We were nine totally, five in our car, Dodge Durango. First destination of our trip was a place called Ketchum in state Idaho. Reached there in the early morning, slept for some time. We had delicious burger for brunch and set off to do rafting in river Salmon. After reaching the place, three of us decided to do kayaking instead. While rafting is done in a group of 6 people, kayak is to be done alone.
Kayak trainer asked us to stay there while he was preparing to come in the river. River Salmon had other ideas and she took me along with her and I was searching if I see the words ‘The End’ somewhere in the waters. It took just a few seconds to realize that it was too simple to be worthy of a climax and I could manage the kayak easily. When I managed to take the kayak to the land to wait for the others in my group, I had already traveled more than 200 meters.. We kayaked for more than 10 miles and it was very exciting though equally tiring. Friction with the paddle peeled off some skin from my right thumb and for half the distance I was holding the paddle in a funny way and it made kayaking difficult. Once my kayak was being rocked between two rocks and I started shouting for help. After realizing that nobody is there to help me, I managed to get out of it. It was easy!
Since I had started earlier than planned, there was no photo taken while I was kayaking.
Then we went to Yellowstone, the first national park of the world. On most of our way, we had the river Salmon accompanying us, just by the side of our road. In Yellowstone, which spreads over 9000 square miles, there were a lot of geysers and the scalding water erupting out reacts with the chemicals in the earth and makes different, colorful and beautiful structures. There is a geyser called ’old faithful geyser’, which erupts every 94 minutes, for more than 100 years. When it does it, it erupts to a height of 100 ft. We could see it twice on that day.
We went to the canyon of the Yellowstone, view of which was great. And then, there were two water falls called upper and lower falls of Yellowstone river. Lower falls was particularly spectacular. Just a few meters upstream, river was shallow, calm and alone! I got lot of time to play around, crossing the river streams jumping over the rocks; walking on the fallen trees that lie across the river.
We also went to Yellowstone Lake, which was so huge and beautiful. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do boating there.
It was time for our journey back. Since it is a 16 hours drive, we had planned to stop and stay in Wendover city, Nevada State. Nevada being a dry state, there is nothing much to visit. But the whole state is full of casinos. We visited two of them in Wendover. This time too I didn’t gamble, as was the case in Las Vegas in 2003. But, make no mistake; I don’t consider it to be a virtue.
July 4th was U.S Independence Day. We saw the Independence Day parade. It was a great sight to see the enthusiasm that the kids had. The parade had vehicles slowly driving along the road and people inside threw candies and chocolates to the kids. Parade was represented by a few schools too. I couldn’t see a single teenaged boy being part of that. It is same everywhere.
And, I feel ashamed to think that I never wished 'happy independence day' anyone that day.
Highlights:
1. I drove in freeway for the first time, for around 7 hours. Driving in 75mph and above was thrilling. I found it very difficult to control it in the curvy roads in Derby dam area in Nevada. I managed somehow. Thankfully I wasn’t carried away, when my friend asked me to try following a supposedly beautiful girl who overtook us.
2. In Yellowstone, people bought t-shirts, caps for themselves and gifts for their friends. I didn’t know what to buy. At last I bought a DVD on Yellowstone Park so that I can show this to my parents when I return home.
3. On our way from Yellowstone to Wendover, we had a long discussion on love, marriage, kids and err… self realization. My stand would have been different a year or two ago.
My comment on the debate came under heavy criticism.
4. Whenever I travel far, I used to get this startling feeling. Seeing hundreds of people so far from me, so far from each other, with their own lives, joys and worries… The policeman we talked to, the gas station lady who gracefully handled my irritation, anger and embarrassment, three young girls who run a restaurant in that small unknown town, that bartender who served drinks and pizzas to our group alone well over midnight, and a lot of others. How huge and varied and beautiful this world is, this life is!
5. When I went for kayaking, I forgot to remove my wrist watch that my uncle had presented me in 1997. It drank a lot of water and stopped running promptly. So, my time had not been running since then. When it cannot run, does time stand still? That too, when you have a lot of time for thinking, with pine forest running behind fast, as you travel? No, it goes back.
6. Today, six days after kayaking, my watch has started working. But the watch dial still has water drops. Time ticks forward, but I can still see it only through the water of past.
