Trip to Moab, Utah

My brother got a hold of me and wanted to vacation. Since I'm not too busy these days, I flew down to his place in L.A. and we drove up to Moab. The plan was to rock climb. Moab has some amazing climbing. We were mostly prepared though, my brother forgot his big gear and we didn't get to try a certain route I wanted to do. So it goes... We did drive further, down to Indian Creek, and climbed pretty exclusively on the Scarface Buttress. Two amazing climbs to try, if you are there, are Scarface and Wavy Gravy. I didn't do Scarface clean, but I think I could get it to go with a little more practice on it. It's a very tricky hand crack size and for my hand is very rattling. It would be an intense lead climb. Wavy Gravy had novelty appeal. It has an undulating overhanging quality, finishing with a vertical hand crack in a corner. My brother posted a video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zruPxddD2CI . The whooping at the end was in honor of a woman who lives on the Colorado River at Wall Street climbing area. She kept calling out to geese floating by on the river. The locals call her "The Goose Lady". We climbed a little there on Wall Street aka Potash Road. It's all too easy to just climb what you know when you go places like this. I'm proud that we climbed a fair amount of new stuff, even if it wasn't the best or hardest we'd ever climbed.
We went skydiving one morning. It was early. Since we were both first timers, we had to tandem jump. Perhaps this isn't the best experience, but at least now I know I wouldn't freak out and not pull my own 'chute. The whole experience is a story of anticlimax. I was nervous all week leading up to it. "It's gonna be scary... I'm gonna freak out... The 'chute will hurt when it pops open... The landing will crack my ankle..." All these worried voices played broken-record style in my head. The morning of we were both numb about it. I wasn't really feeling anything. The guy I was strapped to wasn't gonna settle for that. He kept trying to elicit a reaction. We took our agreed 30 minute plane tour of Moab and the door flung open. Unfortunately, this was the pinnacle of my excitement. I looked out the door and nothing really stood between me and the ground. I put my feet out on the step and my tandem rocked us out of the plane. It seemed like we tumbled a few times, but it may have been just the once. When we leveled off, I put my hands out. We looked right and (as if governed by the laws of physics) we rotated clockwise. There was no real sensation of falling. Weightless is all I felt. The wind was rushing by very fast. It was exhilarating. I did enjoy it all. After 35 or so seconds, the 'chute popped and I was pulled back into a vertical position. It didn't hurt. It was even softer than most of my lead falls. My instructor was nice enough to let me control the canopy and we did a tight right turn that made my stomach drop through my feet. The landing was awkward since Paul, my tandem, didn't bother to tell me what to do until it was too late. I got into "landing position" with my legs lifted high and out of the way. Paul put his feet down and took a couple steps. At this point he was holding all of our weight. Then he calls out, "Run Run Run Run it out Run!!!" I tried to put my feet under me, but I would have had to lift Paul up too considering he was a foot shorter than me. I plowed six feet of soil and we came to a nice stop at which point I stood partially up. I unbuckled, turned and watched my brother try to land as well. NOSE DIVE! I'm surprised we didn't nose dive either, watching it from that angle. I probed my brother for a recap of his experience, but I got very little. He did say that the similar experience of anticlimax happened though. It all happened so fast. There was too much to take in. My tandem kept trying to get me to look into the camera. Pain-in-the-ass! I wish we could have gone solo.

After the jump, Steph Davis was sitting on her tailgate outside the hangar. I tried to chat her up. She didn't seem to interested in it. In hind-sight, I may have interrupted a conversation she was having with someone else. It's hard to say because the other person remained in the conversation when I joined them. For those who don't know, Steph is an awesome climber and BASE jumper. Although, I'm not sure how you rate BASE jumpers. Steph was an early inspirational character when I started climbing. My brother joined us but didn't really say anything. I tried to give him an opportunity to chime in but he didn't. Later he said, "I didn't want to seem like a stalker or something". Hmm.. Not my approach at all.

These trips we take always involve a lot of talking. Dusty recommended that I post more photos due to the rather bland quality of my blog. Criticism received. I'll try to improve that situation. These are of my brother and I, Castleton Tower, and Me in front of the Bridger Jack formation.

Plans for a Bike Tour

Trip Plan
My plan thus far is to ride from my house in Renton, WA to either my mom'shouse in Vancouver,WA or my in-law's house in Portland, OR. It's a difference of maybe 20 miles and I may or may not want to ride the extra distance. I've found a mapping service online at http://www.mapmyride.com. Every year there is a sponsored ride from Seattle to Portland. I won't be participating in that particular event. They pace it at 202 miles. 15% of the riders do it in one day. The rest either do it in two days or don't finish. The two day riders stop over in Centralia or Chehalis, WA. Between the two is the exact half-way point. Since I'm about 15 miles south of the start point and don't necessarily plan to ride into Portland, I won't be riding nearly as far. According to the mapping service, the route is bike friendly though there are some high-traffic areas along the way.

