Saturday, November 9, 2024

American Samoa

Day -1 (Nov 4, 2024)
Landed in Pago Pago 

Day -2
Visitor center 
Flying Fox bats
Lower Sauma ridge trail (partly)
Pola Island trail 
Sadies by the Sea beach

Day -3
Boat ride to Aunu'u Island (from Utumea East)
Two dollar beach (closed)
Fagasa Pass
Turtle and Sharks 
Fatumafuti

Day -4
Ocean Center 
Cape Taputapu 
Fagatele Bay Trail
Museum 





Sunday, September 29, 2024

Congaree NP

 DCA to Columbia Flight (23 Apr)

Congaree NP

Visitor Center

Board walk (2.6 miles)

Lunch


Sesquicentennial State Park

Sand Hills Hiking Trail



Columbia to DCA flight




Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Dallas / Hot Springs NP

 Arrived in Dallas (April 5 )


Day -1 (April 6)

Ankita Arangetram

Day - 2 (Hot Springs National Park)

Bath Houses Row

Fordyce Bathhouse

Display Springs and Hot Water Cascade

Taste the water

Stroll along the Grand Promenade

drive to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower


Tuesday, July 30, 2024

India 2023/2024 - Short Trips

 

Tirumala - Nov 8th & 9th
Day-1
Drive to Tiruchanur/Tirumala
Day-2
VIP Dharshan
Drive to Chennai


Mantralayam - 13 Dec & 14 Dec
Day-1 
Train to Mantralayam Road
Taxi to Mantralayam
Darshan at Brindavan
Day-2
Darshan at Brindavan
Taxi to Mantralayam Road
Train to Chennai


Tiruchendur - Jan 1 - 4
Night Train to Tirunelveli 
Day - 1
Tiruchendur temple, Tirunelveli Nellaiyappar temple
Day - 2
Tenkasi, Coutrallam, Srivilliputhur, Sankarankoil 
Day -3
Vande Bharat to Chennai 

Kanchipuram etc Jan 27
Kamatchi Amman temple
Kanchi Mutt
Panduranga temple (Thennagur)
Madurantakam 
Thiruvadisoolam
Thiruporur

Chennai Suburbs
Jaganath temple, Kannathur
Iskcon, Sholinganallur
18 Siddar temple & Thenupureeswarar temple, Madambakkam
Devendanam Ranganathar temple
Periyapalayam temple
Tiruvallur Veerarahava Swami, Pancha muga anchaneyar, Tirupachur Vacheeswarar
Tiruvalangadu Vadaranyeswarar





Tuesday, July 23, 2024

National Park Trip - May/Jun 2024

Day -1 (May 5)
Flight to St Louis
Gateway Arch NP including Tram ride to the top

Day - 2
Drive to Bowling Green, KY

Day - 3 
Mammoth Cave NP
  - Heritage Trail 
  - Historic Cave Tour (ticketed)
Drive to Lafayette 

Day - 4
Indiana Dunes NP
  - Dunes Ridge Trail (nothing much, bug spray needed)
  - Dunes Succession Trail 
Flight to Phoenix 

Day - 5
Saguaro NP
  - Desert Discovery Trail 
  - Majato Scenic drive 
  - Valley view Trail 
Drive to Show Low (Towne place Suites excellent hotel)

Day - 6
Petrified Forest NP 
  - Scenic drive 28 miles (Action guide)
  - Mesa Blue Trail 
  - Crystal Forest Trail 
  - Giant Logs Trail Trail (not needed)

Day -7
Grand Canyon NP
Mathew view point
  - Blue/Red Shuttle 
     - Mohave/Powell/Pima view points

Day - 8
Great Basin NP
  - Osceola Ditch Trail
  - Baker Creek
  - Mountain view Nature Trail 
  - Lehman Cave Lodge Tour
(Scenic drive open only up to Ditch Trail)

Day - 9
Lake Tahoe 

Day - 10
Lassen Volcanic NP
  - Walk to Sulphur works from Southside
  - drive in Scenic road until devastation area from north side
  - Manzanita.lake trail
(Scenic drive only partly open)

