Camping Under the Stars at Cloverdale (Part--I I )

                                 

View of wild deer on the mountain slopes

                             

Luxury Camping Lodge

                               

Deluxe Camping Lodge

                               

KOA Camping Area

               

We are invited by our kin to spend two days in the woods under a tent along with their friends. We doubted our ability to adjust ourselves in a forest cut off from modern facilities and comforts. Further our delicate health posed another doubt. Yet we decided to go with the flow and were curious to know the experience of spending two nights in the forest. We had to take all provisions, tent material and equipment and also cooking gas, eatables and water in our vehicles. We felt as if we are going to a marriage function. Our lady members prepared dishes in enormous quantity and packed them neatly so that soon after pitching our tents we can have our lunch in time without further delay.

            

View of the Cottages

                          

Wooden Swing outiside the cottage

                      

Children's Park

                            

View of Vineyards

                              

Swimming Pool

                     

 The camping site is KOA (Kamping Grounds of America) located in Cloverdale, Sonoma County.  It is one of the largest systems of privately held camp grounds spread over an area of sixty acres. It is situated on a mountain ridge overlooking Alexander Valley, a famous vineyard place having nearly fifty wineries and cultivating different types of grape varieties. Our camping site is nearly 135 miles from our stay and it took nearly three hours to reach the site. First we have to book and register our names to go there. The hills covered with brown tufts of grass and clover on one side and the sea waters on the other side with many buildings all along the mountain slopes led us through the big city of San Francisco. We passed by Golden Gate Bridge as we took exit 520 off the main highway U.S.-101. We entered the valley region with many winding turns going up the hills.

 By the time we reached our camping site it was already past noon. The young team in our group used their skills and alacrity in setting up five tents for all the members to stay in. It took more than two hours in digging, unfolding and fixing the tents on the site. Meanwhile all refreshments already prepared at home by ladies with much diligence quenched our hunger and thirst. Though there are big trees all over the area it is very hot. We took rest in the tents for some time and later went out to watch people fishing in the nearby pond and took a stroll on the road flanked by forest trees and bushes. Surrounded by hills and dense green trees all around we felt quite relaxed and free. We went to the nearby country store to buy some provisions and wood. After having our evening tea and snacks we went to the children’s park and spent some time watching the children play on swings and hanging bars. In the evening again all were busy in cooking food and making camp fire. Here mention should be made about the culinary talents of our young team who excelled in preparing barbecue items, fried curries and salads. The food was quite really delicious and amazing. Later they sang and chatted right up to midnight. Tired with day’s journey we went to bed early and slept soundly forgetting our surroundings. The cool breeze and silence made us quite forget about electric fans and A.Cs.  As it was midsummer we did not see any birds. But early morning we were awakened by the sounds of crows.

 We got up early to wash as we have to walk 200 yards and make use of limited facilities available and also to avoid long waiting time. Only four bathrooms and two toilets are provided for gents and same number for ladies too. The authorities could have provided more toilets and bathrooms to avoid inconvenience to tourists who come here in large numbers along with their family. But the warm shower bath is quite refreshing. Most of the tourists make their own breakfast and tea. Here canteen opens only after 8.00 a.m. For early raisers like us it would be better if coffee and tea are served in canteen by 6.30 at least.  In the country store basic essential provisions are given including milk, coffee, packed food items and cosmetic articles. But yogurt is not sold. It would be better to include that item also. More things needed by tourists have to be included. 

In the afternoon we went to a mountain stream where children can wade through shallow waters and play there. Even elders were tempted to cross the shallow ford and enjoy the cool waves of the stream. Meanwhile we saw some people going for a swim in Lake Sonoma which is nearly 27 miles from the camp. In the evening we went for a stroll up the hilly slope to watch the scenic surroundings. We sighted a herd of deer grazing on hilly ground. We felt elated to see those wild animals from such close quarters and we immediately started clicking the photos of those pretty creatures. Our camp has been guarded by a wire fence to avoid forest animals intruding into our area. In one way they are provided security from human crowd also who may throw stones and disturb their leisurely, calm habitat. That night we had a grand dinner prepared by our youthful team members. Special mention should be made about one elderly couple who enthusiastically took part in all activities and encouraged us with their interesting tales and songs. In preparing various dishes the elderly lady showed her experienced skills and managed to arrange everything in time without wasting time. So we got everything we wanted in time and did not find any delay in having our food at all hours. Our young members along with their children got maximum entertainment and a lot of fun and at the same time lent their hands in preparing food and in cleaning the surroundings. I appreciate their team spirit and mutual co-operation in managing everything in a tidy manner without getting disturbed or irritated.

