Purpose

The word "Purpose" haunts the heck out of me today.

I think this quote says it all -

The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. ~Leo Rosten

My Mind Monkeys ...

It’s never where it should be
Sometimes here and the other times there
On a little bit of this and a little bit of that
My mind monkeys …

Swinging from limb to limb
Making it branch by branch
Stopping only for a quick scratch
My mind monkeys …

Meandering in reflection and swinging in obsession
Seeking connection when in isolation
Craving seclusion when in conjunction
My mind monkeys …

Reaching swiftly places galore
Moments bridging the seas and shore
Oscillating in and out of a knot one more
My mind monkeys …

Digging the past poking the future
Whirling backward sometimes forward
Rest still it won’t stay calm it don’t
My mind monkeys …

Musing on dozens of ideas
Idling on myriad reasons
Barely in peace with the moment
My mind monkeys …

Ache for longing crave for belonging
Aspiring and fretting and hoping and vexing
Filling my every cell and pore touching my deepest core
My mind monkeys …

Pausing to ponder … why wander
Riding emotions in crew things happen as they do
Driving my silence over yonder… can’t say why
My mind monkeys

-Manasi

One More Chance

This is a nice poem I came across by chance ... It’s a lot easier to tell what you would do if you had the right chance than to show what you did with the chance you had.

Oh no! I’ve lost my chance!
I just can't find it anywhere
It was in my back pants pocket
But now, darn it - it’s not there

Just yesterday, I had my chance
Now suddenly it’s gone
And the worst part is that was the one chance
I depended on

I only had one chance

But still I let it slip away
I’d give anything if I could have
My one chance back today

It was truly the chance of a lifetime
But it fell out of my pants
I wonder where you go
To get a second chance?

-Manasi

The Five Things I Don’t Want To Simplify

Though we all want to simplify daily aspects of our lives and are in constant pursuit of the same in this complex anatomy of the world - life’s innumerable complexities ruling heavy on each of us, there could be a few things that were better, superior and preferable if remained complex. Simplicity, though vouched as the ultimate sophistication today, let me list out five things in my life which rather remained complex than simple!

1. Ice creams: I love ice creams… life’s simplest pleasure. It would be boring if they are plain, simple and vanilla. I have my ice cream made as complex as possible representing ‘my creation’ – with hundred different mix-ins available and make it an ultimate ice cream experience each time!

2. Stories for movies and books: Good, thrilling and engrossing plots that really make me think, ponder, unravel the mysteries. The characters actually follow me everywhere for days, long after I’m even done with reading or watching them.

3. Indian food: The delectable recipes of Indian cooking are very complicated and add to their richness and delight. I love the very fancy and elaborate Moghulai Biryanis, Tandoori cuisines, Maharashtrian Puran Polis and not to mention the variety of finger licking South Indian pickles. The complexity of Indian cuisines adds to the magic that works wonders on the palate.

4. People: They say ‘a hundred men together are the hundredth part of a man.’ A human being by nature is so complex and contradictory that it would be so uninteresting if everyone around were the same and stereotype of the other.

5. Hiking: The complex the better I guess. They help push me to a new level each time. They are more fun, challenging and rewarding when complex.

-Manasi

I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter. - Walt Disney

Aromatic Nostalgia!

Today I was frying Rava (Semolina), a little more than usual quantity, in good amounts of fat, so that I could use it whenever needed for my future cooking - saving time on frying it each time. The aroma from the frying Rava softly tickled my olfactory glands and made me so nostalgic of the good times spent at home with my parents, back in India. As the Rava kept frying in the pan, it effused a strong, sweetened, savory and scrumptious aroma pulling out the sweetest memories from my pot of yester years!

Diwali is just around the corner and I go back remembering how by now my mom would have finished with making of all the sweetmeats like Karanji- Rava Ladu- Anarase- Thelchi- Shankarpale- to be savored on the day of Diwali. My sister and I were potential helpers of my mother in this endeavor. It was such fun to sit through all the lengthy procedures of making the Diwali goodies. It wasn’t easy at all. Each and every item stated above needed a pre -preparation with lots of culinary ingredients to be cleaned, sifted, sieved, soaked, fried, roasted, simmered, cooked- not to mention the culinary experience and excellence needed that went with it - an undoubtedly and a truly time consuming affair - all this for the simple pleasure of delectable indulgence which occurred only two or three times in a year on some special family occasions. So there was this absolute participation and contribution from each and every one of us in the family to celebrate this festival of Diwali - making it more of a deliciously rich festival per se- what with all the fat, sugar, jaggery and the dry fruit stuff which went in preparing these mouth watering delicacies. And later after relishing them, we collectively bantered on seriously shedding those extra pounds we actually gained after the festivities.

