Harder reconnnecting than connecting

Contrary to the popular belief, I found out today that it was harder reconnecting than connecting. Perhaps I have to blame myself for that. It felt like life was going in a circle and it was tougher to get on and off. Finding solution to problems are hard. I have learned that it's much easier to let God figure it out. It is not easy.

Baby shower today was fun. Laughter, joy, and gifts filled the room. I am eagerly waiting to meet my little "cupcake".  May God bless their little one.

To God be all glory! - Day 24

I am writing my last blog in this series of "Road trip USA" from our very own  home sweet home.  Praise God and to Him be all glory for His many mercies, immense love, and unending promises during this trip.

Yesterday, we left our hotel room in Cumberland, MD around 11AM. We had Chick Fil A for brunch. We headed on I-68 to I-70 to I-81 towards Pennsylvania. We were expecting some traffic but to our surprise it was actually moving very well. We took I-78 to NJ and then I-95 towards George Washington Bridge.

Around 7PM, we got into some traffic prior to GWB about 15 miles away from home. We were in traffic for about 21/2 hours. What a great welcome to NY!  We were getting restless, claustrophobic, and anxious in traffic. Who would love driving in the East. We miss the West coast and Reno a lot.

Our parents and siblings were anxiously waiting for our arrival in Yonkers. We got home last night around 10PM. It was great to be with family again and we had a great welcome home. Thanks to our little brother for all the decorations. Home cooked Indian food for dinner tasted good.

24 days, 6,500 miles, and 22 states - We finally arrived home.

I opened my eyes this morning in our bed and I felt like I woke up from a really long dream. The dream was mesmerizing West coast and Reno, our second home. We have experienced God's immense grace during this trip and we know that He has great plans for us.

Getting closer & closer - Day 23

We got back on the road around 11AM after breakfast at the Hampton Inn. We took I-64 towards West Virginia. We briefly entered Ohio around WV and KY border. The drive through West Virginia was mountainous and scenic. We stopped at the state capitol building at Charleston to take some pictures.It was peaceful and weather was less humid. We had lunch at Chick Fil A in WV.

We took I-79 North towards Morgantown, WV. We swung by West Virginia University in Morgantown. They are famous for their basketball team. After wards, we took I-68 East towards Maryland. We had dinner from CiCi's pizza, a chain not seen in NY. It was some decent pizza with a great price. We spent the night at a Red Roof Inn, Cumberland, MD.

Yesterday was our last night in a hotel room. We are getting closer and closer to NY. I am definitely happy to get home to see family and friends, yet there is that "something" I am starting to miss a lot. We have another long day ahead of us today. We hope to get to Yonkers, NY around evening time. Our families are eagerly waiting for our arrival. We thank God for all His travel mercies so far and we commit the rest into His hands.

West Virginia, the wild and wonderful

Highlights from Day 23

• Entering West Virginia, the wild and the wonderful
• State Capitol building in Charleston
• Welcome to Maryland

The Smokies and Kentucky's special - Day 22

We had a good sleep at the Spring Hill Suites, Pigeon Forge. Left the hotel after breakfast around 10:30AM. We stopped at the Grand Resort and Convention Center at Pigeon Forge since Ajo wanted to revisit the hotel after 10 years. A decade ago, the CSI conference was held in Pigeon Forge, TN. Hence the revisit. The hotel grounds and the hotels looked non-maintained and unhygienic. I was glad we chose not to stay there.

We drove to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the most visited national park in the US. It's free to the public, hence busy. We took some pictures. It was beautiful yet no where close to the parks in the West. The mountainous roads were not new to us, and the high elevations of the park were not high for us. We drove up to the 2nd highest point beyond Mississippi.

