Muir Woods

Muir Woods National Monument is located about 12 miles north of San Francisco. It is a beautiful park with giant redwood trees.

 It took us over an hour to drive from Sunnyvale. As we saw signs along the way that the parking lot was full, we went to the shuttle stop and waited another hour for the shuttle to arrive. It was freezing and as usual I didn't have enough layers. 

When we finally reached the park, we grabbed a map and decided to do the easiest trail that would take us 30 mins round trip. It was pretty flat, shaded and beautiful path. It was a bit crowded and there were some people who were talking loudly which took away from the serenity of the place.

We covered in the loop and got back to the entrance just in time for the shuttle back. I wish we had planned better and started early. We barely got an hour to spend inside the park after all the driving and waiting.

The park is scenic but I don't think it is much different from any of the other parks with giant redwoods. The state park in Santa Cruz is just as beautiful. So I'm not sure I would go through the trouble of driving all the far and wait for the shuttle when I can go to other parks. It may be that the other trails in the park lead to much more dramatic scenery but from what I saw, I won't be paying a second visit. 

Camping Trip at Big Basin Redwoods State Park

I'm not one to give up on basic comforts while traveling, like a nice cosy bed to sleep on or a private bathroom. Naturally, camping did not occur on my list of activities to try. However, when a friend asked me if I wanted to join her family on a camping trip, something made me say yes. Perhaps a sense of adventure or maybe because I haven't taken a trip in a few months and I was desperate. Nevertheless, we ended up going on our first ever camping trip in the Big Basin Redwood State Park.

Camping trip-Big Basin Redwoods State Park

This park is an hour's drive from Sunnyvale and is close to Saratoga. It is the oldest State park in California and is home to giant redwood trees. The drive up to the park is through super windy roads and people with motion sickness need to ensure they are well prepared before the journey. The campsites can be booked online.

Since we had never camped before, gear like tents, sleeping bags and stove were rented. Some of the basic stuff like camping chairs and lanterns were bought. I came to understand that a camping trip for two people for just one night meant carrying a car full of luggage, right from tents, firewood, food, snacks, water, warm clothes, lanterns, chairs to odds and ends. A lot of preparation for an overnight stay!

Me clearing our path while hiking :)

Wild Mushrooms

We didn't get a chance to hike much and spent most of the evening pitching the tents and trying to get the campfire started. The logs were slightly damp and had to be broken into smaller pieces before they could catch fire. Quite a time-consuming process.

Vishnu pitching the tent

Our tent

Me trying to start the campfire

Campfire

We had nachos for snacks. Burgers were grilled and marshmallows were roasted for an authentic camping experience :)

Yummy Nachos

It was quite a cold evening and we were freezing. While warming ourselves around the fire, we saw a huge raccoon stake out our campground for food. It was a very scary experience as I had never seen a raccoon before let alone one that big!

Despite wearing several layers and covering myself in blankets, the cold did not let me sleep well. I woke up stiff and with a body ache. I must say sleeping in sleeping bags is not comfortable at all.

After freshening up, we tried restarting the campfire but in vain. The cold was unbearable. We quickly had some bagels with cream cheese for breakfast, started packing and headed home. It was a very time consuming and tiring. Still a fun and learning experience. This trip reinforced the fact that I'm not the camping-type. I prefer a comfortable cabin with heating and a warm bed.

Ajay making coffee for breakfast

An Evening At Shoreline Park

My first post in the new year! I have been to Shoreline Park a number of times since I moved here. I was introduced to this wonderful place by my friend Anne. The park is located in Mountain View quite close to the downtown. It is a vast expanse of land with a lake, hiking and biking trails, golf course and a beautiful picnic area. It has something for everyone.

The trails are mostly flat and unshaded. The open space with many different types of birds and the green grass make for a very pleasant walk. I usually go there when I want to be outdoors but don't feel up to a strenuous hike. Of course, you can bring a nice little picnic basket and soak in the sun or play frisbee or board games. They also have bicycles for rent too. One of these days, I intend to rent one to learn how to ride a bike!

Shoreline Lake with birds

My favorite part is of course the small man-made lake which has lots of birds. You can rent kayaks, row boats, peddle-boats or bring your own to enjoy a few hours on the water. We recently went kayaking on the lake. It was a fun experience. We rented a two-person kayak for an hour. Strapping on the life vests and armed with paddles, we entered the lake and started paddling around the lake. The sight of the setting sun, the birds flying all around us and the gorgeous pink of the earth shadow on the sky made the evening simply perfect. The lake is quite small so you can easily kayak around the entire lake in an hour without rushing. I even stopped mid way to click some pictures!

