Mineral King Valley – Paradise in California!

We were off to the Sequioa National Park over the Labor Day weekend. Initially we were debating between the Redwoods Park and Sequioas, but a search through online forums indicated that Sequioa was probably better for site seeing and/or hikes, and a quick look at the map showed Redwood as a tiny blip compared to the Sequioas. Although we were initially debating over camping on one of the many campsites at Sequioa, the idea of sleeping out in hot scorching 100F, which was the weather forecast for the park for the next few days, didn’t quite sound very adventurous to me. And we decided to be safe and have the option of cooling ourselves off when we needed it. Once again we scrambled with last minute bookings and managed to get an efficiency cottage at Three Rivers. The town of Three Rivers is the gateway to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks and is located just where the foothills of the park begin. It is also the nearest place to most Sequioa attractions (about an hr of drive) if you are coming from south entrance to park and would rather have non-hotel accommodations with a private bath and/or cooking facilities. The foothills of Sequioa are an eyesore due to all the vegetation being dry/parched by end of summer, and thus living in Three Rivers means driving up and back to the park attractions every day; however, the daytime hour long drive in itself is not too bad with wide divided roads, although it is mountain driving all the same.

The first two days we covered the usual Sequioa attractions: Crystal Caves, Sherman Tree, Moro Rock, Crescent Meadows – each one of these attractions unique in their own way, although the Sequoia trees are something else. On Day 1, after a guided tour of Crystal Caves, which was amazing and a relief from the scorching temperatures above (almost 100F), we ventured into the Giant Grove, area of the park which is known for the giant trees. Standing in front of the majestic Sequoia trees, you do indeed feel tiny like ant in front of such a large living thing. Photo above is with us standing in front of the General Sherman tree, the largest tree by volume. We then had a forest ranger drop and give us a detailed story of the history of the park and a fascinating account of what it takes for a Sequioa tree to reach this kind of majestic size – it is a long fight for survival of the fitest over thousands of years.

Following our fill of the giant Sequioa trees on the first day, on Day 2 we first covered Moro Rock, climbing 400 steep steps to reach the top of the granite rock to get an unparalleled view of much of the park – I had never been more scared of heights climbing up the steps. Even though there were guard-rails and wide steps, I was almost kneeling down while climbing to avoid looking down the steep drops. We then decided to explore some short hikes and found the trails by Crescent Meadows, a lovely grassy small open area surrounded by trees, to be particularly beautiful. As we stopped by one of the spots to eat our lunch, it was as if time had stopped. I would highly recommend taking one of the short trails around Crescent Meadows if one were to make a trip to Sequioas. There are a couple of other meadows too nearby and the trails lead you through some of the cabins built hundred years ago. Some of the more beautiful places in Sequioa can only be discovered by hiking along one of the many high Sierra trails with some even gaining 2000-3000 ft elevation. We saw plenty of hardcore hikers on their way through the trails, some on their way to Mt. Whitney, which at 14000 ft, is the highest mountain in the contiguous US. I certainly admire their spirit and sense of adventure, but not sure if that kind of adventure appeals to me (it used to once upon a time) anymore partly because of the level of fitness and ability to carry enough food/supplies to last 2 weeks in the wilderness! On my very first day, a mere 400 ft ascent up a small trail left me gasping/panting for life.

The reason I started writing this blog post was not to ramble about the majestic trees at Sequioa, but about Mineral King, a subalpine valley about 2 hours drive from Three Rivers and also a part of Sequioa National Park – it is an off the beaten track literally! On the third day of our stay, we decided to check out Mineral Valley, which was roughly a 7000 feet climb up the mountain. We started driving into the windy roads with hairpin curves, unpaved roads, blind turns and drop offs with thousands of feet with no guardrails to stop from tumbling down. The road was wide enough to hold only one moving car and if we met another vehicle, one of us had to stop and make space or backup to let the other car pass by in order to get past each other. Few minutes into the road leading up, I started having second thoughts about making the trip… we were driving at the rate of 10-12 miles/hr and had about 24 more miles to go… that meant two and half hrs of sitting tightly in the car holding on to yourself in case some mad driver from the opposite direction came too close or too fast. However, we decided to continue as who knew when we’d have a chance or inclination to check it out again. As we reached half way, we gained more confidence and it was too late to turn back.

