The long Independence Day (4th July 08) weekend began ,stretching from Thursday afternoon to Sunday night .Sai worked at home on Thursday and in the evening we all went to the Marin County Fair in San Rafael. The 101 Freeway was choked with traffic with everybody rushing to their favourite resorts taking their Campers, boats, trailers with horses, bicycles anything with which they could enjoy their long weekend.
The Marin County Fair, conducted in the Marin Civic Center, was very similar to an Indian mela except that there was an entrance fee of 14USD each and we did not have to pay at any of the Giant wheels, Toy trains, racing cars etc.There were however paid games especially for the children, and plenty of Mexican/Italian/Chinese and other fast food stalls, Beer/wine counters etc where people had come, just to enjoy themselves. Because summer is setting in everybody was freaking out, with minimum clothes on!! Latha and I also went around on a giant wheel just like in our childhood days.
Throughout the Fair I could not help but think of Swami and His wonderful creation .I did not feel as though I was in a foreign country at all. I found the same type of behaviour of human beings here too. I was reminded of what Swami says:
People may be born in different countries;they may have different colours and names;but all of them belong to the same human race.Wherever we may go,we will find the same human race without any differences whatsoever. This is the basic principle of Bharathiya culture. Indian culture, in fact, represents the eternal form of Atma.How true Swami .Here I was in Marin County Fair in the US, experiencing each and every word of Swami !
Bythe time we had finished roaming around it was 8.30 p.m. The Sun had just started setting! Sai and I went to a Quick Food Plaza (which had surprisingly a large variety of vegetarian food) picked up a plate of Nachos (Mexican) and Gyros (Mediterranean) snacks. We then spread out our mattress near a pond to enjoy fireworks which were to start at 9.30 p.m. to commemorate 4th of July, American Independence. The remote controlled fireworks, programmed through Computers, which lasted only for 30 minutes, was spectacular and thrilling. The fireworks were launched from a barge in the centre of the pond and were very colourful and beautiful .
All those who came to see the show were applauding throughout. The last set of fireworks which took place along with the “Stars & Stripes" the American National Anthem was simply out of the World and very touching. It was indeed heartening to see the Americans value their independence so much, just like any other nation in the World. And the very orderly way in which the Police guided the cars out of the Civic Center after the Fireworks display, was remarkable for its efficiency and orderliness and smooth handling. Overall a veryunforgettable event indeed.
Unlike India however, there is no Independence Day speech by the President. There is only one speech in January every year when the President makes a speech from Washington, called the State of the Union Address. As to who would be giving the address in Jan 09 it is just about anybody’s guess. Either Barrack Obama, the Democratic candidate (a darling of the media) or John McCain the Republican nominee. After reaching home at 10.30 in the night Sai went to the SFO Airport to pick up Saroj who was coming from Minnesota to spend the week end with us. They both came back home at 12.30 p.m.
The next day we left at 8 in the morning for Lake Tahoe, a tourist spot, 200 miles and about four hours of drive away. Our plan was to go further ahead to a place called Truckee, another 40 miles away, where Stephanie and Betty had gone for the week end. The infrastructure in the US is so beautiful that the drive was very smooth and enjoyable. We did not feel the distance at all although we were driving at an average speed of 80 to 100 mph.Saroj was the navigator .She carried Sai’s Lap Top and googled our way.
Tahoe is a small town , a tourist resort,which is very beautiful surrounded by mountains On one of the mountains there wee traces of snow.Sai has come here in the past during winter, when the whole town is covered in snow .He and his friends have even done plenty of snow skiing on the mountain slopes. The height of Tahoe is only 6000 feet and yet there were traces of snow in the neighbouring mountains. Surprising, as in the Himalayas you do not find snow till you reach 15000 to 16000 feet. The US is in the Northern hemisphere and closer to the Arctic Pole unlike India and hence the difference.Latha had carried some biscuits and we had some excellent coffee en route .At Tahoe we had a solid vegetarian sandwich at Subway. There were a couple of Indian restaurants too.
After lunch we went around Lake Tahoe which is one of the bluest, purest and clearest bodies of water in the world. It is a lake into which more than 50 streams find their way and is 65 feet deep. The Lake is in a valley landlocked by mountains and hence the water does not flow in to the Ocean. The Lake was however as big as an Ocean front and was simply enchanting. From swimming to water skiing to cruises of all types, Lake Tahoe begs everyone to come on in.
But what do you do when you’re out of the water? You have quite a few options: Hiking, fishing, camping, golf, tennis, mountain biking and over a dozen world-class ski resorts (during winter). Located just three miles from the south shore of scenic Lake Tahoe is the Lake Tahoe Airport which provides year round access to this premier tourist spot.The Weather Gods were also very cooperative and people were really enjoying themselves on the Lake beach .There were some Indian families too getting into the lake fully clothed as against a majority of the others who were wearing very little on! Quite an experience! All along the waterfront people had spread out their camp chairs and mattresses and were just lazing around either with a book or beer or both. Some were busy with their barbeque! 
From Lake Tahoe we proceeded to Truckee and were there at about 3.30 in the afternoon after doing some adventurous driving up and down mountain trails. The signposting on the roads down to the last mountain trail however was very clear and we did not have much of a trouble googling our way and successfully locating Truckee. Stephanie and Betty were waiting for us .They had their Camper with them, loaded on to Betty's truck.They also had their Trailer in which they had brought their two horses along. The Camper is self sufficient with its own small fridge, sleeping place for two, a small kitchen with cooking oven, a small toilet, along with provision to work off solar energy for lighting for 3 to 4 hours and gas for cooking purposes. And water stored on top of the Camper for bath etc. The very concept I found was very thrilling. And the mobile does not get connected here .Ideal for StephSai to come out for a romantic outing!
There were three or four families around who had also come in their Recreational vehicles (RVs) and Motor Home alongwith their trailers and horses.Unlike campers where the living shelter is mounted on a SUV, an RV has the living shelter built on a SUV body. Campers and RVs are intended for everything from brief leisure activities such as vacations and camping, to full-time living. RVs can also be rented in most major cities and tourist areas.A Motor Home is the size of a Bus and is a virtual moving home.It is much more spacious than a Camper or an RV and often includes extra desk space, an upgraded electrical system, a generator, and satellite Internet etc.Many people in the US who cannot afford to buy a Home live off Motor Homes in special parking areas called Trailer parks.
The routine of Stephanie and Betty starts at whatever time they get up and that is generally about 8 in the morning. They then have a quick bite for breakfast and go with their packed lunch on their horses for a ride up the mountain trails close by and come back in the evening. They are accompanied by “Barnegans” (Barnie in short), their German shorthair pointer.We barbequed some tofu rolls, and marshmallows which we cooked over a fire grill lit up with charcoal and sticks gathered from the neighbouring forest and also had some Fruit salad . It was quiet and calm and the air so fresh. It was a wonderful feeling .And we all sat down as a family enjoying our Tofu sandwich and our marshmallows. Betty liked Saroj and said that she looked like her sister in law. We all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and started driving back at about 6 in the evening. Reached home at about 10 in the night .On the way we saw how quite a bit of the forest land had been devastated by forest fires. We could even see some forest fires in the distance. This year California state has been facing a number of forest fires. In fact in Tahoe area 4th July fireworks have been banned. So ended our Independence Day weekend in a memorable way - the way the Americans generally celebrate – at home with barbeque and marshmallows.
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