RV Trip through the SouthWest

My blog is not meant to be a travel blog or a journal of events, I had meant for it to be an introspective dive into my thoughts and feelings. Now, after my first RV trip in Oct 2020; I no longer see a distinction between the two. Why write about this trip when I haven't written about Cancun or Jodhpur or Thanjavur? That's because this trip was a learning experience like none other. 

I learned much from my friends; from cooking skills to gadgets, to handling uncertainties. Pretty amazed at their organization skills; They've introduced me to the idea of getting to a place, doing some activity there, and driving to the next place. The trip was a challenge to my physical and mental abilities. Much to my pleasant surprise, I'm 40 and I can still scale heights, climb rockfaces (with some coaching :) ), kayak, walk by freezing lakes, and all of this on one large meal a day and a few snacks here and there.

I learned about the RV sub-culture and the whole eco-system. I learned about what you can do with an RV, where you can take it and where you cannot.. and now I know about "grey-water" and "black-water".

And finally, I learned about all the different places I visited; all of the above was an experience amidst the rugged beauty of the American southwest, an unforgettable treat to the eyes.

Destinations:

Lava Tubes

Hike to hot springs

Lake Mead

One of the most scenic places that I have been to.

Emerald Cove

The Kayak ride was great, but the cove itself was a little underwhelming.

Fish Lake, Utah

What exactly did we do here, lol? I learned the concept of dressing in layers. Your regular day-to-day clothes can protect you well in sub-zero temperatures if you stack them up. Gloves and a ski-mask would have been more useful.

Lake Powell

Another highlight of the trip. This place was just awesome and so was the drive to this place from Utah.

Horseshoe Bend

Part of the grand canyon, the eastern rim. I guess I don't have to say more.. some amazing rock formations.

Meteor crater

An amateur astronomer's dream come true.

Sedona Arizona

Some interesting rock formations and a clever tour guide.

RV:

The first thing to know about an RV is that it is not an off-road vehicle. If your regular Sedan can't go on a road, your RV most certainly cannot.  Driving it on icy slopes and unpaved roads is super hard. There are places where you can park it, and there are places where you cannot. If you park it on sand, the wheel is going to sink. It happened to us and we had to be towed.

If you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, having Verizon as your service provider is a lifesaver. My service provider.

And in that context, I now know what Jeeps are for, they are true off-roaders; they go on top of boulders and rocks. This why you see RVs towing a Jeep.

Similarly, driving an RV in high wind conditions is scary, it is one of the most un-aerodynamic vehicles, the front part is shaped like a parachute. We were almost knocked out of the road a couple of times.

Finally, the sewage disposal :) it is easy, but pulling the levers in the wrong order can lead to some nasty consequences. Familiarize yourself with grey/black water. The tube is like a slinky, learn how to handle it :)

Climbing:

I just realized that going up a rock face is easier than coming down, the reason being you know where you are going. Climbing is as much about Problem-solving as it is about physical ability. You have 4 appendages, 3 remain locked in place while 1 has to be moved to the target spot. And, you need to know exactly where that target spot is.

Health and Fitness:

The brain may not be able to work on an empty stomach, but the body certainly can. I was pretty amazed that I could engage 3-5 hours of physical activity a day on 1 large meal. Lost about 8 pounds in that week. Seems to be the best way to lose fat and keep in shape :)

Toys for Boys:

Here are some cool items that my friends introduced me to

• Light-weight quick-dry towel - easy to carry around while traveling
• HeadLamp, i.e. flashlight with a headband, it can be very helpful in caves
• Some cool card games - Coup, Exploding kittens 
• Kitchen stuff - Non-stick Tava, the ready-made Rotis, veggie-burgers, small sauce-pan (for boiling milk, for South-Indian style coffee)

Regrets:

The first one was not bringing my telescope along. We had some clear night skies in the desert; would have been a good opportunity for star and planet gazing.

The second and more scary thing that we shouldn't have done was taking a rooftop ride on a couple of jeeps. Not a place where we could easily balance ourselves and there was no way to communicate with the driver i.e. tell the driver to stop and let us off.  I have promised myself to not do that again

Cancun notes

1. Loved the Cenotes
2. Snorkeling - Do it with your swimming glasses; the reef will be shallow.
3. The ruins are OK.
4. Resort attached residences are not so good - No water, no food, no microwave, no fridge
5. International calling set up with T-Mobile was a mess.
6. There is no Uber, cab drivers rip you off

A prayer borrowed

In support of the Carnatic musicians.. TM Krishna..

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.[a]
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness[b]
    for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,[c]
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your Kodanda and your sudarshana
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
We both lose ourselves in your infinite glory
and you shall dwell[f] in the house of our hearts
    forever.[g]

Echo and Narcissus

Echo and Narcissus,

Two character flaws, blind repetition & self-obsession.

The struggle continues

Muscles are beyond sore..
Knees and Ankles are about to give up..
The body shudders..
The mind is now too numb to beg for mercy..
Exhaustion turns in to a migraine..
Everything tells me I've done my due diligence in the ring..
And yet the pot belly adamantly sticks out..

The struggle continues ..

-

Cooking

That seems to be the general indian pattern :)

1. Cut the vegetables
2. Saute the garnishing spices
3. Saute the vegetables
4. Add water, masala, rice, lentils
5. Cook under pressure

The Omniscient Dream

Have you heard of the omnipotent dilemma? Can God create a stone so big that he can't move it?
I may have stumbled upon an equivalent dilemma in the context of omniscience. 

At times, when I'm asleep, I know that I'm sleeping, and I have tried to get myself to wake up; But I'm so sleepy that I can't; there is a struggle and I'm confused about what has happened. Have I woken up or am I still in my bed, dreaming that I'm brushing my teeth?

So, how do I assure myself that I have woken up? I do so by observing the level detail that I'm perceiving. Reality has a lot more detail, almost infinitely more detail. In real life, every task has a dozen intermediate steps, often unforeseen intermediate steps; Whereas in a dream, the moment the thought of doing something occurs and the task is done.

Say, I decide to step outside my apartment and go to the common area and have a look at the snow capped peaks around Seattle. The task would take about 30 seconds, and while doing so, I get to perceive so many things that my mind didn't remember.. the plants big and small, the houses and the shadows that they cast, the clouds, the dust on the floor, the people, their faces, their clothes and finally, the hill tops themselves don't exactly look as my mind remembered them to be. But, in my dream, I think of doing it and the next moment I have done it; but only to the extent my mind remembers.. My mind is finite, and it cannot hold the humungous amount of information that this much larger world pours at it..

But what if my mind is of infinite capacity? If it can hold every little piece of knowledge about the world? And in that situation if I fall asleep and start dreaming.. Would I be able to tell the difference between a dream and a perception of reality? 

So, can God, an omniscient being, be absolutely sure that he is awake and isn't dreaming? :)