Counting it Down – 50 Travel Memories (Part 4)

This post is in continuation with the previous “Counting it Down” posts. Check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 for a list of my top 31-50 memories! I am more thrilled as we get closer to the top 10 🙂 But for now, let’s count down travel memories 20-11!

20. Rafting at American River, Lake Tahoe – Summer 2007
I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I am not too fond of water. I say that today, but a few years back, I was petrified of most water activities. So, when a bunch of friends signed me up for a rafting adventure, I was skeptical. While we got our paddling instructions, I prayed not to fall in the river. But half a day of instructions + class 3-4 rafting + not falling in the water = a super happy me and a long lasting memory.

Rafting at American River, Tahoe

19. Crater Lake, Oregon: Bluest of blues – Summer 2009
I had read a lot about Crater Lake being the bluest of all lakes, but my definition of a blue lake changed after our Crater Lake visit in Summer of 2009. As blue as it can get :). What made the trip more memorable was reading up stories of Llao and Skell at each vista to discover how the crater and the lake within were formed along with great hikes, camping and picturesque views.

Wizard island – Crater Lake National Park

18. Seattle, Washington : The emerald city – Spring 2011
We only spent 3 days in Seattle and absolutely loved every bit of our stay. I wish we could have stayed longer. I did not know whether to pick Pike Place Market or engineering marvel at Ballard Locks or views of Seattle downtown from Kerry Park or the underground tour of Seattle’s historic district or colorfully yukky Gum Wall. It was definitely a great vacation!

View of Seattle Downtown from Kerry Park in Queen Anne

17. New York Downtown – Summer 2006
The first time I went to New York was for a 2 day job interview for one of the Big 4’s. 2 days in Times Square and I knew what all the hype about it was. I visited New York again with my family after my graduation and fell in love with the place all over again! Though I do want to visit New York during winter when it is snowing!

Rockefeller Center, New York

Outside UN Building, New York

16. Camping at Lake Huntington, California – Summer 2011
Although I have written this earlier, I have to repeat it. Repetitive reading is good sometimes!

Pitching tents, sleeping in cozy sleeping bags, waking up to birds chirping, experiencing living in the woods surrounded by trees, moonlight strolls, star-gazing under open skies and finding the time to admire the beauty of nature from our busy and technology dominating lives: That’s what is CAMPING FOR ME in a nutshell!

Out of the numerous camping trips I have taken I pick Lake Huntington Camping. Why? A last minute reservation, amazing star gazing, late night hike to a freaky lake and spotting shooting stars (No, I did not have time to make any wishes). I was just in awe that I got to see them!

The joy after building the tent 🙂

Those campfire stories 🙂

15. Off-road Adventure at Canyonlands National Park, Utah – Spring 2008
M likes to off-road and so do a few of my friends! But little did I know that a person like me who absolutely was against the idea of off-roading would end up putting this so high up in the list of travel memories. This makes me believe that the more you explore, the more you discover – Things that you did not know about yourself 🙂

Off-roading at Canyonlands NP, Utah

Poison Spider Trail, Canyonlands NP, Utah

14. San Francisco Walking Tour, California – Sometime in 2010
I have been in the bay area for over 5 years. And every time we have a visitor, we take them to ~~cliched~~ (not for the visitor I assume) touristy places. For once, we signed up for a full day guided San Francisco tour. And that has been one of the best days I have had in the city in all these years :). From Pier 1 Farmer’s Market to Grace Cathedral to Victorian Houses to Sausalito to Muir Woods – trip had it all. I highly recommend this for all bay area locals!

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

Victorian Houses – San Francisco

13. Zip Lining at base of Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii – Thanksgiving 2010
This was my first zip-line adventure. Five courses with each course gradually increasing in length and depth! Whoa what fun 🙂

Zipline adventure tour, Base of Haleakala, Hawaii

12. ATV Adventure (a.k.a Accident) at Pismo Beach, California – Spring 2009
I have visited Pismo Beach multiple times and unfortunately none of those trips have been accident free 😦 Our Spring 2009 trip was memorable because since this was my third time on an ATV, I was more confident (or rather over-confident!!). I tried a jump on one of the sand dunes and had a bad fall with the ATV on my leg! A permanent muscle scar is bound to make such trips memorable! What say?

ATV at Pismo Beach – One of them is probably me 🙂

11. Snorkeling, Multiple places (can’t pick one particular place)
The first time I snorkeled it wasn’t fun. It takes time to get used to the gear and learn the tricks, but once you get the hang of it, it is a lot of fun. We snorkeled in lagoon waters of Tahiti and Moorea almost every day we were there and for a couple of days in ocean waters of Maui, Hawaii. Snorkeling in lagoon waters is quite different from snorkeling in the ocean, but nevertheless, I can’t pick since each trip was memorable for different reasons! I enjoyed all my snorkeling excursions except for the first couple of times!