Day - 11
Redwood NP
  - Trillium Falls Trail 
  - Drury Scenic drive 

Day - 12
Crater Lake NP
  - Steel visitor center 
  - Rim village 
  - view point
(Rim drive will open only in July)

Day - 13
Portland sights
  - Intl. Rose Test Garden 
  - Columbia Gorge view points
  - Bridal veil Falls
  - Latourell Falls
  - Multnomah Falls
Drive to Seattle 

10 Days
Seattle stay May 17 to 27

Day 24
28 May flight to MSP

Day 25
Voyageurs National Park
  - Kobetegama lake overlook Trail 
  - Beaver lake overlook Trail 
  - Sullivan Bay trail
(Missed boat tours - only from mid Jun)

Day 26
Drive to MSP and flight to Bismarck 
Drive to Medora

Day 27
Theodore Roosevelt NP
  - Painted Canyon trail 
  - Scenic drive outlooks
  - Wind canyon trail
  - Boicourt trail 
Drive to Rapid City 

Day 28
Badlands NP (Guide Along tour)
  - Pinnacle entrance 
  - Priere dog town (not worth the drive)
  - Scenic drive & outlooks 
  - Window/Door Trails
  - Visitor Center 
Wind Cave NP
  - Priere nature trail 
  - Scenic drive to Route 5 for wildlife 

Day 29
Black Hills 
  - Needle Scenic drive 
  - Custer State Park (Sylvan lake trail)
  - Wildlife drive from Rte 87 (better to from here to Wind cave NP to avoid 7-11 dirt road)
  - Iron mountain scenic drive 
Mount Rushmore 
Flight to Denver 

Day 30
Flight to Anchorage/Kotzebue 

Day 31
Visitor Center etc

Day 32
Flight seeing 
  - Gates of Arctic NP (could not land)
 - Kobuk NP (landed in Dunes)

Day 33
Flight to Anchorage/IAD



  


Pittsburgh Detroit trip

Day -1 (July 19)
Drive to Pittsburgh 
Temple darshan
Dushyant Sridhar 

Day - 2
Cuyahoga NP Scenic Train Ride 
Drive to Canton

Day - 3 
Canton, MI

Day - 4
Viaduct Falls
Cuyahoga NP Ledges Trail 
Stay at Canfield, OH

Day - 5
Drive to home

Sunday, May 26, 2024

Virgin Islands

Day -1 (16 April 2024)
Flight to St Thomas from IAD
Checked in to Sapphire Village (AirBnb)
Walk to Sapphire Beach

Day - 2 ( St John)
Ferry - Red hook to Cruz Bay
  • Virgin Islands NP 
  • Lind point Trail 
  • Honey moon Beach snorkeling
Trunk Bay Beach snorkeling 
Back to St. Thomas 

Day -3
St Thomas sights
  • Skyline drive lookout
  • Drake's Seat
  • Mountain point lookout
Flight to IAD

Friday, April 26, 2024

Seattle-Vancover March/April 2024

 Vancouver 

Day - 1 (Mar 30)

Golden Ear Park - Alouette Lake


Day -2

Capilano Bridge

Canada Place


Day -3

Roozengaarde Tulip garden


 

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Sabarimala

Left Chennai by train to Kottayam (15 Feb)

Day - 1 (16 Feb)
Sivan temple Kottayam
Erumeli Sastha
Pamba river snan
Sabarimala Darshan

Day - 2
Nei Abhishekam
Ayyappan Darshan
Ettumanur Mahadev temple
Kumaranallur temple 

Thursday, January 11, 2024

Tiruvannamalai

Day - 1 (10 Jan)
Reached Tiruvannamalai by Bus
Temple Darshan
Girivalam

Day - 2
Yogi Ram Surath Kumar Ashram
Seshadri Swamigal Ashram
Ramana Ashram (Book Shop, Accommodation office, Shiva Temple, Samadhi Hall, Meditation room, Dining Halls, Gate to Virupaksha cave, daily schedule )

Day-3
Trek to Skanda Ashram & Virupaksha Cave from Ramana Ashram gate and return to Temple Gate
Drive to Chennai