The Family's here!

June 28th

         Well the whole family flew in today. So we left Siletz, OR in the morning to meet everyone at the airport in Portland. We wanted to see what downtown Portland was like and to see if the show 'Portlandia'  had portrayed hipsters and the town correctly. We weren't disappointed. Downtown Portland was quite interesting and I wish we could have spend more time exploring and dining there. We tried to go to Voodoo donuts but decided against it due to a 50ft line out the door in the middle of the afternoon!

Downtown Portland in front of the courthouse

 After Portland we drove to Miltnomah Falls, the taller falls is over 500ft high! Miltnomah Falls is right next to the Columbia river just north of Mt. Hood. 

Miltnomah Falls

Columbia River in the background

Girl pose for the brothers, mine and samantha's bro pose wasn't as successful.

After the falls we traveled past Mt. Hood National Park to Redmond, OR to stay the night. 

6/30, Friday

      We spent today exploring Smith Rock State Park and then spending the afternoon seeing downtown Bend and visiting Deschutes Brewery

SMith Rock!

Andrew and Michael scoping out To Bolt or not to be (5.14a)

Scrambling over Asterisk Pass in Smith Rock.

tasting beer at the Deschutes Brewery

Hop Flowers!

Fishing with Art

June 26
     Our first day of fishing out with Michael's grandfather, Art! We loaded up the boat with fishing gear and headed to the bay in Newport, OR. I believe we were cruising out of the port into the ocean around 8:30 in the morning and it seemed like it was going to be nice weather wise.
     We dropped a couple of crab pots in 25ft deep water close to the shore and then left them to sit on the bottom on the ocean until we returned later. Art put cut up chicken parts in the bait boxes in the crab pots.
The pots are round with netted wire encasing two re-bar circles with two slots where the crabs crawl in. On the slots there is wire gates that only swing in but not out, so the crabs can't escape once in.
     After dropping the pots we headed out to deeper water to try our luck with halibut. We dropped our lines to around 200ft down. The lines are weighted with a heavy metal ball which sits on the bottom of the sea floor while a rod attached to the ball weight suspends a herring fish or other big bait. We didn't get any bites and after a while and squalls kept building out to sea and raining on us. So we decided to try our luck with different fish in shallower water.
   First line dropped into the shallower water (~60ft deep?) Michael hooks a cabazon fish and hauls it up. It a burly looking fish, almost prehistoric looking. All of its spines are somewhat poisonous and the fish had to be handled with care. Although we dropped him into the cooler and forgot about him for the rest of the day.

Michael's cabazon fish. It looks kind of prehistoric.

 We didn't have much luck the rest of the day. Nothing was biting, so we went back to the crab pots to find lots of crabs in the pots. But unfortunately you can only keep the male crabs, so out of a dozen crabs we caught, one was a male. It was so hard to watch Art toss all those big delicious looking female crabs back into the ocean.

Michael with his fish back at the marina.

Art filleting the cabazon fish. Apparently its really hard to kill these fish because
of the tough skeletons and had to fillet the fish alive :(

 
We did get to eat the one crab we caught back at home. And he was delicious! I'm not sure which was the worst way to go out being on the sea critters, filleted or boiled alive. Its a tossup.

Bend, OR

Its been raining in central Oregon for a few days so after we went to Trout Creek, I really wanted to go to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument down south of Bend, OR. We explored a mile-long volcanic lava tube (which was freezing cold... like 40 degrees inside!), and then drove up to the top of the volcanic crater where we walked around on a huge obsidian flow. We didn't get to explore much in the crater because of the bad weather. :(

Inside the lava tube... there was ice everywhere in the cave!

Obsidian/pumice flow. The flow is happened about 1,300 years ago, not very old geologically speaking.

Dinner in the car... this is what we resort to when being cheap. Chili dogs cold and out of the can.

     Well I managed to zap the capacitor on my laptop charger, so this might be the last blog for awhile before I can get it replaced. My laptop is almost dead.

