Trip to Snoqualmie Falls, WA

Its summer time in Seattle 🙂 Its the only and the best time of the year to look around the state of WA.  The weekends are usually packed with some activity or the oher. This weekend we decided to go to Snoqualmie falls.

This attaraction is abour 40 mins drive from Renton (the place where i reside). We had some difficulty spotting the park where the falls is located .. thanks to google maps.

Parking could be a hassle during weekends, so be prepared. There are two levels to the view the falls: Upper and the lower observation deck. The upper one is easily accesible.  I just realised that I did not take any photographs from the upper level, so I would not be able to show you the view of the falls from the upper deck.

There is a trail to the lower deck.  I did enjoy this small trek, as it did help me recall my days of trekking during my M.Tech days. I was apprehensive if Roshni could walk through the trek, to my surpise she did cover the journey with ease.  It take about 20 mins to get down to the lower deck. Here are some snaps taken while going through the trail.

 

 

 

 

The trail is not very ardous, so just ensure you carry some water and so soft drinks. Along the path there are number of places where one can take ample amount of rest. Even though it was quite hot that day, the heat could not be felt due to the green cover.  

 

 

 

Once we get to the bottom level observation deck, one has perform some aerobics to get down to the river bed. If anyone thinks they are not capable of doing this aerobics, then there is no point in getting down to the lower level. Its only from the lower level, we get to see the falls in all its glory.

 The snap alongside would give you an idea of the distance between the two observation decks.  Even though we need to go through the hardship, its certainly worth every moment.

During this trip, I got to see something unique. I have seen many people fishing , but I got to see couple guys fishing near the falls. It was interesting is to see their determination, guts and more over patience. Check out the below snap.

 

 

After spending enough time besides the river bed, we got to do the tougher part of the mini trek.. to trek uphill. Its during this trek, I realised my stamina has taken a beating.                                              

Its been almost three years since I did some seriuos hiking. I did find it hard, but not to worry, its not all that had. It would take about 30 mins to get to the top.  Btw, there is a Puget sound Energy substation at the falls. This kinda rekindled my trip to the Sharavathi Hydroelectric power plant.

 

 

Overall, Snoqualmie falls is a wonderful place to spend your summer weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freeze .. The Way

This snap was taken at Denny Park, Kirkland, WA. Was trying out my new digital SLR Nikon D80 🙂

For some reason, this picture tends to stay on my mind and I ‘am quite pleased that this snap was taken by me 🙂

It certainly is an amazing camera. Its my first SLR. Initially, I found the functions too confusing. With practise, one can get comfortable with this camera.

I’am still learning to use this nikon. More pics to be posted in the days to come….

Charcoal painting… The Buddha.

This Charcoal sketch is something which I did during my M.Tech days at NITK.

 

I guess it took about a week (@ few hours a day) to complete this work.

Hope u ppl like it.

 

India Outings.. trip to Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)

I recall that it was one of those placid weekends that prompted the three bachelors Bach, Raghu and myself (wasn’t married then) to explore TamilNadu.  Having put up in Thiruvanmiyur, the easiest place of interest would be a visit to Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram).

In a jiffy, Raghu and myself got ready, while it took some coaxing to get the lazy Manglorean (!) to get ready for the trip.

From the Thiruvanmiyur bus terminous, the tridevs got into one of the many buses which go to Puducherry (Pondicherry). The bus journey is about 45 mins to Mahabs. Once we reached the place, it was time for some day-light robbery 😦

As the three of us were new to the place, the inevitable had to take place. We approached the auto-rickshaw guys, and they were ready to swindle every penny from our pockets!!.. From, wot i can remember, the distace between any two attractions in Mahabs cannot be more then 2 kms max.. and these ricks would take us for a ride..

Apart from the ricks experience, the place is certainly a must see destination for all Dravidian architecture buffs.

