10/08/08 - Picking up our new pet - the Cougar!

Today proved to be an exciting day - it's the day we picked up the Cougar.



We got up early, packed the truck and headed out. We needed to drive to Durango to Tarpley RV and pick up our new pet. (Or does this thing own us? Haha). We had a 2pm meeting to sign the papers and get our intro lessons regarding the systems on the fifth wheel. Then, the RV dealership actually turned us loose to drive it around on the road. With the public. Gack!

(See the video below of Dave towing the thing!)



We arrived on time and were happy to see our salesperson Cathy was there. She had actually taken a leave about a week before so we figured she wouldn't be around. You may recall that while in Durango during our first trip (during the bike tour) she dropped us off in town at a restaurant she recommended (Mutus). It was very kind of her and the restaurant was fantastic.



After the formalities, Cathy took Dave and me to the Cougar to meet Chris. He'd go over the beast with us. He ended up spending three hours with us patiently answering our many questions even though we suspected it was past quitting time for him. In fact, he even got in the truck while Dave drove the Cougar for the first time.



I don't think either of us anticipated how spooky the thought of towing the trailer would be. Though 24' is the smallest fifth wheel made - it suddenly seemed ENORMOUS once it was attached to the back of the truck.



Our plan was to get the Cougar, then go across the street to Walmart to shop for food. We'd stock the Cougar, then head out. Our destination was Indian Creek. We didn't want to drive at night so we were going to go to a rest area about 35 miles away to stay. Here, we'd organize all the stuff we brought with us (sheets, towels, plates, rugs, etc.)

What were we thinking????

Pick up this huge trailer then and go to Walmart? I can't even stand going to Walmart in my little car. It's an automotive death zone! Still, Dave got the trailer in the parking lot, we got it parked and we got inside. No one was injured or killed while doing these stunts.



While in Walmart, we ran into Barney - another salesperson from Tarpley RV. He'd been helpful and friendly while we were at the dealership and was even more helpful in Walmart. (Shout out to Barney - thanks for helping me find the egg beaters!). Plus, he gave Dave great advice on towing that really proved very helpful.



While no one was physically injured, towing + Walmart led to Dave being pretty frazzled. So, before we were done, he headed out to the trailer to chill a bit while I braved the inside of Wally World alone. We both deserved a medal for these sacrifices.



Once stocked, we hit the highway. We were happy that we had only 35 miles to go. At the rest area, we leveled the trailer and organized/personalized the interior. This included removing lots of 'helpful' stickers such as the "EXIT" sticker located on the door. What is one suppose to do with such things? Hee hee! Dave found it later the next day. *snicker!*

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9/29 & 30/08 - My 44th birthday - cleaning and driving

Today, the 29th, really is my birthday - the big 44.

Today we headed over to the auditorium to help clean. This is not a very glamorous task but one that really needs to be done. And not surprisingly, not a lot of folks show up for this duty. So, I and some others feel compelled to be there. Several of us were able to get the place clean in relatively short order. We agreed that the place was in far better shape this year compared to last year. Last year, one’s shoes stuck to the floor, and the smell - - oh the smell was rugged!

After cleaning, we tore down our campsite, loaded the car and headed out. As we went through Tuolumne, it started raining. We were leaving just in time. We stopped at the Lee Vining Mobile to have some birthday fish tacos. Then, during the drive, we saw an amazing double rainbow. It was so bright. Too bad photos just can't capture it's essence, though we tried.



We made it to Ely, Nevada then splurged on a hotel room (for my birthday, and besides, the thought of unpacking and packing the car appealed to neither of us). We had a little birthday celebration of strawberries, cookies and an adult drink then crashed.

All that remained was getting up and finishing the drive home. While completing the drive home, we reflected on the trip. It occurred to us that unlike Wall Street, we are in the black from this trip. Our expenses were 400$ (food and gas), and our booty take was 795$. Clearly it pays to take road trips!

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9/28/08 - Beggar's Buttress and Partying in Yosemite

We got up this morning and waited for Nefarius. He was sleeping late. I doubt it had anything to do with the port flowing freely at the campfire the night before. Ha!! Finally, Dave, Happie and I left word with them that we would be at Lower Cathedral on Beggar’s Buttress and the Mecca Wall. After they ate breakfast, they were to join us.



The three of us hiked up to Beggar’s Buttress to find (you guessed it) a party on the climb. So we moved on.



We found the Mecca Wall and a 10d sport climb. Dave headed up. This is a very stout “10d.” It was a fun climb for sure, but I was very happy I didn’t lead it. It was devious and tricky and I think in no way a 10d. Fun nonetheless. We headed back to Beggar’s Buttress to find a party rapping off. We wanted to climb the first two pitches only. Dave headed up and Happiegrrrl hoped on and climbed a good amount of the route. It was fun watching her climb and exceed her expectations for the climb.



I headed up after Happie. The first route was interesting requiring a lot of different techniques such as suspending belief of what is humanly possible. The second pitch was a finger crack that shifted at the top to a fist crack. I enjoyed both very much.



