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Sunset in Blue and Gold

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During the dark and dreary winters in the PNW, I often reminisce my time living in California. There were many things I complained about my past life there: the heavy traffic, the car culture, the high cost of living and much more. But being able to get to the blissful Pacific coast in under an hour and capture the vestiges of a summer sunset after a hard day of work more than made up for the hardship of living there.

To make a jaunt to the coast worthwhile, I first scour the webcams pointing to the west to watch the cloud patterns and the inversion layer over the ocean. And once in a while, the conditions become favorable, as it was in this case where I drove to a cliff overlooking the calm waters of the Pacific

Davenport

CA USA

Faded Hills

From the distance, the rolling hills with faint tinges of ocher resemble the dry and brushy hinterlands ubiquitous in eastern Oregon, and there is nothing to differentiate this non-descript National Monument from the land around. That is, until you get closer.

Up close, the nooks and crannies of Painted Hills unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, take on vibrant and contrasting hues: layers of sandstone colored in vermilion, ocher, purple, black, green and yellow are exposed over this semi-desert landscape.

I was fortunate to visit this wonder of Oregon many years ago, and hope to pay another visit before it becomes too popular for its own good.

Painted Hills

OR USA

New Begininings

In just a few more hours, we are going to seen the finish line to a clusterf**k of an year. Physically, nothing changes. One day ends and another begins, just as it has been doing since time immemorial, but the end of 2020 will represent to many an end to a rollercoaster of an year marred by multiple globe-spanning events, including the innumerable trade wars, Brexit, the impeachment of the US president, and US elections and its chaotic aftermath, the oil price fluctuations, tensions in the Middle east, Climactic disruptions, the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, the murder of Samuel Paty, the projection of Chinese superpower, and last but not the least, the economy disrupting Covid pandemic.

I for one, can't wait to ring in the new year, and hope that the silver linings for the dark clouds that was 2020 do come to fruition.

Here is to new beginnings and new adventures.

Happy New Year
Feliz año nuevo
Bonne année
Felice anno nuovo
Frohes neues Jahr
புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்

Cappadocia
Turkey

The Eve of Spring

The winter in Pacific Northwest can get a bit moody, and the weather a bit harsh. This often leaves me homebound, where I sit and wait out for the change of seasons to spring, for when the snow slowly disappears, the icy lakes thaw , and the plants get ready to grow and regenerate again.

This scene from Sabrina Lake Basin in the Eastern Sierras of California captures just such a time during the change of seasons. In this early spring scene, a late afternoon thunderstorm paid a visit to the mountains still recovering from winter.

Inyo National Forest

CA USA

Of Goals and Accomplishments

As a year rings to a close, I often takes the time to look at my accomplishments and goals that were achieved. This year though, has been a strange one. The goals I took this year have been put on standby, where they will remain waiting to be accomplished in the next.
As I pondered over what the significance of this delay is, I realized that, in the grand scheme of things, it is but a trifling compared to the changes and adaptations one has had to make to get through. It is more important to manage the present than to worry about the future.

Just as goals were put on hold, so were travel plans. The places, like the real-life Disney Castle pictured here that one seeks to visit. will remain, just as the goals that are waiting to be accomplished.

Schloss Neuschwanstein
Schwangau Germany

Season's Greetings

Season's Greetings
Happy Holidays
Merry Christmas
Feliz Navidad
Buon Natale
Joyeux Noël
Fröhliche Weihnachten
God Jul
கிறிஸ்துமஸ் வாழ்த்துக்கள்

This has been a tough year for many, so I hope that wherever you are, you are all staying safe and sane. And may the new year bring new tidings and a sense of normalcy.

Into the Winter Wonderland

A brief respite in the gloomy weather allowed me to step outside into the winter wonderland. I found myself in a winter landscape replete with fresh snow gently glowing in the soft winter light. While the numerous lakes in the alpine terrain had frozen over, a few creeks were still flowing, adding a bit of contrast to the uniformity of the snow.

Who else is looking forward to escaping into such magical places to get away from the doldrums of the dark winter?

Mt Baker Wilderness

WA USA

Winter Lights

The Pacific Northwest, though known for its amazing landscape and inspiring outdoors, is a tough place to live in in the winter. As we approach the winter solstice, the prolonged conditions of short days that last only 8 hours, and the ubiquitous grey and gloomy skies can put anyone in a dank mood. This double whammy has been exacerbated this year by the pandemic restrictions on travel and socializing, and poor economic and social outlook. Many people have lost their loved ones or their livelihood.

But there is hope around the corner. The vaccines are coming, and after tomorrow, the days will slowly get longer. Our lives will slowly achieve a sense of normalcy, and we can soon look forward to traveling and experiencing the delights of the world we live in. Like this display of the aurora borealis from Iceland.

Bordeyri

Iceland

The High Peak

There is a reason Mt Shuksan, the High One, is named as so. Even though it is not the tallest peak out there, it does tower over the snow-covered rocky landscape of the North Cascades. From this vantage point, one can spy the numerous blue glaciers descending its rocky slopes, and is one of the last peaks to catch the light of the setting sun.

Normally, a clear day like this usually ends with a beautiful alpenglow on the summits of the highest peaks of the Cascades. With that expectation, I waited out an entire day in the freezing cold hoping to catch alpenglow on this peak, but my luck ran out a few minutes after this shot was taken. And after I took a few moments to enjoy the last light, I had to rush back to the car (an hour of snowshoeing) before the early darkness set in.

Mt Baker Wilderness

WA USA