Porcupine Mountains and Lake Superior

Because we lost the photos and videos. Because I’m not sure if I’ll ever visit that place again. Because sometimes the smallest of things or especially the small things deserve a mention. I had some free time and I wanted to travel again before winter really set in. We were talking over lunch one day and Northern Lights popped up and it was in my bucket list, though I didn’t realize we can see it from here. So, I searched and the chances were slim but Marquette, MI had some possibility. After some more research I decided we should have other things to do and just consider ourselves lucky if we could spot the Aurora. But, this did give me yet another excuse to travel.

I wanted to take all of them Arijit, Abhijeet, Madhav and Jim Kim. And the initial plan was to travel to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Park. Madhav said he’d definitely come if we can postpone it by a week and so I did that. We had set the weekend of October 17-18, it was already late fall and the weather looked edgy to me. For me and Abhijeet it would be our second camping trip but it was a first for Madhav and Jim and I didn’t want to take them into rain and snow which was what the forecast looked like. So, after some more research I decided that we should go to the Porcupine Mountains National Park. It was still in the UP Michigan, and the weather looked a little better than the other place.

Arijit had a lot up his sleeve so it was finally the four of us who started Friday evening after work. We had to pick Jim from office and traffic detours forced us to a late start. But, we were on our way around 6 ish I’d say. We split the drive first me, then Abhijeet and then Madhav. There were songs and I remember distinctly the feeling when something played and all four of us would chime in, why or how it was important to me I can’t explain. The highlights of this stretch of drive was when it was too dark to see anything on the road and Madhav was behind wheels at that time and we would close the lights for just a second to see how it felt like. I can’t speak for him how much he enjoyed driving that stretch, but it was something to cherish for all of us. It was creepy and frightening and consequently very interesting. Abhijeet would hit 100 mph in this drive and we would all come to this and make fun of it when he wouldn't get his driving license at first try : reason speeding. We also came across packs of deer on the side of road. I’ll also remember that small bar we stopped for a restroom break, the red and blue sign, autumn wreaths and decorations outside. Nothing eventful, just that we passed by that place and my memory retains it.

It was late, very late by the time we reached our campsite at Union Bay Campground. I had reserved site 6 by the lake. And the minute we got out of the car we realized that it was freezing. And on that cold, wintry night with wind blowing at us from all ends we started pitching our tent by the shores of Lake Superior. This was a 6 person tent that I had rented earlier from the Urban Ecology Centre and it took some time and all the effort we had, to stop it from blowing away while simultaneously trying to tie it to the supports. It was makeshift or at least the air flap was badly placed as we would find it the next morning. When we all got inside the tent, there was that feeling of a small achievement that we did manage not to freeze ourselves to death or sleep inside the car. So, we got the air mattress and sleeping bags out and went to sleep.

Madhav woke us up the next morning by taking the air out of our air mattress when we wouldn’t get up. And, the sight that we woke up to was really beautiful. The sound of waves crashing in the early morning sun. If it wasn’t the cold I’d have said it was all too perfect. But there was the cold wind to deal with. We went for a walk and decided that we should move our campsite up one level where the wind was a little easier on us. So, after paying the parking fees and registering our new campsite we carried our tent (without unfolding it) to our new site. It was funny, carrying that tent and I really wish that we had those pics. But we have memories, and I hope these lines will trigger them back whenever I want to reminisce. We picked up dead wood and we made fire (with Vaseline and cotton), and it’s another of those little somethings that we accomplished. Jim helped keep the fire going while Madhav grilled us marinated cottage cheese in pudgy pie holders. And, trust me they were really good even though they weren’t cooked to perfection. Also scrambled eggs which we ate with bread and there was badly brewed tea. All in all I would say definitely a great breakfast.

We were running low on gas so after dealing with that, we started for the Presque Isle waterfalls. The road was flanked by trees in their peak of fall foliage - red and yellow and hues of orange, with now and then an evergreen pine. We played songs and we took videos of that drive. Madhav was driving, Abhijeet was clicking pictures, Jim and I were in the back seat enjoying and taking it all. I was sitting in the middle with my chin resting on my arms between the two front seats and I remember the song Bailamos playing and the mood was in sync with that music. The rhythm, and the drive was taking us over. You really have to go to UP Michigan for this, and I don’t know if it can be replicated. The Falls weren’t that good or at least not compared to the ones I have seen but we walked around, and since the company was good I had fun. There were wooden bridges to walk on. Madhav and Jim were giving poses with Banik clicking away. We met other people on our way, a bunch of Chinese, an older American couple. We climbed up on trees, got inside dead hollow tree trunks and clicked away memories to store. I dropped my blue and violet hairband - tiny essentials to serve as memory cues. We walked on a bridge to get yet another beautiful view of Lake Superior. After this, we headed back and went to Summit peak. There was a short hike to the observation tower from where we got amazing views of more fall colors. The scope assisted viewing was interesting, I was able to see the gradation of colors sort of. And again more pics, more poses. And then happily we trotted or tumbled down, walking and hopping in those bed of yellow leaves. I guess I was still carefree and I was enjoying it.

