Cabin in the woods... versatile Vermont

                                                                             

The blog comes way after the trip… but as I sit to pen down the thoughts…the memoirs start flowing.. enthusiastically wrapping up the lackluster tasks of the day… anticipate the always late ride of ours…aka Michael kurbetti… complaining of the mundane traffic…  finally making way towards Vermont..

Cruising our way through the mountains that adorn the route to Vermont, we began our way to Unknown Road… that’s exactly what the directions from google maps provided to us by our host said…turn right onto Vermont 5A N, right onto Newark St, Left onto School House Road,  Right onto pinnacle road and then left onto Unknown road…. I know the host mentioned the cabin is off the grid.. powered by Sun and if needed generator, but still Unknown Road destination was like that movie… wrong turn.. the recipe seemed adapt for another installment of the gory horror series.. ..agreed that we have mobile phones with connectivity everywhere… but what is the use of telling 911 we are at the Cabin on the unknown road….and thus begins the Cabin in woods.. starring my awesome friends and me

It was a challenge finding the direction to the cabin in the dark.. with small orange markers directing us.... the beam of the headlights piercing the darkness… I still remember the hair raising moment when Sean turned off the lights for a split second while driving and all that engulfed was the darkness…  finally we reached a point where there was chain across the road marking off the private property… we were so awed by the silence of the night and the darkness… it was fun deciding who would get down to unshackle the chains…the brave heart in me decided to do the honors and my friends accompanied my bravery with music from Ahaat… ‘aaaaa’ ‘aaaaa’…. Duhhh.. enough dramatics.. 

Finally we reached the cabin  which looked so hauntingly beautiful….the silence of the night bearing upon us… the wind rustling through the leaves… and the fireflies in the pitch darkness.. as if dancing to the tunes of the rustling noise… peace…. Sincere, vast and amazing……making our way inside the very cozy cabin, we unpacked and signed off for the night… 

The early morning view was simply amazing….. the cabin was on top of a hill… with a valley in the front and huge mountain range in front… 

After some hearty breaksfast it was time for the horseback ride at the Galluping trails.. Such beautiful and huge horses… the lady also had for pets a lot many rabbits.. and many Labradors… one of which had given birth to twelve awesome beautiful puppies who had not even opened their eyes… the ride through the woods on the horses was awesome…one of my friends managing to get his horse all excited… I think I saw a wild boar…but since nobody else saw it i did not make much ado of it....

we had two of my friends joining us that evening and they also had the same awesome experience driving up to the cabin… as is the norm.. a beautiful huge campfire was on the cards… and as we were enjoying the quiet of the night and the warmth of the fire… suddenly a rustling hasting sound appeared in the trees behind us… followed by sound of ‘grrrrrr’ ‘grrrrrrrrrr’….pouncing upon the moment to scare the shit out of my dear friend (name withheld to protect privacy and my own protection from beating I would receive the next time we meet)… we started weaving the story…”Don’t worry… did the hosts not tell us there is Mama bear and baby bear up in the woods… however they are human friendly.. they wont do any harm…” Poor girl… immediately as soon as the rusting sound came… gathered her husband and straight inside the protective warmth of the cabin….It was not until the end of the trip we told her it was the rabbits in search of their dinner…. :D….and the grrr sound was of the motor pulling up the water from the well… remember the cabin was off grid… so we had to fill the tanks with water every night….

Next day was the trip to the beautiful lake Willoughby, a glacial lake 300 feet deep and covering 1687 acres… the water was so awesome and enticingly welcoming… after a 2 hours hike onto the trails in Mount Pisgah… a dip in the waters was truly relaxing… Another campfire, simmering hot food, game of cards with awesome friends and the beautiful cabin awaited us for the night….the last night in the cabin…with plans for another trip… and beautiful memories to cherish…

Ultimate Utah

It’s interesting if you ponder how the crooning of the alarm clock at 5 AM can either sound excruciatingly painful or excitingly pleasant…. The monotonousness of the routine set aside I had no qualms for my early morning flight into Salt Lake City Utah… to meet new friends…. And to experience the adve-nature that is Utah… As the plane begins its initial descent and the thick white clouds start to clear out the snow capped peaks of Wasatch and Oquirrh start staring at you.. And you stare back in amazement.. to the vast spread of unevenness and to the white caps that they are wearing.. to the perspiration on them that leads gently down and empties itself in the lakes.. giving life and beauty to the region.. the region has its own way of welcoming you… the bumpy final descend into salt lake city… where in I was almost thrown out of my seat and understood why the hostess always attempt in futility to explain the importance of seat belts.. Welcome to Ultimate Utah