We left the park grounds around 2PM and drove through I-74 North towards Lexington, TN. As forecasted we did encounter some heavy rain and thundershowers on the road. We had two big traffic jams which took a lot of time out of our day. For the first time in a long time, we had to wait at one spot for traffic to clear up. It was not pleasant. Later we found out that both the traffic jams was due to highway collisions and one was between a truck and a car. The car was being towed away as we drove by after the fact and the car looked almost flat. I really hope and pray that the people survived. We often forget how much God protects us and cares for sinners like us.

The rain had gotten better when we got into Kentucky. Kentucky, the home of the Kentucky Fried Chicken. So we drove to the first KFC location and ate from there. The chicken tasted really good since a long time. Our planned destination was Huntington, WV. Due to traffic delay, we weren't able to go that far, and hence decided to spent the night at Hampton Inn, Winchester, KY. We had some delay getting our room last night due to system issues. We had an awesome breakfast and we are ready to hit the road for another exciting day through the East coast traffic. Today is our 2nd to last day of travel. I can't thank God enough for His mercies.

Highlights from Day 22

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• KFC original location

Atlanta to Tennesse - Day 21

Yesterday, we left Atlanta at about 10:30AM. We were on the road and realized that our camera had Zero charge to take any photos. Hence we had to stop at a Borders to charge our Camera battery.

Our next destination was Knoxville, TN. We are staying at Pigeon Forge, TN. We are planning to visit the great smoky mountain this morning.

Family Fun - Day 20

Good morning Monday!

We visited Ajo's two other uncles, saw our cousins, met Ajo's 18 month cousin for the first time, and met with some friends. How exciting!

We were exhausted by the end of the day and we were stuffed by the end of the day. Family is always fun.

Welcome EST! - Day 19

From Meridian, MS we drove to sweet home Alabama and from there to Atlanta, GA. We made some stops to buy gifts for Ajo's cousins in Atlanta. The drive was great, and weather was pleasant. We were finally in the same time zone and getting closer to home.

We ate lunch at Zaxby's, a chain in the south. We got to Buford, GA around 8:30PM EST. We spent the night at Ajo's uncle's place in Buford. Ben & Christine, our little cousins were excited to see us. It was nice to see them all.

Three digits to two digits - Day 18

We are in Meridian, Mississippi and headed towards Atlanta, GA today. We hope to get their by evening.

Holiday Inn at Little Rock, AR was a great hotel. We went to Waffle House for breakfast. We had the most amazing breakfast we have ever had. We had to do Laundry in the hotel premises and that was quite the havoc and time consuming. We checked out around noon.

We drove by the state capitol building to take some pictures. It was humid and 102 degrees. The downtown was empty and it felt like a ghost town. I guess that's what heat does to you. Keep you indoors. We headed on 540 South to Pine bluff, AR where we shopped at a Walmart for drinks. We took US 425 South into Monroe, LA and then I-20 East towards Meridian, MS.

Most of our day was driving and passing by different states we haven't had the opportunity to see yet.

My title is a little vague and let me explain what it means. We entered Texas on Monday and we haven't seen a 2 digit temperature read until yesterday in Louisiana. 3 digit temperatures with humidity is absolutely insane. Feels good to get out of the heat wave even if that means it's for day or two.

We stayed at a La Quinta Inn last night. We had Church's Chicken for dinner and I think we were in the East LA part of Meridian, MS. We waited 20 minutes for our chicken but it was worth the wait I tell you. I woke up at 3AM to lightning and loud thunder. I have heard thunder and slept through thunderstorms but this was frightening. The could not slept through the one last night. But eventually I did. I closed my eyes, prayed to God, and woke up this morning to a calm and peaceful day.

Highlights from Day 18

• Drove through AR into LA
• Mississippi

From Little Rock, AR - Day 17

We are in Little Rock, AR. Yesterday we were in Joplin, Missouri. We headed to Baxter Springs, KS to see the Kansas border. We shopped at a Walmart in Baxter Springs. It was a cozy town. We visited the Precious Moments Chapel & Museum at Carthage, MO. The paintings were really amazing. It was so peaceful to walk around inside the chapel area with stained glass windows and wall paintings.

