March 13th, 2011
Last week Paul had a conference to attend near Dana Point, CA so we decided to make a small family road trip out of it. Silas got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time…or any ocean for that matter. He was terrified at first (I think the sound of the waves scared him), but warmed up to it fast until we couldn’t keep him from bolting toward the water every chance he got. We stayed in a campground on the beach – quite relaxed and surfer-like. And then swung though Joshua Tree on the way home for some bouldering.
Silas’ first day at the ocean. Poor baby isn’t impressed.
Later that night at the beach – warming up to it.
Ok, maybe this could be fun
Squeal!!!!!!!!!!!
This is fun mama!
And so is this!
Makin’ a break for it – back to the waves
with Dad
Silas’ second day at the beach. Certified beach bum.
Paul’s conference location. Whoa.
Rides of the conference attendees. Whoa.
Relaxing at a restaurant on the coast in Malibu
The view from the restaurant
Life is good
Joshua Tree, CA. Grabbing mama’s sunglasses while she’s busy climbing
Silas stretching his chubby legs amongst the Joshua Trees
Paul making quick work of Chili Sauce, aka The Moffatt Problem, v7
My turn
Silas under The Headstone
My baby
The Meadows Boulder
Wrapping up the trip with a J-Tree sunset
posted by arr
February 14th, 2011
When we heard that our tour was going to be 2 hours long the motivation level dropped. We had scheduled to go to E. Spur and work on our projects, (April’s) Better Eat Your Wheaties, v8 and (Mine) Crown of Aragorn, v13. Luckily, our new friend Corey was able to take over the tour and guide us for the rest of the day! Waaahooo.
After a good session on the projects we were feeling adventurous and ready for something new and unique. I’m not exactly sure how the decision was made but in a few minutes we were making the long trek to the top of W. Mt. to seek out what some call the best v7 at Hueco, Best of the West!
Baby is napping. Quick, time to climb!
Starting Better Eat Your Wheaties, v8
Beginning to release
Baaam!
Stuck!!!! For the first time!
Working Crown of Aragorn, v13
Tom working Meat Maker, v5
April at max reach on Best of the West, v7
Best of the West, v7
Tom compressing Best of the West, v7
Corey sending
Sending. The best v7 at Hueco?
Cute boy
Cute climber baby bum
Posted by pjv
January 31st, 2011
Finally, we made our first trip to Cochise Stronghold yesterday to climb. Routes? NO! Of course not. We heard there were a few boulders including what some call “The Midnight Lightning” of Arizona. A Bob Murray climb called The Fire Pit Problem, v8. After sampling the limited number of easier climbs (about 3 of them) we setup our play area at The Fire Pit Problem and went to work. Here are a few photos of our adventure.
Leaning Crack, v3
The Fire Pit Problem, v8
posted by pjv
January 29th, 2011
Lots of pics lately and not many words, I know. Which means one thing and one thing only: We’re busy! That, and it’s a lot easier and quicker to dump a few pics on the site when Silas is busy with his toys than to write some intelligent words. And he’s busy at the moment…so here’s a quick update from our corner of the desert:
We’re about to embark on our Hueco season (Nov and Dec being just a sampling). So in preparation we of course have been training our little climber butts off, which has required some intense time management skills lemme tell ya – Silas’ nap-time being a very critical factor, hehe. The strength seems to be coming along nicely meaning hopefully the training will pay off in a couple of weeks when we pull on to what really matters (read, REAL rock not plastic!). Paul and I both are trying to break a grade this season so the pressure’s on. Woohoo! Love it!
Silas has been busting through all kinds of his own grades lately. He has now officially mastered being able to target his rear end to sit down on things other than the floor – things such as his little Silas chair, my leg, the front stoop. It’s been quite entertaining watching him learn. He’d get into a squat position in front of his little seat and then slowly squat further anticipating the seat under his bum, only to realize he was too far forward or too far to the side. And then he’d try to figure out how to correct his predicament. First option: keeping the squat, back up until he bumps his bum into the seat and then maneuver backwards to get it on. Second option: stand up and turn around so that he’s now facing the seat, putting his hands on the seat squarely and trying to squat again…ok, you’re facing the wrong way, totally not going to work baby, sorry. Third option: “Aaaaaaaahh!” After much trial and error, we think he’s got it now. Paul snapped this shot below the other day – Silas having gotten onto the seat all on his own. Hooray!
Let’s see anything else to report on? Work, boring. School, too much info. Climbing, check. Silas, check. Morgan, same ol’ brown dog. All other extra-curricular activities? Well, we did manage to squeeze out some time for a little family hike before it got dark the other night on Douglas Springs…see pics below. That’s all for now. Hopefully exciting climbing posts coming soon!
posted by arr