We wanted to be back in our campsite to catch the sunset by Lake Superior, and the lady at the Visitor centre said we can see it from our campsite. But the sun was in the opposite direction and everyone said we wouldn’t be able to see it. I still hoped that maybe there would be some way or some inclination of our campground and we would be able to watch it. We all started preparing for dinner because we were hungry and we wanted to start before it got dark. Madhav was leading, he was grilling more cottage cheese, bell peppers, baby corn and the best of it all – pineapples. Jim was helping with the fire, Abhijeet was making us drinks. There was still light and we were grilling by the lakeside, there was this pink and orange hue on the horizon so I went with Abhijeet and we clicked pictures. And they had come out really nice, as in the frame was too good. There were these white logs and he didn’t mind taking pics and he took some really good ones. He tripped on a short pool while returning, and the water was freezing so the first thing we did was we ran to get a change of socks. It was after some 10 – 20 minutes that we realized that my phone was missing and we found it lying in that pool of water. It was still on, and I switched and packed it off. I was going to put it in a bag of rice after going home. More on this later. So, we had some food and then went back to our campsite. I was adamant about sleeping in a hammock that night so I was making arrangements. Jim again helped and kept the fire going, a proper and bigger one this time. We started drinking, roasted corns and marshmallow smores. Roasted the rest of pineapples and they were yummy. I was offended earlier because Abhijeet had made me a lighter drink, so while he wasn’t watching I was pouring a little bit from his cup into mine. I also think I drank a little more on empty stomach, so I didn’t actually realize when it was that I got drunk. I remember that we went on a walk, I remember that there was the moon and there were stars but I have faint memories. I don’t remember a lot of things till the time I threw up. Yes, and I’m not proud of it. These people helped me into the tent, I was totally shitfaced.

I woke up with one of the worst hangovers and add to it the embarrassment of not being able to hold my liquor. We had plans of watching sunrise at Lake of the Clouds and so we drove there. Now I was silent and moody, partly owing to the after effects of being drunk the previous night. We were on time to see the sun rise and it was worth getting us early and going there. I really wished I could garner up the effort to be cheerful again but I was mad at myself. And I guess we were all tired by then, so after returning from Lake of the Clouds and a short breakfast we packed our stuff and we headed out. I was recovering a bit but I was still reeling in that aftermath. Initially, when the three of them started telling me about my last night’s rambling I just thought they were all pulling my leg. Jim was leading it, so was Abhijeet and Madhav was just confirming it. And then slowly I realized that I actually didn’t retain at least some part of last night. And, I hated myself even though I knew I couldn’t have done anything by then. I was silent for most part, and I was wondering about all the worse things I could have said and done for that half an hour or an hour that I have no memory of. The worst part is these guys didn’t tell me what exactly it was that I said. They just said that I said and did things that they can’t repeat, and they built on it. So, it was this sullen and brooding me till lunch time. We stopped for pizza on our way for lunch. I was still sulking but I was getting a bit of my old self back. So, on this return trip they talked. They narrated weird incidents – Jim and Madhav and Abhijeet – they all talked with me chiming in now and then. It was interesting for me because I was getting a guy’s perspective on things.  I was wondering that just as women are complicated and it’s difficult for them to interpret our thoughts and emotions, it’s the same with them. Sometimes I wonder that I learnt a lot more on that return drive, I learnt how people are objective and rational. I knew it in theory from books and movies but that day listening to Madhav narrate, I actually understood and accepted it. We talked the usual trash and clichéd topics, girls and guys, and marriage, and parents, incidents from college days. It was all three of them actually, like I got to know each one of them and their views and ideas a little better. This is how we became friends. I would get to know Abhijeet and Madhav a lot more in coming days but the beginnings were there. And I grew up with brothers and sisters and cousins and I had skipped a phase where you made friends. Dipti and Suchi were the only ones I stayed in touch with all these years and they were my school friends. And after that I never had or needed friends, so this was new for me and hence deserves a mention.

I was sleepy and tired by the time I reached home, took a shower and then tried switching on the phone. It came up, everything was fine. I spent two hours checking the photos and videos. I wanted to share it via Whatsapp or post it on Facebook that night but then I postponed it till the next morning. And since everything was working I didn’t think it was necessary to put it in a bag of rice. So, the next morning when it was showing low battery without a second thought I plugged in the charger. It was after I had fully charged it, the phone started restarting every 10 seconds. To cut a long story short, we tried everything from putting it in a bag of rice (the damage was already done when I plugged in the charger I guess) to taking it to various customer care centres. It was a Samsung S6 and there wasn’t a separate memory card and I hadn’t backed my device to cloud or google drive. And the phone wouldn’t stay on long enough for us to take backup into the pc. So, the pics were there in the drive just that there was no way to restore them anymore. After 3-4 days we gave up hope and I rued it the most. Like I said I was the only person who had seen those the previous night, those videos and some excellent shots. And they were gone. We had two cameras, so we do have some pics. Just we lost the majority of them.

So, this post is to retrieve and store some of those lost memories into words. This was different from my other trips because this was again one of those beginnings that would actually blossom. I never really expected this out of travelling, I meet people and we stay in touch but travel is what connects me with all of them. Not with this group, we found other things together. We became friends – and I know I’m reiterating it – but you have to be in my shoes to understand it. Friends. Period.

