Life Moves On...
Life has been tough after the accident. Phone call, follow ups and search for a new car took most of the time. Apart from the time it took there was a constant worry at the back of the mind, and to this date the worry has not gone but has just become a little less since we now have a new car. A 1999 Hyundai Sonata. Buying this car was again exciting. We were getting a good deal, but there were certain things which sometimes made us doubt the authenticity of the person selling the car. But, finally we bought the car, got the title in our name and things were just fine. There was a goofup made at the MVD where this guy endorsed our names on the wrong title and got himself in big trouble. He called us regarding that the next day but I would better avoid the details of that right now. Rest, life has become hectic at work as well. World Cup is also on which takes aways the time on the weekends. I don't know which team is gonna win but the matches are good. There was some activity on the YFU front as well...had gone for a pool party last weekend and it was fun!
Thats is for now, hope to see you guys soon....
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Saturday, June 03, 2006
The enchanting beauty of Yosemite!!
It was the memorial day weekend, the first long weekend of the summers. Sitting at home was of course not an option. I was exploring the options of where to go and there were a couple of places which were to be seen and could be seen. Chicago being one of the top choices. But somehow the plan for Chicago did not get materialized and then came in the obvious choice of driving down to Yosemite, CA. Yosemite is known for its scenic landscapes, its waterfalls, streams, lakes and the general aura of the place. The plan was that me and A would be driving down from Scottsdale to Fresno,CA where we would be joined by another friend (T). From there all three of us would drive down to Yosemite which was hardly 100 miles from Fresno. Everything went as per the plan and we were in Yosemite at around 1 AM. We stopped for a quick brunch at a gas station where we ate home cooked parathas and subzi which T had made..Thanks for the same T!! :-)
The first thing we saw after entering the National park were the big and tall magrove trees. There were centuries old trees, still standing large and tall. After a short trek, we headed towards the glacier point. However, the glacier point was closed for entry when we reached the intersection from where we had to take the road to the glaicer point. Nonetheless, we headed straight towards Yosemite village. On the way were a few scenic points where we stopped and treated our eyes. Those were the first glimpses of the beauty everyone talks about. A few more miles and we reached the Bridalveil falls. We parked our cars and went straight beneath the falls. I can only say that it was simply aweinspiring. After spending some time there we reached the yosemite village. From the village we bought something to eat, asked the details about the campsites from the visitor center and headed straight back in search of a campground. Unfortunately, memorial day weekend is the busiest weekend of the year and all the campgrounds were full. There were a few campgrounds outside the yosemite park and even they were full. But luckily we got one spot in a campground. However, there was some confusion and after pitching our tent a group came in and clarified that that spot was actually theirs and they were camping on someone else's campsite by mistake. However, it was already dark and it was not possible to search for another campsite then, so the only option left with all of us was to stay at that campsite only and thats what we did.
The next day we went to the Tioga road drive. The complete road was not opened yet due to snow but still there were some breathtaking views on the road and not to mention the huge amounts of snow that was present. Siesta lake was looking awesome coevered with snow and surrounded by trees. Finally, we headed back saw the mirror lake in the Yosemite village and then went to see the glacier point. The view of the yosemite valley from the glacier point is simply awesome. You can see the bridalveil fall, the yosemite fall and the half dome all at the same time. After spending some time at the glacier point we headed back to Fresno. Finally, as all goof things must come to an end so did our trip..T went to her place from Fresno by a bus and we headed back to Scottsdale. It was a long drive but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
It was the memorial day weekend, the first long weekend of the summers. Sitting at home was of course not an option. I was exploring the options of where to go and there were a couple of places which were to be seen and could be seen. Chicago being one of the top choices. But somehow the plan for Chicago did not get materialized and then came in the obvious choice of driving down to Yosemite, CA. Yosemite is known for its scenic landscapes, its waterfalls, streams, lakes and the general aura of the place. The plan was that me and A would be driving down from Scottsdale to Fresno,CA where we would be joined by another friend (T). From there all three of us would drive down to Yosemite which was hardly 100 miles from Fresno. Everything went as per the plan and we were in Yosemite at around 1 AM. We stopped for a quick brunch at a gas station where we ate home cooked parathas and subzi which T had made..Thanks for the same T!! :-)
The first thing we saw after entering the National park were the big and tall magrove trees. There were centuries old trees, still standing large and tall. After a short trek, we headed towards the glacier point. However, the glacier point was closed for entry when we reached the intersection from where we had to take the road to the glaicer point. Nonetheless, we headed straight towards Yosemite village. On the way were a few scenic points where we stopped and treated our eyes. Those were the first glimpses of the beauty everyone talks about. A few more miles and we reached the Bridalveil falls. We parked our cars and went straight beneath the falls. I can only say that it was simply aweinspiring. After spending some time there we reached the yosemite village. From the village we bought something to eat, asked the details about the campsites from the visitor center and headed straight back in search of a campground. Unfortunately, memorial day weekend is the busiest weekend of the year and all the campgrounds were full. There were a few campgrounds outside the yosemite park and even they were full. But luckily we got one spot in a campground. However, there was some confusion and after pitching our tent a group came in and clarified that that spot was actually theirs and they were camping on someone else's campsite by mistake. However, it was already dark and it was not possible to search for another campsite then, so the only option left with all of us was to stay at that campsite only and thats what we did.
