Better late...

Ty here, apologizing for the lack of essential mass messages lately. It turns out that the days are shorter out west, and there just isn't enough time to fit it all in - good thing we don't have any real time drains, like jobs

Anyhow, here is what we have been up to since our fabulous stay in Boulder with Adley and Galen (see first photo in the following photo album):

A quick jaunt to visit my friend Nick Meyer in Gunnison, CO. Nick and I got a day of climbing in the Black Canyon - did a route called "Trilogy". Super cool in a Black Canyon sort of way - intimidating, a bit loose and scary, but pretty damn fun overall. On our way out of town, Nick rode us into the ground at the legendary Hartman Rocks.

Then over to the Grand Junction area, where Rose and I climbed Independence Monument in Colorado National Monument (so many monuments...). We did a wild route called "Otto's Route" which follows a line of great two and three finger pockets (drilled by Otto) which once held lengths of pipe and allowed a ladder-like ascent of this lovely sandstone tower. The pipes are all gone now, leaving a really fun rock climb.

Indian Creek next, where we camped with friends from Wyoming (and Idaho) and climbed some lovely splitter cracks, listened to gobbling turkeys and chattering chukar, and did some mountain biking too.

Finally back up to Moab (in a rare rainstorm) for some reprovisioning and a trip in to watch a spectacular light show on Delicate Arch in Arches N.P., where we had the honor of sharing a bottle of port and fresh grapes (great combo - try it!) with some very enthusiastic Russian computer programmers/amatuer photographers/road warriors/bachelors for a week on a whirlwind photo tour of the desert southwest (without their wives and families who, apparently, just slow them down and want to visit the souvenir shops - Rose suggested that maybe they just picked the wrong wives - not to their faces of course).

And finally an ascent of Castleton Tower via the Kor-Ingalls route. Rose relished the physical wide crack climbing and the summit view was spectacular, with a new dusting of snow on the LaSalle Mountains.

Canyon Country