First destination the Antelope Island State Park…Great Salt Lake.. where you are welcomed by a stench that will scare away most of the people… its like a defense mechanism, natural instinct of the region to keep away people, lest they destroy the pristine beauty that is only a couple of miles away… brave it and you are welcomed by a vast beauty which no ways indicates it’s a lake… the vastness resembling the ocean and acres and acres of wilderness… with a gentle breeze bringing the cool effect of water and quietude of the wilderness.. people say you can float on the water without basically doing anything.. due to the high mineral content in the water.. alas we could not try it out… no no… not because of being heavy, big boned personalities but because the water was cold… and high expectations of clean water straight out of the shower, clean, pure…hoping to see the floor of the lake... wildlife is plenty at the salt lake.. One can easily spot the big lazy wild bisons.. their unruly fur and big steady slow step, flaunting the message that… “there is no need to worry and there is no need to hurry, its only one life why do the scurry”…

Down the road there is a ranch.. which takes you into the world of cowboys.. where you can learn the tricks of trapping the cows with loop of the rope… not the actual ones.. dummy ones made of wood… which don’t move.. Ten tries later, I began to appreciate the skill sets of the cowboy… With tired bodies and glimpses of what was to come for the next two day’s we checked in with the alarm clocks again set to croon at ungodly hours


Early morning ride into Bryce region, the landscape starts changing…big lush ranches dot the highways on either sides.. stallions standing tall and cattle grazing as if there’s no tomorrow.. driving on these roads is a pleasure.. the road stretches on for miles snaking through the big vastness and through the hills and mountains.. into the horizon…

 As you enter the Bryce region you are welcomed by the orange red sandstone landscape.. with arches formed into the hills through which the road passes.. trekking the red canyon on horsebacks is a great way of exploring the region.. the climb through the rocks and edges of the valley.. you feel like you are the cast of Mackennas gold.. and that you are on a quest of some sorts… on a quest we were.. After about an hour and half trek we reached a clearing on the top wherein the beauty of the Red Canyon spread out in front of us… the mastery of the sculptures formed by nature is a master piece.. it is as if the MichelAngelo’s and the Picassos were all summoned to do the job.. albeit patiently over the course of millions of years.. by slowly gnawing at the limestone.. the same work of art was on display through Bryce Canyon National Park.. it is like a big museum of art.. each formation having a meaning and a symbol.. only if you watch closely.. I swear I found a formation in the shape of the heart… savoring the sights we drove onto the St.Georges down south in Utah.. Same deal, as rest was not allowed for the trip in case we don’t cover everything we planned for… Early morning start into Zion National park.., you are welcomed by tall sharp cliffs.. towering above you with all their magnanimity. Panting and huffing through the 2 and half mile ascent on Angels Landing..

 This is no trek for the weak hearted.. you need a lot of will power to keep going.. the ascend to the top is not easy.. with a narrow edge with drop dead cliffs on either sides.. fear of heights can creep in.. you need to hold on the chains rooted on the rocks to support your footing.. one pass only way wherein you have to lie on your backs on the rocks for others to pass through.. the view from Angels landing is amazingly superb… the tall rocky mountains on all sides, painted with patches of green and the bare grayness of the exposed rock.. and the gentle stream that passes through them.. glistening in the rays of the sun.. Descending down, it was time for another adventure…

 ATV rides in Sand Hollow State Parks.. signing off the liabilities, it was time for some wroooom, wrooooom… The beauty of Utah is the varied landscape.. tall snow covered mountains, red limestone canyons and the fine sandy desert.. Navigating the ATVs through the sand and ups and downs is a real treat for the eyes.. they have a big manmade Lake for recreational purposes. The water is channeled through pipes and circulated through two artificial lakes to keep it fresh.. red desert and blue water… an oasis, a mirage.. only it was a true mirage…well if it’s true it ain’t a mirage… whatever.. after four hours of beating the hell of those ATV beasts and being covered with Sand did we realize how tired we were..

