It's only early September, but many shops and cafes are already decked out for Halloween, which is still almost 2 months away.

Even though it was Friday—a workday—there were quite a few people around. In a couple of spots, we even had to sit in traffic within the park and do an extra loop looking for a parking space. My friends say that compared to weekends (especially long ones), the park was pretty empty. Plus, the season is basically winding down now: the waterfalls have almost dried up.

If you show up at the wrong time (during peak season on weekends), you'll lose a bunch of time dealing with crowds of people wanting to enjoy the local scenery.

Made it to Yosemite Valley. Saw a disappearing waterfall for the first time. The water flows down, but literally dissolves along the way. Looks really cool.

I read about sequoias and thought I'd share: they're incredibly well adapted to fire. They handle forest fires easily and actually open their cones right after a fire. These trees don't get along well with other neighbors, and fire usually burns everything else away, so it's the perfect time to grow the next generation.

Back in the last century, thanks to human efforts, the number of forest fires dropped significantly. To help sequoias, controlled burns have been happening in parks since the 1960s. There are signs everywhere with burn dates and requests not to worry. But nothing burned today.

Check out this awesome caterpillar :)

Bears live in the redwood forest area. Detailed instructions on what to do if you encounter them are posted at the entrance. Throughout the entire park, there are bear-proof trash cans like these. Everything is done to ensure that animals continue to find food naturally rather than rummaging through human garbage.

Finally made it to the sequoias. They're absolutely gigantic. And there's a whole forest of them! Can't fit a single one in a photo.

The most tolerant toilet :)

Russian fairy tales at Fort Ross.

We were lucky to arrive right when the tour was starting, so we decided to join and ended up being the only ones. The other visitors were wandering around on their own. Our guide turned out to be an interesting guy: an American who spent several years living in Yakutsk and speaks Russian excellently (though with a strong accent). And he genuinely loves this job.

Scottish cows!

Some stores have an electric version (!)

Thanks to Igor for the photo.

A special wheelchair for people with disabilities in a grocery store (!) Honestly, they really pay attention to these kinds of things here. Especially compared to Moscow. As a result, people like that get around more and lead more active lifestyles. And that's pretty cool.

On domestic flights in the US, they often open your luggage and check that there's nothing suspicious in there. And they leave a note inside. They write that if they couldn't open it normally and had to break the lock, that's not their fault. You should've bought a suitcase with a proper lock (:

PS. Plus, throughout the entire flight there was unlimited free WiFi on the plane. And the speed was actually pretty decent too.

California is joyfully welcoming us with wonderful gas prices. $4 per gallon (~72 rubles/liter). For comparison, New York is 1.5 times cheaper: $2.7 per gallon (~45 rubles/liter).

On the bright side, rental agencies have hybrid cars available. They help save on fuel.

I always have this problem at Starbucks with them spelling my name correctly. The simpler I try to introduce myself, the more creative the variations get. I've already been Rose (!!), Russian, and now I'm Raj. Delighted, really.

A special wheelchair for people with disabilities at a grocery store (!)

Honestly, they really pay attention to these kinds of things here. Especially compared to Moscow. As a result, people like this get around more and live more active lifestyles. And that's pretty cool.

Finally Moscow!

Wait, something seems off with the navigator (:

PS. Photos from the town's official website are gorgeous. Especially the Moscow police and the photo caption "God bless Moscow" :)

I thought it would be fair to show you the crowds that gather here during holiday weekends. It's better to visit on weekdays if you can.

That's all for the waterfalls. Honestly (:

Hard to believe, but New York is actually a wine state. The Finger Lakes are covered in vineyards. Local winemakers even win prizes at wine competitions (and I mean real ones—who makes the best wine, not who can drink the most).

And honestly, the whole area around the lakes really reminds you of Europe (same latitude and all). Nature, forests, lakes. Straight-up Europe vibes.

There's another park about 30 km away. This one costs money (a whole $8!). But way fewer people, though still quite a few. It actually feels more interesting in some spots, honestly.

I got to see so many waterfalls today. It was absolutely amazing. And the weather was perfect.