Bliss

Here I am sitting at the Pleasant Valley Pit Campground once again. It was just over a year ago I was here for a rock climbing trip. I was then sleeping in my 2 man tent and cooking off a Coleman stove and drinking Fat Tire beer. Well now I cooked spaghetti on my 4 burner stove and had a Widmer Hefewizen to wash it down. Not a bad beer. Fat Tire was a bit more pricey but now I got my Safeway/Von’s saver’s card (it’s a grocery store).  For you Minnesotans, you can buy full strength beer and spirits in grocery stores out here! I took a pic  of the sunset over the snow capped mountains right before I started cooking.

Over the last week or so, Tyler (my nephew) and I went bouldering a little bit by his school. The rock looks like it has never been touched before (except by damn teenagers with their rattlecans). I put up a couple first ascents and Tyler got one also. Here is a link to the boulders. Tyler has only climbed a little indoors before and really likes climbing outside. I’ll make a climber out of him yet. OHHHHH, the other day, I was scouting for new boulders on my bike. I left the bike and started hiking around; wouldn’t you know it, a rattler starts shaking her booty at me. I’m usually one to stay and play a little but this lady was too much for me! I high-tailed it out of there right quick!

Mike and the family took me out to dinner before I left. We went to some place called BJ’s, they are known for their pizza and it tastes mighty good. It’s also a micro-brewery, and they have good beer too! My favorite was an American Pale Ale called the Piranha.

I left this morning just before noon and couldn’t stop smiling. I finally have weaned myself off the teat of other’s and am going to live all by myself for the first time! The drive up was quite nice for scenery but of course, I had a headwind and gained about 3000 feet in elevation on the trip. So, that sucked down the gas (which cost 4.15, highest I saw was 4.57!) and made the truck work a little harder. I arrived here at “The Pit” around 5:30. I set up shop and plan to stay here for about two to three weeks, whenever I have to leave for job training. Until then, I’m going to enjoy the scenery, bike and climb. Try to spend as little as possible and get to know the area even more. I just can’t stop smiling. I think that’s when you know you are truly happy. I have a roof over my head, food and beer in my belly, and mountains all around. A man couldn’t ask for terribly much more. I have a neighbor dog that smelled the burger cooking tonight and we made friends. Gonna head on over to the neighbors and chat it up and have a beer here after writing this.

A few favorites of the day:

                Song: Highway to Hell – AC/DC

                Sight: Red Sunset over the snow capped mountains

                Feeling: Freedom, happiness, and excitement rolled all together

I hope someday all of you can find true happiness for awhile. It’s not possible to have it all the time, but there is no place I would rather be right now and I know it won’t go away in a week like a vacation!

P.S. - Figured I might as well add my first day off climbing on here too. I posted a sign on the bulletin board at the pit that I was looking for climbing partners. I honestly didn't think anyone would take me up on it and I could get some stuff done it town. Well a British fellow by the name of Dan came over and asked if I would like to join him and his friend Magnus (from Sweden). I scarfed down my elk chop for breakfast and joined them for a morning in the Buttermilks. I forgot how beautiful that place is. Giant boulders all around with good landings. 

 (Dan on Funky Tut (V3))
We warmed up and played around on Ironman (V4) for a bit before heading to King Tut (V3). Well I had previously got a blood blister that had popped on a first ascent in SoCal. Well needless to say it hadn't healed yet and I ripped it open for a ugly looking flapper. It ruined the rest of my day for pulling on crimps, but I did manage Cave Problem (V4) on the Grandpa Peabody. Its a low, super steep jug haul. Very cool problem.
We decided it was too hot and ran back down to the park to cool off and rest up. Then we headed into the Happies and tried Serengeti(V5).

 (Dan on Serengeti)
I couldn't get the crimp with my left hand and didn't want to try it more. Dan got the farthest but was too tired. Then some jacked kid and his girlfriend show up. The kid used to beta and just hucked to the crimp and set the damn thing like a thug with no technique. I heard him over say he was heading to Asia for a climbing trip next week, so he must be somewhat good and have money. Dan, Magnus and I made burritos and they really enjoyed the venison burger in them. They haven't had decent meat in I don't know how long, and they really enjoyed being able to sit under a light at a table and have a proper meal. I was glad to have them.
More on Dan and Magnus on my next post. Dan is leaving today for back home, and I invited Magnus to stay with me in my trailer until I have to go up to South Lake Tahoe for my interview early next week. Should be fun.

