about vinod kurup

Cousins Trip 2005 (photos) was in Lake George, NY this year. The weather didn’t quite cooperate this time. It was cloudy and rainy all week. Still, we were able to get in a great hike, some competitive bowling, basketball and mini-golf, not to mention enjoying the 2nd annual Elvis Festival. While we didn’t run into any bears, we did see plenty of wildlife. Of course, I would be a rumpcake if I were to forget to mention our late-night Taboo contests, the highlight of the trip.

Previous Trips:

1. 2000 Youghiogheny Rafting
2. 2001 Sea Kayaking North Carolina Outer Banks
3. 2002 Grand Canyon
4. 2003 Seattle
5. 2004 Lake Tahoe

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/08/05/wallofwater.ap/index.html (link now broken)

The sudden release of water from Ralston Reservoir south of Auburn sent a “wall of water three to four-feet high” down the Middle Fork of the American River, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Tom Marshall.

That’s the river that we rafted down a couple weeks ago during our 5th Annual Cousins Trip. If it had happened during our trip, I still probably would’ve been the first one to fall in.

We went whitewater rafting in Pennsylvania in 2000, sea-kayaking in North Carolina in 2001, and death-marching (er… hiking) in the Grand Canyon in 2002. This year, we chose kayaking and hiking in Seattle.

We went kayaking near the San Juan Islands on Thursday. It was a great upper body workout and our guide Martine was a fountain of information. We saw some harbor seals close up and a bald eagle from afar. We (well some of us) were really hoping to see whales, but unfortunately, they didn’t cooperate.

On Friday, we drove south to Mt. Rainier. The skies were overcast in Seattle but they conveniently cleared up just as we neared the park. The views were breath-taking (or was that the hiking?). We trekked around Paradise (yup that’s what it’s called) along a path that Manu picked out. It was challenging, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. One of the climbs took us to the top of the cliff where Manu warned Noel, “If you fall, Anita won’t let you join us next year!” After a quick well-deserved soak in the hotel’s outdoor jacuzzi, we finished the night with some amazing sushi at Shiro. Everything was great but I could’ve done without the Uni (sea urchin) - those who didn’t eat it seemed to enjoy it the most.

On Saturday morning, we played our annual basketball game. Because of some logistical details, I had the fortune of playing on the young-guys team in game 1 and the old-guys team in game 2. My team lost both games, thus graciously providing both the oldies and the kiddies with bragging rights. I took a few movies - Harish making a shot, Girish with a tough shot, and Dilu with some fancy dribbling.

After basketball, we ate brunch at the Space Needle and took in the great views of Seattle and Mt. Rainier in the background. Saturday was a day to relax and take in the city without exercising too many muscles.

I’m skipping over a lot of details, but the bottom line is that I had an amazing time. It’s always more fun than I imagine it could ever be. I can’t wait til next year.

See Manu’s site for some more pictures.

I found some more pictures from the Phoenix trip, so check ‘em out again! And please don’t touch or sit on the Indians.