Hunky Dory

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog, but that’s not because nothing has been happening. It’s simply that nothing has gone wrong.

I sometimes wonder if people think that our trip is a never-ending series of mishaps. In truth, things go smoothly most of the time; it’s just that I primarily write about the dramatic events. Who really wants to read about a series of seamless – albeit fun – experiences? To support my conclusion, let me point out that the time John ended up going to the emergency room is the most viewed blog post to date. Since we have no plans (fingers crossed) of repeating an instance like that, you’ll have to settle for a brief recap of our recent, drama-free, adventures:

Over the past week or so, we’ve climbed at one of our favorite places to date (Enchanted Tower), been disappointed by a highly rated climbing area (Cochise Stronghold), and been literally blown off the wall due to gusting winds at another (Mount Lemmon).

We spent a few days at Enchanted Tower in New Mexico, where we discovered some of our favorite climbs to date.

Braving the wind at Mount Lemmon.

We’ve experienced days of isolation where we didn’t see another soul, followed immediately by a plethora of social interactions. It forced us to remember how to act in civilized society while catching up with a former coworker and fellow traveller, a college roommate of John’s, and a child engineering prodigy with equally gifted siblings.

When you never interact with other people, cleanliness is optional…

We eventually made our way west into California, where we fretted over the controversial agricultural inspection stations. We worried about losing half our kitchen’s stock, since our van is a clear target for a thorough inspection. However, the guy barely looked up from his booth as he waved us through and we headed on to Joshua Tree.

A joshua tree at Joshua Tree, with the Sentinel climbing wall in the background.

John climbing the backside of Sentinel Wall at Joshua Tree.

And as long as we’re talking about things going smoothly, I should also mention that I just got invited back to compete in American Ninja Warrior again. It’ll be a while before I compete, and even longer before I’m allowed to talk about it, but wish me luck! It requires us to change our route a little (the qualifiers are in Oklahoma City), but that’s the joy of having a totally flexible lifestyle.

As I was saying, everything is hunky dory.