 Reminiscing of the adventure of the last three days and with the tired bodies.. off we flew, climbing high above the peaks that were dotingly waving us farewell.. with a smile that said.. come back soon..

SOS in Florida

After a plethora of emails, discussions and conference calls later the three of us finally had the desired itinerary on the cards for our trip down to Florida… a true SOS… Sun Ocean and Sands... As the plane descends on Miami, over a greenish, bluish vastness and you peep out of the tiny window… nature starts giving glimpses of the beauty that one is about to unravel… A Dodge charger rented and Rihanna blowing her lungs out through the stereo… it was “Cheers to the freakin weekend”

First stop all the way to the southern tip of the States… Key west…. A three hour drive to the keys, as they are called….Water water on both sides of the freeway.. this is one highway to drive on.. Albeit slowly due to single lane... But who cares… it was vacation time… beautiful beach homes with porches right up to the blue ocean…. And the first item on the list… a sunset cruise… sans the ladies….. One can say it was a rehearsal of sorts when the ladies do arrive…. Awesome Caribbean music, champagne on ice.. “I called up the captain, please bring me wine”… I literally did not, but it was all there, all you can guzzle without tipping over.. and the beautiful cruise sailed on.. the gushing sound of water… into the sunset… and just about the right time for the moon to peep out…

Once on the land it was time for something solid to go in the tummies to calm the waves just guzzled…head to Duval street… the happening street you will walk on.. live music usually plays out of all the restaurants and clubs and small shacks… it’s like a huge symphony playing on… loads of cheerful people on the street…. It was our lucky day as the lady on the cruise said, coz apparently the best local band was performing at the Green parrot… a bar one must not miss to visit.. great atmosphere… super amazing live music.. when we got there.. no one was dancing… and by the time we were done.. dance floor had no space remaining.. next morning was the adventure day… snorkeling, jet skiing and paragliding all in one combo… a large Cayman.. again the same deal… guzzle all you want without getting washed away.. and have fun… putting on the snorkel gear on the face and fins on our legs, jump I did from the boat into the ocean… and off came the snorkel glasses and down came the water on the snorkel pipe.. I did catch a few glimpses of the coral reef while making a hasty retreat to safe haven of the cayman… next time you beautiful reefs… next time.. paragliding is a must and must for everyone heading to the Keys.. it is not only peaceful.. but the view from the above is amazing… cool winds on your face and the pristine blue water as far as your eyes can…. You can actually see different shades of the blue… and the shape of the reef… beauty… coming down it was time to beat the s**t of the jet ski…. Boy she just flies off the water…. Took me a couple of minutes to get to know my jet ski… but it was indeed wrooooomm…

After an entire day of fun in the ocean one must think it was time for bed… we had other plans… a seven hour drive to Orlando… to the Universal studio… its one hell of an amazing experience… exciting rides, interesting rides, fast rides, slow rides, heart in your mouth rides… one for every one… the best was the Harry potter zone… they have the entire Hogsmeade village, Hogwarts express and the entire freaking Hogwarts school…. This is one ride where you will not worry about the long line… the line snakes through different sections of the castle… the moving pictures… life like Dumbeldore welcoming you..and the ride is beyond words… remember the scene where Harry rides Buckbeak… you actually get to experience that… you play quidditch and fly on the broomstick….whoaah… an amazing day coming to an end and a seven hour drive back to Miami..

A hot shower and change of clothes later.. off we went to Ocean drive in Miami… the road which does not sleep… where you can actually wake up to the sunrise on the beach… plenty of clubs down there…. But the one must try to get in is Mangoes… man you go in there and its music music everywhere….. dancing till the sunrise… it was time to finally head home… a total of 8 hours sleep in 72 hours… the weekend was sure to leave a lasting hangover…
With a promise to visit again…and souvenir in the bag and memories off we flew into the sunset….

Rendezvous with the Cosmos at Acadia

"Hello, we are a party of 7 and would like to inquire about a cabin for the week of July 2 to July 5 - Amit"
"Dearest Amit, We are sorry but we are booked for that weekend - XYZ"
50 such conversations later.... came the most beautiful response.... "we do have cabins for the period"...10 more back and forth emails and the deal was a seal.....

