A Great Way to Celebrate

Hiere is a very inspiring piece of news I read online on Yahoo.com. If all the people in the world were even half as active as this woman is there would be no obesity at all. 100-Year-Old Woman Celebrates Birthday Skiing | ABC News Blogs - Yahoo! http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/100-old-woman-celebrates-birthday-skiing-200918940.html Elsa Bailey may be 100 years  old, but that didn't stop her from hitting the slopes last weekend to celebrate her birthday in true snow bunny fashion. "It was something that I planned years ago," Bailey, of Colorado Springs, Colo., told GoodMorningAmerica.com. "That on my... Read the full story

Hiking in Lake Ray Roberts State Park

It was an evening well spent on the banks of Lake Ray Roberts in the State Park. Though I walked only about 3.5 miles in the lush green forests of the Lake Ray Roberts State Park the experience was definitely worth while. I am glad I have been buying the Texas State Park Pass every year, this enables me to enter any state park in the state of Texas absolutely free.


Anyway earlier this evening I just decided to go there and take a dip in the cool waters of the lake. Drove down to the state park and found that I was among the handful of visitors there. I decided to walk one of the trails there before hitting the water and so was off on the Randy Bell Scenic Trail which is about 2.7 miles long but since I took several detours to get by the lake waters, I probably walked a good 3.5 - 4 miles.


The trail is moderately hilly and completely paved so it is impossible to trip, fall or lose the way. Moreover being surrounded by thick undergrowth, trees, and grasses there is lot of wildlife sighting opportunities. Today I saw several white tailed deer, which are not scared of humans at all, they continue to graze unperturbed even as people walk along the trail. Even the animals know they are safe in the park, if it were in a different setting, the deer would be shot and eaten.

Rock Climbing area in Mineral Wells State Park

Rock climbing in Dallas area means going to a gym and ascending their epoxy resin walls. This can be done throughout the year and through the day. On the other hand real rock climbing is pretty much impossible in the Dallas area or so I thought till I visited Mineral Wells State Park. Here there is a small area in one corner known as the Penitentiary Hollow where there are medium sized rock formations ideal for top-rope climbing. So for people in Dallas who want to do real rock climbing the few months of the year when it is pleasant and not extremely cold or hot Mineral Wells is the answer.

Life Forms in Sheldon Lake State Park

While at Sheldon Lake State Park and Environmental Learning Center I happened to spot some species of urban wildlife such as chameleon, and turtle. Of course there were signs warning us of alligators, armadillos, rabbits, and other species we didn't see any. Here are the more pictures of Sheldon Lake and the state park area.

Water - the Elixir of life

Water - The Elixir of Life 

A compound that contains just two elements
Two atoms of Hydrogen and one of Oxygen
Seems amazing nobody can live without one
The world would not exist without this essential liquid

We people don't seem to value this gift of god
We think that the water supply to our homes will never end
We wash, clean, bathe, and waste it without thinking for a second
We might be a little more respectful of this gift of god

On this day, let us make a solemn vow,
That we will utilize as little water from now,
That we will conserve it for the future starting now,
That we will share the resources we have with fellow men and animals

Remember! access to clean drinking water is a basic human right
But how many people in the world have this thought
Most people are busy living a life rather than think about water
Water maybe everywhere but very soon there wont be a drop to drink

Do we want to live in such a world?
A world where nations fight for water
Friends become enemies,
Families become feuding relatives
Brothers would kill each other for water

Young couples would not have children
because they can't afford to pay the water tax
That is when the world would come to an end....

A Long Walk Home....

I shot this picture when I was trekking in a rural locale about 60 km from Bangalore. The picture was obviously shot from atop a hill. This image shows how this villager has to struggle to lead her life. She is ok with the risk of walking along the railway tracks for long distances to collect firewood from the forest. Life is so easy for us in the city and yet we still complain that government is not doing enough. Here is this lady who has to walk long distances over uneven ground just to survive... It is time we appreciate the good things we have...

Lovely Lepakshi - Splendor in Stone

Lepakshi about 100 km from Bengaluru city is home to one of the most spectacular Vijayanagara era temples. Located in the State of Andhra Pradesh Lepakshi is easily accessible from Karnataka, i.e. Bengaluru.

I paid a quick visit to this wonderfully sculpted temple back in 2005 and ever since I have been smitten by the memories of the place. Lepakshi in my opinion is a place for those willing to get away from the routine multiple-destination tourist circuits and want a quiet weekend amidst ancient monuments and rugged scenery.

With its fine temple architecture and historically interesting monuments, Lepakshi is an ideal getaway for history enthusiasts, heritage lovers and monument fanatics. Sited in Anantapur District of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Lepakshi is a small village about 100 km from Bangalore.