Camp-kayak-hike Sylvania Wilderness

It’s been almost two months or more, but I need to write it down. There was something that Mary said last week at the book club, she is old and she was continuously jotting down names and taking notes. Also, since I opened a fb account there are all these people whom I can’t place sometimes so I’m realizing this thing about memory, that it’ll fail me. And even though I think that I will remember somethings like they happened yesterday, I know it’s not true, there are and will be slips as time passes and new memories form, letting the fresh ones take precedence. So, I need to write this down now when it’s still fresh because of the singularity and novelty and because it was different in ways I can’t exactly figure out. Here’s an account of Camp-Kayak-Hike Sylvania Wilderness in UP Michigan.

I had RSVP’d for this almost a month before it was due, it was a week after the Scuppernong Trail and I had invited Abhijeet along which I wasn’t sure he’d accept. But it sort of all worked out and we started at around 3pm that Friday. I was apprehensive because I had never camped before, and in all my previous treks in India, someone was always there to organize things. I kept going over my checklist, lest I miss something. The driving part also worried me, this was going to be the first longer drive that I was attempting, it was a four and a half hour drive, and I still hadn’t gotten over my fear of taking the freeways. We started despite all these fears that I kept to myself. I almost wished he’d back out because I was so sure it was going to be a disaster.

The roads were good and there were fewer cars once we entered US 41 and US 45 and from there towards County Hwy M, I was driving a little over speed limit and I was terrified, I was thinking of the mirage that gets created in front of your eyes when you’ve been driving for a while. I was afraid my senses will trick me into making a mistake, but over a period I calmed down. It helped that I had company, that I was listening to songs I hadn’t heard before and I was talking. We stopped once for gas, picked up a cinnamon coffee (why is it important to note this down, I don’t know, maybe nothing is or maybe everything is, who decides anyway whether it’s relevant or not?). The roads were picturesque, and slowly I was beginning to enjoy it. I was also getting the knack of it - of driving - when to overtake, when to let go. I was beginning to figure out how and where I’m comfortable resting my hands, how my car behaves at a certain speed and small things. Our next stop was around 7:30 pm at Watersmeet I guess, it was getting dark with a slow drizzle starting just then. We had dinner, picked up beer, there was a guy who suggested Mangorita, and so we grabbed a can of that too. By the time we took the wheels again it had started pouring.

The rains came from all sides, there was no street lights and I was driving. We were glad when we had a car in front of us whose back lights sort of guided us, and we hated when something came from the opposite side with its front lights blinding. I’ll remember driving this stretch, that it was really frightening, that I wasn’t thinking, that I almost knew then that we were lost. I was still driving at 60 miles/hour with Abhijeet reminding me now and again to slow down. We entered another road, it was clearly a forest road, narrow and even in that dark we could make out those huge towering trees on both sides. I was afraid of animals too as we were crossing this. By the time we made it to Clark Lake Campground, the rain had thankfully slowed down to a drizzle. Kevin wasn’t picking his phone and even though I knew Kevin’s loop and site number the gps had stopped and it was after 9 and we took a few rounds before we came across people. It made me happy, seeing those people out there, realizing we weren’t exactly lost. We asked the way for Kevin’s campsite, made few wrong turns, asked some more people and finally found him. Thankfully he wasn’t asleep, he offered us to stay in his RV that night as it was raining. I was almost going to accept his offer when Abhijeet said, we’ll try pitching the tent and we’ll let him know if we can’t make it. Later he’d tell me he didn’t want to ‘inconvenience’ Kevin and also so that we can be free and we can gossip.

We took another campsite not adjacent to, but near Kevin, in the same loop. It was still drizzling a little, and cold. We kept the headlights on the car and we started pitching the tent. It was a first for both of us, Jered had shown me how to do it but on higher level, sort of like this goes here and then pull like this and it’s done. So, we struggled in the dark and in the rain. But like I say we are engineers and it’s our job to figure things out. It was the perfect tent but it was done. We wrapped the rain flap in a haphazard manner, postponing to perfect it the next day. We took our sleeping bags and jackets inside, we took torch, water and that can of Mangorita. We were already feeling that sense of accomplishment at managing to pitch that tent, and that dash of beer was slowly getting into my system. I wasn’t drunk, I was just getting a little tipsy. It was a nice warm feeling on that cold, rainy night, at overcoming the first hurdle sort of. I slept early (he’d complain about it later in another trip that I didn’t talk much, that I slept). I woke up in the middle of night because I had to go to the washroom but I was afraid. And I didn’t want to wake him. I don’t know how long I stayed awake tossing and turning. I was also cold, the sleeping bags weren’t exactly enough. After a while I told myself that I needed to go out, I was going to do it alone. But he woke up and I was grateful because he accompanied me and waited for me. Sometimes I wonder how silly fear is, and what it is exactly that we are afraid of.