 The next day we got up early and after having our breakfast and cleaning the surroundings we dismantled our tents and packed our luggage. After dispersing from there we met again at Saravana Bhavan, at Fremont to have typical South Indian meals and later dispersed to our homes with loads of fresh memories about our friendly gatherings and the scenic beauties of Cloverdale camping site. Occasional trips to rural side and scenic places refresh our minds and keep us in touch with Nature augmenting our mental and physical health also. Our hearty thanks to the young members in our team who looked after us with meticulous care and concern so that we did not miss anything essential to keep ourselves cosy and comfortable.

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           31st August, 2017                                                     Somaseshu Gutala                            

Camping Under the Stars at Cloverdale (Part—I)

                           

                                 

Cloverdale Camping Site (KOA) is located on a ridge overlooking the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County, north of California. It was opened in 1962 and since then many tourists come here to spend their time in midst of hilly surroundings and wooded valleys. At this place there are many 100-year old oak trees, Eucalyptus trees and evergreens. It is located nearly 80 miles from the famous Golden Gate. The organizers of this camping site provided requisite facilities and enhanced the beauty of this place by providing suitable places for fishing, boating and swimming. Nearly fifty wineries are located nearby for those who wish to enjoy wine tasting and learn about various kinds of wine produced here.

Camping  Cottage

     

Inside the cottage

Country Store

Swimming Pool

Picnic Table

Lake Sonoma

Russian River

     

Fishing Pond

  For staying at this place many options are given. One can bring tents and stay on the open space allotted here. Otherwise one can stay in Kamping Kabins with accommodation up to four people. In bigger cabins six people can stay. In one room cabin one double bed, one bunk bed, a swing porch, a fire pit and a picnic table for four are provided. In double room cabin a double bed, two bunk beds, a swing and a picnic table for six is provided. But there is no provision for bath room and rest room in these cabins. In Luxury Camping Lodges facilities like kitchen, a coffee-maker, a barbeque, a fridge, a stove, a blender, a private bed room, a bunk bed, a bath room and A.C. facility along with a micro-wave oven are given with accommodation for four people. In Deluxe Camping Lodges only two people can stay with all above mentioned facilities. One has to book at least for two nights during weekend days and three nights during vacation time. In this camping site spread over 60 acres, there is provision for 75 R.V.(recreational vehicles), forty-nine tents, twelve one-room cottages, six two-room cottages, six Luxury camping lodges and four Deluxe Luxury camping lodges.

 Facilities like mini-golf court, basket ball half-court, fishing pond, solar heated swimming pool, hot tub (Sauna), spa and gym for children, country store, snack bar, outdoor movies, bike rentals and a center to provide wood and cooking gas are available. Silent hours are from 10.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m. Radios and other electrical equipment are not to be played during this time. One should not inconvenience others by causing loud sound disturbance. Washing of cars and R.Vs is not permitted. Likewise cloth lines to dry clothes are not allowed. Pets are allowed but they should be held on leash. Check out time is 12.00 noon and after that three dollars are charged per person every hour. As limited resources are available no one should waste water. Children and kids should return to the camp before 10.00 p.m. The swimming pool is open from 10.00 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. The rest rooms are open at all hours.

 This site is suitable haven for nature-lovers, bird-watchers, Nature trail trekkers, cyclists, and swimmers. There are forty miles of trails for those who wish to walk and view the scenes of hills and valleys. For boating and canoeing one has to go to Lake Sonoma at a distance of twenty seven miles or to Russian River at a distance of sixteen miles. To maintain the clean surroundings the organizers took special care. But there is a need to set up more garbage bins. The way to rest rooms is quite dark at night time and so sufficient illumination may be provided. For the convenience of the people more rest rooms have to be set up.  More sign boards giving directions to various destinations may be set up to help the tourists. TO meet any emergency a helpline should be provided to help the tourists. To save time tents already fixed will help a lot as nearly two to three hours are to be spent for setting up tents in open space. At the canteen more dishes may be given and breakfast may be provided by 7.00 instead of 8.00 a.m.

 The main motto of this camping site is “TO conserve, preserve and protect our world”. Let us also follow their ideal and avail this unique opportunity of living in the lap of Nature without depending too much on machinery and electronic devices. 