And out came the icebox, the grilling tools, the grocery lists, to-dos.... Stuffing all that in the back of the car, shaking the last bit of sleep from the spines, the Septet headed towards Acadia... for a symphony with the nature...
Guzzling down coffee at Dunkins, fighting for our right to buy some spirits and hogging icecreams like theres no tommorrow, we made our way into Acadia. Several wrong turns later finally we made it to the Cabins. Nestled next to the Bay, nice, cosy, comfortable... the cabins made for an ideal gateaway...A nice long lunch, followed by a lazy stroll in Bar Harbor and the Acadian spirit set in....

Back to the cabins and out came the grilling tools.... the marinated food...Armed with freshly blended Margaritas, an awesome night out in the open night sky commenced... perfectly warmed by the fire of the grill...When I was talking to the owner of the cabins earlier in the day about the lack of light outside the cabins, she started lecturing me about a concept of light pollution... when I told her I did not know what she was talking about she gave me a look as if I was the dumbest person around... the look which I have not received in a while since completing my engineering... well good thing was no one was around her antique shop, to magnify my dumbness.. she proceeded to tell me what light pollution was all about... and why the lights used in Acadia are designed so that they don't block the natural light...

All that talk made sense.. when I just took one glance at sky above... And mind you... just two glasses of Margaritas and one glass of coconut rum and orange juice don't make you start seeing things....Well that did not stop me from singing Twinkle twinkle little star... Salman Khan style from Maine Pyar Kiya....The black veil of the night... adorned by zillion sparkling jewels.. each shining brighter than the other.... watching them.. talking with friends... you never know when seconds get converted to minutes and minutes to hours... And when the clock struck 1 AM did we realize that we had an appointment with Mr. Sun at 4 AM at Cadillac Mountains.... Most of the group decided to catch some sleep before then.. But since I being the propagandist of the entire sunrise watching on our itinerary.. I knew that once I crashed on that Bed... My appointment is gonna be rescheduled to noon... where in I wont be able to look eye to eye to Mr. Sun... literally... who goes gazing at the Sun in the noon??? So a couple of my friends and myself decided to go by the bay and light ourselves a nice cozy campfire to spend the couple of hours and continue our tryst with the beautiful night.. As if to compliment our chivalry the stars started playing games for us... I have never ever seen shooting stars...in "pooooore hosh aur awaaz"... the effects of the blended spirits had disappeared by then.... The melodious sound of waves silently crashing onto the shore... a light breeze just tickling by your ears... and vast horizon to gaze at... with a crackling fire to give you company... it struck 3 AM and time to wake the lazy bones from their bunkers...

The drive to Cadillac Mountains is as if you are driving into the heavens... curly winding narrow road...clouds next to you... with a hint of orange on the horizon...And then we waited and waited and waited... for the first sunrise in the USA... watching over a vast expanse of water of the Atlantic... small islands dispersed throughout.. into the orange shade.... clouds travelling in all forms and shape...and then finally at 4:20 AM.... a tiny speck of bright orange came up... as if a celebrity makes an appearance on the red carpet.... well in this case it was a white carpet of the clouds... but you get it right?? But it was the most beautiful view I have seen in a long long time... One South Asian was so delighted he started clapping... stupid as it may seem... one must see it for themselves to believe why he clapped.. why we did not sleep through the night just to be there... gazing at a spectacle, a phenomenon which keeps happening every day.. Satisfied with our expedition we made it back to the cabins and crashed until noon...

After a hearty breakfast we made our way to Schoodic which is a separate part of Acadia National Park... This is a peninsula.. home to the crashing surf of the atlantic... Whilst we were watching the waves come crashing onto the rocks... we saw another beautiful sight... a pair of dolphins playing in the water.. up and down.. round and round.... another beautiful surprise, a gift of nature.... Beholding those playful images we went back, to another round of grilling, frisbee and volleyball... today however the sky was cloudy and not a single star could be seen on the horizon... despair not.... there were zillions and zillions of fireflies spread across the lawn in front of our cabins... as if the veil had fallen down from the skies... and the silver jewels replaced by bright yellow ones... moving around excitedly... Popping open bottles of champagne, by the crackling campfire.. each one of us sat there.. listening quietly to the waves and remembering the beautiful images... until the party was broken by howling wolves... and the sounds of bell ringing from far away... well kind of creepy to send most of the group scampering back to the safety of their beds... well if the sound came from nearby I would have scampered too... nonetheless.. seeing them scamper away I made my way back and bid farewell to another beautiful night...

