New Games

Today we had some input on what to bring to Belize with us, one item was soccer cleats. So I looked around the internet to see what soccer boots would cost and decided to check out a local outdoor store called Al's which had a pair of leather shoes marked down from $60 to $20 that fit me, so now I have a pair of bright white soccer cleats with bright red swooshes that represents that they are a devil brand. I also picked up a really nice looking soccer ball and shin guards from Ross for much less than suggested retail. I figured April would get upset if only the boys were playing soccer so I headed back to Al's and convinced the sales guy that the same model but for females should be marked down as low as mine were, so now April also has some fancy footballer boots.

April got to help watch kids at a summer program today so after she played with the children I made her play with me, by kicking the soccer ball around a local school field which was very fun but hot. Hopefully by the time we get to Belize we'll be able to kick the ball straight, and in the direction we intend. We also played with our new 200 gram frisbee which is nice when it is windy and easier to chuck for long distances. So maybe I'll get off my ass a touch more often before leaving.

Waiting and waiting

So far I've sold about $1600 worth of stuff on Ebay, some stuff went for far less than I thought it would and some went for more than I actually paid for it, so goes the free market. I also went to SLC for the weekend with April. We went for two reasons first to see the Band of Annuals play with Hello Kavita and Will Sartain, and to sell my fixed gear bike. The show was great although everywhere on the web claimed the show started at 9, but as most SLC'ers know the Urban Lounge doesn't start shows till 1030, so we got to bed around 2 that night. We stayed with our friend Jon that we both met when we were living in Yosemite, the same time that we met each other. Sunday Jon talked April into hiking up to Blanche Lake up Big Cottonwood Canyon, so I got to hike the 3 miles with them so Jon and I could climb Sundial Peak. Some might think that because I ride bicycles around and climb 3 days a week I would have a touch of fitness, but this was proven wrong as I crawled up the trail Sunday. I did make it, but I definitely need to be much fitter which might be why April says I have to run with her in Belize. Monday April and I had an interview with our Peace Corps Belize training official, she was really nice and the 'interview' was for her to establish what needs we have for training so we don't waste each others time going over redundant information. I am really excited to go to Belize, I wish we didn't have to stress out about all of this everyday crap like emptying our house. After our interview we ate lunch and took a nap on the floor of Jon's house which he shares with 5 other 24 year old friends, 4 of which also work at BD. After our nap we rode our bikes the 8 miles downtown to hit up a swimming pool then we headed back which is all up-hill for 8 miles, good thing cycling is a lot easier than hiking. Soon after getting back to Jon's I got a call from the kid that wanted my Fixie, so I headed over to his house to make the lucrative exchange, lucrative for him. If you ever have a bike you love don't sell it unless you have to, they go for approximately half of what they are worth monetarily and about 1/10th of what they are really worth. So we ended up going back downtown to meet up with April's friend Heather that used to live in Logan but recently decided to go to Culinary School in SLC. Heather is a really nice girl and it was fun to see her again, probably for the last time before leaving.

Sun Dial Peak, the route started around the lowest point of the wall, bottom right

of face in pic and ended before the actuall summit (picture from http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3251693)

When I thought we were headed for Jamaica I was super stoked and read every touch of info about it, made contacts with people and even invested in some equipment to establish climbing routes down there. For Belize I've emailed a couple of PCV's, but mostly I've just stopped worrying about what it will be like and I'm just waiting to find out in person. For Tucson I've been looking at all the pictures of Mtn. Biking and climbing going on there, I'm not to keen on the heat of summer, but the 9 months of perfect climbing/cycling weather is getting me stoked, I've already been looking at what I would want for a bike down there even though I know that by the time I get back the bike industry will probably look a lot different, which would be great since it currently looks like crap. I'm actually thinking that there is a strong likelihood we will stay in Belize longer than 2 years, I'm not too sure April is dying to do so, but 2 years probably isn't enough time to ween ourselves from all of the material comforts we deem necessities right now.

