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We left Red Rocks and headed South, straight to Tucson. The drive proved to be a pretty long day made longer by a delay due to construction at the Hoover Dam. We drove stopping only to make a quick soup for a late lunch. We arrived in Tucson late in the evening but our friends had waited to have dinner with us. Kim and Keith’s new pad was really nice. It was exciting to hear them talk about all the plans they already had for their new home. Benny was also there making a guest appearance for a couple days, and so we all sat down to some delicious homemade lasagna–Thank You Kim!
It felt a bit like we had arrived at home. Good friends and good food always make you feel that way but especially so for Kristine and I who welcomed the lost comforts we had left in Seattle.
We ended up spending a few days in Tucson. We went climbing at a crag on Mt. Lemon the day after we arrived–Kristine will have more on this. It’s the only time that pictures were taken of our time in Tucson, which is regrettable since the city was so nice and the desert was so beautiful but Kristine will try to recapture the lure of the desert in a future post.
Keith took off early the morning after climbing on Mt. Lemon. He’s on his way back to apply the finishing touches on his masters degree in Salt Lake, as well as lick as much frosting off the climbing and myriad of outdoor opportunities in Utah before he moves down to Tucson in the Spring. Benny also took off that same morning. He had taken care of some maintenance that his motorcycle needed and was ready to get back on the road. I think his destination had something to do with many ‘soaks’ at hot springs, backroads, and adventures. I can’t even begin to concoct the kind of stories I’ll hear when we share a drink together at Free State in Lawrence this Christmas. I just wish him safe and happy travels!
Kristine and I stayed another day and a half after those two boys had left. We stayed long enough for Kim to get us hooked on sitcom that’s now off the air, but has an apparently rising cult-like following that’s growing. The show is Arrested Development. Kristine called it ‘stupid humor’. And I quietly thought to myself how stupid I must be because of how funny I thought it was. It was definitely quirky. In the short time we were there we polished off 2/3 of the first season and Kim sent us packing with the last dvd for the season, which we finished the next day. Should we be looking up the number to ADAA (Arrested Development Addicted Anonymous)?
We hit the road for Cochise Stronghold. A fairly new area that has a bunch of old school climbers constantly putting up new routes on the beautiful pink granite. We were stoked!
Here’s a few of the ‘best of’ pictures of our friends while on Mt. Lemon:
Kristine and Benny sharing a moment while Kristine takes her shoes off after climbing.
Two tough-guy faces.
Kim lovin’ on Keith a bit.
The gang!
A picture I snapped when we got back to the car and everyone got caught staring off in a similar direction.
The day after the Kraft Mountain brouhaha, Keith, Kristine, and I headed out to no other place than Kraft Mountain. The hike took us past some beautiful boulders, which caused Keith’s fingertips to salivate with desire. He’s a boulder-er by trade and has incredible strength and skill on small holds and powerful moves. We coaxed him to keep walking with us and on the back side of the mountain, after a half an hour or so, we made it to a batch of three sport climbs at The Family Crag. The book didn’t give the climbs very good ratings, but we were amped to climb regardless and began with the easiest of the three climbs. A 5.8 that Keith lead. He was gushing about climbing on his favorite rock: sandstone. It’s incredibly featured which makes the climbing very fun and dynamic as you pick your holds on our way to the top. I led it next and then it was Kristine’s turn to rope up. She had been feeling a little funny from the night before and wasn’t quiet sure how well she’d climb, or even if she would climb at all. We told her she couldn’t miss such a nice climb, especially since it was perfect for her ability. She conceded.
She felt a little out of balance as she began the climb but quickly got in the rhythm as she made it to the top without any difficulty. Keith and I were both impressed.
We then moved down the wall and I led the next climb, which was a very smooth 5.9. Keith followed and then again came Kristine and basically walked up the climb in very good style.
I again kicked off the third and last climb on that wall–another 5.9. It was a very nice climb. It seemed harder than the last climb. The holds were smaller and the wall a bit more overhung. I definitely felt a bit pumped when I reached the top. Keith climbed it next and really liked it. I told you those small, crimpy holds are his vice. I really wasn’t sure if Kristine would make it up the climb unless she exercised all the technique that she’s learned so far. She’d have to move up the wall using mostly her legs, while hanging on her arms and keeping them from getting too fatigued. She’d have to look ahead at the next few moves so she could commit to them and climb past without using up all her energy. Well. She did it! And made it look easy.
