3,500 miles from Florida (about...)

Jan and I arrived at Badger Cabin on the 9th at approximately 6:20 pm, pacific time. But before we made the final sprint from the gas station/ bar/ restaurant in Denio Junction, NV, we spent a few days exploring Moab, UT. And by exploring Moab, I mean climbing. And more climbing. The first afternoon that I met her there we immediately hopped into a car with our gear and headed for Wall Street, where we met some other climbers from CO, who we later went out to dinner with. Wall Street is a great area for top roping, with some sport and trad climbing mixed in. It also has an awesome view from the top right over the Colorado River. (Since we were essentially climbing up the walls of the canyon.) One afternoon at Wall Street, when I was cleaning a route, I was the subject of approximately 10 tourists’ photographs as they cruised by on a boat on a tour. Since most of my experience climbing has been bouldering, it was a little strange to rely more on my feet (read: trust my feet), to get up a route. We did some fun climbs though, including one that Jan led, and two that neither of us thought we could do, but pushed through it. This one was particularly sweet… getting over the roof was the difficult part. (That’s Jan rappelling down another route we had just finished to the right.)


While in Moab Jan and I stayed at a pretty nice little campsite cut into a canyon. We even had petroglyphs on the walls not 150 meters from where we slept. At night we’d cook our dinner over an open campfire in a cast iron pan. Car camping can be rather luxurious.


We also made the short jaunt to Arches National Monument one evening to catch delicate arch as the sun was setting. The clouds made for a rather dramatic picture. That’s the La Sal mountains in the background.

Even before I drove to Moab I spent some time with Kirsten in Boulder. We spent a lazy Sunday morning walking around downtown Boulder. Downtown Boulder has a few blocks that have been shut off to traffic, paved in bricks, and lined with all kinds of interesting shops that you can check out on foot. Kirsten and I also played on the animal sculptures…


After lunch we decided to be a bit more active and drove about 10 minutes outside of town to hike in Chautauqua Park. Boulder is basically set in the foothills of the Rockies, and in the park were these interesting rock formations, called The Flatirons, that we hiked up. They’re named the flatirons because… well, they look like a flatiron don’t they?

There were quite a few people out that day hiking, and climbing up the flatirons too.

So… now, Jan and I have settled into Badger. Upon arrival I gave/ received a bear hug from Matt, then made my way down to the old tent party 2k7 wall tent to jump on Berti to wake him up. (Sorry I interrupted your interesting dream about fish, Berti.) Jan and I spent that Friday evening unloading our cars, and semi-unpacking. Saturday (after a VERY cold night… I may have gotten minor frostbite on my big toes…), the guys went to Alturas to get groceries, and Jan and I went out on plot. I showed her our focal species birds, then we came back, ate lunch, and set up our sweet pad in the second wall tent.

Later that afternoon I was in the Cabin, doing something, when Jan yelled out to me from the picnic tables in the front… there were Western Scrub Jays hanging out by the spring! I promptly dropped what I was doing, and chased the birds all over the hill behind the cabin. They’re not as friendly as Florida Scrub Jays, but their calls are pretty similar. I could hear them this morning, they’re still around... We think they may be nesting somewhere around the cabin. If they do, I’m going to find it.

Apparently a day or so before Jan and I got to Badger, the guys and Aaron constructed sleds out of scraps of wood around the cabin, and then tested them on a hill just up the road towards all the plots. (There is still a bit of snow in Sheldon in spots.) In a stroke of genius, when we realized Jan had her skis, we decided that we were going to ski it. So in the afternoon we packed up the skiis, hiked them up the hill, and did a few runs. Skiing in Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in May. It’s going to be the new craze I’m sure…




Living out in the middle of nowhere with no electricity and running water is the mother of invention. Your only form of entertainment is yourself, and the people around you. As a result, we tend to make up a lot of games. Last summer it was Rally Ball. This year, the toy of choice has been the "High Bounce Pinky." A rubber ball about the size of a lacrosse ball that cost 99 cents has given us hours of entertainment. Just add the flat road by Badger Campground, and 10 empty beer bottles and you have high bounce pinky bowling. We played two games yesterday... I won the first, Keith the second.