i'm now in san antonio as susie's leaving for nyc today. i certainly will miss having a companion during my long road trip, but i figure that i'll be okay with a week left of the trip. we went to bishop, death valley, phoenix, and hueco tanks since my last posting. boy, these places are awesome! i'm on my way to atlanta and horse pen 40!
bishop, in my opinion, is a beautiful bouldering spot, especially in buttermilk country. great weather as well as approaches.
hueco tanks though has the better quality problems than bishop.
but, if i had a choice, i'd probably pick hueco over bishop. north mountain itself in hueco has numerous quality problems and i can't imagine how many more i'll see once i go backcountry with a guide there!
here are the two pixes of me:
_iron man_ @ buttermilk country
_the dud_ @ hueco tanks
now... oooofff to southeastern region and sample those nasty slopers!
yesterday susie and i took a nice stroll around palo alto downtown. so much has changed around since i left palo alto about eight years ago. two of my old favorite restaurants have been gone from this area. it seems like the downtown has cleaned up more and made the place look more welcoming for tourists to come. lots of cool stores around there, especially this one:
it looks like as if the downtown has gone more friendly to designers than before. there are more design offices around there as well as venture offices, too.
anyway, it's likely that we will take off for bishop/death valley this monday after my aunt arrives here tmw from south carolina. my parents wanted me to stay till i see her. family quality time, i guess. ;-)
i'd like to be a goat when i'm sick so my digestive system could accept all kinds of stuff. i've had diarrhea for the last seven days... today was probably due to the aged ice cream left in my folks' fridge.
in the meantime, check this cool site that my gf likes to go....
now, aren't these little creatures adorable?
just got here a few hours ago from reno!!! it's nice to be back in sunny CA after going through frigid weather on the north side of usa. reno, the little biggest city in the world, was fun as we got to gamble little bit. made $10 profit on roulette while suz got her $10 profit from slots. gotta watch $$$ flowing when we're unemployed. anyway, we will probably stay in bay area for a few days before we head off to central eastern california (bishop and death valley). oh yeah, it's time for me to clean my parents' fridge for the next few days to gain the lost bulk of my body!
i'm now in colorado relaxing at a friend's place. i've been here since friday night and the winter storm in the rockies has prevented me and suz from leaving denver area, though it was great to see some old friends here. i hope to leave for utah tomorrow morning. in the meantime, check this picture that was taken at needles, s.d. on historic classic rock, the thimble, a few days ago:
no, i didn't have the big cajones to climb all the way to the top without my beloved crash pad. i gotta admire old school climber, john gill, for climbing this little overhanging 45 ft crimpy granite rock. (the road to needles spot was closed for winter so we had to hike up there).
i'm back home early in chicago from southern illinois as it rained out all day today there, so my friend miguel and i only had a good day of bouldering there. we went to check out holy boulders area and these rocks did wear us out immediately even though i flashed a great classic problem, mollusk. migz cudn't even get his arse up on that route. holy boulders has many good mantles around. we met one of the developers, rob, there who gave us a huge beta about the place. once this place is developed, there'll be a flock of peepos going there, but the access cud be an issue as most of the boulders are on a private land.
anyway, i was in nyc recently before this soill trip. my dad just kinda dragged me to come to nyc with him so he can introduce his friends to me. they own a printing shop in nyc so making a connection is a great way to get a job. i probably will start hunting for a job sometimes in jan.
suz and i are planning to hit a LONG road trip to CA this week. we hope to see some of the nation's finest spots such as mt. rushmore and yellowstone. you probably will see my blog dead for the next few weeks, but i'll definitely get pictures online of our trip as i'll be bringing my digicam and suz's ibook with us. that shud be a FUN trip!
in chicago from nyc last night
out chicago to southern illinois tonight
i'll be back on sunday night though i'll be on a long road trip soon to CA on tuesday or wednesday!
sorry if my blog's been DEAD. i've gone back to the life where there's no internet in my hands...