We woke up to a sunny day, the temperature was still in lower 50s of Fahrenheit so for me it was still cold but the sun seemed so welcoming. We went around Kevin’s tent who offered us the use of his stove and we made breakfast, bread and cheese for me, bread and scrambled eggs for Abhijeet. And then we made plans, Kevin helped in this. So after breakfast Kevin drove us to the Sylvania Outfitters where we rented a canoe. The tandem kayak wasn’t too comfortable for me, is a nice way of saying I was too fat to get into it and comfortable come out. So, it had to be a canoe. After struggling for a while trying to hitch the canoe in Kevin’s truck, we decided to pay those guys to transport it for us. The drive in Kevin’s pickup was also nice that day, we saw what we drove into last night, and the maple trees were just starting their color change. Kevin also told us about moose and deer and I was just thinking about it all. I was thinking about the time and place and how I ended up being there. For me this will always be the image of North or UP - roads flanked by pine trees, the image first formed during that drive in Kevin’s pickup.

We went to Crooked Lake, where our canoe was waiting for us. Kevin had his red kayak. I had taken a “Canoeing for beginners” class at the Urban Ecology Centre, it had seemed a nice way to spend a Saturday then. I knew some of the basics but this was still a huge lake. So, it was another first for us, but no one was complaining and we got into the lake. It was a beautiful day, with the sun out and wind was almost perfect. We started paddling, making mistakes and then figuring out, learning, enjoying. The blue expanse of the lake, the beginning of Fall, the clouds floating and bluer than the lake the blue sky. The water was clear, we could see the weeds floating below. We went around the lake, there was a small passage which opened into a bigger spread of water. If you ask me I will tell you that I was having the time of my life, it was the surroundings which were weaving that magic. I remember the color “blue”, I remember laughing freely, feeling happy and contented and in harmony with that atmosphere. There’s this clichéd saying that sometimes the forces of universe unite to make something happen, for me that day still looks as if it was woven with wonder, beauty and magic. Nature in one of its most unadulterated state, it reminds me now of that Emily Dickinson’s poem: “I taste a liquor never brewed”.

We reached our campsite after 3 pm, cooked Maggi for lunch. Kevin offered to drop our PFDs at the gear shop as he was heading out for the town. We lingered here and there deciding against a post afternoon nap (argument: shouldn’t be wasting our time sleeping on a camping trip). We thought we can check out the day care area by the beach and take a shower. So, that’s what we did. It took me 15 minutes to figure out how the shower worked, why do they make the showers operate differently every place escapes me. There’s a dialogue in the movie “Once upon a time in the West” where the protagonist says something about a tub of boiling water restoring everything and she had used it in a different context. But it has stuck with me and I remember it now and again, my version is saying to myself, “There’s nothing that a hot tub/shower of water can’t fix”. And as an afterthought maybe it’s trivializing, and it doesn’t always work. But I don’t remember stepping out of a shower and not feeling a tad bit better, or at least till now. I’m not daring you Grief with a hot shower as my weapon. So, the shower did good, felt a lot better and then we walked by the beach. For me beaches are always related to sea, so I stop for a moment when I use the words “shore” or “beach” for these fresh water lakes.

The sun was still up, we spent some time practicing ripple effect. Or he teaching me how to throw flat stones in what angle etc. After a considerable time, I managed to make 2-3 ripples and called it a day. We chased some squirrels and chipmunks, clicked photos, went on a short trail and were back in our camp just by the time the sun was setting. Kevin had put up a fire, so we went to join him. We sat by the fire and exchanged stories, Abhijeet had his first smores. We roasted corn and more marshmallows, and a 6 pack that we shared with Kevin. I had asked him if he had any kids and he said they had a daughter who died very young. I hated myself for asking, and made a mental note in my head to never ask it to anyone again. And I sat there and thought of life and how everybody has to deal with their own issues, with people who come and go, with loneliness. Kevin was saying how one of his ex-girlfriend had got him into canoeing. And about nearby parks and places that we should check out. We stayed till we had used up all the logs, then we said good bye to Kevin and left. It was dark. What I remember now was the expanse of the sky and those countless stars in it. I remember supporting my head on the hood of car and just staring above and not being able to shrug of that feeling of awe at being able to witness it. I would realize it much later that we actually saw a part of Milky Way very clearly that night. We thought we should walk till the lake but it was pitch dark and I got afraid and voiced out loud my fears which probably frightened him so we ended up not going there and now I wish we had seen the reflections of the stars in that lake.

We woke up next morning, Kevin had packed and left. We planned on checking out some waterfall and then head back home. We packed the tent and checked out at the front gate. The ranger there who was kind of cute suggested Bond Falls so that was where we went. The weather was nice and sunny and after an hr or so of drive we reached the Falls. We started at the bottom near the foot of the Falls. I was happy that I could go till the water, I sort of hopped till there. The water was cold but it was fun, and we got good pics. We hiked our way till the top, walking adjacent to the falls, stopping here and there wherever Abhijeet’s “photographer’s perspective” bade him. The water formed sort of silken cascades and there were various viewpoints to take in the ‘flowage’. We reached the top of the Falls and saw a way to the dam. And I’m glad we decided to check it out. After the gushing waterfall our eyes were treated to the still water and there was a strange sense of peace or stillness pervading there. I sat by the rocks to take in the view and we got a panorama shot. And I realize just now while penning this down that the details are already escaping me. Anyways we started from there, it was way past noon. There was some other river that we stopped by, by this time I was asking Abhijeet to drive. Since I had driven I knew that all we had were straight roads and less or no traffic. So, he drove us and we made another adventure out of it.

