Serpentine Stone

It has officially been over a year since we first left Austin to begin our trip!

However, we didn’t have much time to celebrate, as we needed to sprint across the country in order to get to the American Ninja Warrior regional qualifiers in Oklahoma City. After arriving on Wednesday – as requested – I was informed I wasn’t needed until 11pm on Friday night. Now we had two days to kill and little to do.

During our blitz from Utah to Oklahoma we stopped at Palo Duro Canyon

We decided to hit up the nearest climbing area in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge. After driving a few hours, and walking at least one more, we came upon the first climbing wall. It was at this point, however, that we also noticed at least four large snakes swimming in the water mere feet away from us.

We quickly scrambled onto a nearby rock and proceeded to do research as we watched the snakes swim blissfully around the Narrows. We weren’t 100% convinced that they were poisonous Cottonmouth snakes, but we couldn’t rule it out. With so many around, we decided not to press our luck and gingerly made our way back to the car.

Far from the water, we began to relax, only to run into a Copperhead snake lounging in the parking lot near our van. He moved off the road in the unhurried fashion of one who couldn’t be bothered. We breathed a sigh of relief and got the hell out of there.

The copperhead we came across in the parking lot

Prior to seeing snakes, we ran across a number of these beautiful Collared Lizards.

Now we are spending John’s birthday hanging out in a library and waiting for the competition tonight. I’m sure John can’t think of a better way to spend his birthday; he’ll get to stay up nearly all night, battle crowds, deal with long lines for gross bathrooms, and not be able to see or do anything until it’s my turn to compete. Happy Birthday babe!

On a plus side, I did have one surprise up my sleeve that I coordinated with a friend of a friend on facebook:

Me: “It happens to be my fiance’s birthday on the day of the competition, but I live in a van so I can’t order a present for him. Would it be possible to use your address?”

Trent: “No problem. Do you need a cheesecake? People say I’m a good baker.”

Me: “Really? That would be amazing… however, we’re gluten free.”

Turns out he wasn’t just a ‘good baker’, and he knew more about gluten free baking than I do. This man who had never met us before went out of his way to bake and deliver the best cheesecake we have ever had, and insisted that it was a gift. Not such a bad birthday after all.

John enjoying cheesecake in the library parking lot