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27th August, 2017                                                                      Somaseshu Gutala

Window Shopping At “The Range”, a Home Decor Shop in Watford

The Range, Home Decor Shop , Watford

                       

decorative dolls

Canvas Print

pillows

                         

Generally when we go to a new place, we wish to visit shops, restaurants and malls to get an idea about the availability of articles and local or special products displayed there. We went to ‘The Range” a very spacious mega store where one can see a variety of items of home décor, stationery, furniture, electrical and kitchen accessories, garden tools, toys, beds, sofas, dining tables, and whatnot. A whole world of all things needed to make your home comfortable and look nice. Of course there may be other show rooms having many more types; but that is beyond my scope. This shop is located not far from Watford and is within the reach of all.

School bags & Lunch Boxes

                      

stationery items

                              

bread toasters

                                

                                

Dining Set

                               

 As soon as we entered the mall we saw a stupendous variety of things of whatever you ask for. There are sixteen departments having nearly 65,000 products all neatly arranged. We saw beds, mattresses, sofas, chairs, dining tables, chairs, children’s toys, office furniture, different types of mirrors, electrical appliances and a garden nursery with various beautiful potted plants. We feel enchanted by this vast variety and a little confounded as it is very difficult to select from so many innumerable models and types. For example there are 176 types of mirrors in various shapes and sizes; there are 53 types of office chairs and there are 29 types of mattresses in various colors and sizes. We do not know that so many varieties have ever existed in such simple items like rugs, mats, clocks, vases, candles, curtains, blinds, dressing mirrors and picture frames. It is quite awesome and astonishing indeed!  We feel as if we entered a museum and we cannot see the whole mall within a span of one or two hours.

Of course it requires a lot of patience and leisure to enjoy watching this world of home décor and other furnishings. One can spend easily three or four hours and will have a clear picture of modern trends and fashions in decorating one’s home and  about various latest gadgets and tools that lighten your domestic work. I really appreciate the labor taken by these people who bring almost all items under a single roof so that you need not go here and there searching for your domestic and household items and decorative things. I understood that the first store of this company was opened in 1989 in Plymouth. Now it has more than 140 stores all over U.K. A fast growing retailer shop indeed!

 In modern times I feel one thing lacking mostly in many shops located in the cities. It is clearly the sense of human touch. You feel as if you are left alone in a world of things with no one to guide you with a friendly smile.  Of course you can browse through their well documented web site to select a suitable article of your choice, but it is not equivalent to a friendly chat. Even after you get the item of your choice, no one is there to help you to install it for reasonable charge. You have to struggle through the manual and strain till you get the article assembled in good shape. If you are weak in mechanical skills, then you have to secure a handyman by coughing up a large amount. Here comes the crux of the problem. Some people may give up as they may think that the cost of installation exceeds the real cost of the article chosen. That is why there is an absolute need of human touch and prompt service in any business one takes up. It should not be made to look like a world of lifeless mechanical tools in desert silence.

 Let us hope that these shops will offer us not only astonishing variety of products of good quality at reasonable rates and but also impress our minds with their prompt service and good communicative skills as well.
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14th August, 2017                                                                       Somaseshu Gutala

About Science Museum, South Kensington, London

Stephenson's Rocket Locomotive

                           

Boulton and Watt Steam Engine

Modern Steam Locomotive

Airplane in Flight Gallery

Space Suit

                               

Apollo Space Capsule

Ford T Model Car

                                

To see two big museums in a single day is quite tiresome and will not give a full picture of the famous exhibits displayed there. Yet time constraint made us rush through these two capacious museums casting a casual glance at the countless attractions. We visited first “ Natural History Museum” and spent three hours and later went to “Science Museum” which is adjacent to it on the Exhibition Road. A subway connects the museum to the South Kensington Underground Station Though it was founded in 1857, many changes and renovations have been carried out to make it more developed and useful to public with so many rapid changes in various fields of science. It is one of the city’s major attractions and more than 3.3 million people visit this museum every year.

 This museum is a public funded museum and entry is free except for temporary exhibitions. This museum has been merged with the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester in 2012. In 1857 Bennet Woodcraft founded this Museum from the collection of the Royal Society of Arts and items from the South Kensington Museum. From these items the collection of machinery was separated and made into the “Museum of Patents” in 1858 and later called the “Patent Office Museum”. In 1883 these items were transferred to South Kensington museum and later in 1885 the science collections were renamed as “Science Museum”. The Art collections eventually became the “Victoria and Albert Museum”. On 26^th June, 1909 the Science Museum became an independent entity. The present building was designed by Sir Richard Allison and the Museum was opened in stages to public between 1919 and 1928. Later many extensions and modifications have been to include more galleries. This Museum has a collection of nearly 3,00,000 items connected with various branches of Science and technology.