I reminisced when Titun had taught me how to ride a motorcycle on our way back from Deomali, and I knew that there’s a certain pleasure to be derived from driving and especially in those roads. Also, when I was driving I had to concentrate on the roads and I was glad to have a break. And he had good instincts so it was fun and interesting. We stopped by a pizza hut for a late lunch, and we talked on our careers and this and that. He was narrating incidents from his campus interviews. It was also during that lunch that I would come to know for the first time that he would be leaving for Plymouth in another month or two. And the slightest tinge of sadness that I felt. We started from there, and I guess he still drove another two hrs (we also made a video as a proof) before finally handing me over the wheels. We listened to songs while I drove and reached Milwaukee a little after 6 on Sunday.

It was a lot of ‘firsts’ and that is another reason why this will always hold a special place in my heart for me. I fell in love with UP Michigan because of this trip. I made and I understood that we needed friends at all stages in life. I realized that I could never have done this alone, that it made all the difference in the world because I had company. I also got confident about driving, this trip alone did what three months hadn’t done. I knew my car better. This trip made me feel like we achieved some things, mostly because of the driving but it also felt like we got a lot of things done. Like in some places I leave a part of me, in this case I carried and brought along something back with me – that’s the closest I can explain in terms of words.

Scuppernong Trail at Kettle Morriane

I had RSVP’d for the Scuppernong Trail which was posted on Milwaukee Campers, Backpackers and Hikers Meetup. I had managed to drag one of my co-workers Abhijeet too, so early on Saturday morning I picked him up and we went to Susan’s place with whom we were carpooling and who was driving us there. And this is an account of my first hike here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

It was a beautiful day with just a hint of chill in the air. The roads had less than the usual traffic with it being a Saturday morning, and after driving a few miles on I-94 we took the exit towards County Road E and the route became scenic. Susan and I kept talking with Abhijeet jutting in now and then. We had plugged in the coordinates and reached the trail head after a good 40 minutes’ drive. We could see a few people had arrived, Susan knew Donald and Mark and that’s how we located our group. After a round of introduction - just names – the seven of us along with two dogs started on the trail path.

We were led forward by Sung, who had organized this. We were doing the green loop, the previous day I had googled and had read somewhere that it was a 12 mile hike and I was a little apprehensive about my stamina. But then Sung or Gordon checked and they informed me that the whole loop was just a little more than 5 miles. With my imaginary fear thus assayed, and with a hearty spirit I thus started on the trail path. Abhijeet kept me company for a while, we shared stories from previous trips’. Then somewhere along the road I walked a bit with Mark, a part of it with Gordon, some parts alone. Susan walked with Don, with both of them collecting hickory nuts. The dogs Ginger and Mulligan, making us keep up the pace whenever they found anyone slackening. 

There’s something about being in the woods that appeals to all the senses. There are those various shade of green, brown and red pleasing to the eyes, the sounds of insects and birds keeping us company, the commingling breeze bringing a whiff of dirt and foliage as well as tingling our skin – stirring up memories, and let’s see now what do I attribute to taste – the parched feeling which makes that gulp of water extra sweet? The truth is I felt a sense of overwhelming satiety, also a sense of being in a weird way, because for a while I was able to let go of my existence because I blended in and became a part of it.

Komorebi: (n.) sunlight filtering through trees

That’s the image which will stay with me of that walk. And all I have are broken phrases like something fresh, something beginning, something unadulterated. I was reminiscing one of my earliest hikes which was the Rajmachi monsoon hike, and the people in it. I was thinking I had fell in love with the woods during that, or was it before that… the place I was born - Koraput – was this little hamlet surrounded by forests and hills and mountains so maybe that had moulded me. Or it’s just plain old Nature and these hikes are like going back to her.

We took a few breaks, joked about animals and people and nations and languages. Gordon took a detour along with Jackie and Ginger to start the coals for the cookout planned afterwards. We completed the green loop and joined them half an hour later, with our feet complaining but the spirit rejoicing at finishing it. Then we all pranced here and there to set up tables as if the hike instead of draining our energy had replenished it. We piled up food and beer. Susan had bought table clothes, vegetables, dip, grill, fruit, skittles, corkscrew ??; I kept saying how she had thought of everything to which she replies that at her age you think of all these. But she wasn’t alone, there was Donald with his foldable tables, water in a jug with spigot, buckets. Sung had bought all these different types beers from Chicago and Wisconsin. So, we all started on the Oktoberfest. Susan and Abhijeet cut up the veggies and set them with the dips. Kaela filled Portobello mushrooms with tomato and cheese and we put them on the grill. Gordon was already grilling bratwursts and hot dogs, remarking that he is doing all the hard work – cooking he meant. We added veggies, asparagus and Sung’s famous potatoes (which took ages to cook) to the grill. It was the good humored banter, Gordon was of course heading it joined with Mark and Susan. I guess he did his best to rattle her, so much that she made Donald sit between them. They made fun of me and Abhijeet, Susan, the dogs, the food and I was a little relieved that we didn’t take offense. Abhijeet even came up with a befitting repartee that put me at ease. They cracked jokes sparing no one and I don’t know if it was the beer or it was just their natural disposition. I guess it was that happy spirit which had kind of engulfed us that day. And in a strange way I didn’t feel excluded. It was not just that I had another Indian with me or an Asian and hence it was more of a diverse group, because there was something else that bonded all of us that crossed the barriers of race, age and nationality. The drive back with Susan was equally interesting when she said she didn’t want the gps and she wanted to drive from her memory. The day was entering its third quarter, and the cloud floating on blue skies, the country roads flanked on both sides with yellow and purple flowers, the lone farm houses and windmills all played a part in heightening the beauty of our surroundings. We reached Milwaukee around four pm and I was left with the feeling that the day couldn’t have been spent any better.