Hanging Out

Since I don't have a job right now I've been sitting around the house trying to not spend any money, which isn't going so well. I have been climbing 3 whole days per week most of this month, last night I even dragged April up to China Cave where I'm working on a route that I have no business getting. I think April went just so she could use her new Chacos. I bought April a pair of Chacos for $66 w/shipping this week even though we get a bigger discount from Chaco ($47.50) once we actually get to Belize, which sucks because we would have to get them shipped to a U.S. address ($5) and then have someone ship them to Belize ($24), overall it was cheaper to get them sooner ($10 difference) and April gets to wear them for a month longer (priceless). I brought my camera along last night so we could show off the beauty of China Cave:

April on the 5.9 gear mixed route

April with her new Chacos

Todd Parr on his Project: Tweak (5.13d)

Mr. Yuck sorting gear

I realized my bike-construction skills are not up to snuff.

Out with the old, in with the old

So April and I have decided to get rid of pertnear everything we own, so I sold my bikes. Since I didn't have a bike anymore I bought a new one today at the thrift store, a 1982 Nishiki Caribou designed by NORCO, I brought it home and so far I've only spent about $30 total since I had so many spare parts laying about. I switched out the wheels for the ones that came with April's bike (FOR SALE!), put a longer seatpost that was slightly to large in diameter (about .2 mm, so I just lubed it up real good), the saddle that came on my road bike went next and I used a derailer from several bikes ago to act as a chain tensioner since the bike has vertical dropouts instead of the more common (for 1982) horizontal. I just got back from a test ride, very stable and fun, wish I could take it to Belize. Here is a pic of my trash turned to treasure:



I haven't been posting lately because I haven't been up to much, mostly just climbing and hanging out by myself because April went to Texass for 10 days. I did finally get on the route i bolted, my friend Brian got on it also, he said it set a new standard for Logan canyon; possibly the worst route in the canyon. The wall is extremely dirty and has no flow from hold to hold, much like the routes in the gym. Well we have approximately a month and a half left in Logan, we are paying our last months rent tomorrow. We might go to California to meet my parents there and have them take a few items to store in Oregon for the next few years. I will hopefully make enough money on my bicycles and the few other items that are worth a few dollars to pay for the cost of living between now and leaving, but at least I still have one bike for now!

One more thing, I just watched the most exciting documentary last week Life in the Undergrowth, it was done by BBC, if you have Netflix you definately need to check it out.

Home from Oregon

April and I went to see my parents in Tillamook Oregon last thursday, we left while it was raining and landed with rain, had a day and a half of good weather and returned to rain. Today is overcast, but not wet so I'm gonna try to get some exercise. April leaves again on saturday to see her sister and family in Texas for ten days.

My Mom and I hiking Cape Lookout, this chunk of land juts into the ocean more than 2 miles, in the 50's a military bomber hit the cape.

Looking down from the cape, it was around 300 feet tall.

We still have a crap load of paperwork to do before going to Belize, but we have a little bit of time to do it. We also have to get rid of almost all of our stuff, some of it has value and will probably go on ebay, the rest will probably go to either our friends or the local thrift store. My dad makes really nice furniture out of wood which means we have a really nice leather chair like the ones seen in men's smoking clubs (on the movies) and a really nice three drawer dresser that is super bomber, it would be nice to get em back after we come back from Belize, but I'm not to sure if we will have a vehicle to move furniture from Logan to Tucson in two years, so I guess I would rather just find a good home for them, one where they won't get overly abused but will see some use. I have some friends that say they will take my tools for me while we are gone, I'm not too sure if we will actually get to come back for them like I said, but I would rather give stuff to good friends than sell it for less than it is worth. I'm planning to take some climbing gear with us, not sure what, but I'll probably sell my cams on Ebay because people pay rediculous prices on there, higher than any of my bum friends will pay. We also have to find a home for our two cats, otherwise I'll have to put them down.

Our Assignment

There was a small misunderstanding, not central South America, but Central or South America. So we have our assignment to Belize, the Toledo District. While searching for Peace Corps Volunteer blogs in Belize I found good friends of mine that I haven't talked to since they graduated from USU named Todd and Ashley, they just returned from Belize hopefully I can find out some cool stuff about their experience. I can't find any info about climbing down there, but there are Mayan ruins everywhere in the southern area, I am very interested in Mayan culture, there are still large parts of the population that speak Mayan. The official language is English, but most speak a form of Creole, Spanish or Mayan.