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Friday November 23, 2007 

Mike does a good job of outlining what has happened since we got back to the Red earlier this month. You can find that update out on his website. Some highlights include

which brings me to today!

I was determined to have a real Thanksgiving despite not being with close friends or family this year. Kenny was instrumental in getting the arrangements locked in. Linda of Lago Lindas was supportive and offered the café for the night. Kenny, Mike and I shopped earlier in the week buying nearly $180 worth of food. In the end, we used all of that food and then some from our personal stock to complete the meal for about 18 hungry adults. Kenny and Mike peeled and diced the night before, helping to prep as much as we could to avoid doing everything the day of. Thanksgiving day, we went out climbing early, then Mike and Kenny went back to bolting while I began the Thanksgiving dinner preparations. A group of campers at Linda’s took the day off from climbing and were hanging around the café so I had extra hands in the kitchen from time to time to help bring everything together. With the main meal only 30 minutes behind schedule, everything was ready by 7:30pm. We set the buffet area and everyone enjoyed a sit down meal together with the usual Turkey fare: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, yams, vegetables, salad, rolls, and 3 pies (apple, pumpkin, and sweet potato). After desert, we watched Grandma’s Boy, again. Thanks to everyone at Linda’s who contributed or attended the dinner. Linda was skeptical there wouldn’t be anyone around to make the effort worthwhile and I was worried she might be right. Without the attendance, I wouldn’t have had my thanksgiving meal!Thanks, again!

Today is cold but some people went out climbing. I was pretty beat from all the work on Thanksgiving and I needed to do laundry and start prepping for our departure from the Red so I went into town today instead of climbing. We don’t know exactly when we’ll be leaving the Red, but hopefully it will be soon!

Tuesday November 6, 2007

After dropping Sean at the airport in Louisville, the four of us (Mike, JJ, Marshal, and myself) toured the city a bit before hitting the local climbing gym. First, we breakfasted at a Waffle House near the hotel. We sat at the bar for the full diner effect listening to tunes from the jukebox. After, we visited Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby. We walked in at gate 17 and took a mini tour of one of the sections, including the outdoor seating area up to the track. From there, we went to the Mohammed Ali center where we browsed the gift shop and some display books. Lastly, we toured the Louisville Slugger museum. I bought bats with the Cleveland Indians mascot on them for my nephews DJ and Jordan who are avid players. The time neared 3pm when we left so we headed to the climbing gym some 15 minutes away.

We climbed for the rest of the evening, playing a bouldering game called 'Chunky' (a play on 'PIG'). I was losing by one letter and nearing the end of the game, my fingers were raw so I called it quits before Mike and co. actually finished. After the bouldering session, we got this idea to do some hang board exercises followed by a campus session and pushups. We finished with core and honestly, I was so relieved to have done some training that I could hardly complain how sore I was despite the pain some several days following. :)

After climbing, we hit up a local Chinese place and stuffed ourselves on a 3 person meal that included soup, appetizer and an entree (for 3). They brought out one of our dishes with onions and the waiter took it back apologizing before we could even say anything. To make up for his mistake, he brought us cookies in addition to the fortune cookies you get at the end of the meal. For 4 starving people, I couldn't believe how much food we had; and, we ate it all! Rolling ourselves back to the car,
Marshal passed out on the drive while JJ and I tried to watch 'Gone in 60 seconds.' Mike drove and I was impressed we didn't all fall into a coma for how full everyone was.

Returning to the Red was exciting. The weather boasted climbable temperatures and was a welcoming change to the torrential downpours we experienced the week before. Having not climbed in over a week, I was sure I was going to have a hard time getting back into it. Take into account the extreme training session we did and I didn't see a good climbing day until Tuesday, despite climbing all 5 days before having to return to Louisville to drop JJ and Marshal at the airport.

Friday we rested (everyone was sore from the workout the night before). We did laundry in town and bought some food for the coming week. I spent some time working on my website at our favorite coffee shop (My time coffee). On our way out we stopped for some tasty beverages to celebrate my birthday the following night. Kenny and Julie made it down from Columbus along with other climbing 'locals' from Tennessee.

Saturday was my birthday and Mike made blueberry crepes with blueberry compote and whipped topping for breakfast. I got to pick where to go to climb, but given the good weather and that it was a weekend, it was no surprise how busy all of the cliffs were. We went to Solar Collector but found ourselves in queues for nearly every climb. The highlight of that cliff was that Mark and Sierra (friends from Oregon) ended up there so we got to spend some time with them. Since their arrival and with the weather, we really hadn't spent much quality time with them. After Solar Collector, JJ and Marshal went off to try 'Golden Boy' while Mike and I went off to the Dark Side for me to try 'The Force.'

