Vacation: Labor Day weekend When: 31st Aug - 3rd Sep 2007 Where: Coastal Redwood Forests, Northern California Mileage: 1000 mi RT I initially planned this trip as a surprise for Ganesh but I could not hold the secret for too long. Fri, 31st Aug: Rented a compact car from Alamo, San Jose Airport. Successfully overlooked a Chevy Aveo(Seriously, why are those cars even manufactured?) only to settle for a white Saturn Ion. Never driven a Saturn before. So, that's exciting! A huge trunk space(love those!). Ganesh spent a hectic day at work while I was getting ready to pack stuff. When we travel, we love to eat. Our neighbors even asked if we were moving out. We pack a mini-house. Time to try out an RV, eh! We left the source by 9pm. First stop ... read more

June 15th: Anchorage is no more my favorite place in Alaska. I had no clue that the city was so crowded. Traffic bottlenecks everywhere. We were so glad that we were only passing by to get to Parks highway(highway 3). And did I mention it was hot? Boy, it was unbearable. Parks Highway(Highway 3) : Wasilla is a major city & you can find everything from a Home Depot to a Walmart here. The road is pretty much straight with grades here & there. Hatcher pass road is mostly unpaved & has good hiking trails/ATV riding & para gliding options, but was closed today. Still very hot! We hunted for shade for our picnic lunch & finally managed a small piece near a creek. We could see the gas prices hike up further we were from ... read more

A dream come true! Words can seldom explain how I feel about this trip. I've been sitting with travel guides & The Milepost for God knows how long! The trip finally fell into place. When: June 10th - 25th 2007 Where: Alaska, The Last Frontier What: A taste of everything the 49th state has to offer for non-cruise travelers First timers: A 2 week vacation, visiting the Last Frontier, seeing NA tallest peak(hopefully), touching the Arctic circle, visiting Santa Claus at North Pole, Glacier/wildlife cruises, sea kayaking near a glacier & being in a land with more than 20 hrs of Sunlight Itinerary: June 10th Fly into Anchorage. June 25th Fly out of Anchorage & be home early morning. 2 weeks in between Being a "cheechako"(A newcomer to Alaska) & enjoy every bit of every day. ... read more

When: Saturday, 24th Mar 2007 - Sunday, 25th Mar 2007. What: a relaxing weekend getaway to Hearst castle. Where: California's central & Southern coast. This trip was indeed a "Peekaboo" for Ganesh I planned this surprise trip for his birthday(as his birthday fell on a weekday, we decided to celebrate it over the weekend). He did not know where we were going until later in the day! Considering the occasion & all, it was decided that it really would be a relaxing trip!!! We've certainly never done those before. So, I made hotel reservations @ San Simeon, 170 miles S from home along the Southern CA coast. I chose this place because they had an indoor heated pool & spa. Not to mention a tennis court! I was a little hesitant to reserve tickets online for ... read more

Date Visited: Sunday, 18th Feb 2007. Canyon de Chelly(pronounced Canyon de Shey) is 3 hours NW of Holbrook. It is 104 miles E of Monument Valley, AZ. Day started early. After the to-go continental breakfast & a spectacular sunrise, we left Holbrook. The gas prices shocked me. A place such as Holbrook gives gas for $2.11 a gallon. California is a loooong way ahead! Where is Canyon de Chelly? Ganesh was interested in taking the 9.00am jeep tour at Canyon de Chelly. But we were 20 minutes late. We reached Chinle around 9.20 am. Just missed the jeep tour. We thought we would probably take the noon tour. Park Map of Canyon de Chelly Jeep tours take you into the canyon, visit some ruins & ideally take around 3 hours. Individual tours can cos... read more