For the highlights of the trip, the striking similarity between Donald and Christopher Walken, Susan being nicknamed dirty Susan, Abhijeet being nicknamed man servant, Kaela hiking with her flip flops, Sung’s potatoes, my pronunciation of “asparagus” and my famous salsa (which was Sam’s recipe). Gordon sure was the life of it despite his nearly-offensive remarks. I like Susan’s comment later when she said “Jackie you are a saint and Gordon you are a riot.”

Does it become more pronounced when you say it again and again, and in how many different ways can I describe the harmony of that Saturday in September. I witnessed the happy carefree side of nature, human and otherwise. And it was perfect. Period. 

Walking through Madison

I wanted to visit Madison since I came here, more so than Chicago. A part of the lure lay in the fact that it created an image of this little college town, flanked by old bookstores on both sides. So, this weekend I finally went there with Kathy and her mom Wendy. And I’m writing down this account so that I can come and revisit the memories again.

We started early afternoon, and it was a bright, summer day. It was a little over an hour long drive from Milwaukee, and we reached Madison around 1:30 pm heading towards Wisconsin State Capitol building. The dome resting on the columns looked simple but elegant, an imposing piece of architecture almost demanding respect by virtue of its nature and history. Sam had shown me images of the earlier protests held here against Gov. Scott Walker so I had this romantic notion of what this building had stood for and the role it had played, so all of it was coming back to me. There was also this gold figurine at the top of the dome which caught my attention, I had googled afterwards to find that it was referred to as “Golden Lady” carved on the lines of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and there are connecting thought threads in my head with this statue and the city being home to University of Wisconsin – Madison.

There was no check post or security, we just walked into the East Wing, no tickets and the inner rooms boasted of an equally magnificent design. The walls and ceilings were decorated with paintings and murals which evoked another surge of awe and reverence as we walked through taking it all in, walking though winding stairs and checking it out from different levels. There was a wedding group in the city hall, and I was thinking that maybe the surrounding and the event itself complimented each other, like a celebration of something grand and ceremonial in that place was justified.

Next we took the road to Monona Terrace which was nearby, the view of Lake Monona from the top was beautiful and the weather with the wind blowing through on the sunny day was almost perfect. Kathy had made a list of things to check out so after grabbing lunch we went to State Street and parked there. We started walking, checking out local shops which were on both sides. I loved those little shops and I liked the fact that I had Kathy with me who I knew wouldn’t mind at all checking out these small cards and journal and odds and ends stores. So, we went to 2-3 similar stores and I enjoyed them, I’m going to make an exception to my aversion to window shopping. So, bookstores (new and old), card shops and these places in Madison are heretofore exempted from that list.

We continued our walk along State Street, treated Wendy with Cheese Curds which is a Wisconsin thing. Then stopped at Collectivo Coffee House for a while before resuming our walk on the street lanes. It was in essence a quintessential college town, Kathy kept saying how it reminded her partly of Sacramento and partly of Berkeley. We passed through fraternity houses, lot of college students settling in for the fall semester, and there was this twinge of regret inside me for the things I cannot acquire. And this city was bringing out all those repressed dreams. We drove towards Memorial Union Terrace next and this was the best part of the trip for me.

We stopped and parked for some 10 minutes near the Dept. of Limnology where we were not supposed to, but it was beautiful. I walked around the lake with Kathy, we dipped our feet in the water, walked on the ramp for boats, and we saw all those ducks and gulls, and the array of sail boats all out there in Lake Mendota. It was pleasing to the eyes and to all other senses too. We heard music on the terrace, so we went to find a proper parking spot so we can come back and spend more time here. We came back, this was where Wendy’s father had attended college and I was thinking what she was feeling back there. By the time we reached the terrace, it was filled with people of all ages, families had come to drop off their kids. There was this strange sort of vibe in the air, of things beginning. We went inside a sort of Hall which had German epithets all over, and ordered more Cheese Curds and beer for us. For some strange reason the hall reminded me of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, it was the ambience inside with colors and those strange signs and young college students, old professors and such types replete with a fire place under one roof.

We came outside with our beers and found a place to sit, the entire terrace was now crowded and the stage was taken up by this Irish group with their jingles and tap dance. There’s something about Irish music, you can’t help not feeling happy and you can’t stop tapping your feet or being taken away by the music and the beat. I don’t know if I have a tourist’s view point, which might be as well since I am one, but it wasn’t too much, as if the whole thing was in harmony. The lake and the boats and the music and the drinking, it was all bubbling with life and it’s clichéd but I don’t know how else to describe it. We stayed there for an hour or so before we walked back satisfied with the day and started the drive back home.

