center in the mountains. On the way we got down to take pictures of dears and Oh My Gosh!..we stood still looking in distant.  The beauty was just beyond words, the snow mountains were shining under sun across a green backdrop. As we go further, the scenery got better and reached it's best at the Hurricane hill trail which took us to the hill top with colorful little wild flowers, lot of dears, beaver, mountain goat and other wild life.

Day 3:We drove on Hwy101 to Lake Crescent, which had crystal clear water and a hike to Marymere falls. By afternoon we reached Sol Duc hot springs, it was modern with a pool built and little crowded. We drove further to Rialto beach, which features Hole-in-the-Wall. A 2 mile trail on this Sandy/Pebble beach takes us to a mountain standing as a wall with a hole to get to the other side of the beach. This is where we first spotted star fish, mussels, sea anemone and other sea creatures. We watched sunset at the beach and stayed at Mora campground for the night.

Day 4-5: Next morning, it was drizzling and foggy as we walked around Second beach. The sea was far behind when we first went, so we were able to see lots of star fish and sea gulls everywhere eating crabs. We skipped first and third beaches and by afternoon, reached Forks, did some groceries for the rest of the trip and continued driving on Scenic Hwy 101.

Our next stop was Hoh Rain forest which has a campground and offer several trails to explore the rain forest. As expected it was lush green with mosses hung from the trees and no ground to be seen ever.

We stayed there for the night and continued driving next morning on 101 stopping by the Kalaloch beaches, lake Quinault and other lookouts. It was all day drive, listening to Radio NRI and witnessing a fire accident on the way, to reach a motel near to the Crater lake national park. Its time for hot shower!

Snake in the Car!!!!!!!!!!

It was late in the evening when we reached home after a 9 hour drive from Smokies camping trip in October 2009. Rama left to a party soon and I went to sleep tired. Around midnight, he called me to come out with a torch. Confused and half asleep, I went down from our Apartment and saw Rama standing beside the car, hood opened, pointing to something. I jumped away in shock when I saw a long snake lying still on the engine. The snake stood up from the hood, other side of the windshield right before him when he was driving back home. He immediately pulled the car to a side, called 911 and in no time a cop stopped by to know what was wrong. They tried to find it but invain, so he asked Rama to drive away (I am still not sure if he really believed the story). We went back upstairs, called 911 again and they asked us to just wait until the next day so that it would leave the car by itself.

 Next day, we spent hours on Google looking for snake species in TN and ways to get rid of a snake- critter control, snake traps etc. Critter control was expensive and they would take it only if they could find the snake. Snake trap was not suitable to place on the engine. We tried to figure out how it got there and identified two possibilities: either it might have fallen on the car the windy night or it might have accidentally got in smelling the chicken (the broth leaked in the trunk and was smelling rotten). Being Sunday, we didn’t use the car all day and checked it in the evening only to find it still there. This continued for the next couple of days, for a while think it was gone and later would find it. We drove the car to office, school and stores closing vents and confident it could never step in. When we failed to find the snake after that, we thought it left. We were wrong!!

 A week passed by and we found IT again when opened the hood before taking the car for an oil change. Immediately we took the car to critter control, searched for the snake but never found it. Totally vexed up, Rama bought a tong from them to give it a try by himself. We drove the car to nearby woods and waited until we saw it’s head peeking out. Rama with his National Geographic experience, caught hold of it using tong really close to its head and pulled it out of the car. A moment of panic… it struggled fiercely and in a second, fell off at his feet and disappeared fast into the trees. We stood there for a while to figure out where it went and finally drove back peacefully. Later someone identified it as a copperhead, a poisonous snake, OMG had we known it before, we would have taken a different approach. No doubt, it was a huge relief and an interesting story to share for days. But every now and then, we remember it and wonder if it was ever able to survive that Michigan winter!

Camping at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Smoky mountains..the first place that comes to mind when we hear about fall colors. We went to Smokies to check out its elegant fall colors in late October 2009 for the first time. As with any camping trip, it included a lot of planning, study the park and trail maps, book the campsite well in advance, know the place and activities, buy necessary equipment for example bear spray, mosquito repellants, portable heater etc.

Day 1: After a 9hour drive, we reached Elkmont campground late in the evening. This campground was our best option because it is almost midway in the park and provides an easy drive to either sides. It had no showers and one surely wouldn’t miss it (I hated to touch the ice cold water in that chilling nights). We set up the tent pretty fast, freshen up, lit the campfire and had dinner. Before sleeping, we had to pack all the food items back in the car and dispose the trash in the special dumpsters to avoid bear attacks.

Day 2: Excited for a real hike, we packed lunch and headed out for the day. When hiking down from laurel falls, we spotted our first bear, so close roaming just around the trail. Then we drove on the scenic Newfound Gap Road to Clingmans dome tower, taking pictures at lookouts. We stopped for lunch at Chimney tops picnic area and there again was a bear high up on the tree. The Clingmans dome trail was very steep and tiring but the tower, being in the center of the park, offered great views.

 Day 3: Alum cave Bluffs trail, this was the most strenuous of hikes till date for me. Evening we drove in the 11 mile one-way Cades Cove loop road which featured churches, mills and houses as remnants of Cherokee Indians (Native American Tribe) in 1800s and acres of grasslands in the beautiful valley. It was easy to locate deers and other wild life and biking and horse riding seemed popular.