After 2.5 hrs of treacherous drive, the reward was beyond beautiful!! It was well worth the drive!! You really have to go there to know what I am talking about – a gorgeous scenery that seemed pristine and untouched. Tourist traffic to this place is quite low due to the difficulty of reach, and also perhaps because there are no commercial hotel type accommodations. Our first stop was at the store/shop at Silver City resort, the only cottages within Mineral Valley which have electricity and running water. We took a quick break and checked around the area a little bit – it was quiet, serene/peaceful and much cooler due to the higher altitudes (7600 ft). There were no Sequioas or very few Sequioaa in this part of the park, but mostly alpine trees. It didn’t feel like we were at Sequoia anymore, where it was quite dry and hot.

A couple of miles ahead of Silver City led to the end of the road to Mineral King, which is a valley at an elevation of 7800 ft. Besides a smattering of cabins nestled amongst the shade of trees, there was not a single soul around. There is nothing to see here except nature. There are several lakes at higher elevations which can be hiked up to within a day by the experienced hikers. And thus this place might primarily appeal to hikers and backpackers. Mineral King is only open from Memorial Day weekend through early fall which can be through October, and is quite a bit of drive (almost 3.5 hrs) from most of the popular Sequoia attractions, and thus really is a destination in itself. Also, there are almost no facilities in Mineral King. The small restaurant/general store at Silver City Resort, is the only place open during weekends. The only other thing in Mineral King besides the Silver City resort is a small visitor center, two camp grounds and some private cabins in the valley. So, if you don’t get checked into one of the cabin homes at Silver City Resort, you will have to rent one of the primitive cabins (without running water or electricity) or camp/hike outside. There nothing there to entertain the casual windshield tourist but some gorgeous out of the world scenery. If all this doesn’t deter you, then maybe you should give it a visit.

Beautiful California

When I was living in Minnesota (1998 – 2005), my cousin used to always talk about how much stuff there is to do and see in California and all the numerous attractions that are just a few hours of drive away from Bay area. Ever since I moved to Bay area, California in fall 2005, I have barely seen any of the attractions around here. Earlier this summer Delip and I made a list of places we wanted to cover in the near future. Given his super busy and unpredictable schedules, we wanted to pick places that we could cover over long weekends during the year and which didn’t need planning/bookings too far in advance.

We made a trip to Yosemite National Park during the Memorial Day weekend, along with my brother, sis-in-law and nephew. We were all awestruck by the majestic sights and beauty of Yosemite – from waterfalls to cliffs to meadows. I am glad we made the trip in-spite of some lukewarm reviews from a few people based on their visit to the park. I think the key is in visiting the park at the right time which is early spring or before summer starts – that’s when the waterfalls and creeks are full force and the forest is still green, fresh from the snow meltdown. We spent two and a half full days in Yosemite, but there is so much more left there to see and lots of beautiful hiking trails to explore. We will certainly be back there, although accommodations are booked way in advance, so I would probably book ahead. This time we were lucky enough to find some last minute nice comfortable accommodations located just half hr drive from the Valley visitor center in a really quiet place, away from the valley crowd.

Our next trip plan for the labor weekend was a toss between the Sequioas and Redwood National Park, both equally drivable over a long weekend. A quick search on the forums of TripAdvisor recommended Sequioas over the Redwoods due to more stuff to do and see, which I will be covering in another blog. I would certainly recommend TripAdvisor for travel related recommendations next time you plan your trip – especially since it’s generated from users like us, who are looking for travel information and want a quick easy way to find recommendations/information from others in one place rather than going through exhaustive travel guides. Another great site to find more information on a specific destination is Wikitravel.

California is blessed when it comes to weather and diversity of natural beauty. If one likes nature/outdoors and has the time, then there are lots of attractions that can be covered over long weekends. It’s ironic that when I was in Minnesota and had all the time, there wasn’t a whole lot to do all year around (or so I believed), but now that I am here in Bay Area, California, we haven’t been able to take out time to do much. A fraction of the blame also goes to some inertia on our behalf – planning a travel to a tourist destination takes effort and time if done decently.