It was getting a bit late (the facelift dinner and party started at 6 and we didn’t want to be late) so we headed to one last climb. Dave is the only one who did it given the time.



The entire day, we looked for Nefarius and Matt but never saw them. We hiked back to the car to find they’d written “Yosemite Dirt” on the back glass. Turns out they were there and looked for us but couldn’t find us. I know this since I retrieved a voice mail from them the following day while looking for us. Major bummer. I’m not sure when we’ll all get a chance to climb together again.



We headed to the auditorium for dinner and the show. We started with wine and beer (20$). Our timing was perfect. We were almost first in line for the chow (a 25$ value). It was good food – unfortunately, it didn’t last and the folks at the end of the line were eating scraps such as potato chips and salsa. Poor guys!



The show was a blast. Chicken Skinner got the recognition he deserves for putting together the facelift. Then Timmy O got on stage to entertain. To begin, he, Ranger Jessie and Guy Yager threw t-shirts, wag bags and packages of chalk into the audience resulting in a complete frenzy. At one point, special attention was given to John Stannard. This man works harder than any ten of us there. He wields a trash grabber better than anyone! To demonstrate his skills, Tommy hucked a t-shirt in the air and John S snatched it out of the air with one grab of the grabber.



The crowd went wild!



After the crowd was whipped into a frenzy, Timmy O started the raffle. There were many sweet prizes again that night. Prizes were handed out to many participants. Near the end of the raffle, Dave was bummed that he didn’t get the cool mammut rope (or any prize). Just then, we hear Timmy announce “Dave Vaughan.” Dave ran to the stage to collect his raffle prize: any pair of 5.10 shoes he wants. Very cool! He’d been ogling my 5.10 Guide Tennies since I purchased them. Now he can have his own pair (a $95 value).



As everyone was patting Dave on the back for his excellent score, my name was called. I won a Patagonia fiber-filled parka (a $275 value). Very cool! Following the raffle, we listened to the band a while, then headed back to camp. Because most of the folks had left for home, it was a quiet evening around the fire for those of us who remained.

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9/27/08 - More trash, birthday cake and laughs

Today we cleaned trash again. Happiegrrrl, Dave and I adopted a section of Hwy 41 between the Glacier Point turnoff and Wawona to clean. And clean we did. In fact, we cleaned so thoroughly that we brought in bags of old rusty cans and broken glass bottles.



To our surprise, we learned we cleaned an area of historical importance – at least to some people. Seems we were supposed to pick up trash, but not any trash that was over 50 years old. How we were suppose to ascertain the age of trash wasn’t clear. Good thing our tax-payer dollars are supporting people protecting rusty cans and broken glass in a national park.



After this, Dave and I showered and prepared to head to the Ahwahnee Hotel for my birthday dinner. This hotel was opened to the public in 1927 and is quite a beautiful building. To get in, Dave had to secure a collared shirt. After asking around, he found a blue jean button up shirt. He borrowed a belt and wore his jeans. He was jeans-man! It worked and we got into eat. I think I worried too much about our attire since the guy at the table was eating with a baseball cap on.



It was a fun dinner in a special place. We headed back to camp to find the usual suspects around the fire, the usual suspects singing and playing instruments, and the usual suspects hammered. Happily, we also found Nefarius (aka Randy W) there. I’d looked forward to meeting him for some time. Dave had been able to spend some time with him while in Fresno earlier in the year. In fact, it was Nefarius who introduced Blaine and Dave. We chatted a bit and decided to climb together the next day. I was looking forward to spending more time with Randy and his friend Matt then.



Another pleasant surprise around the fire was Fattrad (aka Jeff). He showed up to the facelift his usual gracious self. He brought cases of wine to share as well as some McCain/Palin shirts to share. I even caught him giving some love to A Crowley. Fatty also brought a birthday cake for me. It was delicious. Lynn L gave me a feather boa that I wore around the camp fire. It was a fun evening with a lot of fun people.

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9/25 & 26/08 - Lower Cathedral, Royal Arches, Soloing Snake Dike and the Timmy O Talk Show

Because the 26th was to be Blaine and Dave’s second day of hard climbing we opted to goof off on the 25th. We did some much needed laundry. And later we went to the Lower Cathedral to climb some easier stuff. We ended up getting on several climbs (names and ratings forgotten immediately) then called it a day. We headed back to camp. We finished and headed back to camp. On our hike down, we saw a mama bear and a cub. We got a few photos. Very cute!



Dave checked his messages to learn that Blaine was really sick! He wouldn’t be making it back to Yosemite. Major bummer.



We completed the day eating sushi and hanging out at the camp fire. The camp fire scene was like it’s been each night since the full crew arrived – lots of music, singing and some highly intoxicated folks. It was pretty funny. Though at about 3am, it wasn’t quite as funny. Happily Dave had earplugs. And happily I can usually sleep through stuff like that. I just don’t know how some of these guys do it – drink so much night after night. I’d surely die if I did it one night.



