Al’s Bucket List Trip

Sreejit (my son), Chaitanya (my daughter) and Akshay (Chaitanya’s husband) came to the U.S. this summer to visit family, work and be part of Amma’s North American tour staff.  Usually, they return to India immediately after the tour but this year their dad (my ex-husband) asked them to take him on a trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.  It was a trip that Al, Sreejit and I had taken in 1976.  Sreejit was still in a backpack at that time.  This particular trip was an important part of Al’s “Bucket List” and he wanted all of us, including me, to participate.

Sreejit, Chaitanya and Akshay picked up their dad the day after they returned from Amma’s tour and they headed to Yellowstone.  I joined them in the Tetons two days later.

The Grand Tetons were exquisite.  Their beauty was muted by smoke from the fires in Washington, Oregon and California but they were still majestic. It was easy to imagine what they would look like in their full glory.

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We had a wonderful trip and many experiences.  Most important to me though was the time we spent together.!

Photo credit: Sreejit Poole
Al and Karuna

As we drove through Yellowstone on our way back to Seattle, we had two last surprises.  After we passed this particular deer, we discovered there was another adult deer and three youngsters behind the trees.  The young deer were playing; running away from their parents, through the forest and then back to their parents again, all at top speed!  It was so much fun to watch them.  And clearly being that close to the bison was amazing.

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I’m so glad that Al brought us all together in this way.  It is a memory that will last a lifetime for each of us.

*****

21 thoughts on “Al’s Bucket List Trip”

    1. Al and I separated when my daughter was 3 months old. So she had never had this experience of a full family trip. That made it extra special for me, and I imagine for the rest of us as well.

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      1. It’s wonderful to know that you and Al could do a family trip again for your kids. Wishing you and your lovely family love, joy and laughter always 🙂

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  9. thank you for sharing your trip. How wonderful for you to experience such natural beauty and have your family to share it with you. It makes for the best memories.

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  10. The images of the lake and mountains are breathtaking. They have just added the Tetons to my bucket list! It also looks like you had some tasty meals while you were there. Why does this not surprise me when i see pictures of Akshay 🙂
    It’s hard to grasp how far the smoke from the Washington fires travelled. That’s like 800 miles?
    Knowing this makes the immensity of the fires more tangible.
    Thanks for posting these photos which have given me a sense of being on vacation

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