Like I stated earlier, climbing was pretty pathetic for me for the first 3 days so 'The Force' didn't go as well as I had hoped. I barely made the move I was working on at the stone and with all of the frustration in me, I called it a day after my initial go. we hiked out and back to camp. By this point, I was eager for dinner and the campfire. Mike made pork chops and asparagus and we had a delightful Rioja to share. The campfire was warm and many of my friends came by and joined us. Marshal and JJ decorated my cake, writing 'Dominating Audrey' on it. :) You could hardly read the 'Dominating' but it was thoughtful and fun to decipher. I opened the Moscato and enjoyed some sweet wine to finish the evening for myself. As for Birthday gifts, well, Linda of Lago Linda came by with a card and some shampoo, Mike bought me a really nice camera and some booties (which I love!) and Sierra bought me a really nice Prana tank top. I had a wonderful birthday, thanks everyone!

Sunday I was a bit hung over but I went out climbing, anyway. I did a few pitches at Drive by before calling it a day. Julie was there attempting to flash 'check your grip.' She was sooo very close to getting through the crux before the run out spooked her enough to downclimb the crux and with her shins at the bolt, quiver and squeek 'I'm going to fall!' it was cute, :) Kenny left a little slack out but she didn't whip. She came down, shook it off and after a bit of rest, went back up and this time, without hesitating, walked to the chains! way to go Julie!

Monday I was the only one climbing. Marshal claimed interest but after an initial warm up climb opted out of climbing for the rest of the day. I went back to Solar Collector, which once again proved to be a good choice. We ran into another friend of ours, Alaskan Bruce, who is also visiting here at the Red. Draws were on a few climbs so I offered to clean them all to speed up the warm up process. It worked out perfectly and I felt really good. I was surprised, however, to find 'The Force' feeling so difficult given the warmup.  I made my way to my crux and worked that move, nailing it 50% of the time. I finally and for the first time went to the chains. I gave it one redpoint burn were I fell at my crux (it felt so desperate!) and then we packed up and headed back. This was definitely not my strongest showing on the climb so I wasn't completely put off. I hope I get another chance to get on it before it's too cold to climb there!

Tuesday I went out with Bruce, Mark, Sierra and Becka to Midnight Surf, a newly developed area that I'd never seen before. I was really intimidated by the pictures in the book. The climbs looked really steep and the moves looked BIG. I'm still learning how to climb steep stuff and I suck at dynamic, big moves. We warmed up at the end of Boneyard then climbed one of the three 11's that stand alone between Boneyard and Midnight Surf. We opted on the leftmost one, which I found to be really, really good. The climb just builds on itself with some interesting movements and a sustained finish. Sierra's knee had been bothering her so she hadn't been climbing too much, but this day she climbed all 3 climbs we warmed up on, then 2 more out at Indy wall. At the Midnight Surf, there is a 5-star classic 12b called 'Iniquity.' I looked it over and saw a nice boulder problem start (it's supposed to be one of the cruxes) and some big moves near the top that concerned me. Unlike 'Cell block six,' there were no draws on 'Iniquity' so I had to commit to placing the gear. I managed the boulder problem smoothly and hoped I wouldn't have to test myself on it again as I headed up into my first set of big moves. When I got to the ramp, I wasn't really tired or pumped but I sat there hoping to get whatever energy I had spent, back. As I made my way past the next set of difficult moves, I found myself at the upper crux. I set up for the first big move and fell short. Argh! I was kind of pumped but not completely spent and perhaps it was hesitation, I'm not sure, but I was bummed to miss the onsight. I set up for the move from the dog, went to the chains and lowered. At least the draws would be up for me for my second attempt. :) I sent the climb 2nd go.

Wednesday we were headed to Louisville but planned to climb that day, too. We picked Muir valley, again, and fortunately we could drive the van there. After packing, I opted out of the cliff the guys wanted to climb and crashed another party of climbers from Lago Linda's. They were warming up at a crag called The Arsenal, which I had never climbed at before. The two lines I climbed looked, read, and climbed so similarly to Upper Shipley in The Blue Mountains. It was a bit nostalgic for me and I had to smile as I remembered how fond I was of those climbs. :) From there, everyone went to Midnight Surf. This was a pleasant turn of events for me because it gave me the opportunity to get on 'Cell Block Six,' a 12c to the left of 'Iniquity.'

At the 'Surf, I put the draws on that left most 11 near the trailhead as a warm up. Becka, who had TR'd the climb twice the day before, was psyched to lead the climb this day. Our Lago Linda neighbor, Rick, belayed me and I belayed him in turn then still resting from the climb, I chose to stay and cheer on Becka. If she sent it right then, it would be the easiest way to get my gear back. :) Becka walked the initial tricky sections and took a good rest before the crux. She deadpointed for several moves and each time you could see her stick them but her body would sway away from the wall and for a brief moment we each held our breath thinking she was off just as she would reel her body in and re-set. Breathing a sigh of relief with her, we watched her push to the top, even correcting the last sequence to the chains. I went over to 'Cell Block Six' inspired by her efforts. Good job, Becka!

