Leavenworth

To start with, three full grown adults in an extended cab Ford Ranger is fairly tolerable with some diplomacy but, four six foot adults with slightly larger than the sky hangovers surprisingly brings out the best in all involved. We got to Seattle plenty early to pick up the fourth and ended up getting a tour of the the city's fire boats while we waited for the ferry to dock with him aboard.


It has become a recurring problem not having the camera charged or on me at good times and this trip was no exception. The only photo I got outside of Seattle was the view from the camp site. This was especially bad since we ended up next to some Canadian boulderers who knew Crafty and Joel A. as well as a fair amount of the MN crowd. We did not regret going over to introduce ourselves and make a gift of firewood. I do not remember a single one their names and openly regret having to leave the next morning instead of getting to climb with them.

Not the Coast

So we got up early to do some climbing on the coast and ended up nowhere near our destination but still did some higher altitude climbing. The bolter and first ascentionist just before the ice gully slab.

Bishop (eventually)

The fact that I had been packed for a week did little to actually get us out the door much before dark.  An overnight in Reno turned into 3 days of not climbing.  Within 5 miles of getting onto the single road that runs directly into Bishop and odd orientation led our driver toward our eventual double circumnavigation of Lake Tahoe.  Luckily we got to the Buttermilks an hour before dark and finally on the fifth day climbed!  I took part in the first day of 5.10 or easier climbing but refused to play that game the second day at Owens River Gorge and sat under the Eldo roof in the river.  Finally we got an entire day at the Happy boulders and low and behold I couldn't climb a damned thing harder than V5.  I also managed to get a 1" cut across my middle fingertip and a debilitating head cold en route.  The camera battery ran out the night in the buttermilks so I got next to no photos.  Smith this week, can't wait.

This guy knows how to sell a car

Somewhere out of the way in Cali 

By far the best closed pass of the many we found
The end of the "9 hour drive"

Moon deer cry

Its been a rough week for all.  Not so rough that this is anything other than a girl splashing in a puddle.

Photo recap

North Dakota
Near the geographical center of North America

About which time I realized how jittery I was

The barren snowy landscape and fog


Montana
Just before twilight we hit the border and a small change of color


Of course dinner is served on the bumpiest stretch of track next to a wind farm.

Nearly a mountain sunset

Oregon
Mark leading at Skinner Butte on my first day out here

The walk in to Smith Rock

The goods

A land of shade and sun

The start of the downhill slide to Spring Hill

Off to Bishop once the rain stops.

Mouse crack

Facebook is trying to defriend you in real life.   Better yet I found a Messy Marv rap documentary in the parking lot of the local crag.  MY stridently claiming it to be worthy of being called booty, thus forcing a viewing, was the last resort to halt the mouse crack hunters.  Much booty was found.

Moshing in a coffee shop

Saw some shitty thrash metal from Madison WI and all but received a mutual beating from guys twice my size in the comfortable confines of the local coffee shop. Oh, and I started looking at a 11.c finger crack to mostly solo while it rains for the rest of the week before we leave for somewhere. Picture that

Spring Hill Climbing

Went up to a little obscure crag in the mountains and climbed for a few hours. Good long slabs on solid rock looking out at
Diamond Peak.The tool slowed our progress for a good hour acquainting himself of our need to be in his county. Our drivers abilities are apparently held in some esteem in those parts since things started out on a first name basis.

Climbing, Yay

Within minutes of jumping off the train I was doing trad at the local spot.  The next morning and the following week were in Smith Rock.  This is a picture of the first hippie/gypsy I climbed with.

Train to get where you need to be

I have always held that taking a long train ride was something I wanted to do without it being a blue hair express loop for tourons. By Saturday I should be well on my way toward the station just outside Smith Rock. MY advocation for including a bouldering pad into the packing plans was shot down most sadly. As a bonus my faltering crack skills will get a substantial boost but in the minus category I'll almost certainly have to learn how to aid climb. Ultimately the allure of an extended road trip is ranking much higher than being unemployed in MN even if it means having to conduct myself in a lower form than sport faggotry.

Anyhoo, Hopefully this will be the last stolen pic I'll have to resort to.

I appear to have volunteered myself for at least another couple of weeks of the freeze thaw cycle. Meanwhile, I am missing unseasonably good conditions in Smith Rock.

Bad moon rising in Thailand

Thought I'd test out the player from this site with something not completely out of context with the name of the blog. Worth clicking through to full HD.

Sony PMW-EX3 Bad Moon Rising By Derek Yeo Video Cobra
View in HD  Download 720p HD Version  Visit Derek Yeo Video Cobra's ExposureRoom Videos Page

Hanging in there

Given the greatly above freezing temps that surfaced for the first time since fall I went tree climbing instead of pulling plastic. I still miss the eternal Spring of Colorado but only an extended deep freeze can form a hundred foot struggle up icy bark into the highlight of the day.

Any wait is worth it

Since everyone else in the U.S. is anxiously awaiting super bowl commercial breaks I figured I would post one of the best climbing commercials ever made. Surely a place everyone would be glad to patronize


This one is more of a gym climbers wet dream.



And finally these good folks would like to remind us to get some tail as well.



With any luck the commercial appeal of climbing has run its course excepting the people who provided these entertaining glimpses of reality.

Gotta love the grin

This has been a good source of motivation to me for some time now. This is positively not the product of a posedown or any other falseness. Sending in Switzerland.

Structures that melt when wet

I hold no grudge against sobriety but have some fond memories of the recent bender. The best one had to be a pick-up line I offered to a rather suggestive glance when I stepped in between two girls to get to the bar. I don't remember it but both the bar back and the bartender had a good laugh at me the next morning when I stumbled back in for and eye opener. Apparently my answer to whatever she said while leaning across the bar was "I'm sorry, I'm not single, I'm a bum."

Gym fever?

The local has been driving me to drink. Somehow these pictures seem to sum up what the gym is doing to me. If I could figure out where to get the the sober lifestyle folk crap they play I'd stick a clip to this. As an act of minor rebellion I think I'll start bouldering in a harness and forget to where others see the need for them. MY NAME IS MIKE, AND I HAVE NOT CLIMBED OR DRANK FOR THREE DAYS.

Le jour de sa naissance

Time to take off soon.

Il entre dans le monde

Bouldering over lakeSuperior, originally uploaded by nevenneve.

The whole idea of having a blog seems like birthing a mooncalf, hence the name. Whether it ends up showcasing stupidity and craziness at least it will give an uninstructive view of days like this. Not the usual social register model.

moon⋅calf   /ˈmunˌkæf, -ˌkɑf/ [moon-kaf, -kahf]

1. a congenitally grossly deformed and mentally defective person.
2. a foolish person.
3. a person who spends time idly daydreaming.