If you want to enjoy being on the water without having to leave the city, Shoreline is the best place for you. They also have two cafes-Michael's and Lakeside cafe where you can grab a quick snack after your activity. The website mentions you can order a picnic lunch from the cafe to carry on the boat but I personally don't think it is such a good idea.

There is no entry fee for the park which makes it even more appealing. Right outside the park, there is a dog-park and an area to fly kites and remote controlled aeroplanes although I have not been to that side.
There are tons of things you can do here: run, jog, stroll, wind surf, row, canoe, sail, picnic, relax, admire nature, click pictures and have a superb time!

What: Shoreline Park
Where: 3070 North Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View CA 94043
When: Sunrise to Sunset all year round
Fee: Free 

Point Lobos State Reserve, Carmel

I've been to Carmel once and that too six years ago. I can't believe that in the two years that we have been in the Bay Area, we didn't visit there even once. Last Sunday, owing to a Bach concert that Vishnu wanted to attend, I got an opportunity to go to Carmel. I saw the pictures of Point Lobos State Reserve and was sold instantly. So, while Vishnu attended the concert, I along with my in-laws spent a wonderful afternoon hiking, picnicking and soaking in the beauty of Carmel.

Entrance to Point Lobos State Reserve

Point Lobos is considered the crown jewel of the California state parks and not without reason. It has such stunning views, amazing wildlife, great weather and scenic beaches that one can sit at a spot and stare at all the beauty around and not get bored. I'm not even exaggerating. See for yourself.

Gibson Beach

Parking is difficult to find in the park as it is usually packed especially on weekends and holidays. You can park on Highway 1 as we did and walk inside. It is not a very long walk. Each vehicle is charged $10 while walk-in visitors are encouraged to donate $1. We purchased a map for $2 and set on our path to explore the park.

A short walk along the South Plateau trail and a 100 odd stairs brought us to the absolutely gorgeous Gibson beach. The white sand beach with turquoise water is a sight to behold. To my surprise, the water was not as cold as I expected it to be and I actually could stand and play in the water comfortably. And did I mention we spotted a deer on our way to the beach!

Me at Gibson Beach

As we continued on the South Plateau trail, we saw the Bird Island on which were perched hundred of black-colored, long-necked birds called Cormorants. We then passed by China cove which was closed off due to hazardous conditions. It looked equally beautiful. The Bird Island trail led us to a picnic spot where we devoured our packed lunches taking in the beautiful views all around us. 

Cormorants on Bird Island

After we had replenished our energy, we kept hiking on the South Shore trail till the Weston Beach. This beach was completely different from the previous two beaches. That does not mean it was any less scenic. I was amazed at how so many different views and sceneries were all packed up in one park. The Weston Beach has huge uplifted sedimentary rocks on which you can see multi-colored patterns formed by erosion. It had a very 'Grand Canyon-like' look and feel except that here you have water and cool breeze.

Weston Beach

Next stop was the Sea Lion Cove from where we could hear the barking California Sea Lions lazing on the rocks. There are otters and seals too although I don't quite know how to distinguish them. The rock formations here are magnificent and makes you appreciate nature. 

Sea Lion Cove

The Lace Lichen trail took us back to main entrance. The trees branches on this trail are covered with gray stringy lichen giving it an eerie feel. The tall trees let very less sunlight on the trail and the cool climate encourages the growth of lichens on branches which have already died due to lack of sunlight. I would never dare to walk through this trail alone!

Lace Lichen Trail

This park is undoubtedly the best hiking spot we have ever been to. The trails are mostly flat and can be covered easily by a person with average fitness level. The drastic change in the landscape at every short distance blew our minds away. This park has so much more to offer and I look forward to exploring the spectacular views during our next visit.

My Sister-in-Law and I at Gibson Beach

What: Point Lobos State Reserve

Where: 62 California 1, Carmel Ca 93923

When: 8 am-7pm or 1/2 hour after sunset

Fee: $10 per vehicle or $1 donation for walk-ins

Pinnacles National Park

Our most recent day trip lead us to the Pinnacles National Park in Soledad. Until last year, it was known as the Pinnacles National Monument and it is now the newest National Park in the US. Ancient volcanic field led to the formation of the famous rock spires, talus caves and canyons. Popular activities are rock climbing, hiking, camping and bird watching (we did spot some condors).  The Bear Gulch caves are home for the Big eared bats which rest there in the winter and raise their young ones during late spring and summer. We did not go to that side of the park so didn't have a chance to see them. Always a good idea to check the status of the caves here before making plans to visit.