Lepakshi is perhaps one of the most important locations close to Bangalore from a historical perspective. A trip to Lepakshi will prove revitalising for those who love in heritage sites, who marvel at the art created by our ancestors. Lepakshi, renowned as the repository of the best mural paintings of the Vijayanagar empire, hosts three shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Veerabhadra. On a hillock known as ‘Kurma Saila’ (tortoise shaped hill), is located the large temple complex dedicated to Veerabhadra which also houses sub-shrines of Papanatheswara, Raghunatha, Srirama and Durga.

According to Skandapurana – a holy book of Hindus -- Lepakshi is one of the 108 Shaiva Kshetras or important pilgrim centres for worshippers of Lord Shiva. An inscription (in HaleKannada or old Kannada) on the outer wall of the temple records that one Virupanna, the treasury officer of the Penukonda Fort of the Vijaynagar empire, constructed the temple during the 16th century.

As with most ancient Hindu temples, Lepakshi also has several legends associated with it. But the most accepted legend is that Virupanna discovered the idol of Veerabhadra and decided to build a temple in the lord’s honour. Since the king was absent, he used money from the royal treasury without the former’s knowledge and started constructing the temple. When the temple construction was nearing completion the king returned to find the treasury empty. Enraged at Virupanna’s act of spending all the money without his consent, the king ordered that Virupanna should be blinded. Being a loyal person Virupanna carried out the punishment on the spot with his own bands and dashed his eyes into the temple’s stone wall. To this day one can see two dark stains upon the wall near the Kalyana Mandapa, which are said to be the blood stains made by Virupanna’s bleeding eye balls when he dashed them against the wall. Thus blinded and ailing Virupanna did not survive for long, and soon the village came to be called ‘Lepa-akshi’ i.e. the village of the blinded eye.

The Veerabhadra temple divided into three parts -- the Mukha Mandapa, (also called Natya Mandapa), the Artha Mandapa and Garbha Griha. The Kalyana Mandapa, with its 38 attractively carved monolithic grey sandstone pillars is yet unfinished. These three form a triangle with a common Mandapam or roof. To the south of the main shrine is a magnificently carved larger-than-life monolithic statue of a Shiva Linga sheltered by a massive seven-headed cobra known as the Nagalingam.

The temple is surrounded on all sides by a spacious outer courtyard or prakara supported by large and attractively sculpted stone pillars replete with relief figures of dancers, musicians, animals and birds. The finest parts of the temple however are Natya (Dancing) and Ardha (worship) Mandapas which perhaps host the best specimens of Vijayanagar style of sculpture and mural paintings. The former is adorned with intricately sculptured pillars on which are carved life-size representations of musicians and dancers in various poses of performance. The unfinished Kalyana Mandapam is a standing proof of the detailing in sculptural art of that period. The sculptures adorning the pillars and walls of the temple depict puranic episodes like those of Ananthasayana, Dattatreya, Chaturmukha Bramha, Tumburu, Narada and Rambha.

The beautiful sculptures on the outer prakara (courtyard) are bound to awe the visitor. Notable among the sculptures are the 14 forms of Siva, such as Dakshinamurthi, Ardhanareeswara, Tripurantaka etc. The unfinished Kalyana Mantapa in which the pillars are decorated with attractive patterned sculptures has provided perennial inspiration to textile designers across the world.

Another must-see monument in the town is the massive monolithic Nandi statue located a mere 500 meters from the Veerabhadra temple. The idol measuring about 30 ft long and 16 ft high, located towards North-East of the Veerabhadra temple is perhaps the largest monolithic Nandi in India.

Getting there.
Road. If you are travelling on your own vehicle, start off on the Bellary road (NH 7) to reach Lepakshi via Hindupur. Both APSRTC and KSRTC Buses ply frequently from Bangalore.
Train. Nearest railway station is at Puttaparthi aka Sri Sathya Sai Prashanti Nilayam Railway Station. Ph: (08555) 287355
Air. Puttaparthi is the nearest airport. Flights connect Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. The Airport is closed during summer season (April to June). Ph: (0091) 08555-87346.

Sailing Across the Lewisville

Yesterday I got the opportunity to sail a boat with two new friends. These two gentlemen are retired and trying to pursue their hobbies more frequently now. I just tagged along with them on the big boat and it was a pretty good learning experience both in terms of sailing and otherwise. For one thing sailing with modern sailboats is not so tough, everything is fixed right and so long as you know what you are doing one can sail pretty efficiently. There is no need for brute force to tie down the mast or sails, there is no need for special technique because things have been made easy by smart inventors of these boats and accessories.

Well we set sail from one of the few FREE docks/ boat ramps on Lewisville Lake's shoreline and bounced across the waters for sometime before we were able to catch some strong winds and hit the high waters. The boat moves pretty fast if the wind is right and it often gets scary too. Since it was my first experience sailing a modern water craft, I was all eyes and ears to learn the intricacies of what is to be done.

