Monday, October 27, 2008

28 hours later...

Oh, it feels good to get out of the car!! We left home on Sunday, and early this afternoon we arrived in Phoenix, Arizona. Todd and I took turns behind the wheel of the exploder, and we drove straight through. Stopped only for fuel. So we're both kind of hopped up on energy drinks and coffee!! It is my sister's birthday, and we're visiting with her and my brother-in-law tonight, then tomorrow we'll head down to Mt Lemmon to meet up with some friends. If we can find some reprieve from the +35C temps, the rock climbing will be awesome!
Ahhh, I'm fading fast... time for some supper and then a good night's sleep. Hopefully I'll have some desert pics in the next few days.
Cheers.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Road Trip Time!

It's almost that time again... time for a ROAD TRIP!! Today was my last day of work, basically until December 8th... which is a VERY good thing... I'm not feeling all warm and fuzzy about showing up there lately, so I'm hoping an extended vacation will get my mind off of how much I'm disliking it... Nothing like travelling around the countryside to lift a person's spirits, hey!!
I have a few things to look after early this week, then I'm going to make a stop at the parents' place in Medicine Hat. Sadly, their 8-year-old boxer named Gibson recently succumbed to a cancerous tumor... and the addition in the last few weeks of a baby poochie named Toby has really given that household a much-needed boost of positive energy. I can't wait to meet the little guy!! Then I will continue on to the deep south... Todd is picking me up and we will drive like madmen to climb at Jack's Canyon in Arizona, where we will be meeting up with some friends who left the country at the beginning of October. I'm flying back to Canada for a few weeks mid-November to tend to some family business, while Todd zips over to South Padre Island. When the coast is clear, I will catch a plane to Brownsville and join the kitesurfing crew. Todd has to be in Denver for a course which begins December 1st, so I'll drive with him and hang out there for a few days, then return home. Kind of a whirlwind, I know! But it should be great!! How can it not be? I won't be at work! Everything else is just a bonus!
So feel free to stay tuned; I'm taking my camera and my laptop and I'll post when I can.
Cheers!

Friday, October 3, 2008

A fine way to end the summer...






The weather actually picked up for a couple of days last weekend, and some friends came out to do a bit of sport climbing. Saturday we hiked up Cougar Creek, which is always a great place to crag... the rock is solid and the creek provides endless entertainment for the kids. We spent some time at Casino Cliff - I can't believe I've never climbed on it before!!! And, Crowbar was a good choice to end the day, since it takes some serious skill to pull the rope without dropping it in the water. Sunday, we enjoyed the upper area at Grassi Lakes. It's been closed for years, and I forgot what awesome routes are at White Imperialist and Upper Golf Course... so it was like a brand new experience for us!

This weekend, barring any major precipitation, we'll probably get out for a couple more days of sport climbing... need to get the fingers as toughened up as possible before heading south. Yes, we'll be on a road trip soon!! October 26th we'll be hopping in Ol' Purple (the Explorer) and bee-lining it for Arizona, where we'll be meeting up with a bunch of friends to do some stellar climbing at Jack's Canyon and Mt Lemmon. After that, it's Texas here we come! South Padre Island will be our hangout until the first part of December, where we'll be doing some kitesurfing.

Cheers.