(Magnus on the descent from the Happies)

Stationary in SoCal

Not terribly much has happened since the last post. Grandma got a plane back to MN, I've been working for my brother doing handyman and maintenance work, and the weather has been mostly nice.
A cool thing happened the other day. I was talking to my mom and she said that she had talked to grandma. "It was a privilege for me to get to ride with Kris out there..." is what grandma said. It means a lot to me, I used to spend so much time with her up at the farm, and since getting my license and college I hadn't seen her much at all. She can talk a person's ear off, but still fun to be around. She also said something about me being calm under stressful situations, which affirmed my suspicion. I also got a $40 "house warming" gift from her, ha! At least some people realize this is my home and not a temporary fix to the work problem.
I purchased a Giant Revel 1 mountain bike at a local bike shop here the other day. I was looking at trails around my campground and noticed that there isn't much for hiking trails around but a whole lot of forest roads and OHV trails. Since I hate motorized travel in the woods, I decided to get a bike. Now, to just learn the ropes of off-road biking and keep myself out of Truckee Hospital!
I've been doing odds and ends for my brother out here. He paid for my deer and elk applications in Colorado this year and now I owe him a lot of money. I don't think with the wage he is paying me and the time I have to leave by that I can get it paid off, but I will pay him cash for whatever I don't work off. I've been installing a sprinkler system in the front yard, taking down a baseball fence in the backyard, digging up stumps and small dead trees, painting and I still have a bunch to do yet. Feels nice getting stuff crossed off a list though.
It seems that though my best friend Nic Westing will be joining me this year in elk camp. The last time we got to hunt for elk was '09 in Utah bowhuting and before that was the first year in Colorado and neither time we got anything..... I hope he isn't bad luck! This year I should have a cow elk and a buck deer tag. I saw a half dozen shooter bucks last year and decided to cash in my two preference points this year. The plan is to finish with my job in the first week of October, drive down to my brother's here, and then drive with them out to CO. We'll see, plans change....
It rained last night, and I found out I still have two leaks in my roof. One in the overhead cabinet that I keep my dishes and cookware in, and a brand new one in another overhead cabinet. I looked up on the roof this morning while it was still raining and couldn't find the holes. Good thing I bought a roof coating the other day, but I didn't have time to put it on. When everything dries out I will be putting two coats of that sucker on and then taking a hose to the roof to test it out. Other than that the weather has been fantastic. Mid 70's for highs are the norm and lows in the camper for sleeping get somewhere around 45. Last night was a bit cool and supposedly in got down into the high 30's. Good thing for a nice denim quilt I got for Xmas a couple years back!
It looks like I'm going to get another job too!!!! Its a watercraft inspection job that's just a half mile from my campsite. I check boats that go into the water to make sure there aren't any invasive species on them and I think I check them on the way out too, not quite sure. Anyways, I sit in a covered lawn chair and wait for people to come and go. Not too hard to to for $13 an hour! I guess I'll get 10-20 hours a week which brings me up to a possible 50 hours a week. More money is nice and since I don't have any friends up that way yet, I'm ok with it. I have to head up to South Lake Tahoe in the first week of April for an official interview. My plan is then to leave in late March or early April to Bishop, CA. I'll camp at the Pleasant Valley Pit campground that I stayed in last year for spring break at a hefty $2 a night ;) . I'll head the 150 miles up to SLT for my interview and come back the same day. Then wait until I have to go up for paid training, which I think is the middle of April. I'll rock climb my little heart out until then. So excited to get on some rock! Wish I had a partner, but I'm sure I'll have no problem finding someone at the campground, she might even be cute!
Well until next time, keep your stick on the ice!

Bummin'

I made it to Cali in one piece! The sun is shining and its supposed to be in the low 70's today. Life is good.
We ended up meeting up with my cousin and staying in a hotel by Independence. The total bill came to over $800 bucks. Good thing the bank of grandma was with, else I would have zilch right now. We drove through Kansas with a pretty good cross wind the whole way and made it to Dahlhart, TX for the night at an RV park. We got up around 5:30, went and had breakfast at a nice little cafe, then hit the road. Of course we had about a 30mph headwind. Combine that with going up some relatively steep climbs and the truck was working hard! I figured we were only getting around 4-5 mpg going up the hills. Engine temp never budged though. We stopped in Winslow, AZ for gas and a potty break, and I decided that we would stop at a free campsite I found on freecampsites.net. It was really nice and on a lake with hardly any one there! Definitely would stop back again sometime. That night it got to about 25 degrees and I didn't turn the furnace on in the camper, but we both had plenty of blankets and a cup of tea warmed us right up.