Day 4: Explored south-east part of the park and hiked to Indian creek falls. On the way back to campground, we went to Cherokee. Very different from its counterpart Gatlinburg, it was very quiet, still stuck in 1950s with delightful museums, galleries and souvenir shops.

Day 5: Few stops at Gatlinburg and drove back home. This post would be incomplete without mentioning a special guest, our companion for the 9 hr drive back to A2. A SNAKE!!! Definitely interesting topic for the next post J

Smokies is very family friendly which is evident in all ages of people and huge crowds it draws every year. Few things we didn’t like: There would be miles of traffic whenever someone spot a bear, the trails are usually packed and the scenery is at times mediocre and not worth the drive and effort. Overall, it was good but exhausting and we had to plan for a second visit to explore the rest of the park.

And there we were, back to Smokies on a 6-day trip in May 2010. No doubt, it is very famous for its remarkable fall colors, but it’s beauty is no less in Summer. We stayed at the same Elkmont campground. This time we had lot of time, so spent our evenings reading novel (I got it from the campground office for free) sitting at campfire savoring chips and pop. We hiked to Rainbow falls, Abrams falls trail in the Cades Cove loop, Gabes Mountain trail to Hen Wallow falls, explored quiet walkways(unpaved trails into the forest) and the campground (we noticed there is a open air auditorium). This trip was very relaxing as opposed to the last one and white water rafting and the illuminant forest with thousands of fire flies at night were few highlights.

Camping Upnorth Michigan – Brimley State Park

July long weekend 2009, our first camping trip and vacation after coming to US. Very excited, reserved campsite at Brimley state park, got maps from AAA to plan for the days and did a little shopping- fireworks, charcoal grill, food supplies. Rama(my dh) already had everything we needed for camping.

Drive was about five and half hours from Ann Arbor and Rama drove our new Chevy Malibu most of the time(or all the timeJ). It was afternoon by the time we reached Mackinaw city(last point in lower peninsula before taking Mackinac bridge to Upper Peninsula) and we were in a hurry to reach campground and set up tent in the day light, so we had to miss Mackinac island. The campground was almost full with tents, RVs and trailers because of the long weekend and kids riding bikes and playing all around. The campsites were closer than we expected, but our campsite was on the shore of Lake Superior(these words remind me of my Social Studies class in my childhood about this largest fresh water lake in the world and here I am so close to it) We were lucky to complete the tent set up by evening and enjoy dinner (Grilled chicken and veggies) prepared by Rama with beautiful sunset across the lake and campfire. One thing here, it was so cold and windy for July that I was chilling though campfire helped. 

 On the second day, We woke up to the waves of Lake Superior and chirping birds and leisurely got ready. This was the only campground we went that has showers, which Rama feels is an absolute waste of time. He made breakfast(s’mores, brats and juice) and lunch(chicken Sandwich), I was mostly a helper, cutting veggies, roasting corn, prepare sandwiches. We packed our lunch, water, camera, maps etc in the backpack and drove to Menekaunee point. It was a short easy 1.4 mile hike to Noamikong Point look out, with water almost all along the way and beautiful wild flowers. We got down in the lake as the water wasn’t that cold as it was at our campsite and hiked slowly taking pictures all along. We were disappointed when we arrived at the lookout to see a road :P, but the trail totally made up for it. As we walked back we took more pictures, had lunch by the water and started driving to Sault Ste Marie. On the way, we stopped for a quick nap on the sandy beach at Big Pine picnic area and then at the Light house at Point Iroquois. Finally we arrived at Sault Ste. Marie (pronounced as Soo Saint Ma-ree), famous for it’s Soo locks – a mechanism to allow ships’ transition between two different water levels. First Gates are opened on one side of the lock for the ship to enter from St. Marys River. Then the gates are closed to fill the lock to the water level on the other side, finally the other Gates are opened and the ship enters Lake Superior. 

We watched a short movie on how these locks were built and amazed by their superior technology in 1855. By the time we came out, the streets were packed with people, all chairs on either sides of the road, ready for the Independence day Parade. We liked it a lot, especially the people and their hospitality and I was happy to get myself a few candiesJ. It was dark by the time we reached campsite and watched the fireworks from across the lake, we believe from Sault Ste. Marie. Then Rama started preparing dinner and it was very late by the time we slept.

On the third day, we drove to the popular Tahquamenon Waterfalls. The upper Tahquamenon falls were very pretty with lot of people and there was a 4 mile hike to the lower falls. The vegetation was more dense than the day before, with lush green ferns, but there were lot of mosquitoes because of which we turned back after about a mile. Then we drove to Whitefish point, we walked around Whitefish Point light station, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and Bird Observatory. We came back early to spend last night at the campsite, set up campfire, watched beautiful Sunset across the lake, used our fireworks and had dinner under stars with a long chat.

On the fourth day, it was raining all morning and by noon, we were able to take off the tent and head back to our home sweet home, my first long drive. It was a good camping trip to start with: short, near and great weather being in summer. ()Things we could have done better: be prepared for the cold and lessen driving to spend more time with nature. The best part was Mornings, Sunset and Rama’s BBQ. We definitely want to go back upnorth with next on our list: Mackinac island, Pictured Rocks, Sleeping Bear Dunes &Traverse city.