It was getting late when we finished the last climb. The sun would be setting within the hour. We completed our hike around Kraft Mountain and made it back to the car with the last few rays of sun lighting our way. Our fatigue and hunger shot flairs into our conversation demanding nothing other than ‘Chipotle’. Like the bat-signal a big barbacoa burrito lighted the sky. Half an hour later three hungry and satisfied climbers walked into a bowl of chips and guacamole. If we had ordered a round of drinks I would have made a toast to Kristine, “A climber! Body and spirit!”
Kristine and I had a special visit from two old friends of mine. They both coincidentally arrived in Las Vegas within an hour of each other late Saturday afternoon.
The fine looking gent on the right is Keith Beisner. He was first to arrive in his little sedan that was packed to the gills with furniture he’s moving from Salt Lake City to his recently purchased house in Tucson. He’s a semi-pro climber who’s stuck in the body of a struggling grad student. Luckily he’s on what looks like the final stretch and will hopefully be spending more time on his true passion: climbing & spending all his time outdoors.
My man Ben Reader is on the left. I call him either Benny or Benny-boy, it’s been that way since we met back in our college days. He showed up second after a few bad directions I gave him and sent him touring the greater Las Vegas area. Kristine, Keith, and I had gone into the nearby Borders to wait for him and sit and chat in a warm place. Kristine saw what could have been a homeless man walk up behind me and grab the back of my shoulders in the way only brothers do. I recognized the strong grip and stood to give my friend a warm hug. It has been months since I’d seen him last and he’s been fishing in Alaska, they almost lost the boat when they cracked the hull and barely made it back to shore, after the season was over he joined a crew and sailed down to San Francisco. He bought the Kawasaki he showed up on and he’s been touring the lower Western states until he sustained a fall while playing frisbee golf and has been soaking in hot springs to rejuvenate his hurt shoulder. He’s like wolverine and I’m sure will heal up in no time.
* Note: We would all look homeless if we rode a motorcycle across the country and didn’t groom in the conventional way.
That night we shared good wine, pumpkin beer, bratwursts, baked potatoes, and epic stories, all around a cozy fire. I learned of the cocoon that both my friends had recently emerged from. Keith had found his sense of community in Salt Lake City while exploring the great outdoor opportunities that Utah has to offer. He has recovered from a torn ankle something-or-rather. It’s been months of rehab and our friend was better than ever. His wife, Kim, found her dream job with the USGS and is waiting patiently for Keith to join her. Kristine and I will be heading down to Tucson for Thanksgiving and look forward to every minute we’ll spend with them!
I found Ben very happy. Happier than the last 
few times I’d seen him. He was finding his sense of self and living his life exactly like he wanted. He’s the free-est spirit I know and a true vagabond in the best way. He shared the sweetest strawberries with us that he had gotten from an underground source, he graciously shared his delicious bread he bought at a well-known bakery in Bishop, CA, he even had sage honey to top the bread with. He had two different types of chocolates that we relished as they made their way around the fire. It was like watching Marie Poppins as he pulled more and more exotic goods from his small stash on the back of his bike. Not sure where it was all coming from. He even wanted us to eat a pomegranate that wanted to be eaten, but which we just didn’t have the appetite for anymore. Crazy!
Here’s the family portrait. The picture on the left is the one taken for my Mom, and the one on the right includes the dubs-effect I strive to give every picture I’m in.
Benny got on the road early the next morning. Keith stayed to climb with us for the next two days. More to come on those adventures!
The day after all the hard climbing that Queen Rockstar did we decided our bodies could use a day off and we embarked on the three hour drive to Zion National Park. We arrived around noon to an overcast park. We really weren’t planning on doing any climbing while we were there, and we really didn’t know how long we’d be there anyway, but my curiosity decided it was worth the 25 bucks for the climbing guide – that we would at least return at some point in the future. I quickly became submerged in the book and started to see all the potential at Zion. Kristine was on somewhat of a desperate search for a pair of Native American earrings. The seed was planted when
we drove through Bishop, CA and she saw the perfect earrings. She decided against buying them since they were at the gas station next to a casino and she thought that was a bit shabby and that she’d run into something a little more authentic. Well, she hadn’t up until this point and has regretting not buying the earrings ever since. The town just outside Zion had a number of Indian craft and jewelry stores, so while I drooled over the climbing guide she left me to wander and look for ‘the perfect earrings’. She finally found them after having lost all hope and it was at the last store that we entered at the end of the day that she saw them. It was love at first sight and her ears tingled with anticipation as she tried them on. I admit they were very much her, although nothing like the earrings she saw in Bishop.
