The last couple of weeks have given me the opportunity to drive a few different cars. Here is a short list. I will come back with a full review later:

1. Toyota Corolla: Decent car. Bad pick up at times.

2. Mazda MPV: Horrible for an SUV I think. The pick up's bad and there were sometimes when I thought I was going to careen off the road!

3. Kia Rio: God knows why they sell this thing !

4. Mazda Protege: Its okay to under-okay. But not as bad as 2 and 3!

If you go to the East Bay you shouldn't miss these. The Mines Road is an amazing place and the Del Valle lakes good. Did not completely explore either. Both are in Livermore, just off Tesla (L on Mines after R on Tesla from N. Vasco past the LLNL).

The Del Valle lake seems superb, but there is a $6 fee to get in. We didn't pay and we just went up and down and left.

The Mines Road, which takes a left turn before the road becomes the Del Valle road is just amazing (there's a sign that says Historical Route, pointing left to Mt. Hamilton). The drive is totally worth it during daylight, with a whole stretch of about 10 miles as a single road. Its an amazing curvy route, not very scenic.

My friend got sick and we had to turn back. Will go back and explore more.

Srihari

So, I went on a hike to Yosemite with one of my best friends. I took more than 300 shots - most of them look alike, who cares. But the best things in Yosemite still cannot be photographed. I will get back and write more on this. For now, did you wonder where the words "Yosemite" and "California" originated?

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