From Carthage, MO, we took US 71 South to Bentonville where we visited the first ever Walmart (called Walton's back in the day). We also took pictures by the Walmart Head Quarters. We also stopped at Springdale to take a snap of the Tyson world head quarters.

We took I-540 South and I-40 East towards Little Rock, AR. We are making some progress towards our final destination. We stayed at a Holiday Inn near Little Rock Airport. Today, we are headed towards Mississippi.

Highlights from Day 17

• Precious Moments Visit
• Head Quarters
• Entering Kansas and Arkansas
  

Entering Missouri for a day- Day 16

Getting up in the morning did not feel so good. We wished we could have slept more. Ajo's little cousin was waiting by the door since 6AM or so to play with us. She is such a cutie pie. Love her unending entertainment and her funny Malayalam conversations.

We had breakfast at Ajo's aunt's place and we spent the rest of the morning there and had lunch before we got back to Ajo's Grandma's place. It was hard to say goodbye as always to family.

We left Yukon aorund 3:30PM and drove through I-44 East towards Tulsa and then into Joplin, Missouri. Our time in Missouri is very limited. We are pretty much driving through a small fragment of the state. The exciting part is "we are in Missouri". We love it. We slept at a Sleep Inn last night. We are headed towards Arkansas this morning.

Highlights from Day 16

• Entering Joplin, MO

HOT... HOT... HOT - Day 15

We left our hotel room around 11AM. Our next destination is Yukon, OK. We continued our journey on I-45 North towards Dallas, TX. I thought Houston was hot. It was cool compared to 110 degrees around Dallas area. Dallas also had an air pollution warning the same day. We had lunch at Whataburger, a burger chain in the south.

Oklahoma was flat, redundant, and hot. This is our second time in Oklahoma. We headed to see Ajo's Grand Mother and Aunts who live in Yukon. We made a quick stop at Mardel Christian Book Store in Norman, OK buy gifts. We enjoyed the store a ton and wished we had some thing similar in the Northeast.

We had quality time with family on Wednesday night.

Highlights from Day 15

• Entry to Oklahoma
• Family Visit
  
  

Quick drive through Galveston - Day 14

We woke up around 8AM. Ajo took the car in for a tire balance in Houston Toyota. We drove to Galveston, TX around 10:30AM with Ajo's cousins. It was a fun trip. We went to Moody Gardens, Galveston, TX.

We went to our friends place in Spring, TX around evening time. We paid three different tolls a total of $4.50 on San Houston Tollway. Our first toll since we left Reno, NV two weeks ago. We enjoyed nice home made dinner from our friends place. We had a good time with them reconnecting and reminiscing.

We drove to Huntsville last night and we stayed at a La Quinta off  I-45.

Highlights from Day 14

• Galveston, TX

San Antonio & Houston - Day 13

We left our hotel room 8 AM and continued on through I-10 to San Antonio We stopped to visit the Alamo in downtown. It was a pretty interesting visit. It was so hot and humid that we had to get back into the car after 2 hours.

We reached Ajo's aunt's house around 6:15PM. They live around Sugarland area. We spent time with the kids and family. After dinner, we headed over to another aunt's house in Michigan City to sleep.

Life is good and above all God is good. We look forward to today and we are planning to visit Galveston with Ajo's cousins.

Highlights from Day 13

• The Alamo

We say good bye to the mountains & the western states - Day 12

We left La Cruces, NM after our cooked  to order breakfast at Best Western. We got on I-10 East towards Texas. We had traffic near the US border patrol check-point past El Paso area. Luckily we got a head nod and a "go ahead" but we did see a few people pulled over to the side who were actively giving explanations to the officers.

We entered central time zone around central Texas area. As we drove on I-10 towards San Antonio, the sage brushes disappeared, the mountains dissipated, and the horizon got closer. It was sad to say good bye to the mountain ranges and the western states.

