wanderershukla

Decided to drive all the way to the California coast to meet Aryan (my Son) at UC Santa Barbara. We went to Solvang together the next day. Solvang is a sun-soaked slice of Danish culture, where California wine cellars mix with European bakeries and shops. Always wanted to visit it but never got to it while living in California (for 17 years!).

More of long screeches of empty land. So empty or rather less traveled between Great Basin/Ely and Death Valley that you will not find a gas station for 167 miles on US 6, so be prepared before getting on this route. I stopped here for 30 mins to see how many cars go by. 2 in 30 mins! So less traveled that I had plenty of time to lie down in the middle of highway and take this selfie :) DV temperature was 104 F when I reached there around 4PM. And remember it still is end of Winter or beginning of Spring here in North America. However in spite of it being the hottest and the driest place in NA, NPS has managed to create a real nice campground with a lot of trees, restrooms  & drinking water available all year round. Right around Sunrise you see such vivid terrain here, it's amazing. And did I mention that Death Valley also boasts to have the lowest point in NA. It is 282 feet below seal level (iPhone only measures it in 10 feet scale so it show -290 in the screenshot).

My first interaction with a Native American (Navajo) after being in America for 23 years! Learnt to say Hello in their language “Y á át tééh” . On the way to Great Basin you come across vast portions of empty land.  Great Basin NP is home to 5000 year old BristolCone Pines. But due to recent inclement weather & snow, the road to the top was closed and I could not see them in person. These trees grow only above a certain altitude. The photograph is from someone else’s post on the internet.  None the less I had great time here visiting the Limestone caves and learning about Eileen’s 4 novels she has written during the winter months (the park is closed during winter months and the park employees who reside in the little adjoining town “Baker” do not have much to do). And I slept that night in a Wagon Tent! Coolest hotel room I have ever stayed in :)

After 9 miles of hiking in Arches NP I have to say that so far this has been the most rewarding experience among all NPs. Hike to each one of these famous natural wonders is amazing, in parts due to what you see on the way and the unique beauty of the Arch itself.   PS: Make sure you reserve the entry time before getting here else you may have to come another day. You can do so using the Recreation.Gov app. 

This song from the Forrest Gump movie says it all.  https://youtu.be/M6Ggp3TJjuE This time I am headed West to South-West all the way to the California coast. Arches NP is the first stop. Crossed canyons, grass lands and some really incredible scenery on the way today. Of course I know that I took this while driving so no need to point that out :) This was my lunch table today. Nothing like watching a river flow by with a backdrop of snow covered mountains while having lunch! Some smart dude put this funky gas station in the middle of nothing, and you can’t resist filling gas here even if it’s 1.5 times the regular price. Well the other reason might be because the previous service station was 45 miles back and you don’t know when will you see the next one. My abode for tonight. Yes, if you are wondering this is Moab. 

And here are the iPhone Apps I use which have been very helpful in planning and while on the road. National Park Service Includes all type of information about each National Park including current park conditions and warnings. And it is very easy to use. Recreation.gov You will need this to reserve the camp sites managed by the government/NPS. Again a simple & straightforward app which allows you to check the availability of the camp site by type/location (includes picture of each site). It even has information about other near by camp sites not managed by the National Park Service.  Roadtrippers Really cool app to plan your road trips by destination and everything on the way. It includes suggested road trips too :) Google Maps I don't think there is anyone out there who does not already use it for it's numerous practical uses (unless you don't use a smart phone I suppose). Spotify The best music app I have ever used. And yes, it allows you to download the playlists/son...