Some of the famous attractions are :

The shore temple:

The Five rathas:

 Varaha Mandapam:

The Descent of the Ganges (or is this Arjuna’s Penance?):

 

 Krishna’s Butter Ball: (Mani in the Herculean Act; at the backdrop is Bach)

Some other architectures:

Nice one!! (err..I meant the Elephant!! 😉 )

 

Got my Driving License!!

In U.S, when one is staying with family, it becomes very essential that atleast one person in the family has a valid driving license. The following is the procedure which I followed to get a license.

>> Like India, one has to write a written test to get a driving permit. This is    like a learners’ license.
>> The written test consists of 25 objective type questions.
>> I dont think time is given much of a importance. the test is computer based.
>> For Wasington state, this link : http://dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/guide.html
   would bring you to a page where you can download a softcopy of the driver license guide.
>> One has to go through this guide thoroughly to clear the test.
>> We need to get more than 20 correct answers to clear the test. I did not clear the test in the first attempt. I cleared it on the second attempt. This is quite embarrasing to me as my wife cleared the test in the first attempt 😦
>> The permit is valid for 1 year.
>> Once, we get the permit then you can practise driving. There are some rules which one has to adhere to while driving with a permit. One important rule is that there has to be an experienced (5+ yrs) driver besides you while driving. There is another rule which allow people with valid allien driving license to drive in WA state upto a period of 1 year.
>> Then, one has to clear the practical test to get permanent driving license.
>> The practical test is quite strict. Make sure, your car has all the indicators and brake lights working before you take the test.
>> The hand signals are pretty simple.
>> The test is quite elaborate for it does test ones’ driving skills and the ability to follow traffic rules.
>> I was asked to do the following: uphill parking; downhill parking; backing around the corner; parallel parking; parking in a mall area; changing lanes. The inspector would check for the control of the steering wheel; the confidence of the driver (my friend did not clear the test as he was too cautious); whether the driver obeys all traffic rules.
>> The inspector rates the driver on a scale of 100. The passing score is 80.

   I got 85 in my first attempt :-). My wife got 82 in her first attempt 🙂 It does feel good to obtain a driving license in the very first attempt. Let me know if you have any questions regarding driving license, i’ll try to answer them..

Freeze… Thaali

This is how our daily lunch used to be in hostel at NITK. Missing those days…
Photographer: Self

Pencil Sketching… Mother’s Love

Mother’s Love: One can find the original one on some of the footpaths. I mean the guys who sell posters on the roadside… I completed the sketch in one sitting. Dont remember how much time I took to complete it though… I used the micro tip pencil, normal HB pencils for this sketch.

Tathvams!! Wisdom Time!!

I happen to read this story in some magazine or newspaper (don’t exactly remember the source).

The Fable:

On a dry and hot day, there was this Yogi and a handful of his students, walking through the midst of a forest. As they walked along, the Yogi stepped on a thorny plant. The Yogi’s students were alarmed and were quick in their response to help their teacher. As, the thorns were being removed from the Yogi’s feat, one of his students’ was furious over the throny plant and decided to cut off the thorny branches of the plant. As, he was ready to get into the act, the Yogi stopped his student.

The Yogi, told his student not to cut the plant. This took his students by surprise. The Yogi, then slowly asked one of his disciples to get some water and mix the water with some sugar. He then, asked the student who was eager to cut the plant, to pour this sweetened water to the thorny plant.

The atmosphere surrounding was that of bewilderment and surprise. His students asked their Guru, as to what was the significance of this act.The Guru, smiled and explained, that the sweet water would get to the roots of the plant. The water would attract the ants around. In the process of consuming the sugar, the ants would eat the roots of the thorny plant. This would kill the plant all together.

The jist of the story:
> Analyze and “attack the root cause” of the problem.
> Tackle the problem with “softer/non-violent” means which would give “permanent solutions.”

Water Colours… House

Recently ive tried water colors. still a rookie in water color medium though. Below is a water color pic… thought it was worth hosting on the blog:-)

Freeze… Against the odds

Taken in a bird sanctuary at Alaphuza.
Photographer: Girish Navada (or me?..not sure!!)