So goes the rendezvous... tons of beautiful images.. which one cannot always capture in their digicams... but to recollect them...one needs to close their eyes and reminiscence...

And the Eagle soared the Poconos

Trudging home from the daily routines and the phone rings….” Hello… whts up… whts the plan for the long weekend… nothing yet…. Wanna come to the poconos…. “ You bet I want to….. downloading my “munni badnams, sheilas jawanis, dhink chikas, tinku jiyas” I was ready to hit the road…. Driving my way out of Massachussets into Rhode Island…. I reached my first pit stop.. connecticut…. Picked up my friend and back on the road into New York to Pennslyvania…. That’s right 4 states in one trip…

As the hunger set in decided to take a break on one of the exits… fueled up the car and drove the car into a McDonalds. The M sign which we all know so well, was blazing in its full glory… so obviously it is open right… naah…. As soon as I enter…they turned off that yellow shining M sign.. full on popat…. Anyways… poor hungry soul.. back on the road…

The thing with cabins in the woods and the GPS is that they don’t like each other that much… as soon as you get off the main road… the nice sweet little voice of the GPS lady starts screaming at you…. Recalculating… after a while she is so fed up of finding the route… I am sure she must be giving me her choicest of good words… lucky for us this time we did not end up on the gates of a cemetry… the village roads in the night are awesome…. Dark night…. Headlight beaming straight up… creating a halo in the emptiness.. the twist and turns of the snaking road…. Ekdum bhoot ka picture types… suddenly a rodent crosses the path… a deer hops in the woods… scared by the sudden disturbance to his peace… bloody tourist he must be saying…. Finally after a tons of calls, gps lady fun and iphone maps we finally made it to our cabin.. to a welcoming sound of the stream flowing nearby…

Next day was reserved for enjoying the bustling white waters of the Lehigh river…. Class 3 rapids.. with no guides on our rafts…. It was like “Sindabad the sailor chala mere yaaro sunlo sunlo”…. Only difference was Sindabads naav was going in circles and lefts and rights…. We finally managed to keep the nose of our raft in one direction... I am still amazed as why no one from our raft fell in the water…. We got so professional in the end that instead of avoiding, we aimed for one rapid which was between two rocks and got through it without getting stuck, or falling off… 12 miles of paddling and I could realize that I had arms and legs and a torso…. back to the cabins….back to melodious sound of the stream…and grilling fish… and jack daniels and the old monks…

Paintballing on Sunday…. Amazing setup … the bullets come whizzing at you and when they get you they really do…. It hurts ouch…. I was also reprimanded for taking my googles off on the battle field… the guide took off the nozzle of my gun and made me sit out for a game…. Dicto school types… where time was spent less on the benches.. more facing the walls, or outside the classroom…. With everyones heart content with shooting … it was time for more of the heavenly spirits and the mutton currys…..

Monday morning was time where everyone went along their merry way…. I decided to visit the Bushkill falls in Stroudsbourg before heading home… and then suddenly… awakened the Eagle…. Subdued for so long… its wing’s clipped…. Its heart fluttering desperately to be set free…..a twinkle in its eye… for it saw the sign for Skydiving…. Without hesitation the eagles car made way to the airstrip…. I was supposed to be the first one out of the plane… So I got in and was sitting near the exit.. when the plane reached 11000 feet altitude…. The guide who was sitting next to me just opened the damn door of the plane…. And there I was looking at the great expanse of the mountains of Poconos, the delaware water front, the blue skies….. 13500 feet… 60 seconds of free fall…. The moment you hang your legs out of the plane…. That is when you realize.. this is really happening… and then you just fly…With wings of happiness, thrill…. Like an eagle… soaring the skies in circles….

