With our discovery that we would soon be joined by a new baby (in eight months) and my completion of my master’s degree, we decided that it was the perfect time for us to take one last big vacation and visit a number of climbing venues, my dad in MT, and a couple other destinations on a last hurrah of freedom! We started our massive roadtrip in Los Angeles with a visit to Magic Mountain, then continued on to Bishop, CA for some bouldering and camping. Next, we stopped at Yosemite National Park for some hiking and sight-seeing, followed by overnights in Reno, NV and Boise, ID before spending some time with my family in Missoula, MT. We took a few days to visit our favorite cabins near Glacier National Park, though were rained-out each day so we never entered the park (hence no pictures). Finally, we wrapped-up our trip with a tired day-and-a-half of bouldering near Salt Lake City, UT before coming home.
Here’s some pictures from Yosemite and our drive up to MT. Some of the highlights of this trip was a small hike through the giant redwoods and our witnessing the near demise of two climbers on El Capitan as a huge TV-sized boulder was accidentally kicked free above them and missed them by no more than a few feet!
Our lovely campsite within Yosemite National Park before the 100+ campfires were started-up that nightThe majestic El CapitanA view from the base of El Cap - you may be able to make out a few climbers about half-way upMaria adding some scaleClimbers repelling down after nearly being killed by a TV-sized boulder that had cut-loose above them missing their heads by a mere 5 feet!Maria the "tree hugger"!Nice cones!Tom standing on a giant sequoia logOne of the few sequoia tunnels that were carved out in the early days of the park for traffic to drive throughMaria spooked after hearing strange noises eminating from the hollowed-out trunk behind her...luckily it was just some crazy tourist taking pictures and not a black bear!
Our next highlight was our 14 mile trek up to the top of Half Dome. It sported some amazing views and very cool rock, but it was a very LONG day and the huge elevation gain took its toll on our knees and legs…I don’t think we’ll be repeating this one any time soon!
Posing in front of Half Dome the day before our hike to its summitAnother view of Half DomeMaria stopping to enjoy the view below Half DomeAt the headwaters of one of Yosemite's beautiful waterfallsYogi bear's rival for picnic basketsHalf Dome hiding in the treesGetting closer to the domeAlmost to the fun part: a push to the summit with only two cable ropes and some 2x4s for traction!Stairway to heaven...though it was hell getting up them!Maria taking a breather half-way upHalf Dome summit - with crazy onion-like layers of rockThe happy couple - happy to finally be at the summit!The obligatory summit poseBack down we go!The not so happy, totally sore couple after 7+ miles of hobbling down a never-ending series of steep switchbacks!Gorgeous view of Half Dome and parts of Yosemite ValleyA happy pose infront of our conquered nemesis!
Following our adventures in Yosemite, we drove up through Reno, NV on our way to MT and stayed the night in one of their casinos that obviously hasn’t been rennovated since the 70s!
We couldn't resist taking pictures of our gaudy motel room in Reno, NV!Absolutely love the awesome maple burl dresser...who said disco was dead?!
Our second destination on our big trip was Bishop, CA. This is one of the premiere bouldering destinations in the US and hosts the Buttermilks and Happy/Sad boulders (among others). After a day of testing our mettle in the Buttermilks (and getting sorely shut down), we had a bit more luck with the Happy/Sad’s. However, our fingers were so sore from the sharp granite of the B-milks, we couldn’t make it more than a half day :(. Oh well, we’ll be back!
The expecting couple taking a time out on their crash padMaria working on a large pock-marked boulder problemVictory!The beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains overlooking our campsite outside Bishop
On the way back home, after visiting my family in MT, we stopped by Salt Lake City for a day-and-a-half of bouldering in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Even though we had a guide book for the area, we had no clue what were good problems and what weren’t. Thus, we spent over a half day looking for boulders that ended up yielding little in the way of good climbing. Go figure, as we were leaving we saw some locals working a few lines and joined them for a really fun problem…guess we need to scout or beta a little better next time!
Maria working a boulder problem in Little Cottonwood Canyon outside Salt Lake City, UTMaria working the ridge with the killer toe hook!Maria throwing for the finishTom working the direct route
The previous owners did make a mild attempt at landscaping the front yard, but between a half-dead tree and tons more gray pea gravel, the place was in definite need for a face lift. So in the middle of the summer (thanks to an anxious wife), we embarked on a major brick walkway/driveway extension, planted a new tree, installed irrigation, built a small retaining wall and planted shrubs. Through all the sweat and hard work, the difference is amazing!
Before picture of tree and pea gravelBefore picture of tree, cactus and river rockNo more crummy tree...or pea gravel!Ready to install the walkway extensionStarting to put down the cement layerTom spreading out the cementTom installing the border retainersStarting to take shape!Tom smooting out the sand layerAlmost done!A look at the finished walkway and the decorative planters with irrigationA look from the frontThe finished product..complete with new tree, potted plants, decorative rock, and retaining wall with shrubsFinished view from the frontView from the sideView of the vine-covered wall
This project was also for my neighbor and was designed to mimic his antique stackable barrister bookcases. The entire piece is made up of 6 modular units that stack on top of each other using interlocking wood slats. It rests on a dedicated base and is topped-off by a decorative cap. Each unit features a retractable glass door with custom wood handles. All assembled, the bookcase is about 5 and a half feet tall and almost 3 feet wide. Constructed from red oak and oak plywood, the piece was finished in a two-tone fashion with a brown maple-colored interior and a dark walnut/mahogany exterior.
My furniture model providing some "graceful" scaleFront view of the bookcaseSide view of the bookcase without the flash (gives a better idea what the real color looks like)Detail of the moulding and door handlesDetail of the door panelsView of open unitSide view of open unit (with dusty figerprints!)View of the groove that the door pin rides in and the pin that the door rides on when opening and closingView of the cap removed showing the interlocking wooden slats
This clock was a Christmas present for my mother-in-law. She had told Maria and I that she really wanted me to make her a decorative, wooden cross for her wall. She had also told us that she missed having a wall clock too as her last one broke. Maria and I located a kit/plan combo (clock parts and plan for making the wood pieces) for an old-fashioned schoolhouse regulator wall clock online and ordered it. Maria wanted to make the clock unique by somehow combining it with the cross. After a little brainstorming, this was the result I came up with. The clock is mostly made from solid cherry, while the cross accent pieces are walnut. The whole thing was finished using a simple Danish oil, satin wax combination to bring out the natural character of the wood. It features a German mechanical movement with pendulum and chime. The piece turned out great and Maria’s mother absolutely loves it!
Front view of the wall clock (overall size: 14.5" W x 25" H x 5" D)Another front viewView with glass bezel door openedView of opened bezel door and glass pendulum doorSide view of clockDetail of the walnut cross from the sideDetail view of the walnut cross bottom point
