Summer of '18, CA - Part 2/2

 
This is a continuation of the trips I had been on during last summer.
 
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Trip 4

San Francisco
 

Spots

Lands End Lookout
Baker and Marshall Beach
Point Bonita Lighthouse
   
It had been a couple weeks since I had gone out for a while and I was feeling low. So one Friday night I pulled together an itinerary for myself and saw it through. I had covered the trek to the Golden Gate bridge in Trip 3 from the east side. And like I said, the bridge has a lot of places to visit. I woke up early, caught the 2 hour long train ride to SF and my cab pulled into Lands End lookout parking. Another of the SF foggy days. I had grown to like them over the last few trips. The walk at the trail was refreshing. Breezy winds were cold but the air warmed up as the sun shone directly above. I walked to the Eagles point that marks the end of the Lands End trail, and continued to the Baker beach. I clicked some really cool pictures there; some time-lapses too. The foggy weather made for a cool diffuse lighting.
   
I called a bike-shop ahead to rent one for the next spot, Point Bonita Lighthouse. It was a 20-mile round trip and I was convinced I would cruise through it. I was wrong and not to mention terribly under-prepared. All I had was a water bottle and some cake I'd picked up earlier. I started at around 1:30 PM. The ride there was amazing in the beginning. I was so proud of myself to have planned this just hours ago.
   
As I was turning around one of the the bridge's tower, a gust of wind hit me so hard, it knocked me off the bike. I wasn't hurt in any major way, but boy was a pale with embarrassment. I quickly picked myself up and got back to my bike only to notice the chain had slipped from the gear and was hanging astray. A fellow biker stopped short after turning the corner, saw me struggling to fix this fine mess I was in and offered to help. He was on his way before I could thank him properly. Shout out to whoever he was. With nothing more than a bruised ego and a scratch or two on the palm of my hands, I continued up the long winding roads to the lighthouse. I had asked a friend who had been there recently. And I got the idea to bike from him as well. The climb was rigorous. At times, I felt walking was easier up the ridiculous slopes. Maybe there was a bike only trail that my friend had taken, I thought, because these roads were quickly draining my stamina.
   
Somehow I made it to the lighthouse before it's closing time. I had been more realistic in time management than in my physical strength. And it was worth all that. It was all I imagined and more. It felt good. There is a small bridge that connects two hills, the later of which hosts the lighthouse. I remember clicking a whole lot of photos; everything I laid my eyes on seemed worth capturing but my smart-phone camera won't do it any justice.
   
I stayed there for nearly a hour and a half before making my way back. The ride back was downhill and hence, less tiring. Enjoyable even. I returned the bike, took an Uber to the Caltrain station and arrived just in time to catch one. I remember catching the sun set behind my apartment. Dog tired, I turned in for a good sleep.
   
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Trip 6

Mission Peak
   
Keeping the chronological order intact, I am saving the best trip of the lot for the end. This one here, was the last one and probably the shortest too. A colleague of mine had suggested to go to this place and I had my eyes on it for a long time. It was the last weekend I would have in California before I came back to Texas and I decided I'd go there. I woke up at 3 AM and called a cab. I was there as the first light broke.
   
It was so quite. Only a couple other people began with me. The trek winded the hills, through the low hanging clouds and into the wild. It was a great experience. Definitely wasn't an easy trek for me, which after the past few trips, reminded me to eat healthy and exercise more. Taking several breaks for rest and clicking photos, I made it to the top of the peak just as the sun was rising above the horizon. Mission accomplished right on time. I was above clouds, literally. The view was spectacular. I sat there taking it all in. There were a lot of people there on the peak already. Having a little picnic. I'd packed breakfast for myself imagining eating it looking at the rising sun. And that's what I did.
   
At around 9AM, it was starting to get hot already and I thought that might be a good time to head back. I reached home and slept in through the day.
 
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Trip 5

Yosemite National Park
 
The trip I was really looking forward to. This was planned on another one of the long weekends we had through the summer. We were a group of about 12 if I remember correctly and everyone was pretty excited, with good reason. We started early in the morning to get spots on the public camping grounds. We arrived at around 6 AM and found ourselves cozy little spots on Yosemite Creek Campground to set up tents.
   
Putting our trekking shoes on, we head straight to the Yosemite Valley visitor center to grab something to eat. We roamed around the El Capitan Picnic area and followed trails to Merced River and Lower Yosemite falls in the Creek. We ended our day with a short and sweet makeshift bonfire around the tents that took us quite a lot more work and time to set up than we'd imagined. It was fun nonetheless. The clear sky beamed with stars we never saw in the city. Just awesome.
 
The next day we made our way to the trail head to Vernal Falls. It has to be the best waterfall I have ever seen. Standing tall at about 100 ft, it was almost ironic how the thunderous sound of water on the rocks below made you imperturbably peaceful. It was a long trek to here, but the sight of it pulled the lethargy right out of us. I quickly climbed to the top of the Vernal falls since I just could hold back my excitement. It was just ... beautiful. We stayed there for a bit before visiting Washburn and Glacier points and clicked away at the magnificent Half Dome staring right at us. This whole experience is hard to put down into words for me. Maybe some images may help.
   
We started to make our way back after that. I only wish if we had more time there. We barely saw what this magical place has to offer. I'd definitely be back for more.
   
Here's a video that I made from the clips I had shot in the Yosemite. I was in love with the soundtrack back then. Hope you enjoy it too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUXhiy_VauU. You can find me on Instagram too (https://www.instagram.com/rivaldo4t/).
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--- Tushar Turkar
Tushar Turkar is a Masters student in the Computer Science Department