The aroma filled in my kitchen here, as I recognize, was so similar and as intoxicating to the ardent aroma coming from my mom’s kitchen whenever she prepared those sweets. I miss her a lot today and her sweetmeats a big time. Her love infused creations of all these delightful sweets always unfailingly filled my heart, and later my tummy, with joy. I will always love you Ma!

Mood of the day: Serene

-Manasi

"The act of smelling something, anything, is remarkably like the act of thinking. Immediately at the moment of perception, you can feel the mind going to work, sending the odor around from place to place, setting off complex repertories through the brain, polling one center after another for signs of re recognition, for old memories and old connection. " -Lewis Thomas

Eureka!

Hey... have you ever noticed, how if you have an unresolved problem, that you just cannot find a solution to, all you need to do is sleep on it?
This is very true for code.
What seems to be a big jumble at 1am, comes together in minutes at 5am. Believe me. And the bliss is inexplicable!

-Manasi

Most Beautiful Words In English I Like

I was just wondering as to what and how would I answer if someone asked me, the twenty most beautiful words I could think of, in English. That’s something to ponder upon. ... Let’s begin, I would say and quickly jot down the words here, not necessarily in the order from one to twenty. And why do I consider them beautiful? I would say, they simply sound beautiful to my ears and also for what they really mean. I would add by saying, I definitely like their usage while they are uttered, when they are listened to or even tripping on them occasionally while reading. Actually you know what, nothing special about them. Still, for some reason they go right through me and love the way they make me feel and I guess are dearer to me.

Inorder to embellish their essence, listed below are quotable quotes for each of these words that I consider most beautiful in English.

Sweetheart - "That life is richer, sweeter far, for such a sweetheart as you are!”

Mother - Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, but only one mother in the whole world." ~ Kate D. Wiggins

Butterfly -"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." ~ Hans Christian Anderson

Chocolate - "All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! Forget love - I'd rather fall in chocolate!!!"

Enthusiasm - "If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm." ~ Vince Lombardi

Eternity - "To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”
~ William Blake, "Auguries of Innocence," 1810

Laughter - "Laughter is the best medicine" ~ Proverb quotes

Delicious - "Fudge is a noun, a verb, an interjection, and delicious!" ~ Jessi Lane Adams

Tranquility - "Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility." ~ William Wordsworth

Twinkle - "Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!" ~ Jane Taylor

Fantastic - "Until we're educating every kid in a fantastic way, until every inner city is cleaned up, there is no shortage of things to do." ~ Bill Gates

Darling - The poet's darling. ~ William Wordsworth, "To the Daisy"

Amazing - I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. - E.E. Cummings

Moments - "Life gives us brief moments with another...but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a life time..."

Fragrance - "Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same" ~ Helen Keller

Hippopotamus - “There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud” ~ Carl Sandburg

Passion - If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Sunshine - "It takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow."

Tomato - "A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins." ~ Laurie Colwin

Dreams - "Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny."

When I researched a bit on this I found that the British Council, the government agency that promotes British culture around the globe, quizzed more than 40,000 people in 102 non-English speaking countries on their favorite words. According to the survey results, the top ten most beautiful words in the English language are as follows:

Mother
Passion
Smile
Love
Eternity
Fantastic
Destiny
Freedom
Liberty
Tranquility

-Manasi

What Say?

Been a hell of a week, hasn't it? Life is a pain in the ass I'll tell ya. You know?
You work hard, try to provide and toil for the family, you do as much as you can, as far as you can and then... for one minute, everything's good. Everyone's well, everyone's happy. In that one minute, you have peace...

... And this isn't that minute.

Life doesn't always turn out the way you plan.

- Me

Kabhi Kabhi ...

