Journey Westward - Ill-Wi-SoDa-Col and beyond

From the Last Chance Corral, I drove to Chicago to sleep in one Graham Haviland's new apartment. He lives in a sweet neighborhood, right by the University of Chicago campus, where he currently attends. Chicago in the summer has got to be one of my favorite cities.

Next stop was Madison, Wisconsin, to see my friend Hannah. This may seem repetitious, but Madison is also a beautiful city in the summer. There are two lakes within city limits and sitting down by their shores during the sunset, enjoying the company of good people and good Wisconsin beer, is truly a delight.


Hannah and her BF Jimmy^

I left early the next morning and drove through the plains of Wisconsin and South Dakota to a small town called Murdo, about 130 miles east of the Badlands. This was some of the most beautiful land I had seen so far:


The Missouri River from the Lewis and Clark Historical Museum^



More gorgeous grassland^


The last time I drove across the country and these relief-challenged places, I disliked them for their flatness. Presently my view has changed and I enjoy them for their tranquility.

More western beauty (this time Wyoming):



I stopped in Estes Park, CO to visit Jeanine, a good friend and one of the biggest influences early in my climbing career. I never realized exactly how spectacular this little mountain town was until I saw this:



Jeanine was busy working but she was able to connect me with a friend of hers who took me out climbing on Lumpy Ridge, the north side of the valley that houses the town. Lumpy's spectacular granite (have I mentioned how much I love granite) was just the thing I needed after sitting in a car for the last three days. Wes and I climbed Fat City Crack (5.10c) to Outlander (5.10c), for a total of 5 pitches, each one quality!

Next post: My final destination, the Big Yosemite...

Journey Westward 2010 - Last Chance Corral

I had the honor and pleasure of making my first stop on the way to Yosemite at the Last Chance Corral in Athens, OH. The corral is a cozy 2.6 acres, complete with a handful of barns and the animals to occupy them. I counted over 25 horses (a mixture of foals, mares, and stallions), 2 dogs, 3 cats, and some assorted humans (including myself) residing in close proximity to each other. In fact, the barn that partially houses the foals is also where us people sleep.



They are adorable. All legs, occasionally taking off into a fit of running and bucking, just for the fun of it. They are amazing to watch, as many of them are less than a month old (like this one)

I stayed for two nights, and put in about half a day's work, helping to build some new enclosures, do some cleaning, and feed the foals (that same day, they had received 10 new ones). The owner, Victoria, is a compassionate and capable individual, and her abundant hospitality is only outmatched by her love for horses.