Clothes
My apparel may change at the last moment due to weather conditions. Ideally, I'll choose a low-rain potential week and set out. That being said, the weather in this region will be around 70-90 degrees during the days. The nights range from 40-60 degrees. The actual range will be smaller but I'll pack accordingly. Clothing will include:
1. Lycra riding shorts
2. Nylon gym shorts
3. Nylon water-resistant shell pants
4. (maybe) thermal pants of capilene
5. Riding socks - ankle height (4 pair)
6. Riding jerseys - 2
7. Light shell vest
8. Nylon water-resistant shell coat with hood
9. Underarmour long sleeve shirt
10. Buff - black or red (for head warmth)
11. Helmet
12. Fingerless riding gloves
13. Extra t-shirt
14. Arm-warmers
15. Woolly socks for sleeping - 1 pair
16. Flip-flops

Bike and Bike Gear
My bike is a 2002 Specialized Rock Hopper, a front-suspension mountain bike. It's been modified:
1. Kevlar tires - 26x1.25 with a nearly-smooth tread
2. Rear-rack bolted on
3. REI/Novara brand panniers - 2800 cubic inch capacity and waterproof http://www.rei.com/product/780452
4. Schwinn bike computer - $10 special from Wal-mart
5. Ergonomic handlebar grips
6. Shorty bar ends
7. (not yet but soon) flashing LED taillight
8. (not yet but soon) waterbottle and mounted cage

I will have a maintenance kit:
1. Extra tubes
2. Extra tire
3. Multi-tool by alien
4. Patch kit
5. Tire levers
6. Mounted tire pump

Camping and Cooking Gear
I'm leaning towards a lightweight set-up. I'll error on the side of just getting a hotel room if the camping doesn't look safe. My cookware is minimal as well with an emphasis on easy and light. My gear list is as follows:
1. Bivy sack - REI minimalist bivy (a waterproof shell for my sleeping bag and weighs around one pound) http://www.rei.com/product/731432
2. Mummy bag - REI mojave once rated to 45 degrees. (it's old)
3. Sleeping pad - Thermarest Z-lite 3/4 length http://www.rei.com/product/781084
4. Emergency tarp/blanket (for extra shelter from elements/ just in case)
5. 1.35L Titanium Pot with pan lid - Firelite brand
6. Titanium stove for use with esbit solid fuel tablets - Firelite brand
7. Camelbak 3L bladder - with modified pack
8. Headlamp and LED lantern
9. Tupperware for food hydration
10. Travel mug - 16 oz. capacity

Food
One calculator of caloric exercion says I'll burn 800 calories/hour. With that in mind, I'd like to keep close with the food intake. However, I don't want to carry a lot of food at any given time. Food I plan to cook in the evenings and mornings will include:
1. Ramen
2. Tuna - foil pack
3. Chicken - foil pack
4. Dried mushrooms
5. Instant oatmeal with sugar
6. Hot apple cider

For fresh food and snacks for the day:
1. Clif or Promax bars
2. Veggies - carrots, zuccini, onion
3. Jerky
4. Gatorade mix or pre
5. Trail mix

Miscellaneous Gear
I'll have a host of gear that doesn't really fit into any of the above categories. Some of this gear hasn't really been finalized. I still want to do some test riding with all the gear in the bike and then try to lighten up where I think I should or could. Some of the gear is down right unnecessary, but they might offer a mental necessity. The left-over gear is:
1. Maps from http://www.mapmyride.com - I should be able to take a course parralleling I-5 all the way down.
2. An all-weather journal with mini space pen.
3. iPhone with charger
4. iPod with earbuds
5. JVC Everio video camera with back up battery and wide angle lens.
6. Wallet with ID and some extra cash in it.
7. House keys
8. Folding knife

Pre-clusion
I'm going into this attempt with the knowledge I can just turn around and come home if I like. If I get down to Portland and decide not to ride home, I can either buy a train ticket or have Sandy, my wife, pick me up. The gear I've decided on is more price driven than anything. I would definately like to buy more gear that would make my ride more comfortable. However, I don't know how comfortable I'll need to be. The food situation I'm up against will probably be the most concerning on the road. I know I'll pass several gas stations and grocery stores. I don't doubt I'll be able to pick up what I need as I go. Still, I'd like to not have any more variables than is necessary. I used to ride to work in the LA area. 15 miles usually took me about 45 minutes up hill and 30 minutes down hill. I went through many flat tires and a couple of blown out tires. Admittedly, that was a road bike (not really even meant for commuting). The 700cc tires went out when I rode over some unseen potholes after dark. My bike has 26" 1.5 slick tires with kevlar on it. I'm not worried about blow outs, but a thorn can get in just as easy as ever. I want to take my video camera and get some good video footage. I don't have any illusions of getting enough to make a real movie, but I make little YouTube shorts that I still find entertaining. If I can get myself put together enough soon, I'll be riding in the month of August. The rainfall is the lowest this time of year. The temperatures are the highest too. Last week we had over 100 degree temperatures. I'm hoping we are done with that. Now it is raining off and on with perfect temperatures of mid 70's. Follow up post to follow...