I had plans to climb tomorrow with Ed Hartouni. We were going to do Royal Arches and link up with Crest Jewel. This was going to be a 26 pitch long day. Very fun! Dave decided to solo Snake Dike on Half Dome since Blaine wouldn’t be around. It’d be a long day for both of us. We were really looking forward to it.



Ed and I got up in the five am hour and headed out. Unfortunately I failed to bring my camera. Bummer. Our plan was to belay a few pitches, solo several pitches and simul-climb most of Royal Arches. This approach yielded a good time as we arrived at the top in about 2.5 hours. Unfortunately, it was super hot this day. No wind either. Crest Jewel (10 additional pitches) was in the blazing sun. We decided doing this link-up would not be wise so we hiked down the North Dome Gulley. I think we were both disappointed we didn’t get to do the entire climb, but we were certain we’d made the correct decision and spared ourselves becoming climbing jerky hanging on the side of North Dome.



We headed back to Yosemite Village and hung around the facelift headquarters. After some visiting, we headed back to camp. When we arrived there, I found a note on the car – it seems Timmy O’Neill was going to call Ed and me up on stage during the show that night. Good thing we didn’t complete the route since it would have put us on the wall and descending until 11 pm or midnight.



A group of us headed to the auditorium for the show. Dave was still out on his adventure. I was bummed he was going to miss the show. To my surprise, during the show (before we were called up) Dave showed up. His climb involved 17 miles of hiking, 1,500’ of climbing and $48 worth of booty. The solo had gone well, though it was super windy making it a bit more hair-raising than it should have been. During this ascent, he found a new reverso (a 30$ value) a brand new DMM locking biner (18$ value).





The show was quite funny. Others took photos - I'll post some when I get them. Timmy O adopted a ‘talk show’ format. Along with calling up Ed and me and interviewing us about our lives on supertopo, he interviewed Alex Honnold, Yugi, Ammon McNeely, Dean Potter, Guy Yager (Ken’s son). It was quite a funny show. After the show, we all headed back. We were tired and went to bed immediately.

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9/23 & 24 /08 - Goofing off and Picking up trash in the Valley

The 23rd was a very lazy day. We hiked down to Chapel Wall to climb, but when we arrived, we found the climb we wanted to do had some folks on it. Yosemite has a zillion climbs, yet every one we go to has parties all over it. It’s simply maddening.



Since we couldn’t the 5.10-something crack we had hoped to do, we went around the corner and saw a climb that looked ‘not too bad’. This 5.12a sport climb called “Driveby Shooting” was tough – and fun. Dave claims to have been thoroughly spanked. I didn’t see it quite that way. We ended up taking three runs on this climb. My tips were raw by the end of it. It was such fun though!



We peeked back around the corner hoping the 5.10 would be open. No chance. I think the couple was going to bivy on this 50’ classic or something. In fact, they may still be there now from what it looked like.



We hiked over to a 5.11 climbing Dave had done many years before called “Controlled Burn”. In the interim years, a tree that was necessary to get to the first hold died. It was on the ground in a clear state of decay. To get past the blank base of the climb to the first hold now required one to balance on two tree limbs leaning against the wall. One slip and a nasty impaling was certain. We passed and headed back to camp. Though we got little climbing done, it was a fun day.



The 24th was the official start of the facelift so we went to pick up trash. We showed up at the headquarters of the facelift and signed all the necessary “I know I can hurt myself” and “I know I am not getting paid for this” forms. We loaded up on some water, cliff bars and lip balm (value of $20 – cha-ching!).

We got on a special project crew that picked up a bunch of old phone lines and insulators. Special projects during the facelift can be really cool. Last year, some on a special project got to work on cleaning the base of Half Dome – helicopter work! While this project wasn’t as cool as playing in helicopters over half Dome but we did get to work with Ranger Jack and ride around in the SAR van with Ranger Jessie. Like most of the rangers there, they are really terrific people. The lines we picked up stretched from the Ahwahnee to the Washington Column. This was great fun though we wondered about all the guide books that use the “downed power lines” as markers for when climbers are to head up the slope to the wall. I wonder if there will now be several lost climbers wandering around like Mr. E and I did the day before.

After this duty, Ed Hartouni, Dave and I hung out for the raffle. Each day, those who volunteer get their names put into drawings for a variety of prizes. And during this time, there is free beer and wine available (value 20$). They range from bus tickets to Merced (meh) to Mammut climbing rope (yes!). During this raffle, I won a climbing video DVD (a 20$ value). While hanging around, Dave ran into a friend, Enga who came to dinner with Ed, Dave and me. I’d long heard of Enga from Arno, but never had met her. Nice getting to know her a bit while we all ate pizza at the loft. Good times.

A bonus of the day was that we saw a bobcat walking along the side of the road. I couldn’t get the camera in time so I have no photos. We were so close to the cat that we could see the pointy hair on its ears. Very cool.

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