We got to Sonora, Texas around 8 PM CST. We are staying at a Days Inn tonight and we are headed towards Houston in the morning. Though we are eager to get home to family and loved ones, this trip is quite the bitter sweet experience as we say our good byes indefinitely to the west coast. We will surely return. When and how soon, we don't know....but we hope it will be soon.

Highlights from Day 12

• Entering Texas, the lone star state
• Central Time Zone
• Saying adios to our beloved west coast
  
  

White Sands - Day 11

We left our hotel in Albuquerque around 10 am and stopped at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (our first Dunkin Donuts in a while).  We sat with four strangers who meet there everyday for the past 20 days. We conversed with them for awhile and it was a great experience. They were so welcoming and friendly.

We got on the road to Las Cruces, NM, our next destination. We stopped at Hatch, NM, the chile capital in the world. Their locally grown green chilies has won many awards for the best green chile in the world. Ajo had to stop here and eat at Pepper Pot restaurant.

We got to Las Cruces, NM around 4PM. We took a side trip to see the White Sands National Monument. Miles and miles of white, I mean pure white sand. It looks like snow. We enjoyed a warm sunset on the sand and took a stroll through the sand. We had dinner at "Si Senor". It was great american food, I mean New Mexican Cuisine. =)

We are heading to Texas today and saying good bye to the beautiful Western states which has entertained and intrigued us the past two years. Memories of the West will stay with us forever.

Highlights from Day11

• Dunkin Donuts experience
• The Chile Capital in the world, Hatch, NM
• White Sands National Monument

Santa Fe & vicinity - Day 10

We headed to downtown Santa Fe in the morning. The weather was pleasant in the 70's. What more can you ask for in August. We walked around downtown, visited the state capitol building, the oldest church building in US (San Miguel Church), and stopped at the Lorretto chapel's miraculous staircase.  The downtown adobe building were so unique and beautiful and added great charm to Santa Fe.

We headed north to Chimayo to have New Mexican cuisine at Rancho de Chimayo. They had great food and it was so authentic that we fell in love with the restaurant. The prices were reasonable as well. Our next stop is Albuquerque.

We drove to Albuquerque through I-25 South and checked into the Marriott in the uptown area. Albuquerque reminded me a lot of Reno with mountain around and with streets that resembled McCarran Blvd and Virginia St. The city sits in a valley similar to Reno.

Of course for dinner we had to try New Mexican cuisine again. We ate at El Pinto restaurant in Northern part of town. The food was little pricey and I felt that the Sante Fe restaurants were way better. We headed back to the hotel after dinner. Today we are headed to Las Cruces.

Highlights of Day10

• Downtown Santa Fe adobe building
• Rancho de Chimayo Cuisine
• Albuquerque downtown and historic route 66
• El Pinto New Mexican Cuisine

The Land of Enchantment - Day 9

We had a really long and busy day yesterday. We picked up our Rav 4 around 9:00am. Global Collisions did a great job and we were so excited to continue our journey. We continued on I-25 South through Colorado Springs and Pueblo to New Mexico, our next destination. We stopped at the US Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs.

As we drove through I-25 to New Mexico, the mountains became smaller and  the horizon grew closer. It was valleys and plateaus  for miles. After we entered New Mexico, we encountered a thunderstorm. We passed through some big downpour and hail on the roadways but luckily we did not have to drive through hail. We sang songs and prayed through the thunderstorms and God brought us safe to Santa Fe. The skies cleared around Las Vegas area, and it was beautiful to see the greenery and low lying mountains.

We got to Santa Fe, the oldest and the highest elevation (7000 ft) state capital in America. We checked in to the Econolodge (also owned by an Indian) around 7:30PM. We headed to the historic plaza, Santa Fe. It was quite busy and touristy. We had dinner at the plaza cafe, the oldest restaurant in  Santa Fe. Ajo had a bowl of green chile with carne asada and two fresh sopapillas - he fell in love with the dish and New Mexican cuisine in general. He told me he might come to stay here forever just because of the food.