After a very long time I was listening to this old favorite of mine... and every time I listen to this I feel the soulful pain in the moment and the pensive mood that's created with every line of this piece ... uttered in mountainous voice of Amitabh Bachchan.

Kabhi kabhi mere dil main khayal aata hain...
(Every now and then a thought crosses my mind)

Ki zindagi teri zulfon ki narm chhaon main guzarne pati
Toh shadab ho bhi sakti thi...
(That life, if spent, beneath the warmth of your tresses,
Might have been tolerable and pleasant)

Yeh ranj-o-gham ki siyahi jo dil pe chhayi hain,
Teri nazar ki shuaon main kho bhi sakti thi...
(This ink-like darkness of angst which is eclipsing my heart,
Might have been lost under the shadows of your vision)

Magar yeh ho na saka aur abh yeh aalam hain
Ki tu nahin, tera gham teri justjoo bhi nahin...
(But this could not be, and now such is the situation
That neither you, nor your sorrow , not even the desire of you is left)

Guzar rahi hain kuch iss tarah zindagi jaise,
Isse kisi ke sahare ki aarzoo bhi nahin...
(Life is passing by in such a manner that,
It doesnt even aspire for anyones support)

Na koi raah, na manzil, na roshni ka suraag
Bhatak rahi hai andheron main zindagi meri...
(There is no direction, nor a purpose, not even a trace of hope
Drifting away in a pathway of darkness, Such is my life)

Inhi andheron main reh jaoonga kabhi kho kar
Main janta hoon meri hum-nafas, magar yoonhi
Kabhi kabhi mere dil main khayal aata hai...
Kabhi kabhi mere dil main khayal aata hai...
(In this darkness I will remain lost
I’m well aware of that, my companion, but still
Every now and then a thought crosses my mind)

-Manasi

Eyemotion!

When an eye captures an emotion I call it an Eyemotion!

I came across this wonderful picture when I was doing my little research on Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Two tiny ducklings happily paddling around in a white tea cup with spillover water around the cup... I simply loved the picture for the sheer joy it exuded out of me by mere looking at it for its kalos kai agathos as the Greeks called which is nothing but the singular balance of the good and the beautiful.

-Manasi

What Did You Do Today?

This is a good one!

One afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house. His three children were outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house.
Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she may be ill, or that something serious had happened. He found her lounging in the bedroom, still curled in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.
He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"
She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and ask me what in the world did I do today?"
"Yes" was his incredulous reply.
She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."

My appointment with the dentist

Can I say I dread dental treatments. I had an appointment with a dentist yesterday at 10 O'clock in the morning for a routine biannual dental cleaning - rather I thought of it as just the dental cleaning - a good oral hygiene where they scrape the tartar off your teeth, polish them and once you are out with it, your teeth look shinier, whiter, feel cleaner than ever before and you have this new found gaps in between your teeth as they would have scraped every bit of the built up which formed in between your teeth over a period of time from your last dental care appointment and mine I remember was to be two years ago.

It was a very posh dental office for family and cosmetic dentistry to provide people with quality and comprehensive dental care.They claimed that they were concerned not only with my current dental problems but also with my long term dental health. Together, they say, we will work to ensure that I not only maintain dental health, but also have the opportunity to have a smile I will be proud of. That was a real good kick start for me...

I was asked to provide my dental health history in a form in which they were a series of never ending queries to be duly filled by me and after that if I had any questions, I shouldn't hesitate to ask!

Dental Health History as I recall -

The first question was - Are you apprehensive about dental treatment ? What am I supposed to answer... :)
Have you had problems with previous dental treatment?
Do you gag easily?
Do you wear dentures?
Does food catch between your teeth?
Do you chew on only one side of your mouth?
Do you avoid brushing any part of your mouth because of pain?
Do your gums bleed easily?
Do your gums bleed when you floss?
Do your gums feel swollen or tender?
Are your teeth sensitive?
Do you feel twinges of pain when your teeth come in contact with Hot foods or liquids - Cold food or liquids - Sours - Sweets?
Do you take fluoride supplements?
Are you dissatisfied with the appearance of your teeth?
Do you prefer to save your teeth?
Do your jaws ever feel tired?
Does your jaw get stuck so that you can't open freely?
Does it hurt when you chew or open wide to take a bite?
Do you find jaw pain or discomfort extremely frustrating or depressing?
Are you unable to open your mouth as far as you want?
Does your jaw pain or discomfort affect your appetite, sleep, daily routine, or other activities?
Do you have pain in the face, cheeks, jaws, joints, throat or temples?
Are you aware of an uncomfortable bite?
Are you a habitual gum chewer or pipe smoker?
Have you had a blow to the jaw?