There were occasions when the wind dropped and we just drifted along without being able to move. And then while crossing under a bridge I thought our mast almost touched the underside of the concrete structure, but luckily we passed without an incident.

Overall the day was great for sailing and I have a brand new experience to talk about now.

Mineral Wells invites me to visit again!!!

It has been over 3 weeks since I visited Mineral Wells State Park, but the memories of its vast green acres continues to haunt me. The rugged rock formations, myriad flora and fauna, vast lake and interesting landscapes beckon me to return and explore further.
This is something I like about the US where every natural area is developed, maintained and aggressively marketed so that it generates enough revenue to pay for all the investment. This way natural habitat and a beautiful location is saved, and the people have a space to get away. I hope this kind of mindset descends into the heads of every single individual in the world so that the quickly shrinking green cover may be saved from further destruction.
Here are some of the pictures that I have not posted earlier.

Liberty Fest, Farmers Branch

Today was the second day of the annual three-day Liberty Fest held at Farmers Branch, Texas. I came to know about the fest through some posters and decided to participate. Today's highlights were an outdoor expo which featured a lot of recreational vehicle marketers, two artificial outdoor rock climbing walls, a micro-mini petting zoo with all the farm animals, such as chicken, rabbits, pigs, calf, and a llama. These animals are so common in small towns and some areas of Indian cities but very very rare in US cities. The only place American-born children get to see live animals other than dogs, cats and fish.
My favorite section of the event was of course the car and motorcycle show featuring a wide array of metal steeds and monsters. I have personally almost given up the hope of ever riding a motorcycle again, but when I see a beautiful set of wheels I can't help but take a closer look and oogle at it.
Anyway enough of my chatter... here are some pictures of the Liberty fest.

More Pictures of Mineral Wells

I haven't shared all the pictures of our recent trip to Mineral Wells State Park, TX. This park is one of the closest locations where one can see some kind of hilly terrain, and rocks that can be climbed. The park is beautiful right now and with weather not having heated up too much the colorful flowers, insects, and other flora and fauna make it a great place to visit.

Mineral Wells State Park Visit

Sunday was pretty eventful, visited one more state park in the vast state of Texas and this time it was closer home... about 100 miles south west. The park is named after the city of Mineral Wells which was a thriving spa, health resort, town famous for its fresh water resources. At its peak the town's water was known to cure all human diseases and people traveled to this little town to spend few weeks rejuvenating themselves. Well that was probably more than a century ago. Today the town is just another small town in Texas with a large ranching community and tourism that the State park draws. Well this is the closest location from DFW metro area for rock climbing, some hill hiking and of course swimming and wildlife watching.
Here are some pictures of the location and I will post further about what we did in the state park soon.

Mineral Wells Trading Post... the only store on the state park

Lake Mineral Wells - vast waterbody

White Rock Lake - Quiet Aqua Forte

One thing I love about Texas is the way lakes, creeks, and to a certain extent green areas are protected and allowed to thrive. This is possible partly because of the low density of population and vast land area which the early European Colonizers found virtually free to occupy. The conquest of early settlers, hard work of their offspring are being enjoyed by this generation of native born Americans as well as newly arrive immigrants like myself.

This past weekend I participated in a free Kayaking event organized by one of the leading adventure sports gear marketers REI. They offered a free experience to wannabe kayak owners, canoe enthusiasts, and fishermen who would possibly want to own their boat. Even though I belong to the enthusiast category who may not buy a Kayak or any other watercraft in the immediate or near future I still wanted to enjoy a day on the water free.

So there we went to the lake and used some of the equipment provided by REI such as Kayaks, life jacket or in America it is Assisted Flotation Device and had a great time. Here are some pictures.

Still Water Kayaking @ White Rock Lake, Dallas

Yesterday we went Kayaking at the White Rock Lake, Dallas. It was a free marketing event organized by REI, the adventure & outdoor sports gear store. There were all kinds of kayaks and all visitors were allowed to get into them and try their hand at it. Being mildly windy it was a little challenging to kayak in the area, but nevertheless it was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures...

Vistas of Lost Lake and Surroundings

Continuing my report on the short but eventful visit to Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, India-homa, I would simply say that our hike turned into a mini adventure after I coaxed everyone into climbing down the rock face into the depths of the valley rather than follow the trail that snaked around the hills to form a natural slope. Once down at the water level we crossed the shallow stream via a trail of rocky outcrops and started retracing our steps around the lost lake.

Here are some pictures:

View of the waterfalls from the base of the hill

The world is full of insensitive people who will litter even the most pristine natural spots.....

Sweeping view of the valley and rock face we just descended