The next day we went to the Tioga road drive. The complete road was not opened yet due to snow but still there were some breathtaking views on the road and not to mention the huge amounts of snow that was present. Siesta lake was looking awesome coevered with snow and surrounded by trees. Finally, we headed back saw the mirror lake in the Yosemite village and then went to see the glacier point. The view of the yosemite valley from the glacier point is simply awesome. You can see the bridalveil fall, the yosemite fall and the half dome all at the same time. After spending some time at the glacier point we headed back to Fresno. Finally, as all goof things must come to an end so did our trip..T went to her place from Fresno by a bus and we headed back to Scottsdale. It was a long drive but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Thank god...we are safe!
I should have written this blog a few days back, but somehow things were so busy that I did not get a chance at all. The date was May 24 2006. The time was 1:45 PM. We were returning back to office from home after a home cooked meal after months. I was driving the car and there were 3 co passengers - S sitting besides me, H sitting behind me and A sitting on the rear passenger seat. There was something wrong that day since we were getting almost every stop light as RED or YELLOW. It now seem that those were mere warning signals of the impeding danger. The intersection of Shea and 92nd was no different. We were waiting for the stop light to turn green, it did and I hit the accelerator gently..to move the car southwardly on 92nd.
Well, perhaps that was the last time I (or for that matter anybody) hit the accelerator of my car..Ford Taurus...in a flash we were hit by a pickup truck that jumped the red light (at Shea) and slammed into us at 50MPH!! For an instant I just couldnt make out what happened ...our car spun around due to the impact and was facing in the opposite direction when it came to a halt. A who was sitting nearest to the point of impact suffered a consussion and couldn't remember what happened!! I was scared...but mustered strength..came out of the car...dialled 911 and withing minutes the emergency vehicles, including the police arrived on the spot. It took me a while to realize that ours was not the only car involved in the accident. There was a brand new Toyota Camry that was also hit by the same truck (it seems the truck driver lost control and hit the camry) and a Mercedes Benz, which I seriously have no idea of how it got involved.
The police started its investigations and it was a pretty clear case. All the witnessed re-iterated that the truck driver was at fault as he jumped the red light. The paramedics were looking after A who was taken to the hospital for some checkups. Finally, the police investigations were over, a tow truck arrived at the spot and towed the vehicles including ours which was totalled up. Information between the drivers was exhanged and the police took the truck driver in. Finally, after some time the news came in that A was doing fine and there was no cause of worry which gave us some relief. But the trauma of the accident would perhaps still linger on and not to mention the repeated followups with insurance, car rentals, searching and buying a new car and all the issues related to it would still haunt us even days after the accident. Well, in the end I can just say that it was a BAD day.
I should have written this blog a few days back, but somehow things were so busy that I did not get a chance at all. The date was May 24 2006. The time was 1:45 PM. We were returning back to office from home after a home cooked meal after months. I was driving the car and there were 3 co passengers - S sitting besides me, H sitting behind me and A sitting on the rear passenger seat. There was something wrong that day since we were getting almost every stop light as RED or YELLOW. It now seem that those were mere warning signals of the impeding danger. The intersection of Shea and 92nd was no different. We were waiting for the stop light to turn green, it did and I hit the accelerator gently..to move the car southwardly on 92nd.
Well, perhaps that was the last time I (or for that matter anybody) hit the accelerator of my car..Ford Taurus...in a flash we were hit by a pickup truck that jumped the red light (at Shea) and slammed into us at 50MPH!! For an instant I just couldnt make out what happened ...our car spun around due to the impact and was facing in the opposite direction when it came to a halt. A who was sitting nearest to the point of impact suffered a consussion and couldn't remember what happened!! I was scared...but mustered strength..came out of the car...dialled 911 and withing minutes the emergency vehicles, including the police arrived on the spot. It took me a while to realize that ours was not the only car involved in the accident. There was a brand new Toyota Camry that was also hit by the same truck (it seems the truck driver lost control and hit the camry) and a Mercedes Benz, which I seriously have no idea of how it got involved.
The police started its investigations and it was a pretty clear case. All the witnessed re-iterated that the truck driver was at fault as he jumped the red light. The paramedics were looking after A who was taken to the hospital for some checkups. Finally, the police investigations were over, a tow truck arrived at the spot and towed the vehicles including ours which was totalled up. Information between the drivers was exhanged and the police took the truck driver in. Finally, after some time the news came in that A was doing fine and there was no cause of worry which gave us some relief. But the trauma of the accident would perhaps still linger on and not to mention the repeated followups with insurance, car rentals, searching and buying a new car and all the issues related to it would still haunt us even days after the accident. Well, in the end I can just say that it was a BAD day.
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