Yosemite Valley

Bridal veil falls.



Bottom of the Bridal Veil.


Tunnel View.





A woodpecker sighted.




Merced River.





Dried up Yosemite falls.


Redwood Bark.



Glacier point.

Glimpse of Napa

It was a quick visit in the evening during the August 2008 Labour Day weekend, to the Napa Valley.

This place is a famous wine growing region. There are many vine yards owned by private families who throw open their estates for the public during the day.

We visited a well known brand of this area called the Robert Mondovi Winery. Unfortunately didn't get a chance to do the wine tasting as we were late.

Wikipedia says that this is the second most popular tourist destination in California, second only to Disneyland, with a total of 4.7 million person trips a year.

Mystery Spot

This is the much hyped Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. It is claimed that the laws of Physics and gravity do not apply in this place. Many demonstrations are given to prove that this entire place is unearthly and engulfed with a mystery around it.

It is a small place which is steeply inclined with many structures erected for demonstrations. The place is so inclined that once you are walking in it, the body tends to adjust to the inclination. A dizzy feeling sets in.

The effect of a shorter person appearing to be taller than a really tall person when interchanging positions, the tilt of a person when actually standing straight and other demonstrations are effects of forced perspective, optical adaptation, and visual illusions in combination with the steep gradient of the site




The place did not meet the expectations that I had with all the hype about this place in Santa Cruz. More on it

Stinsons Beach

This is the view of the Pacific Ocean from North San Francisco. This view is called the Muir view. It was wonderful to sit on a bench and have lunch seeing the vast ocean in front of us. The sound of the waves , the breeze, the vast blue and all the elements of nature made me ponder about life.



From the Muir view my friend Ganesha and me drove to the Stinsons Beach. The drive along the ocean and the sharp curves every now and then was worth coming here.





The Stinsons beach is considered to be the best beach in the entire Northern CA.

Muir woods Trek

Muir Woods National Monument, north of San Francisco is a 500 + acres forested area characterized by tall Redwood trees.




This place has a number of trails which vary in the level of difficulty and distance.




A detailed view of the bark of the Redwood tree.





My friend Ganesh and me chose a long less frequented trail which was about 5 miles round trip. It was a nice experience which just about succeeded in excercising our bodies.

A view of the Redwood from down under.

It was a just a subtle intro to the Redwood trails in Muir woods.