To all of these and many more questions that I can't recall now, my answer was "NO".
and then there came a set of two more queries -
How often do you brush? and How often do you floss? - Brushing once a day for a little less than a minute is what I have been doing since years now and to their dismay I never knew how to floss.

Having completed the form here I rushed to the receptionist and handed over the forms to her. She flipped the pages back and forth and showed me many more forms to be filled. I gave a sigh, went back to where I was seated and went over those unfilled ones.

There was a long list of Medical Health History questionnaire to be answered in each category related to heart problems, blood problems, allergy problems, intestinal problems, bone or joint problems, stroke, thyroid problems, severe headaches, fainting spells or epilepsy, diabetes, tuberculosis, smoking, hepatitis, neurological disease, , history of alcohol or drug abuse, routine questions for the female gender... to all my answers were a humble "NO".

And there was a smile evaluation sheet which had to be filled too and explanations needed for every single query -

Do you like the way your teeth look?
Are you happy with the color of your teeth?
Would you like your teeth to be whiter?
Would you like your teeth to be straighter?
Do you have spaces between your teeth that you would like closed?
Would you like your teeth to be longer? If so Upper or Lower or Both?
Do you like the shape of your teeth?
Do you have missing teeth that you would like to replace?
Do you have old silver fillings that you would like to replace with tooth-colored fillings?
If you could change anything about your smile, what would you change?

To all of these questions it was again a "NO" with no explanations given! I would not change my smile and got it over with.

I was a little tired and the whole process also left me with some exasperation at the end of it all to have answered this personal questionnaire as I personally haven't thought of myself as much as it had provoked me to. Drained out of my patience, I found myself in an unexpected territory of some weird intrusion of a rare kind by some stranger as I had to ponder upon each and every aspect of my general routine ... It took me a good amount of forty five minutes from start to finish. This was just the preliminary to what was about to come in a while! Stay tuned!

More about it in the later post!

-Manasi

Some tortures are physical
And some are mental,
But the one that is both Is dental.~Ogden Nash

How Many More Miles To Go!

To think of the bygone... since the time the doctor got me out of my mom's body in the hospital in the city Pune, state of Maharashtra of my country India on this planet earth on the fifteenth day of the month of January in the year 1977, till date life has been on a constant move, never did it stop a second. It did have some speed of sorts and is still going on. Life with its eventful journey with the journey called life itself!
I was just wondering how far have I travelled life and how many miles did I cover since I was born. Is there any quantitative measurement which figures out the number of miles one has travelled since the time one has set foot on this earth. I mean you can calculate the amount of time lapsed till date since then like, these many years, this many months, number of days, total hours and then zero down to a millisecond's precision till your last breath here and now... but what with the distance? The concept of time and space is still under scrutiny, being philosophical and scientific at the same time - and with these two dimensions we relate the things around us.
A little trivia here: Most people aren’t aware that they are travelling through space faster than a speeding bullet. Each day you move 24,000 thousand miles even if you are standing still but that’s nothing compared to how far you move in space around the Sun each year - over 500 million miles !!!
To summarize, we know and can quantify the time passed through the sail of our life to date but do we ever know how long we have travelled in the realm of space since our journey through the womb!?! Also what stupefies me is, I wasn't at rest even in my mom's womb. I moved as she moved...I travelled as she travelled in all those precious and protected nine months too! How many miles have I travelled since then...How many miles have I travelled so far...and how many more miles to go...
...The journey continues!
-Manasi
You won't realize the distance you've travelled until you take a look around and realize how far you've been - Anonymous

The Cascade Loop

The Cascade Loop is a thrilling ride through the heart of Washington State through some of most beautiful countryside and interesting areas encompassing magical cityscapes and spectacular landscapes, chilly alpine lakes and rushing rivers, islands and towering peaks. The byway travels through areas as diverse as they are magnificent: This 400 mile self-guided driving tour circles through the heart of Washington from the salty waters of the Puget Sound, across the verdant foothills of Cascade Mountains' western slope, the peaks of the North Cascades National Park enclosed in glaciers, and into the sun-drenched high desert expanse of the Columbia River Valley.