 The “East Hall” spreading up to three floors is the first area seen by visitors at the entrance.  Many big steam engines of different sizes and shapes greet your eye. The oldest surviving steam engine (Puffing Billy) designed by William Hedley in 1814 is one of the star attractions. The gradual change and evolution of steam engine is shown by these wonderful mechanical objects. Another important attraction on the ground floor is the re-creation of James Watt’s garret shop comprising nearly 8,300 articles taken from the famous scientist’s house at Heathfield Hall which was demolished in 1927. The giant metallic ring fitted with LED bulbs gives out different patterns and messages when visitors type messages in the energy gallery.

 The gallery “Making the Modern World” deals with rockets, satellites and exploration of space. The models of Stephenson’s rocket and Apollo Spacecraft are prominent exhibits in this section.  In the “Flight” gallery, the models of various types of aero planes starting right from that of Wright Brothers is worth seeing. The helicopters and cross section of the Boeing 747 and military fighter planes like Spitfire and Hurricane surprise us by their sheer size and complicated machinery. To see such scientific wonders from such close quarters is really a rare opportunity.  Display of various models of cars is another interesting place to see. Very old cars along with most modern cars are exhibited in this section. One can see how fast technology is developing creating many new things with modern comforts and facilities. 

various types of switches and plugs

                        

various types of fuses and fuse boxes

                      

                                  

Radio in olden days

                                        Teasmade models (machine fro making tea)

Next one can find a lot of interest in the gallery “Information Age” which shows the evolution of communication field. Many models right from Morse telegraph to latest digital devices are displayed here. Various models of old phones with dialing system and their odd shapes make us remember our bygone days when only very few people had the privilege of having a desk phone in their houses. Others had to go to telegraph office or any telephone booth to communicate with their people. In computer section the first original computer by its sheer big size and so many keys makes us wonder and think how fast science has transformed the size and shape of the huge computing machine to modern slick size and shape.

Analytical Engine devised by Charles Babbage

Ferranti Pegasus, 1959 the oldest computer in the Museum

                         

                        

 Various models of domestic gadgets such as sewing machines, refrigerators, washing machines and mixers are displayed in chronological order. We felt very much curious and interested to see those old models made of different materials including earth and porcelain. We also saw the photos of many famous scientists and their life histories and their contribution to science.


                   

Gas Heaters

Cleaners in various sizes

Coal Stoves of earlier period

 In the Launchpad Gallery there are more than fifty interactive exhibits with live experiments and one can avail the advantage of explainers who give you a clear description about these objects. Another useful gallery for school children is “Engineer Your Future” which gives a lot of information about careers in engineering and encourages them to choose the field of their choice. This gallery was started by the Royal Academy of Engineering in collaboration with a group of companies and was opened in December 2014.

 The Science Museum has also organized many touring exhibitions at various venues in U.K. and Europe to educate and inspire people with latest information on various scientific topics such as “The Science of Aliens”, “The Science of Spying”, “The Science Box” and “The Science of Survival” etc. The Science Museum’s web site gives a lot of information about its valuable collections. The Palgrave Macmillan published the first complete history of the Museum since 1957 under the title “Science for the Nation: Perspectives on the History of the Science Museum” on the occasion of the centenary year of the Science Museum on 14^th April. 2010. “The Dana Research Centre and Library", along with facilities like a café and bar, was opened in the premises of the museum in 2003 for public convenience.   Documentary Films on science and nature are shown in Imax 3D theatre . Tickets have to be bought for I-Max theatre, flight simulators and special exhibitions.

We did not find time to visit Henry Wellcome Gallery on fourth and fifth floors. The fourth floor exhibit called “Glimpses of Medical History” deals with history of medicine and the fifth floor called “Science and the Art of Medicine” with models of medical instruments and practices from ancient days and from many countries. The library of this museum has been shifted to Science Museum Library in Wroughton,near Swindon, Wiltshire. It has many valuable books, journals, manuscripts on Science, Medicine and technology. Nearly 1, 70,000 items from this Museum which are not on current display are stored at Blythe House in West Kensington.  This House has many research facilities like a conservation laboratory, a photo studio and a special area to examine newly arrived items and specimens. Let us hope that a new library with all facilities may be set up by authorities within the premises of the museum for the benefit of visitors and young budding scientists.

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  7th August, 2017                                                            Somaseshu Gutala