I don’t know if I’ll go back to visit Madison and if I’ll love it so much the next time around, it’s also a matter of who we go with, and I was glad that I went with Kathy and Wendy. I walked along the streets of Madison with this knowledge that all these were transitory like so many other aspects of my stay here in the United States. And as I’m soaking in the views and the culture and nature (both human and otherwise) and a part of me is grateful that I’m witnessing these.

Wayanad Trip

Maybe sometimes it is about ticking places off your list. We went to Wayanad this weekend and though we saw a different Wayanad from the ones in Google images, the trip’s still worth a mention.

We were five of us this time, me and Venkat from Hyderabad and Vijaya, Shalini and Benoy from Bangalore. We rented a car (zoomcar.com) and started from Bangalore at 2 am last Saturday. The first thing I registered that night was Shalini’s contagious enthusiasm; she was all geared in for the trip, not sleepy at all at 3 am. We started playing A. R. Rahman’s “Andha Arabi” (Tamil Version of “Humma Humma”) and that set the tone. After an hour or two we stopped for tea and Vijaya took the wheels from Benoy. Ideally we were under the assumption that we had two drivers – Benoy and Vijaya, only that the last time she drove was three years back and so she had gotten somewhat rusty. So when Vijaya took the wheels, with Benoy re-teaching her, we were all on our edge with Venkat keeping track of speed breakers, Shalini literally taking stock of the gear…and we used to shout – “speed breaker-brakes-slow down-change gear”. She drove for an hour or so and dawn was creeping in when we crossed Mysore. The roads were beautiful with mist coming at us from all sides and enveloping us in this white shroud. We entered into the forest roads and instinctively knew we were nearing Kerala because of the meandering nature of its roads.

We reached Wayanad around 8 or 8:30 am and checked into the KTDC hotel which we had booked earlier. Exhausted by all the shouting, singing and staying up whole night throughout the drive, we all tumbled into our beds and fell asleep as soon as we got into our rooms. I think we got up after a short nap, to the sad news that all the three waterfalls were closed for the weekend. In my head I was cursing Kerala govt. or whoever had planned those road works during our visit. But, we decided to make most of our trip. So, after having lunch we started towards Kuruva Dweep. The recent reviews at trip advisor weren’t encouraging regarding this place, nevertheless we went along. There is a certain charm about Kerala roads, those ups and downs; it’s a different type of experience, different from Himachal roads and other Ghat section roads. And because I was sitting in the front seat I was enjoying the drive more, the speed, the now and then twists and turns along the way. We reached Kuruva Island around 2:30 pm and then took a bamboo raft to get to the other side. They had this rope tied to trees and they steered the raft via these ropes, which I found quite interesting, no fuel and less manual labor…so kind of indigenous. We got down on the other end and passed through small wooden bridges and a forest path with flowers and quite a lot of butterflies till we reached the water spot. We whiled away our time sitting in the water, playing in it, splashing at each other, the flow was forceful and we had our full. We also made a ploy to drench Venkat who was trying to stay dry. On our walk back we stopped at a place where we tried various Kerala delicacies like Pazham Pozhi (Ripe plantain/banana fritters), Gooseberry and Pineapple slices dipped in salt water with chilly, Mulayari Payasam (Bamboo Rice Payasam),Then Nellikka (Gooseberry in honey) and lazed in that late afternoon sun. Shalini lectured Venkat on his bad love choices; actually we all lectured him. And, then finally Shalini had enough and she went into a tirade of scolding in Tamil which got us all roaring with laughter.

While returning we decided to check out Chethalayam Falls; we had encountered a sign board and this wasn’t in the list of closed falls. It was evening and we stopped our car on the way and hiked till the falls. While on the road we were discussing exit strategies in case we were attacked by wild elephants or snakes and like. Vijaya also took us through a swampy detour which was fun when their feet got stuck in it and we blamed the idea on Venkat. We couldn’t go down till the bottom of the falls but at least we got a view of the waterfalls and I was inwardly happy. It was getting dark and we returned back with jugnus (fireflies) following us. We came back to Wayanad and after searching for a while for a place to eat (Apparently people cook in their own homes so not many hotels and that too after 9 pm) stopped at a road side place. Our taste buds were in for an adventure with Appam, Puttu, Pathiri, Parotta – all these with kadala curry for us vegetarians and chicken curry for Shalini and Benoy. And then we got lost for a while but the advantage of having a mallu (Benoy) among us was that we could ask the localites, which we did to find our way to the hotel. The guys retired into their room and me, Vijaya and Shalini were gossiping till late. And I remembered the long chats I used to have with di or Dipti and Suchi and I slept that night thinking that maybe we all need people and we need groups.

We had this elaborate plan of getting up at 4 am the next morning and trek to Chembra peak but either the alarm didn’t go or we forgot to set it, anyways by the time we woke up it was 7 am. So, seeing “misty” Wayanad was no more in cards. But, we weren’t a very cribbing/whining lot that morning. After having Puttu and Kadala (better Puttu than the previous night!), Bread Toast and coffee – a good enough breakfast – we started for Chembra peak. We passed through various tea plantations, again via snaking roads and the sun was near perfect that morning, the tea plantations, the climbing peppers, the lack of pollution, it all seemed as if we had entered some other place or we were in a place where time had slowed down.

