The Moses Moment at Mount Hamilton

Two angry eyes were staring down at us from the heavens. God had parted the celestial veil and revealed His face before us. We stared back at Him for a very long time.

I am no Moses and this isn't Mount Sinai; but on a cold, windysundown hour atop Mount Hamilton, my brother Sameer suddenly jolted me with aplaintive cry, "Look, there is an eye in the sky!" I looked at the sightamazed. Two angry eyes were staring down at us from the heavens. God had partedthe celestial veil and revealed His face before us. We stared back at Him for avery long time.

We had reached Lick Observatory atop Mount Hamilton (4000 ft) fromSan Jose, California, via a lazy 45- minute drive. It was sundown time and westood outside the Observatory taking in the near 360-degree view of the plainsbelow. The wind was tearing at our jackets, blowing away our mufflers as italso piled up multi coloured chunks of cotton wool over the horizon. The sunwas setting and out of its haze the face began to take shape. First the eyeswere formed, then the nose appeared suddenly out of a bundle of cotton wool.The rest of the face soon took shape. It was a rarest of rare moments - a Mosesmoment.

The face stayed with us with some time. First, it peered down atus angrily. Then, it turned quizzical and finally, it became benign. Themoments of revelation passed in unhurried seconds. God had made peace with us.He then blew in a gust of wind which re-veiled Him from us.

The photogenic moment in the sky had us spellbound. A click of thecamera here and another there were the only interruptions that we allowedourselves in those minutes of eye-lock with the face in the sky. It was anincredible experience atop an otherwise dull hillside on the fringes of SanJose city.

In fact, few people come to Mount Hamilton. The Lick Observatoryis no tourist attraction and when we had started out from the city, Sameer hadtaken precautions to stock up on some snacks and water. The route to thehilltop has no human inhabitation and traffic is limited to perhaps a dozencars in a day. As a result, it isvirtually pollution free and visibility is excellent. On any given day, one canstand atop the Mount and enjoy the spectacular view of San Francisco Bay areawhich is good 50 km away as well as the Santa Clara Valley below.

The sinuous 31-km Mt. Hamilton Road is popular with bicyclists andmotorcyclists. Built in 1875-76 inanticipation of the observatory, and the need to carry materials and equipmentup the mountain in horse-drawn wagons, the climb is gentle. The road rises over4,000 feet in three long climbs from San Jose to the mountain top.

The road is advertised to include 365 curves, one for each day ofthe year. This is true, subject to definition of the term "curve." Ifthe yellow line bends to the right, then straightens out, then bends to theright again, it is regarded as one curve. If the yellow line describes an ess,on the other hand, it counts as two curves, regardless of how gentle the essmay be.

Cyclists' fondness for the road relates to the long but not overlychallenging nature of the climb, sparse vehicular traffic over most of itslength, and spectacular views of San Jose and the rest of the valleybelow. There is an annual cycling challenge climbin April.

Ashwini is a Lucknow-based media professional who culls out travelexperiences while on mundane assignments


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