We ended our US trip in Lake Tahoe in a stunning house belonging to friends and went back to SF for one last night with the Panday family before hitting the road. Mexico here we come!

My mum’s love for westerns began with the movie “Mackenna’s gold” when my dad took her out to watch it. I wish she could be here today in Monument Valley. She’d have looooved it!

After some confusion over the time zone (it’s Utah time in summer and Arizona time in winter) & visiting hours, we realized that it was too late to get in. So we decided to drive through the Valley of Gods which is a dirt road that takes you through some fabulous landscapes. The Routard guide recommended that we should avoid going late as there aren’t many lampposts in the area. So we did just that 🥴

We had to decide between Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon for our last leg. It was a tough call but we picked the grand canyon. When Nancy Neithercut told us that she preferred Bryce, we decided to do a quick visit on wheels. We were literally gasping at the spectacular canyon. I started getting restless after a while so we did some quick trails!

The queen’s gardens trail was simply amazing. It could have been even more enjoyable if I didn’t have a minor panic attack. We started the trail after 6 in the evening. Arjun kept stopping at every corner to take pictures. I don’t blame him! By the time we were midway, we could either go back or embark on other trails. It was already past 7. Arjun picked another trail but I had a bad feeling. After 10 minutes I forced him to return on the same trail. At least we knew where that’d take us and how long it’d take. I also read that there are bears and mountain lions in Bryce. Good decision! The other trail would have taken us two hours and we’d have to find our way back in the dark with no lights, phones with barely any battery, no network and most importantly – no water. So we did manage to return from the stunning Queen’s trail – Alive!

Speaking of the Queen. I’ve been listening to the radio and heard of the death of Elisabeth II. It’s a shame that the queen who represents an empire built on loot and bloodshed, was being mourned across the globe. It’s perhaps time for the British monarchy to put an end to this circus.

The narrows is a trail where you walk through a river. The water levels vary from ankle/ knee/ thigh/ waist high and we’re surrounded by this spectacular rock formation. We were there all day. I couldn’t get enough. Zion national park is a treat!

The icing on the cake was meeting Nancy Neithercut ❤️ I’ve been reading her poetry and listening to her interviews on non duality. Nancy is also a plant medicine practitioner!

Here’s an excerpt from her book of poetry :

“we are lost and found stories… words drifting through rippling whispers and kisses and laughter and tears,

only a shimmering reflection of this great ocean of love can ever be seen as we are inseparable from the water of love, somehow we see ourselves through the wetness of each others eyes, but we can never see ourselves as we are not, nor are others, nor, indeed, is there love, or rainbows or simply this…

we are a cascade of dream colors sliding down a waterfall of dreams…

love pirouettes and we are echoes twirling trailing falling through air through water through nothing at all…

it is all a dream there is no dream…

life simultaneously blooms and wilts without ever flowering, leaving not a scent or an echo…

we are memories of a fragrance from a flower that never was”

We booked a hotel in Las Vegas to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and basically have a long warm shower + dinner in a restaurant i/o sandwiches + witness the city in all its mad splendour. We wanted to drive past death valley from Yosemite. This took us all day as the road to Las Vegas via Death Valley was closed and later we were stuck in traffic. We checked in at 10 p.m, had a quick shower and went out. 

Most ok restaurants were shut, we were tired and did not realize that Leo would ask soooooooo many questions. For example: why’re the girls standing here with whips, why’re there pictures of naked girls? Why aren’t there pictures of naked boys? Why’re all these people drinking so much? Why do people go crazy when they drink? Will someone attack us? Can I play in the casino? Why not? Why aren’t kids allowed anywhere in Las Vegas casinos? Etc. The best part of the evening was to snuggle into our king-size bed at 4 a.m.

Las Vegas is a dazzling and flashy city in the middle of a desert overflowing with casinos, strip clubs, hookers, pimps, drunkards, homeless people… It could either be a bad trip or really fun. Best enjoyed with friends and/or after a few drinks 😇

Yosemite park is huge! There are many trails available and we chose the upper Yosemite fall trail. It took us 8 hours and it was excellent. We bathed in a pond by the waterfall right on top. I’m impressed that Leo managed to finish the trek! Bravo!

On the way back to the campsite I saw a mountain lion lurking in the dark, close to our car. The park has many bears as well. Some trekkers had seen one close to where we were. In the event of a black bear encounter, we should make ourselves look big and make loud noises. Never run.

It’s a different tactic with grizzly bears but we aren’t going to Yellowstone 🙄

The only time I went camping was with Arjun in Corsica. It was a beautiful place but the tent was rather uncomfortable. When I was a scout back in Bombay, we stayed in dormitories and had a campfire in the evening but no tents.

Technically, this is the 2nd time in my life I’ve slept in tents and the camping sites here are rudimentary. We haven’t showered in days but we did manage to jump into the river here in Yosemite park. 

Last night I looked for a restroom and managed to find one. A notice stuck to the door mentioned that a mountain lion was spotted in the camp recently. So far so good. To my surprise the washroom had a dry toilet without any lights. I braced myself, put my headlamp on and as I opened the toilet seat, houseflies started coming out one after the other attracted by the light on my forehead. It was straight off a horror movie. I left in a state of panic with my lights on. As I ran, several bats flew past me making me scream! Luckily there was another washroom with flush toilets… I don’t think I’m ready to use dry toilets!

Kings canyon was full of pine trees and ginormous Sequoias which I saw for the first time in my life and it was…. love at first sight ❤️

Those who know me, know how much I love trees and sequoias make you feel humble. It’s fascinating to know that they’ve lived for thousands of years.

Before going around the national parks, we drove down the bee-you-tea-full Californian west coast to meet my friend Michael in Cambria. Leo was stoked to know that Michael was a cowboy and so he made a sketch for him. I got to know Michael through FB during the pandemic. It all began with my spiritual quest which started several years back. This took me to several parts of the world and had me reading a lot, doing yoga, trying to connect to my “higher self” and doing all sorts of stuff. This quest ended when I read about the experiences of Nancy Neithercut, Michael Markham and Miranda Warren. I now understand what U.G Krishnamurti was trying to say.

This somehow seems to be a turning point in my life and I’m sooooo glad to have been able to meet Michael in person. Such a gentle, kind and loving person. I’m very lucky indeed!