Highlights of Day 9

• Got our car back repaired
• US Olympics Training Facility
• New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment
• Thunderstorms on I-25 in northern New Mexico
• Santa Fe Historic Plaza

The Rockies - Day 8

Our day started with a trip to Global Collisions to get an update about our car. We then drove to Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO. The rocky mountains is the world's longest mountain barrier and it forms the backbone of North America. It stretches from Mexico to Alaska. The park's main road Trail Ridge Road inside the park is the highest continuous highway in the United States. It reaches a maximum elevation of 12,183 ft (3,713 meters). It was a very scenic drive.

I miss my small city already. Coming back from Rocky Mountain National Park was an ordeal. There was traffic every where and the rush hour added more chaos than ever. Two years in Reno has perhaps spoiled us that the site of heavy traffic is aggravating. We are in for a rude awakening when we get back to NY.

We got news that our car was ready for pick-up. We will be heading over this morning to Global Collisions. We plan to get back on the road and head to New Mexico today.

About 11:15 last night, I was startled from my deep sleep by the hotel emergency alarm system. No one could sleep through that noise. The alarm was accompanied with an announcement to exist the hotel immediately. My heart was pounding and Ajo & I rushed out to the exist with many others who were in panic as well. Going down those 6 floors to reach the bottom was perhaps an experience I will never forget. My mind was blank. We even had no idea what time it was. It was about 40 degrees outside and within minutes firefighters arrived. Apparently someone pulled alarm for no reason and the hotel evacuation alarm set off. We got back in our rooms by 11:50 or so. Out all the hotel rooms we had stayed, it was our first evacuation and I was able to gather that my crisis management skills was not the best.

Highlights from Day 8

• Rocky Mountains
• Maximum elevation we have been at changed to 12,183 ft (3,713 meters)
• Hotel evacuation

The Mile High City - Day 7

We are still halted in the mile high city meanwhile our car is getting repaired. Yesterday, we went for a city tour by Graylines. The tour was satisfactory but it could have been a lot better.

We got picked up from our hotel at 7:30am (half an hour late) and we started from tour at 9am (again half an hour late). The 4 hour tour lasted about 2 hours or so and our guide was done and just drove the rest of the way. He focused more on neighborhoods and houses instead of downtown buildings, old down-town and so. Despite all the negatives, Portland tour still ranks # 1 as the worst city tour so far.

The tour took us through posh  neighborhoods, Governor's mansion, State Capitol, and a quick drive through downtown. We got dropped back at the hotel at 12:15PM. We ate Chick Fil A for lunch and then checked in to our new hotel.

Around 3:30PM, we drove to Littleton, CO. Columbine High School incident in April of 1999 will never be forgotten. It was our generation. The high school kids were as old as us. I still remember the incident like yesterday, a tragedy that shook the country and school systems. We visited the Columbine Memorial in Clement Park next to the school. Memorials to the 12 students and 1 teacher who lost their lives and quotes from students, teachers, and parents after the incident brought tears and great sadness to my heart. Ajo wanted to visit this memorial for a really long time and I am glad we got to do it.

After Columbine, we drove to the city to take some pictures at the State Capitol Marker which says "One Mile Above Sea Level". It's a popular marker and perhaps one of the most photographed spot by tourists. We had dinner at Noodles & Company. We are hoping to get our car today evening. We are heading to Rocky Mountain National Park today.

Highlights of Day 7

• City Tour
• Columbine Memorial
• State Capitol Marker

A Stressful Day - Day 6

We are currently in Denver, CO. Around 11am, we were on our way to get our windshield replaced at safelite, we got into a  small car accident. God really protected us and kept us safe. It was a shock but no one got hurt. Our passenger side bumper area, fender area, and the head lights got damaged. There is a reason every thing happens in life the way it does. We put our complete trust in God.