We got going and at the border for California we got checked for produce. I had all the heavy and bulky stuff I was carrying with like my saddle and totes of climbing stuff on the floor blocking the way. The lady checking said, "Woah..... Yeah.... You got any produce in there?". "Nope", I said and she said something about making her boss happy so she tried to get inside and failed. She let me go and took my word I guess. Then we took off across the desert in the most desolate place I have ever been; just north and east of Joshua Tree Nat'l Park. There was one little gas station for the 150 miles or so between Needles, CA and 29 Palms. Pretty landscape though. We stopped for gas in Yucca Valley and paid $3.93!!! Of course gas prices would have to skyrocket when I take a cross country trip with a trailer!
Anyway, I made it to my brother Mike's here. I got the trailer set up in the backyard. Everything is organized and put away. I can't believe how much extra room I have in my trailer! Anyone that wants to come visit, I have plenty of space and even a memory foam for the extra bed! They work all week, so I guess that will give me time to finish up the small fixes on my trailer and give me time to do some thinking and relaxing.
Oh yeah, btw, I GOT A JOB!!!! I got a call when I was coming across NM asking if I would like to take a campground host job up near Lake Tahoe, CA. I can't remember the exact spot, although I did some research and Boca Reservoir sounded like something my manager, Jay, said. Anyway, its right on what they call a lake out here (reservoir). Its got all sorts of different types of trout, rainbows, brook, brown, and a couple kinds of salmon too. Too bad a non-resident fishing license is over $100 bucks, but I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet I guess. The site is shaded by pines and sits at 6000 feet of elevation. I have no electricity and no water as of right now. The forest service is supposed to put in a well, but we will see about that! I have to go around and pick up trash, clean a couple toilets and just be a jolly fellow I guess. Not too hard to do. It's 8.50 an hour, I work 3 hours in the morning and 3 in the evening, the rest of the time is mine along with two days off a week. Its not a lot of money, but it sounds like a sweet gig!
The job doesn't start til early May, so I have 8 weeks to kill. I'm still thinking of heading to Bishop here in about 3 to 4 weeks and rock climbing. We'll see where life takes me.

Painted my decals on the trailer finally too. Turned out pretty good for me not being handy with a small brush!

The Adventure Begins

Currently I am sitting in a Dodge dealership in Independence, MO, waiting to hear on the status of the truck….

Grandma Moulton and I finally got going yesterday around 2:30. I had to wait for the UPS man to bring me my Superchip Flashpaq that makes it easier on the truck to tow the trailer by changing the shift points. I think it really helps with the shifting! Not so sure on the gas mileage though. I drove down to Bethany, MO before we stopped for the night at Family Budget Motel. It cost 57 bucks for the night and was a really nice place. Pretty simple continental breakfast but it was good. I don’t eat much while I’m on the road. I didn’t have supper last night except for a banana, granola bar, and a soft fruit bar.

Truck issues started yesterday about the time we hit the Twin Cities. On the hills, I noticed a ticking noise when we were pulling up hills. It wasn’t an RPM thing, it seemed to have to do with how hard the engine was working. We cruised along at about 63 mph on the flat land. Hills I took at about 55mph depending on the grade, to avoid the ticking as much as possible. I suppose it’s one of those “if it doesn’t happen things can’t be going wrong, eh?”. In southern Iowa, I noticed that the engine oil gauge had dropped below where we originally started out. Keep in mind I just had an oil change and they said the vehicle had only a miniscule engine oil leak that was nothing to worry about. Well, I didn’t even have enough oil to touch the dipstick! After about 2 quarts of oil, I was just above the “add” line again. We stopped for the night at Bethany. This morning, there was no oil under the vehicle, and everything seemed fine. We got going down the road about half an hour and the gauge dropped pretty good again. Once again, no oil on the dipstick! 2.5 quarts later I’m to the damn “add” line again. I searched for a Dodge dealership on my smartphone (sure do love this thing for traveling). Found one that was on the freeway but had bad reviews. So we went out of our way to Landmark Dodge here in Independence, MO. I have the trailer parked in the back.
I’m sitting here next to grandma snacking on foods, typing this, and listening to music on headphones. Sitting next to an old guy with a cane and reading a book with tiny print. It’s interesting the generational differences here. I’m loading down with gizmos and gadgets and he’s just got a cane and a book. An older fat lady is across the way reading a book about food (go figure). She’s snacking on Cheetos and a pop from the vending machine. I’m eating crisp wafers, an apple and water. People wonder why they can’t stay in shape, LOOK AT WHAT THEY EAT! I digress, I imagine since we are burning oil (blue smoke, and soot in the tailpipe) that I have a bad rings on cylinders. That’s not good. They would have to rip apart the engine and that’s not cheap. We might be staying in the trailer tonight. I also have a cousin (that’s on the Moulton side) that lives half hour from here. We’ll see….