Hueco Tanks: Back for More

Hueco Tanks State Park is named for the numerous "Huecos," the rounded holes in the rock formations. These holes catch the rainwater and can hold it for months after a storm, which makes the park an oasis in the vast and bone-dry desert surrounding it. Animals and people have come to the park to get water for centuries- from Native American tribes to settlers, to the little wild pigs called Javelinas. We saw a little family of Javelinas on our last day in Hueco, hanging out in a sunny meadow. The two adults must have weighed close to 100 pounds each! The babies were too cute- fat, waddling, grunting little things.

Nowadays, the Huecos still attract visitors, but we climbers are more interested in the boulders with Hueco formations that have turned sideways, or sometimes upside down!

Here, Cody works on Speed Bump (V7).

Cody on Best of the Best (v9)

Because of the amazing rock formations, Hueco is a Bouldering Mecca. We ran into people from Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Canada, Australia, Norway, and from all parts of the US. Lots of accents to decipher and friends to be made.

Cody and I both sent our hardest boulder problems ever while in Hueco, and just had a blast.

If you look closely, you can see the engravings in the rock left by people who were here before us, most likely stopping by for some water and the shade. There's also lots of Indian Pictographs, and spray paint around too. I guess everyone wants to leave their mark!

Beth on Ghetto Simulator (V2)

Here is a video (it's kind of long, I know, but you get the idea...) of a climb called Ghetto Simulator. It is fairly iconic of what climbing in Hueco is like- overhanging with big holds. This one is particularly long- probably 25 feet of climbing from start to finish! This was taken on our last day in Hueco, and I just didn't have the juice left to finish. Besides, after 20 or so feet, I was pretty pumped and tired! A fantastic climb, and safe, because the rock behind it follows the route up, so if you ever feel like you might fall, you just step back. Pretty cool!

We are both feeling really strong after our stay in Hueco. We had a great day of trad climbing in Red Rocks with our good friends PJ and Sarah today. We saw several big horn sheep while we were on the route. They were bounding around so gracefully on narrow ledges, nibbling on the scrub oak, and occasionally would stop and just stare at us. It was so cool to be in their world and get to see them on their level. What a treat.

We're certainly livin' the dream! (And so is my little sister Grace- who is competing at the State Gymnastics meet today! GO GRACIE!)

Photo Update: Miami-Nassau

We're back on dry land again. Our last night in Miami we went over to my dad's friend Merrick's house for dinner and very potent drinks. We had heard from my dad that Merrick was a character and he certainly didn't let us down. He was cooking the largest steaks the world has ever seen and his bachelor pad was, well just that. He told us stories about his involvement in just about every sport that involved speed and danger. And at 50 something he is still racing all sort of vehicles. He told us that he once made it from Miami to Nassau which is about 40 miles in 42 minutes, in some kind of speedboat. After dinner we returned to the boat and got about 5 hours of sleep.

We woke up at four, loaded the dinghy and were in the gulf stream by sunrise. We motor sailed across not because we had to but because "cruising" for most to the old people that do it is just motoring with the option to sail. I wasn't psyched about the motoring but we sailed the rest of the way without motoring so that was good. Beth, my mom and I all got a little sea sick but nothing too serious.

Once in Nassau we got to deal with my parents frantic panicked customs show. It had been a long 36 hours of sailing and everyone was a little on edge. The next day we went to a bay around the west side of the island, cleverly named west bay. And then the next day my dad was afraid of weather so we sailed right back to nassau. Now we are back in Hueco Tanks TX climbing like crazy. Beth is really close to climbing T-Bone Shuffle, a very intricate V4. I had a great day today, climbing Daily D Dose V7 and flashing a new highball climb called Guns of Navarone V7. I cannot say I agree with the grade, it seemed easier to me, but it is my style so who knows.

Swimming in West Bay

French toast and the boat is pretty heeled over, note the egg mixture.

A Fish that I thought was going to be 40 lbs.

More like 5lbs of fish and 5lbs of weeds.

The legendary Merrick Pratt Steaks

And the house to go with the steaks.

Lots of rain in Miami.

Photo Smorgasbord: Cruising Godspeed

It's hard to believe that Cody and I have been aboard Godspeed for two weeks already! The days have just flown. We have also decided to extend our stay for a little while longer, in order to cross the gulf stream and make it to the Bahamas. Our original plan was to fly back to the van on the 3rd, but the weather window for crossing has just opened, and we're setting sail tomorrow! We'll fly out of Nassau in a week or so. The weather has been beautiful, but I won't say too much about it, since most of you are in the cold, rainy, snowy, wintry places of the world at the moment. Hopefully these pictures help to bring some florida sunshine into your day.

Sunset in Boot Key Harbor! Glorious.

Adjusting the headsail. Cody and I have learned a lot about sailing since we've been here. Pretty fun stuff!

Cody at the helm.

Sunset at Turtle Island, one of our anchorages as we headed up to Miami.

Under way! The wind wasn't quite what we wanted, but we were able to motor sail for a while.

Is that a fish? I think so...

Oh yeah! Spanish Mackerel for dinner!

Another one?

Bigger than the first!

Learning to fillet. Yummy!

What a beautiful way to travel.

Miami Skyline

Coming in to Miami. We crossed under several bridges, some drawbridges, some were tall enough to just motor under.