We have to get our car repaired in Denver at an auto body shop. Currently, our Rav 4 is at Global Collisions getting repaired. We rented a Toyota, Prius to get around in town in the mean time. We are hoping to get back on the road on Thurday morning if everything goes as planned.

Events like these often cause great disappointments and sadness but life is such and as long as you have an anchor to hold on to, you will survive the roaring waves and the high winds.  We will hold on to Jesus Christ, our anchor more than ever starting today. Perhaps, that was His purpose to draw us closer to Him.

We spent our entire day on the phone. We went to dinner at Chipotle. This was not just any Chipotle. We ate at the every first Chipotle and we got free T-shirts as well.  I guess that was the highlight of our day.

First ever Chipotle Mexican Grill at Evans Ave, Denver. CO

Highlights of Day 6

• Lessons learned from a fender-bender
• Visit to the first Chipotle restaurant

Welcome to colorful Colorado - Day 5

We left our hotel in Moab at around 11am Sunday morning. We took I-70 East to Denver, Colorado.  The entire stretch to Denver was really impressive especially the Glenwood canyon area and the Eisenhower Tunnel area. The Eisenhower tower has a maximum elevation of 11,158 feet and length of 1.7 miles. It is the longest mountain tunnel and highest point along the Interstate Highway System. 11, 158 feet is the highest elevation Ajo & I have been at so far.

It was drizzly all day and we encountered some moderate showers by Veil pass and Eisenhower tunnel area. We had quite a bit of traffic driving into Denver after the Eisenhower tunnel. It took about 2 hours to get to our hotel room. We ate at a Popeyes Chicken for dinner.

Colorful Colorado

Highlights of Day 5

• Scenic Interstate Drive through Colorado
• Eisenhower Tunnel elevation at 11,158 feet

More adventure and more GRACE - Day 4

To visit Arches National Park has been a dream of mine for about a year or so now. It was the Utah license plate with a photo of a stand alone arch that grabbed my attention. A year or so later, I am here at one of the most beautiful places on earth.

We checked out of Days Inn at about 7:00 AM to go back to Arches National Park. Why so early? We were on our way to hike a 3 mile round trip to see the "delicate arch." A 3 year old inspired us to  venture this hike. Amazing, isn't it? Hike up to the delicate arch is labeled as a strenuous hike due to the elevation climb and the unpaved steep trail. To make a long story short, a 3 year old hiked up the trail and here we had already given up even before trying. This hike is the major tourist attraction not because of the hike itself but to witness, touch and admire the delicate arch up close.

The 1.5 mile up to the arch was pretty tedious but we hydrated ourselves, took breaks, and chatted along the way to keep us busy. We met tourists from all over the world hiking and finally there it was the delicate arch stood tall, unique and fearless. It was worth every bit of the time and adventure to view this natural arch. It was just simply splendid. For a moment I felt it was a dream. Am I really here? Did I really do this?. At the top, among hundreds of tourists of all ages admiring the arch, I was among them. It was an incredible experience.

The hike down was easier and went by quicker. We drove back to Moab to have lunch. About a mile away from the city area, I heard a popping loud sound. Ajo & I were totally shocked to see that something, perhaps a rock had hit our passenger side windshield and it cracked. The crack is about 8 inches or so but luckily by God's grace it is only superficial. We are thanking God for his divine protection.

We ended our day at Canyonlands National Park which was about 40 miles away from Moab.The canyon was vivid, serene, and beautiful. We got back to Moab around 9PM. Driving down the park, we saw some amazing lightning at a distant. We are spending the night at a Super 8 Motel in Moab. We are headed to Denver next.

Delicate Arch - that's me standing under the arch

Highlights of Day 4

• Hiking up to delicate arch (3 mile round-trip) at Arches
• Delicate Arch
• Canyonlands National Park