Part I:

State Route 20 is the northernmost route across the Cascade Mountain range in Washington and is commonly referred to as the North Cascades Highway. This scenic byway also called most scenic mountain drive in Washington offers travelers a wide array of beautiful landscapes, and is part of the Cascade Loop, the 400-mile driving tour through the Cascades. We pass Mount Vernon where the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April brings thousands of visitors who come to see and photograph the blooms. Then we drive down to Skagit Valley towns like Sedro-Woolley. Lovely vistas of Skagit river all along the scenic byway. Jagged peaks, deep valleys, cascading waterfalls and over 300 glaciers adorn the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Three park units in this mountainous region are managed as one and include North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas.

The first town with services is Marblemount where you can find food and supplies. So after having our veggie burger breakfast we headed towards Newhalem. At Newhalem, the North Cascades National Park Visitor Center provides exhibits, maps, information about the park. Beyond Newhalem you enter the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Preserve, a vast 1.7-million-acres. We spend some time at the Gorge Creek Falls.

The overlooks above Ross and Diablo Lakes make excellent vantage points. The distinctive color of each lake (Ross is teal, Diablo is jade) is caused by finely ground rock dust suspended in the water and reflecting the green of the forest and the blue of the sky. Driving forward we enter the Okanogan National Forest resplendent with fall colors of the foliage.

The highway also crosses Washington Pass and Rainy Pass. Other trails, including the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, lead from roadside into the North Cascades National Park. Met two determined hardcore hikers who started the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail in April this year from Mexico and still have their last stretch of 62 miles to cover to reach Canada. They have been walking past six months and have enjoyed every bit of their achievement.

 
Washington Pass on the North Cascade Highway is magnificent! As the highway swings south, great walls of granite sweep upward. Dead ahead, the massive bulk of 7,600’ Liberty Bell Mountain seems to block any passage through the mountain fortress. Just when it seems impossible, the highway makes a great horseshoe bend and clambers up the face of Liberty Bell. The off-road viewpoint at the top of the pass provides splendid views of the mountain-ringed valley.
  
We drive across Mazama and then to Winthrop which looks like the set from a Western movie. False-fronted wooden buildings, hitching rails and board sidewalks all create the illusion of a frontier town. We in search of a place to halt for the night in one of the towns. Finding no place to stay over at Twisp and Carlton due to enormous crowds filling in all the hotels and camping sites we finally found our destination of slumber in our car by a RV park which had some restroom facility and retired in our sleeping bags for that cold night.

Next morning after the breakfast we took off to Methow River Valley. The Methow River is a popular rafting destination. The Methow and the adjacent Okanogan country is famous for its superb stream and lake trout fishing. Dozens of small lakes dot the region. The Methow Valley is Washington’s equivalent of the Old West. As you drive up the valley, you’ll pass fields of baled hay, big old weathered barns, corrals full of horses and the jagged Cascades for a backdrop. We chanced upon some lovely reflections of the Methow valley.

The Cascade Loop highway follows the Columbia River to Pateros and then we reach the Lake Chelan which is one of the top freshwater recreation areas in the Pacific Northwest. The warm, dry weather is particularly appealing and we spend little time by the lake watching people engaged with various water activities. 

The Entiat River road detours northwest here into the heart of the Wenatchee National Forest. We then drive to Wenatchee which is located at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers and is crowned the "Apple Capital of the World".

The Wenatchee River brings you to the Old American City of Cashmere. Smallwood's harvest at Pehastin had halloween pumpkins all over the place and it was great so see so many at the same time at the pumpkin fest. It's vite-vity-vitie-vidi-pumpkin!!


 
The gateway to the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth is spectacular. The Tumwater Canyon highway hugs sheer canyon walls on one side, winding and twisting through the rocky gorge, as the Wenatchee River rushes past on the other side. Suddenly, you round a corner and there is Leavenworth, nestled tight up against the mountains that rise to more than 8,000’. Leavenworth is an authentic Bavarian Village.