We left Sunnyvale at about 11am on Sunday and it took us 1 hour 45 minutes to get to the West entrance of the park. Note that there are two entrances to the park namely the West and the East-they are not connected to each other through the park. This means that one has to drive outside the park to get from one entrance to the other. So it is important to know beforehand which entrance you need to take depending on the activity you plan on doing. The East entrance is about 85 miles from Sunnyvale while the West Entrance is at a distance of 105 miles.

We took Highway 101 S followed by Highway 146 E which took us right to the Park entrance. It is quite a windy road with several one lane stretches which makes for challenging and interesting driving.

There are some Ranger led hikes at specific times and I was keen on attending one such walk that was being conducted at the Balconies cave accessible through the West entrance. Hence, we decided on driving there. It being a 'Free National Park Entrance Weekend' the parking lot was crowded and so the Rangers were following a 'one car out and one in' method. This resulted in us missing the Ranger led hike.  After a brief 15 minute wait, we were allowed to the parking lot. The main parking lot near the picnic area was full so we had to park at the overflow parking area. A short ten minute walk took us to Chaparral.

The easiest hiking trail is the Balconies Cave trail. It is a 2.4 miles loop with an elevation of 100 feet. We covered it in 3 hours as I had to slow down considerably for the ascent. We walked through the Balconies Caves which was a thrilling experience. The caves are dark and one needs a flashlight to find your way through it. There are parts of the caves through which we had to crawl, crouch and even squeeze our way. At one point, there was a small trickle of water flowing through the rocks. It was refreshing to wash our faces in the small waterfall after walking in the sun for so long. Once out of the cave, the incline begins and there is very little tree cover to keep out the sun.

Walking through the Balconies Caves

By 5.30pm, we reached back to the parking spot tired, exhausted but satisfied after a good days workout. We stopped for coffee and some frozen yoghurt on the way to recoup our energy. We made it back to Sunnyvale by 8.30 pm with sore muscles and great memories.

What: Pinnacles National Park
Where: Please use the following coordinates in the GPS or online map for directions.
For the East Side of Park (Pinnacles Visitor Center): 36.493545, -121.146646.
For the West Side of Park (Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station): 36.477352, -121.226114
When: East Entrance is open 24 hours and the West Entrance is open between 7.30am-8pm

Fees: $5 per vehicle

Fun Times

February and March have been very happening months. I did a variety of activities and enjoyed each one of them thoroughly. As there are too many things to write about and not enough time for all, I'm combining them all into one post.

First up was Cirque Du Soleil. It is essentially is a circus with extremely entertaining performance-acrobatics, dancing, stunts, gymnastics, live music and astounding visuals. This was my first time viewing it and I was completely enthralled by it. This show is a must-watch!

Cirque Du Soleil Stage

Then followed a nice long walk with friends in the Shoreline park in Mountain View. Nothing better than strolling in the warm afternoon, soaking in the beautiful surroundings and chatting with friends. I intend to do this more often. Good for the body and the mind!

With Friends in Shoreline Park

Picnic in the park was next on my schedule. A group of twenty girls with a potluck meal met in a park in Palo Alto Downtown. We played Uno (a card game) in the beginning and as the group grew bigger, we switched to more fun activity-talking! There was so much variety in food and I was thrilled that all but one dish was vegetarian. I baked garlic pull apart rolls which was loved by everyone.

Potluck in Palo Alto Park

Garlic Pull Apart bread rolls I baked

Picnic was followed by a hike with Bay Area Older Adults (similar to my previous hike at Uvas Canyon). This time, the location was Rancho San Vicente-a private land which has been acquired by the Parks department and is still not open to the public for hiking. So I was very fortunate to be able to hike in this park. Like last time, it was an amazing experience walking along the beautiful trail, listening to the hike leaders talk about the wildflowers that were blooming and conversing with the seniors. It was quite a steep hike and since it was an unshaded path, the sun was beating down on us. We stopped at the top of the small hill where we could get a view of the Calero Lake. We had a small picnic lunch to replenish our energy and then headed back down. It was a fun and informative session.

Picnic lunch at the top of Rancho San Vicente

View of Calero Lake

I also managed to catch a quick coffee meet with friends on one rainy evening. It was a short meeting but was fun nevertheless.

The most recent activity was quite strenuous yet equally fun. It was rock climbing at Planet Granite. It was a two hour activity of which the first hour was belay lessons, instructions about rules and safety precautions. The next hour was rock climbing and belaying with a partner. I attempted rock climbing twice and managed to get only halfway because of low strength as well as fear. It was a new and fun experience but I'm not sure I'd want to do it again.

Me tying the knots with my belay partner Nirmala

Rock climbing