My travel to Illinois

Last week I made arrangements for a quick trip over the Aug 23rd weekend to Bloomington, Illinois to visit an aunt who is visiting her son from India. Every time she has visited US in the last 7-8 yrs, I thought about making plans to meet, but somehow that never materialized. Other than seeing her briefly during my wedding in India about 1.5 yrs ago, the last time I spent some time with her was when she had come down with her family to Kharagpur more than 25yrs ago. I am glad I made the trip as it is always good to connect with family even if you have not been in touch.

Bloomington is small town(population 75,000) about 150 miles South West of Chicago in the heartland of Illinois and is home to StateFarm, the largest and oldest insurance company in the US – noone insures more cars and automobile in the US than them. The only direct flight to the city is from Chicago, for which you have to pay a premium unless you decide to fly into Chicago and drive down.

Everything looked familiar from the moment I landed in Bloomington on Saturday August 23rd afternoon. Bloomington is very much like Fargo, North Dakota – small town, easy commute, low population, cold winters and not a whole lot to do. Incidentally, 13 yrs ago exactly on the same day i.e. Aug 23rd in 1995, I had landed in the US (Fargo, North Dakota) for the very first time around the same time in the afternoon. Of course, 13 yrs later I was no longer that wide eyed early twenty something girl just fresh off the boat in a fresh pair of jeans and T-shirt . Back then even a small town like Fargo was a novelty for me – I mean I had never seen streets with such neatly lined trees, houses that seemed like perfect boxes, neatly mowed lawns and lush green trees.

As my plane was flying low to make a touch down at the Bloomington Airport, I noticed huge corn fields and a land that was as flat as it can be. The airport was small with 3-4 gates, although sparkling new. Airport parking is free and parking lot is right across the exit from Airport, and the drive to my cousin’s home from Airport took under 5 minutes and that too because there was one traffic light. That’s a luxury in Bay Area unless you live in one of the cities close to Airport.

For the next two days, my Aunt, cousin and his wife made sure I was pampered to the fullest – and I obliged by hogging everything served in front of me – kachoris, bhaturas, pani puri…. Even after all that food my Aunt was still upset that she couldn’t make more stuff due to my short visit. True to the tradition of my Aunt’s generation, they feed the guests till they are stuffed to their neck. I don’t know why they don’t allow us to self serve because most of us are certainly not the shy types, but I guess for some people that’s part of the hospitality and way of showering their affection. My cousin gave me a quick whirlwind tour of Bloomington. There isn’t much to see or do in Bloomington really. Statefarm is the largest employer in the city and employees close to 65,000 people- about 85% of Bloomington population!!! The company has done a lot of work towards development of the city and has contributed towards most parks and city attractions. Most Statefarm employees never leave the town and the economy is fairly stable. The Bloomington Indian community is pretty big (around 8000) and quite active, and we managed to get a glimpse of some Indian community function in downtown one late evening.

After two quick but relaxing days with my Aunt and her family, it was time to head back. I have often thought about what it would be like to go back to a small town and settle there and enjoy all the benefits of a small town – cost of living, work life balance and very laid back lifestyle – all of which I got a glimpse of this weekend. In Bloomington you can buy a palatial home with a backyard the size of half a football field for under $250K in one of the best school districts. Many Statefarm employees work from 8-4 . Quite a few work longer hrs during week to be able to take Fridays off on a regular basis. The city has plenty of parks & libraries and even a couple of theaters. Crime is almost non-existent. All of that sounds great to me except that after having lived in Bay Area for 3 years now, I don’t think I could settle in Bloomington or a similar town. I certainly appreciate all the benefits and think that it might be great for people with families/kids, but it is much too quiet for me. More importantly, you are in deep trouble if the only company in town that hires you shuts down one day and you find out that you have stayed in one company for so long that your skills are no longer current. Also, having been through cold winters in Fargo, I think that small quiet towns with nothing to do that get too cold in winters are definitely not on the list of experiences that I want to repeat in life.