Almost every building in town is decorated with ornate woodwork and Bavarian motifs. Leavenworth features German cuisine, its own brewery, and coffee roaster along with pastry and chocolate shops. Leavenworth is home to the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum - Nussknacker Haus carries one of the largest selections of unique German nutcrackers. I treat myself with a huge yummilicious fried ice cream and come along getting a cute nussknacker for a souvenir. We later drive in the Wenatchee National Forest and enjoy the fall foliage on the way. Excellent colors passing the hillsides of red huckleberry bushes, yellow aspens and brilliant and parti colored douglas maples. The fall in the forest was spectacular.

The highway follows the rushing Skykomish river as it ascends the west slope of the Cascades to Stevens Pass. Several small towns along the route have logging heritages with nature still at their doorsteps. Throughout this region there are plenty of hiking trails, campgrounds and fishing spots. Sultan and Gold Bar are both noted for their river rafting, hiking and fishing. The little town of Index nestles at the foot of spectacular Mount Index and is a favorite of rock climbers. Skykomish for outdoor activity in the surrounding mountains.

Part II:

Washington's islands are among the most attractive destinations in the West. Placid bays, forested shorelines, rural inland landscapes give the islands the atmosphere of private, secluded retreats. Two of the most easy to explore islands are Fidalgo and Whidbey. We drive north towards Mount Vernon and via State Route 20 towards Anacortes.

Deception Pass Bridge soars high above the water to reach Whidbey Island. Views from the bridge are spectacular, especially at tide change when the water below boils through the narrow passage at a furious rate. Deception Pass Bridge connects Whidbey Island to the tiny Pass Island, and Pass Island to Fidalgo Island. The Deception Pass State Park is outstanding for breath-taking views, old-growth forests and abundant wildlife. Views of Deception Pass, Deception island, some other small islands and Mount Baker from the Deception Pass Bridge are spectacular at sunset.

We reach historic Coupeville the heart of Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island. I ate their favorite local delicacy, Penn Cove mussels in plentiful at a fine restaurant. Enjoyed great views of Penn Cove between the shops.

 
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve is a new kind of national park. It was created by Congress in 1978 "to preserve and protect a rural community which provides an unbroken historic record from...19th century exploration and settlement in Puget Sound to the present time." 

Enduring patterns of community life in such a setting have created a unique cultural landscape - described as a 'blend of people and place'. The vistas, woodlands, and fertile prairies of the Reserve are much the same today as they were 100 years ago when New England sea captains were drawn to Penn Cove and farmers to Ebey's Prairie. Time has touched only lightly upon Central Whidbey. Still, the landscape of the Reserve continues to grow and change, shaped as always by the community of people who live and work here. Farms are still farmed, forests are logged and historic buildings are still actively used today as homes or places of business.

Verdant Whidbey Island lies at the extreme north end of Washington's island-strewn Puget Sound, forming the eastern boundary of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. To the east rise the glacier-clad peaks of the North Cascades, to the north and south stretch miles of deep water, islands, and coves. Silhouetted against the southwestern sky, the Olympic Mountains form a dramatic backdrop for the island's rural setting. In the central portion of Whidbey Island is Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. Its boundaries encompass broad fertile prairies, high seaside bluffs, rolling woodlands, shallow brackish lakes, and a deep protected cove.

Views from the bluff are spectacular, looking out across the Strait of Juan De Fuca to the Olympic Mountains. On the beach, massive logs lie like thistle sticks from a world of giants. The green and tan of the grass and sand stand against the aluminum blue of the sea unfurling on the shore. On the western side of the island, Fort Ebey and Fort Casey State Parks preserve military installations that once protected the entrance to Puget Sound. We spotted lots of deer in the parks as well as on Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. We drove to Fort Casey State Park and Fort Ebey State Park which offered breathtaking marine views and visited the Admiralty Head Lighthouse.

With this we circle one of America's grandest and most spectacular scenic drives.

National Geographic Traveler describes the Cascade Loop as "one of America's grandest, most spectacular drives." Circling the heart of Washington through thick forests and open desert, this 400-mile byway includes a little bit of everything. From downhill skiing in the Cascade Mountains to county fairs in the Columbia River Valley, it's one of the best ways to get a Cliff Note version to Washington. Nine separate regions of the state make up this massive byway, each with its unique flavor and personality.