Summer/Fall '08 - Travelouge

When I first moved to Wisconsin, people told me that Wisconsinites are hard core about summer and they take summer seriously and I thought sure they like to brag about their summer activities. But I understood what they meant after witnessing the extreme winter last year. Winters are so severe and force you to stay indoors, that people just cant wait to get out when the sun is out. Summer is a privilege here and people make the most of it indeed. I myself did some traveling this Summer/Fall and I thought this is a good place to recollect some of the travels and ponder over the new places I visited.

Devil's Lake,WI
Did most of the traveling in early summer (thanks to R, who wanted to show some of Wisconsin to his visiting parents with us). First trip of the summer was to Devil's lake, WI. Its only an hour's drive from Madison and is a great get away for adventure and camping. With a beautiful lake surrounded by the cliffs, its a huge attraction in Southern Wisconsin. Although on the day we were there, Sauk county had the biggest thunderstorm causing major flooding and forcing us to take in the scenes from with in the car.










Baraboo,WI
Baraboo is a historic little town in the Sauk county area with lush greenery and also home to the famous Ringling Brothers circus. Watching the circus takes you back to the childhood days and it brought memories of our very own Jumbo Circus in India. Although the circus was not as grand as in India, it was fun to see live performers still performing the 'old style' of circus. Unfortunately, Baraboo was also affected by major floods from a later thunderstorm and is recovering from it still.










Mt. Horeb/Cave of the mounds,WI

Another local visit was to Mt.Horeb. It is a small Norwegien settlement and the Norwegien heritage is seen all over the town with little Troll statues in the front yards of the locals. The town also claims itself to be the Troll capital of the world! There is also a museum dedicated to the Norwegien history in this area and it is quite interesting.

Traveling a few miles west of Mt.Horeb is 'Cave of the mounds', which is a colorful cavern of limestone formations that was accidentally discovered in the 30's. Its one of the national landmarks and worth a visit if you are in this area.

Wisconsin Dells,WI
Dells is a popular vacation destination for Wisconsinites and many mid westerners. Although famous for its water parks, we spent most of the day around the downtown area. We took the Wisconsin ducks tour, which is an amphibious boat tour taking us around the woods and into the Wisconsin river. Although the tour itself was relly good, I defenitley did not like the diesel exhaust fumes in my lungs. The boats are actually from WWII era and they need some serious over hauling. We also got a good look from the boat at the devastation the previous fortnight's flooding had caused in this area. The man made lake Delton which was a popular destination was totally engulfed and just vanished in one night.The pic on the right shows part of the road which was eaten away by the collapsed lake Delton.










Chicago,IL
Made a few trips to Chicago this summer. It was kinda like going back home, back to your nick of the woods so to speak. Again thanks to R and his visiting parents, we had a wonderful time going around Chicago. We took the 'architecture river cruise', visited the John Hancock center and spent sometime roaming the downtown area on a perfect summer day. Some pictures form the 'windy city'.













California

Always love California!! This was my fourth trip there and was a good trip coz I met so many old friends who I hadn't seen in years. Pashya's place in Orange county was my base camp and its a lovely place, close to the PCH and plenty of beaches in the vicinity. Made a one day trip to Santa Barbara. Great little town on the pacific coast.The downtown area is extremely lively and filled with little shops and resturaunts on tree lined streets. Its a magnificent weekend get away in the So-Cal area.

Texas
My first trip to Texas and it was an awesome trip. It was a reunion of sorts with Dudda and Pashya joining me from New York & California and Ranga hosting us in Austin. Ranga had planned a day trip to San Antonio and on our way we stopped at the Guadalupe river for some water tubing. If you have never done it before, all you do is lie on a big rubber tube, drink beer and just float on the flowing river, till you are tired. Trust me, its fun. After a wet and relaxing afternoon, we continued our trip to San Antonio. It is ofcourse well know for its river walks and for a reason. The river walk is lined with resturaunts and shops and is a perfect place to spend a summer evening. The following day took a dip in the 'Barton Springs'. I learnt about this place through Samanth Brown's 'Passport to great weekends' and I just had to visit it. It is a natural spring in the middle of the city and is a popular local recreation spot, especially on a hot summer day.
With so many things to do, Austin will defenitley draw me back and I hope to visit it again sometime.









Lacrosse, WI
Lacrosse was the final trip of the season. It is about two hours drive from Madison towards the west and is a beautiful town on the banks of the Mississippi river. It is also a border town with the state of Minnesota. Since the fall season was at its peak it was the right time to see the foliage in full bloom. Although Central Wisconsin is famous for its fall colors, we were a little disappointed to not see the full colors in Lacrosse. But it was an awesome fall day and hence the trip was not a total let down. We spent most of the day near the river just taking in the scenery and ended the day with a river cruise on the Mississippi river. Some pictures from Lacrosse.















Summer/fall season has come to an end and we are almost into the peak of winter here. Sucks to let go of summer, but like what a wise man/woman once said, 'If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant' , right?

Sourav Ganguly - RIGHT HANDED

Ever wondered what it would look like if Ganguly batted right handed?

Looking back

Its been five years since I came to the United states in the hopes of pursuing my MS. Being just another "Desi", leaving home for the first time, trying to make my mark in the land of opportunities, I vividly remember all the events that led up to my first day in America. I remember my parents sending me off at the airport reminding me at least 8 times to secure my passport in that upper left pocket of the Jacket. I remember my uncle explaining the nuances of air travel including the landing and take-off procedures. I also remember the first breath of air I took as I walked out of O'hare international airport. It was mid January and the peak of winter and the cold air clearly hit my lungs and took me by surprise. I was both scared and excited at the same time to have stepped out of the comfort my home and to have stepped into a whole new country.

As I look back into those five years, I realize how much I have changed and how much more there is to change. Life in the United States has been a great learning experience for me. I have been fortunate enough to have met the people that I have met here. The friendships and bondings that are made when you are away from home are the strongest and the most meaningful ones. Living with plenty of roommates over the course of my Masters', has taught me to accept different kinds of people. I believe it has also helped me open my mind up a little bit more. To be open, and be receptive to ideas and criticisms from people and their actions and probably more importantly how to have fun and live the life. Life as graduate students will probably be one of the most memorable years of all of us who went to school together and suffered the same pains and enjoyed the same pleasures.

Although I have spent most of the five years in Chicago and only recently moved to Madison, I think I'm starting to learn a little bit more about myself only now. Having lived with roommates through those years in Chicago, I never got a chance to reflect and think about myself. This is truly the first time I have lived alone. Living alone sometimes brings boredom and many a lonely days (I'm still a bachelor), But it gives you an opportunity to step back, slow down and think about yourself.

Stepping out of my home has been a big and important step for me and I hope the next five years will give me an opportunity to learn even more and change for the better.