To my surprise, despite the crowd that had moved into the area, 'Cell Block Six' was free for me to climb. I was a bit nervous and I looked over the climb one more time before heading up, hoping I would see a way through some sections that looked long and dynamic. The climb went more smoothly than I thought it would and I was pleased to have gotten the onsight. It was a good way to finish the climbing week (and my 5th day on!) and send me off for another long break of no climbing.

We drove the boys to Louisville as planned and had planned to visit Kenny and Julie in Columbus, but had to be up in Ohio earlier than expected. We crashed in a hotel near the airport and early the next morning, drove to Ohio. Cincinnati traffic nearly kept us from attending the burial of my friend, Damian. The highway was patrolled pretty heavily the whole way up, but somehow I made it to the cemetery just in time! Here is a picture of his legacy,Tyler, with his uncle Sean..

The rest of the week flew by with errands and etc. Saturday, my cousin, Veronica Grasse, got married. She is the 2nd of my immediate family to wed and it's been more than 8 years since the 1st one. It was nice to see everyone under such happy circumstances than the usual funerals that have occurred during that time. I had a chance to visit with extended family and cousins I haven't had the chance to see often.

Sunday I recovered from the night before, being sure to visit my grandmother's church bake sale, which only happens on the first sunday of the month. Ever since I can remember, a glass of juice or a coffee has always been $.25. Bostelillos, tacos, enchilades, etc have always been $1. My grandmother has always worked the bake sale and if my grandfather was still alive, he'd be pouring juice and coffee while socializing with fellow church men. Not a lot has changed since those memories. Mike bought a juice, a coffee and a roll for $.75 and 4 Bostelillos for $5. It's amazing the prices haven't risen more!

After the bake sale, we went to retrieve Mike's camera from my aunt's across town. He'd left it there during the break between the ceremony and the reception; hence the lack of pictures post ceremony. :( My dad's birthday is the day before mine so I made it over to his house to meet his fiance and wish him a happy birthday. Later, at my grandmother's request, we would celebrate my birthday at my sister's with her family, craig, my brother, my mother and my grandmother. My brother's oldest boys came by later and I learned how to play a game called Guitar Hero. I wasn't very good at it, but Mike picked up on it quickly! After another late night hanging out with my nephews, we finally crashed. My sister cooked a wonderful breakfast for us the next morning and Mike and I jetted for Kentucky.

The forecast looks frigid for the next few days and the day we drove we drove right into the center of a major storm system. Mike stopped the van hoping to catch a tornado, but nothing happened. Today we climbed, despite blistering winds. Our friend Kevin Wilkinson sent 'Dirty Smelly Hippie,' and we ran into a couple (Ally and Raydon) who are from Ohio but whom we met in Smith just before heading out on our trip east.

Thursday October 25, 2007

The week following the Petzl roc trip was really good. The weather held up for the most part and some of the athletes moved to Lago Lindas, which meant we chauffeured up to 8 people in our little rental car. The energy was high and personally, I was climbing strongest I've climbed in a long time. Then, I heard a childhood friend of mine had passed away and I left for Ohio to sort that all out. While at home, I met up with my brother and another friend to watch the Nightmare before Christmas in 3-D. It was awesome! The weekend went quickly, filled with errands. The memorial service hasn't been decided, so I worked on getting a collage made in time for it. I didn't have a camera handy or I would have taken a picture of it. Personally, I thought it came out pretty good. The photo here is of Damian and his family, about 3 years ago.

After returning to Kentucky, I found the weather to be crap. Not just bad, but really, really bad. Rain was not just coming down, it was torrential and never ending. As of today, it has been 1 week since I last climbed. Mike was braver than I and went out a few times to check the conditions on what could be the best places given the rain. Today, he and Sean made it out to The Chocolate Factory to find it completely dry. Sean made some earnest attempts on the right route, but time ran out and currently, we are all staying dry in a hotel room in Louisville. I needed this break. I was going crazy in the damp, cold with all of my clothes getting soaked each time I walked to the bathroom.  We lucked out last night and had the cafe open for us to stay in. It wasn't as cozy as the room we are in, now, but it was nice to be indoors. I actually had to bring in a change of clothes and hang my jeans to dry because they were so wet.

Tomorrow, Sean leaves for Vancouver and JJ Mah and Marshal German stay for a few more days. We are all here together and tomorrow I hope to see the Kentucky Derby, maybe Mohammad Ali's center, and go to the local climbing gym. Maybe Friday will be a better day for climbing at the Red.

Right now, the forecast for Saturday through next week looks amazing! Woohoo!