We started around 9:30 for the trek towards Chembra Peak along with a guide. Vijaya and Venkat were ahead of us and soon Shalini joined them, while I and Benoy along with our guide started the climb up slowly. Climbing uphill isn’t my cup of tea and in all the treks I am usually afraid of this part. But we were in good spirits that morning and so I started my climb, in my own pace, without any worry. I was reminiscing about my other treks, comparing them with this one. We came across groups of school kids, coming down, few foreigners going up or returning back. Then there were other groups who passed us by and we were still left behind. But none of these perturbed me that day. I kept asking the guide “how far?” and also the people who were coming down, but at least I didn’t feel like quitting. I took a lot of stops, sometimes to check the view below, at others to just catch my breath and rest awhile. I had one Red Bull which actually helped and I had those salted gooseberries which I chewed on as I climbed. There are a lot of thoughts which plagues one during these uphill treks – the futility of it all constantly nagging at the back of your head which keeps asking – to what end? I never used to think that just because I’ve climbed a mountain I’ve achieved something, I usually do it for some or other waterfall at the end of my climb. And this time there wasn’t any, and still I felt good. It was nearing noon but the sun wasn’t harsh. There was this one place in between when we were crossing from one hill to the next and there were tall grasses – the yellow ones and they were moving with the direction of wind and I remembered this Sting’s song “Fields of Gold” specifically these lines: You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky/As we walk in fields of gold… /See the west wind move like a lover so/Upon the fields of barley… .

We reached the top 40 minutes after the trio and I saw that heart-shaped lake Hriday Saras. The localites say that the water doesn’t dry up even in the harshest of summers. I sat there dipping my feet and I was thinking how to add more mysticism to it – that there’s this lake nestled between mountains, which you reach after crossing hurdles and obstacles, which moves you just by being there, which is peaceful in a strange way and I wanted someone to weave a fairy tale around this lake. Who knows maybe it did have a story brimming with elements of wonder, beauty and magic and now people have forgotten the story. All that remains of it now is the shape of that lake, and the vicinity had a dual effect of unsettling you and calming you at the same time.

While returning I was taking my steps cautiously and I met this other guide who saw me and then helped me, he literally held my hand and down I came ‘tumbling after’. And I’ll remember that feeling that he was dependable, stopping my falls and helping me at every step. We took almost 2-3 hours to climb up and we came down in about 45 mins. (It gives one something to ponder about…). Anyways we were all famished by the time we the time we got down. We had ordered meals before starting the climb and now it was ready. The food was the best we had in Kerala. We had Kerala style Rice, Sambar, Rasam, Cabbage Fry, Mathanga Erissery (made of Pumpkin), Vellarikka Kichadi (cucumber cooked in curd) and Papad. There was special Meen Curry (Fish Curry in coconut milk) for Shalini and Benoy. So, it was a very satisfying lunch. We dropped the plan of visiting Banasura Dam as Benoy had to drive us all the way to Bangalore and we were all a little tired. We started for Bangalore, and had a small incident - Vijaya’s palm was crushed when Shalini accidently closed the car door. Thankfully she didn’t break any bones, and we were all pulling Shalini’s leg that she didn’t want Vijaya to drive us on our way back.

While returning to Bangalore we stopped mid-way to have those sip-up ice-creams which was something different for us. And since we had the time to spare we made few more stops on the way for pics etc. Vijaya took the wheels for a good amount of time on our return trip. Venkat was still apprehensive and he was on edge almost the whole time till I think we scolded him. He didn’t even let Vijaya hum words of song asking her to concentrate the road. So, when she crossed one of those speed-breakers without any bumps and Venkat commented “Perfect!” it was actually a genuine compliment which she acknowledged. Meanwhile I and Shalini were enjoying Vijaya’s slow drive to A.R.Rahman’s melodious renditions from Bombay and Roza. We stopped at Mysore for dinner at RRR and the food was equally good. After dinner I, Vijaya and Benoy took a night stroll around Mysore Palace for an hour before starting for Bangalore.

The distance from Mysore to Bangalore was again shared by Vijaya and Benoy and I think Venkat dozed off for some 20 min or so – the ultimate proof that he finally trusted Vijaya’s driving. One of the highlights of this trek was Vijaya’s driving, another was probably the food, and one thing I can’t leave mentioning was the music. We were five people from five different states and music was what connected us best. We could listen to Rahman’s Tamil songs and hum the Hindi words. We had songs in sync with our driving speed. We listened to all kinds of songs, in different languages. There was Dil Chahta Hai, Rang de Basanti, Zindagi Na Milegi Doobara, we had some old Hindi songs, Afro Jack, Lungi Dance, Honey Singh, Manali Trance (which almost became an anthem sort of) and others I had never heard of - and strangely I enjoyed them all despite my biases.

I learnt about people in this trip, that there are stuffs we can’t enjoy alone. And that there are so many emotions and so many sides to each one us, that there are different definitions of having fun, and that Nature humbles us whether we want or not and finally travelling leaves us with something indescribable and wanting for more.