That first day, we drove around Zion and scouted a few climbs, which made my finger tips sweat from just looking at them. They were beautiful, clean cracks with very few or no face holds. It was a type of climbing that I dreamt about but had yet to climb. We decided on climbing the following day and so that day we simply let the anticipation build while we check out the climbs. In the late afternoon the heavy grey sky parted and gave way to a sun that lit up the rock and the sky and everything. It was mystical. Zion has been called a Yosemite with the rock from Red Rocks, which is a multicolored sandstone. I totally agreed!
At night the wind picked up. We cooked an Indian fare for dinner and had to bundle up to stay warm. A beer a piece also helped, but the 4000 foot elevation at Zion was definitely much cooler than Red Rocks had been. While falling asleep I heard what
might have been a few rain drops tickle the top of the van. I popped my head outside to assure myself it was dust or some other UFO, but not rain! I fell asleep without hearing any other suspicious sounds, but was woken up around 2AM to the sure sound of rain falling steadily. I couldn’t believe it. I thought maybe the rain was coming from a ‘snoopy cloud’ that was only raining down on our van in an attempt to depress me. I guess it worked since I cried myself to sleep knowing the chance of climbing that day had been crushed.
The next morning I found solace from the grey somber clouds in warms pancakes, apple-sauce, an egg, and plenty of maple syrup.
We came here on a mission: rest (for my foot primarily), eat good food, and get me some new climbing shoes.
We were bummed to leave Yosemite so soon after we arrived, but San Francisco is a nice compromise for a rest day (or two). We pulled into town, jumped on our bikes and enjoyed the city and the sunshine. We rode through the parks and alleys, Jonathan shirtless with his camera slung over his shoulder. He did get some nice photos along with a lot of lusty looks.
We popped into a few thrift stores, a cafe for coffee, but the pinnacle was The Butler & the Chef. Jonathan chose it as our destination for brunch, a French Bistro in South Park with great reviews. We arrived minutes before they opened to a crowd already congregating outside. The doors opened and we fell inside with the others. It is quaint and small, but not squished, though seating was limited and left a line still outside waiting their turn. The atmosphere is fun, French and eclectic. Freshly baked breads and pastries on display, colorful wall and vintage enamel tables.
The menu looks so good it is really hard to choose what to order. We had settled on french toast and crepes, until a neighboring table had their eggs benedict delivered. We changed our mind just in time to order. Jonathan took his with salmon, mine with tomatoes. It came served on homemade crusty olive bread with a side of spinach salad. It was the perfect combination. I could only eat half my order because I was so full and couldn’t over indulge in this richness though my taste-buds told me otherwise. We coupled it with an espresso and Jonathan took a fluffy croissant to go. I think I died and went to French breakfast heaven. I was on such a food high that I couldn’t jump back on my bike immediately, but rather strolled the park and rested on the swings before we continued on our ride.
the alley gate
We did find larger shoes for my foot and some sandals so that I don’t have any pressure on it at all. I think I am all set to get climbing again. A few days in the city was enough. Urban camping really is a bit lack-luster, we miss the rocks and the woods. We will be on the rode again today back to Yosemite.
A few of Jonathan’s pics from the city:
Kristine and I will take a standard portrait of each other every day of the trip, starting today, with the hopes that we capture as much change by the end of the trip as the water fountains in the Plaza of Kansas City. We’ll only post one picture a week in the page ‘Portraits’. We won’t be posting every days picture thinking that you can’t watch a flower grow if you stare at it, but we will make a virtual flip-book of each of us at the end of the trip that is made up of all the pictures. There’ll be incremental satisfaction each week as one new portrait pops up every Sunday, all leading up to the grand finale and the explosion of all our portraits.
We’re kicking this off with pictures taken this morning after cooking our first meal out of the eurovan at Golden Gardens Park. It was a beautiful morning, windy, and the lake was filled with sailboats, kick surfers, and wind surfer.
Our meal was simple: toast, cream cheese, scrambled egg, salt, peper, and a bit of paprika, which Kristine noted was especially good with the egg. Stove top espresso was icing on the cake, which we enjoying laying in the grass, soaking the rays.
Two notes about the pictures:
1. My picture is a bit blurry. This was due to a technical issue that should be resolved for future portraits.
2. I shaved yesterday. It was explicitly for the beginning of the beginning and I won’t shave again until 2010, unless of course Kristine stops kissing me goodnight.
jonathan
kristine