Snorkeling @ Black Rock – Maui, Hawaii

More Snorkeling

I hope you enjoyed travel memories 20-11 and are looking forward to the top 10. I am surely looking forward 🙂 My half century in the blogging world is coming up soon. Stay tuned!!!

Camping around California

Pitching tents, sleeping in cozy sleeping bags, waking up to birds chirping, experiencing living in the woods surrounded by trees, moonlight strolls, star-gazing under open skies and finding the time to admire the beauty of nature from our busy and technology dominating lives: That’s what is CAMPING FOR ME in a nutshell! And of course, the bonfire, the camp food and the camp fire stories that go along with it 🙂

I love to camp because some part of me is a nature person and the whole experience of camping makes me super happy :D. Summer’s here and many of you might be thinking about camping options in and around the bay area. So here are a few recommendations on camp grounds and fun stories I have associated with them.

The tranquil after one’s asleep!

Camping at Huntington Lake/Shaver Lake: If you camp often, you would know that finding campsites at the last-minute for the July 4th holiday is a rarity. A couple of years back, when we made a very last-minute plan to go camping during the July 4th weekend, we were unable to find reservations to a nearby camp location. I had not heard of Shaver Lake until then, but after some research and a couple of phone calls, we were able to secure a camp spot at the Rancheria Campground in Sierra National Forest. The location was a 4 hour drive from San Jose. Our campsite was near Lake Huntington which is slightly further away from Shaver Lake. I was not sure how this experience was going to be until we reached the location, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a great location to get away from the crowds and feel closer to nature. We rented a boat on one day to cruise around Lake Huntington. Star gazing at Lake Huntington was phenomenal. I saw 2 shooting stars on this trip when we decided to do a night hike (more of a stroll!) to a freaky lake. It was pitch dark on the hike with just one torch-light, but when we reached the lake, the reflections of the stars sparkling in the lake made it look surreal.

Fun story associated with this trip: Our campsite has a slight slope and we had put up the tent in a jiffy not realizing that we’ll have to sleep on an inclined angel going downhill. The first night, hardly any of us could sleep because we kept on sliding down in the sleeping bags because of the downhill slope 🙂

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Camping at Big Sur: Big Sur is about a couple of hours drive from San Jose and would be a great option for a weekend camping trip if you are not planning on spending more than a couple of days there. We camped at Pfeiffer Big Sur SP which is about 20 miles south of Carmel. The Big Sur river crosses the campground, but if I remember correctly, our camp site was not near the river. If you are looking for a camping location which is close to the Pacific coast, Big Sur is a nice choice since you get amazing views of the Big Sur valley as well as the Pacific ocean. The Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is also close by and most people visiting Big Sur hike the McWay Waterfall trail which takes you to the waterfall overlook. There’s also a Pelton Wheel housed somewhere around the trail, but I forget the significance behind it. There are plenty of hiking trails that lead to magnificent ocean views. And since the campground is close to the coast, it has the tendency to get cold in the evening and night. Big Sur is special because it was one of my first few camping trips 🙂

Camping at Sequoia National Park: If you want to camp in the southern Sierra Nevada area near Sequoia or Kings Canyon National Parks, Lodgepole Campground at Sequoia National Park is a fantastic campground. One of the best campgrounds in terms of facilities and experience. Our campsite was right next to the river, so the location was perfect. I think the place is so polished that it would be perfect for beginner campers. It is extremely clean and there is a huge space for your tent so it gives you privacy from your neighbor tents. This was the first and the only time I have camped next to a flowing river.

Pitching the tent

Camping at Yosemite National Park: We have camped at Yosemite National Park a couple of times inside the valley, but I am going to write about my camping experience at June Lake which is at the other side of valley (toward Mammoth Lakes). Why? Because it has been one of my most memorable trips to Yosemite 🙂 If you want to camp away from the crowds, avoid camping in Yosemite valley and opt for one of the campsites at Mono lake or June lake. Gorgeous scenery and secluded locations make this a great camping option.

Fun story associated with the trip: Ever reached a wrong camp location because it was pitch dark and GPS signals were pretty bad in the national park? And then forced someone out of their designated campsite? Well, we’ve done that!!! Not only did we end up staying at a different campsite than the one where we had our reservation at, but we also set up our tent at 11 in the night because we had to drive a rented car on the windy roads with almost failed brakes 😦 Doesn’t sound fun, right? But in retrospect it was a great trip with lots of stories to share!