We're making our final preparations for our crossing tomorrow- stocking up on food, fresh water and fuel. Pat's been checking the weather obsessively. Everything looks good... So off we go!

Photo Update: Hueco and the High Seas

A three day stop in Hueco Tanks was great fun on our way east. It has been called the Bouldering Mecca of the west- and for good reason. The rock is like something out of a fairy tale, perfectly sculpted for climbing, and relatively friendly on the fingers. I think we'll stop there again on our way back west. We sampled a only a tiny portion of the climbing Hueco has to offer.

Cody on his flash attempt of Mexican Chicken, V6. He fell at the lip! Hueco is full of overhanging, thuggish, burly climbing, like this route!

We saw so many familiar faces in Hueco. We ran into a small crew of 307ers, (from Wyoming) one morning, and the next day found our friend Shannon in the check-in office. Shannon was the head route-setter at the Front Climbing Club when I worked there, and he's in Hueco for about a month. He knows the place well, and was able to show us around some cool areas. Here he's working on Free Willy, V10.

Cody quickly dispatched Babyface, V7. A friendly aussie, Cain, helped out with beta and a spot, so I was free to shoot some pictures!

Babyface

A non-typical Hueco route- not an overhang! But a fun warm-down at the end of the day.

We left Hueco for San Antonio, where we made an Amazing Race type journey from Miami to Marathon. After two flights, three busses, a train, and a little bit of wandering around in the dark, we finally found the Pat and Lorrie, the Marina, the dinghy (named Blondie, because she's full of hot air and just a little dingy) and finally, Godspeed.

Cody steering on a day sail in the Boot Key area.

The weather has been fantastic- a little humid and in the 80's. It's so nice to be on the water!

Looking toward the galley. It's a small but efficient kitchen complete with stove, oven and refrigerator.

The table folds out for dinner. We haven't caught any fish yet- the recent cold snap killed a lot of fish, so food has been abundant, and the ones that survived the cold aren't biting. I'm sure they'll forget about it soon, and hopefully we'll see some pompano on our plates!

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods! We're certainly livin' the dream!

Photo Update: Red Rocks 2010

Climbing at Sunny and Steep.

Almost exactly a year ago, Cody proposed here!

After a fun day of climbing!

Red Rocks is a great winter climbing area because it's so close to Las Vegas. When it gets dark, around 6:00, we would go into the strip, instead of hanging out at camp, waiting for bedtime. We had a close encounter with a lioness at the MGM Grand. Pretty cool!

Once we saw the crowds in the Park where we were planning to climb, we decided to take a hike instead. We went up to the La Madre spring, a pretty little oasis. The guy who owned the land before it was acquired by the Park built a dam, so there's a pond.

Waiting out a cold and windy day at home in the van.

Cody and I are both getting better at guitar.

Visiting the Hoover Dam. They're building a big bridge down the Canyon from the Dam. The dam is almost upstaged by the new bridge- both are simply massive.

The architecture of the Dam is reminiscent of the 1930's, when it was built.

Cody and I are currently in Hueco Tanks State Historical Site in Texas. It's a fantastic bouldering area, and we're climbing our brains out. In a few days we catch a plane to Miami to see Pat and Lorrie Harris, aboard their sailboat. We'll keep you all posted on that adventure.

Well... off for some more sending..

I hope you're all living your dreams! To quote my Dad, "You could be in Haiti."

So enjoy what you're doing instead!

Viva!

Vegas has been good so far, Beth and I are a little rusty on the rope. Our first day climbing I was shut down on a route I thought I could do and then took one of the biggest falls of my life on a route I was certain I could do. Anyway its coming back fast and I'm "sure" that by the time we leave we will be comfortable and confident rope climbing once again. Yesterday we climbed a little in the morning and then hiked a 10+ mile trail that passed by some small springs, and lots of friendly old retired people. Today its raining and that's why I have time to write this, but Beth and I are taking this rainy day to experience some of the many cultural and intellectual sights around Las Vegas ie. Hoover Dam. Even on rainy days we can live the dream, the dream of Herbert Hoover.

We have a Plan!

We spent almost a week in Salt Lake, goofing around with PJ and Sarah, cross-country skiing, climbing at the Front, and visiting the Perry Family's wonderful 3-story, custom built, "cabin" in Park City. (Thanks Richard and Joey!) During the downtime, when PJ and Sarah were at work, we were trying to map out our next destination on the LTD tour. It's a complicated affair, trying to work out just what you want to do when you have plenty of time and some money in your pocket. Tough work, but someone's got to do it.

After checking the monthly forecast and potential job markets in several different locations, we settled on a southern tour; beginning in Red Rocks, Nevada. We'll climb here for about a week, and then continue on to San Antonio, Texas, where we'll hop on a plane to Miami. Once in Miami, we'll meet up with Cody's parents, on their sailboat, for a two week stay that will hopefully include a crossing to the Bahamas. When we fly back to Texas, we'll drive to Mexico, meeting up with a few pals, (The Brian/Bryan team), and head to El Portrero Chico, near Hidalgo, for some sweet sport climbing on Mexican limestone. That's the plan, anyway. We'll let you know how it all turns out!

Until next time, we're off to live the dream!