Time not spent at work...

Yesterday we had a great time at Cougar Creek! Brad and Sonja joined the Mobergs, Todd and me for an awesome day on the rock. We hung out mostly in the cool Cosmology Crag area. Ruby is climbing STRONG and she led some fantastic routes for Sonja and me to enjoy - thanks Ruby!! Brad and Dustin got on some harder stuff, and Todd's shoulder is bothering him so he didn't "climb" exactly... but he did bring his route-building gear and started on a new route across the creek from where the rest of us were playing. I got the... thrill???... of bashing my way up through the choss and moss for a 'first ascent' of the route... although it was mostly a dirt-fest, destruct-o, knock-down-the-loose-shite type of ascent... but fun none the less!! Some small, reachy edges get you up to a super neat corner, followed by lots of blocky goodness leading to a stretched out move which must be made over the tough lip to the chains... it starts out crazy, then it seems like you have it under control, but then it gets away on you again all of a sudden... so I named it Acetylene Reaction (if you know where I work, you'll get it).

Today I may meet up with my good friend Jody for an afternoon session at Grassi, then tonite we look forward to more visiting with fab peeps! The weekend will probably be nuts at the local crags, so Todd and I have talked about a few scrambles we are going to attempt - one of the Sisters and Grotto, perhaps. We'll see how it goes!

Cheers!

Happy Canada Day!

This week has been quite a bit of fun so far! Sonja came out on Sunday, and the plan was to peddle down the Cascade Fire Road to the creek and then hike into a climbing area downstream of the bridge. Well, we got about 25m from the parking lot... and were forced to switch to plan B when Todd blew out the front tire on his bike. So we headed back towards Canmore and decided to walk into Stoneworks, which turned into a fantastic time. The canyon is gnarly and the climbing is varied and cool. Then on Monday, Ruby and Dustin joined us and the five of us climbed Keel Haul Wall and Grey Waves on Goat Mountain. The weather and views were stellar! Sonja had to go home that afternoon, but the Mobergs stuck around and I climbed with them yesterday at Grassi Lakes. It was awesome!

Today is a day of rest for me. A group headed out to the Back of the Lake, but I have some things to catch up on, so I stayed behind. I may have to head downtown however, and take in some of the July 1st festivities - it is a beautiful day and I can hear the music and commotion from where I live! Yeah!

Cheers!

This is the life...

Aaaahhhhh!! Gotta love summer vacation!! The weather has been co-operating surprisingly well so far, and we've gotten in several climbing days at Cougar Creek as well as a completely nuclear kiting day at Keho Lake. Tomorrow Sonja is joining us and we're going to ride our bikes up the Cascade Fire Road and then hike into Coral Crag for some sport climbing. According to the guidebook, it looks pretty rad! Then on Monday, I think we'll try to get on a multi-pitch - maybe the East End of Rundle, Goat Mountain or Guides Rock... the choices are endless! The rest of the week is open, but I'm sure we'll keep ourselves entertained. Yaaayyy for time not spent at work!!
Cheers!

The Daily Drive

I have been driving to my job at a plant out near Joffre for almost **GULP** ten years now! And surprisingly, I do not find the commute boring in the least. The road winds through some beautiful Central Alberta farmland and down through the Red Deer River valley - the 25 minute drive is scenic and soothing - and it's a great way to start and end a work day.

Here are a couple of pics from along the route on various mornings - I see everything from animals to heavy equipment to amazing cloudscapes! How lucky am I!!

Fore!!

Although it's not my first choice of outside activities on a nice summer day, I must say that a round of golf is not a bad way to pass a few hours! I was reminded yesterday that I actually don't mind the game - the course we played is in lush condition and (bonus) I didn't lose even one ball! Plus it's relatively decent exercise - I carry my set of ancient clubs (read: old, made of steel, in the bulky, original-equipment bag, all of which I received as a 20th birthday gift!!), and often times I am all over the place trying to find my crazy shots. Add to that about 100 swings, and there is no lack of energy expended on my part! So, in light of the fact that there are no rock faces and few sufficiently windy days in Red Deer... I'm thinking I'll be seeing a bit more of the fairways and greens in the area when I'm in town on days off. If you need a 4th and don't mind hanging out with a moderate hacker who doesn't take it tooooo seriously... give me a call!!? Oh, and did I mention I'm super efficient at flagging down the beer cart!!

Cheers!

Um... summer... where art thou??

Ha. Well, the great weather came to an abrupt halt last week. However, as Albertans we are pretty resilient, and we've grown accustomed to just rolling with it. Which means: break out the wetsuits/drysuits... and go kitesurfing! It seems like the logical thing to do doesn't it, when it's blowing 30kts, the temp is +5C with the 'windchill', and it's raining intermittently?!

Gull Lake was the place to be this past Friday/Saturday/Sunday. There was a bit of sun and the ambient was quite warm at times, but the best thing was that, due to the wind, there were hardly any people on the beach. Todd rode for hours and hours each day, and I even gave it a go. My water start is working out okay, but riding in the chop was a bit challenging. Combined with a few obstacles (buoys, moored boats, the odd crazy person out swimming!), my attempt was somewhat in vain... after about 45 minutes of thrashing around I went back to taking pictures. But it was fun to get out and fly the kite and get a bit of a feel for the water again.

I'm back to work now full-tilt for the next couple of weeks, but hopefully by the end of the month, summer will make another appearance?? Keep your fingers crossed!

Life is soooo darn good!

What a fabulous weekend! Most excellent company + fantastic weather + Bow Valley limestone = superb fun! Todd and I got a climbing day in at Cougar Creek and another day at Kanga Crag, then the Moberg Family and Paul O joined us for a couple of more days at Canadian Forks and at Grassi Lakes. It was stellar! The temps have remained perfect and the skies have been mostly sunny, for several days in a row - which is somewhat unusual for the valley... but I am NOT complaining!!

The place in Canmore is up for sale again, so I had to buckle down the last few days and do some major organizing, cleaning, and fixing (I now have caulking permanently stuck in my hair and I think I have plumbers crack!!). Maybe tomorrow (either before or after a 2pm appointment) I'll be able to get out and enjoy some more of the great outdoors! Yeah! Bring on summertime!

Cheers.

If a tree falls in the forest...

Ahhh, the forest! And the rock! And the creek! Put them all together, and you have a stellar location, called Cougar Creek! I got out climbing yesterday for the first time this season, and it felt soooo good! Yes, the toes and forearms are reminding me today, that it is going to take a few pitches to get used to it all again... but I'm sure I can suffer through it! The weather is beautiful and it is supposed to stay that way for most of the week. I'm hoping to get in as many climbing days as possible before I go back to work, and so far I'm booked until Wednesday... Life is good!