Gadget’s Airstream Chronicles

I received a note from my friend Bert this morning wondering where I’d gone to.  A few days with no posts here.  It happens now and then!

The past few days I’d been wrapped up with contract stuff.  Nothing big, just distracted.  After doing the site surveys I return to the Airstream, spend an hour or two putting together a package on the site, and sending it off to the company I’m contracting for.  Sorting photos, creating graphical layouts of the site and the buildings, writing up recommendations, etc.  By the time I’m done I don’t feel like tinkering with the computer any more.  Or sorting photos, blogging, etc.

Yesterday was extra long.  I drove into Mesa, AZ.  Left at 7:30, arrived there at 10:00.  It shouldn’t take 2.5 hours given the distance, but the traffic on 101 was just plain dumb.  Dead stop traffic.  After sitting in gridlock we finally started moving (40 minutes of 5 mph).  The hold up…..?  A cop giving a ticket on the other side of the road.  Once I passed that scene we cruised right along.

Incredibly enough, the return trip also took 2.5 hours!  I returned to the trailer and just wanted to flop.  But instead I compiled all my data, wrote up the site survey, etc.  Made for a long day.

Andy called to see if I wanted to climb.  Not really, I was tired and a little zoned out.  But in the end I decided to head out with him.  Big group for some late climbing.  Andy, Brook, Hailie, Beth, Scott, and Andy’s friend Matt.

I headed out on to the rocks a little before the gang arrived.  It was hard sitting on top of Thor’s Marbles.  Blasting wind and quite a chill.  But it was worth it.  The clouds were doing some interesting things to the sun…..

Unfortunately we didn’t start until after 5.  60mph gusts, cool weather, loss of sunlight.  It made for an interesting scene.  And I was a touch chilly.  I ended up not climbing.  I belayed several times, took a few photos, and kept saying, “Wow, it’s chilly!”

This was Matt’s first time climbing, and we brought him to Thor’s Wall.  Uh, what a way to start!  5.10 for your first climb???  Whew!  He did manage to move a good distance up the wall, and I think he’ll return to climb again.  Glad such a tough start didn’t discourage.

When we finally headed out it was a little before 7:00 pm.  Dark, cold, and hard to see where you’re going in the rocks.  I need to keep a headlamp in my pack from now on!

After getting in I settled down for the night.  Rice, soy cubes, and a little flavoring for dinner.  Been cautious again with food after last week (several BAD days).

Well, now that I’m all caught up I think I’m going to stretch out on the couch and listen to something mellow.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Arizona, Climbing AZ, Notes from Gadget, airstream.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.