Trip down the memory lane....visit to the lovely Syracuse

As I turned on the ignition, pulled the car out of the parking space and made my way on to the 300 odd miles of I-90, I could not help but think about the alacrity with which the days disappear. A year back I was prepping up for the same day, walking my way to the dias, walking into a world made of equations full of variables and no constants.

The first day in the US, the orientation, the on campus job hunt... the groceries, the assignments and the grades... applications and rejections and rejuvenations.... the memories just flashed by... mile by mile... day by day....

The following goes out to the wonderful extended family... my friends

With each passing mile
Tons of memories pile
Roads once untrodden
Have become a beaten path
Anxieties, apprehensions were galore
Never had it in them to suppress the roar

Of friends and fun and frolic
Memories that have become a relic
With a glass in hand, toast in the air
Its time to let down your hair

Trips down the memory lane
Feels like drops of rain
After a dry parched summer
And everything looks like a bummer
Rejuvenating, revitalizing, reviving

Today the equations have changed and the variables even more complex..... broiling experiences to be cherished in the next trip down the memory lane

Khub jamega rang....jab mil baithenge teen yaar.... aap, mein aur _____________

Laboring with the campfire on Labor Day weekend at New Hampshire

The first long weekend of my career...... Yeah like all things you start appreciating them when you don't get them often... Though there was a dark cloud looming on the horizon in the form of Hurricane Earl... Threatening to spray dampening showers on my camping trip.. But it decided to swirl away from where I was (seems it was afraid of me)... and we had the perfect sunshine and weather as would be appropriate for the camping expedition...

Marinating our chicken..getting our spices.... filling our icebox with fluids applicable for people above 21 years old... the journey commenced.... heading for Bear River campground in New Hampshire.... The drive itself is not long, so we reached there around noon... With stomachs grumbling for food.. I geared myself to light the campfire... I was determined not to use the gas for cooking food... Everything was supposed to be cooked on campfire... So I created the foundation for the fire with small twigs, leaves, pine cones... laid the big logs on it and lit it.. the foundation burned out with much aplomb.. but the big logs.... they had no intention of burning... when I looked at the pile.. it seemed that it was jeering at me with its tongue out.. So with renewed determination I created another foundation.. this time a much bigger one and this time it burned out even more readily than before and the big logs did not even have a layer of soot on them... duh... now came the time for the lighter fluid... I sprayed it on the logs as if I was playing Holi with the logs... but still the logs had no intention of lighting.... So after much attempts and finally giving up on the task we resorted to cooking it on the gas provided to us... and then out of somewhere I hear a crackling noise... and I turned around to look at the pit.. there the campfire was burning away merrily, enjoying itself in its own blazing form, happy that it had won the fight with me... So at last my camp fire was burning.. The temperature had fallen down slightly, so gathering our chairs around the campfire, with cans of drinks in our hand, listening to nice music, looking out into the dark dark night, we sat..... I have never ever seen so many stars in the sky.. apart from at Nehru Planetorium..and yeah.. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai also has a sky with many stars.... than I saw on that day... the sky was draped in those twinkling jewels.. Just felt like gazing and gazing and gazing...

The next day was a drive to the Cannon Aerial Tramway in the White mountains... the first aerial tramway in the US... carrying people to an altitude of over 4000 feet.. From atop the mountains you could see more mountains into as fair as Maine... vast and green.. and beautiful... simply breathtaking views... which reminds me.. It was here where I took the breath away from an Amru aunty... :)... I was sitting on edge of the mountain on a rock.... admiring the beauty of the Cannon mountains... I think the lady was afraid of heights and seeing us in that place made her feel breathless... She was like... are you people nuts.. looking at you I cant even breathe.... After an hour we did a quick tour of the Flume which is a gorge created in the Mount Liberty and then headed back to the campsite...

The evening was dedicated to cooking kebabs and dum biryani on the camp fire which worked fine this time because we got better logs.... the end result was awesome... the kebab were grilled perfectly and were a sight to behold on those skewers... the dum biryani was full of Dum....

It is a beautiful combination.. chill in the air and the warmth of your comforter..... the next morning was to pack up and back to Boston... but not before I made sure that all the unburnt logs were burnt to ashes... hah.. dare they jeer at me again... :) :)... (by the way I had to use almost the entire tin of the lighter fluid to burn them down)...