Hanuman Temple & 17 Mile Drive

Time: Sept 20, 2014
Place: Hanuman Temple in Gilroy and 17 Mile Drive.
Company: MIL, wife and daughter
Highlights: 
Hanuman Temple at Mount Madonna is a very soothing and serene place. Even the drive is very scenic while climbing atop the mountain. At the temple itself, one can feel oneness with nature, what with the temple not having any walls and a soothing waterfall at the side.
Then visited 17 mile drive. I had last visited this same place as bachelor on Sept 2006. As then, it was not very impressive - instead a hyped up drive that doesn't count much when compared with just a drive on Highway 1. 

Lassen, Shasta and Crater Lake

Time: Aug 29-31, 2014

Place: Lassen National Park, Shasta and Crater Lake

Company: MIL, wife and daughter

Highlights:

Day 1: Had not planned for Labor Day weekend since there was an impending work scheduled - which got cancelled at 3 pm! Immediately, started planning to go to Crater Lake. Searched for 'things to do', 'places to see' and planned the itinerary. Then, searched and booked hotels. Started packing by 6 pm, had dinner by 7:30 pm and left at 8:30 pm. After 170 miles, at about 11:30 pm, we reached the Classic inn at Red Bluff. Rested for the night.

Day 2: Breakfast was home-made food packed yester-night. Our first stop was Lassen Volcanic National Park, which was about an hour away. It was quite a surprise on all that this park had to offer. The road got elevated to almost 8000 feet within the hour and there were spectacular views. The first scenic spot was 'Sulphur Works' where there was a boiling cauldron of sulphur. Much to our surprise, it was a similar boiling cauldron that we had seen exactly during last Labor day long weekend in Yellowstone. Next stop was at Emerald Lake which was truly Emerald in color. Then there was Lake Helen which was very blue but we did not stop there. We also did not venture to the Bumpass Hell since we were short on time. We then continued on to the highest point on the road, which was the trail head of Lassen Peak trail. We did not venture on the trail but it was fascinating even to see the trail from the parking lot, with a steady stream of hikers on the massive mountain. It reminded me of the Kedarnath and Yamunotri treks. After a few clicks, we headed next to Summit Lake with a short stop at King's canyon. Tontu enjoyed at the lake throwing 'Heaviest stone in the world!' into the lake. Had a quick snack and then headed once more on the Hwy 89. Although there were few more places, we did not stop anywhere else except at Manzanita Lake but only to fill fuel. End of Lassen. Had entered with no expectations and it ended up making us more than happy!

Next stop was at McArthur-Burney Falls on Hwy 89. Although had seen pics of this falls, it did come as a nice surprise to see the massive falls, which resembled Jog Falls in Shimoga but this was shorter and wider. Some of the streams seemed to be falling directly from the rocks which looked great, as if like a curtain coming down in the theatre. Truly a natural wonder. A short 0.3 mile trek takes one all the way down to the base of the falls where one can even feel the sprinkling splash of the falls. Tontu had a whale of a time, climbing amidst the rocks and enjoying the falls to the fullest. After spending considerable time, we went to the cafe for a soft serve ice cream (ended up having a sundae) and it was almost 5 pm when we left the place. Truly enjoyed this place. 

Hwy 89 is a dead straight road from there until it reaches I-5. A beautiful road with amazing scenery. After we reached I-5 NB, took the deviation after a short time towards Klamath Falls. Kept looking out for Mt Shasta but could not find it. It was about 2.5 hrs later at about 7.30 pm when we reached Maverick Motel at Klamath Falls. The town seemed dead at 8 pm and the only open restaurant was Thai Orchid. Were very sleepy when finally we hit the bed at 10 pm. Had driven 270 miles today.

Day 3: Knew today would be a hectic day, so left at about 9 am after breakfast in motel. It was a short 1 hr drive to Crater Lake. The crowd was just building up. After a pit stop at Visitor Center, we went to Rim Village where there was an expansive view of the lake. The blueness of the lake was reminiscent of Lake Tahoe. After some snaps and quick short snack at the cafe, went to Watchman Overlook where there was a different perspective view of the lake. It was already 1:30 pm. We decided to head back (instead of going all around the rim). 

After a long drive, we reached Shasta dam. During the drive, we had beautiful views of Mt Shasta too. Mt Shasta looks like a picture perfect mountain. Shasta dam visitor center was closed by the time we reached (nearing 6 pm). Spent not too much time and then headed to Sundial Bridge. It was a different kind of bridge, in the sense that it was only meant for pedestrians and cyclists. Did not understand how exactly the sundial worked but Tontu had more fun in the river below. Then, had dinner at Priya Indian Restaurant in Redding and left at about 8 pm. After a 3.5 hr drive, reached home safely. Driven almost 490 miles in a single day.

Overview: It was a short yet fulfilling trip, especially because it was all planned out within few hours of departure. Was lucky to get hotel rooms at the last minute despite it being a long weekend. Lassen was a surprise joy visit, McArthur-Burney was pure joy and Crater Lake, Shasta Dam and Sundial bridge were all pretty much as expected. All in all, had driven about 930 miles in about 50 hrs. 

SFO Zoo, Beach and Peaks

Time: Aug 23rd, 2014
Place: SF Zoo, Ocean Beach and Twin Peaks
Company: MIL, wife and daughter
Highlights: Was told that San Francisco Zoo needs about 4 hrs worth of visit and it was pretty much sufficient. But since we entered at about 2 pm and zoo closes at 5 pm, we were short by about half hour although we tried to cover as much ground as possible. Tontu's favorite picks were the carousel and the train and the playground - not really anything related to animals in the zoo!
On the way to zoo, caught a glimpse of the wonderful beach right in front of the zoo, so headed there. It was called Ocean Beach. Tontu had a nice time with the sand and the waves.
On the way back home, went to the nearby Twin Peaks vista point. It was extremely cold and windy while climbing atop one of the peak. The view of the SFO was worth the wind and the chill.
All in all, a good summer day spent outside!