      The last few days at Smith Rock have been rainy, so we ventured into Bend, OR for some entertainment. Today was Bend's annual Bite of Bend festival. It’s a festival to celebrate local food and alcohol. Bend closed off a few streets in downtown and lined them with dozens of local food and market vendors. This wasn’t your typical festival…. There was absolutely no fried twinkies/oreos/or fried paraphernalia whatsoever. All the food that was cooked and served was local, delicious and unique to each cook. We tasted everything from raw chocolate, to risotto stuffed with goat cheese covered in a basil cream sauce, chicken shwarma, buffalo sliders, homemade paella and lots of other delicious food. We got to observe an outdoor Top chef competition featuring local chefs from Bend and yes they each had a secret ingredient! They had an entire street blocked off to liquor distilleries, over 40 distilleries where showcasing their alcohol and for 15 bucks you could sample as much as you wanted. We didn't feel like throwing-up on the street, so we opted out.

    Some citizen of Bend decided it would be cool to create a Craigslist farmer's market. You heard me an online farmer's market that includes 175 farms in central Oregon that operates 4 days a week. It sounds pretty cool and if your in to that type of thing I believe its at www.centraloregonlocavore.com. I'll give it to the people of Bend, they love their local food and booze, but they kept throwing away perfectly good food after the Top chef competition. Me and Michael were having heart attack when we saw them throw away an entire pork loin that had been cooked on stage!!! WTF don't cook it and throw it away. Give it to those in need like the poor college kids!

Michael eating yummy vendor food!

the paella food cart.... so awesome

Stage for the Top Chef competition, and yes that is a whole pig head, freshly killed!

Smith Rock

Well we finally took some pictures at Smith Rock. We went to were the crowds weren't and climbed a short five pitch climb, Wherever I may Roam (5.8/5.9). I picked up the first and last leads and Michael did the three pitches in between. Really fun climb, we did the climb on June 20th.

Pitch 1

Michael at pitch 3 belay station

Monkey Face in the distance!

Michael leading the pitch 3 traverse

Pitch 5 belay station

Pitch 5 to the summit!

June 22nd
     It's rainy outside today, so we left Smith Rock to go check out the Trout Creek climbing north of Madras, OR. We've both been wimping out lately, so we didn't have any plans to climb. Plus this place requires you to be a BAMF on trad. Its 5.10 and up crack climbing. I know I flail and flop all over the place in easy 5.7 cracks.
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/trout-creek/106505473

   We thought it was closed to climbing but we saw several people up at the crags climbing. So much for trying to work with the Access Fund to keep it open by NOT CLIMBING! There's been climbing closures there due to falcon nesting and land issues between private owners and BLM. It took us awhile to get there almost like trying to drive to Last Chance canyon down the dirt road. We thought there's no way this place could be as crowded as Smith Rock. Well we were wrong. There was hoards of campers, boaters, rafters, and anglers. Turns out the Deschutes River flows right under the Trout Creek climbing area.

Trout Creek climbing area (side view) The columns are almost 200ft high! 

a sea of funny looking cairns near Trout Creek crag

Central Oregon

We're climbing!!! but no climbing pictures.... :( Butt pictures get old when you're belaying. We'll try and get some tomorrow on some multipitch.

We left Michael's Grandparents yesterday afternoon and made the drive over the Cascades to Smith Rock State Park. Michael's Grandparents are currently in the process of building a rental property and one of their building contractors, Ron, made a call to some family to allow me and Michael to camp in their driveway next to Smith Rock. So we don't have to pay for camping fees or deal with all the crowds during our stay at Smith Rock. Thanks Ron! We'll bring you those margaritas you're always asking for when we come visit you while building the rental property.
    At Smith Rock its $5 a day per car to use the park or you can buy an annual Oregon States Park pass for $30, the annual pass was a much better deal. We climbed a couple of routes yesterday evening, Bunnyface (5.7) and Light on the Path (5.9). The 5.9 was much harder, we didn't expect to have tiny not so positive crimps on a dead vertical 5.9!
   Today was a fun day... we got out to Smith Rock S.P. early and climbed three routes... Jete (5.7), Dancer (5.8) and Toy Blocks (5.10a) at the Christian Brothers wall. We quit climbing at lunchtime and headed to Bend, OR to check out the Deschutes Brewery.

We couldn't take a picture in front of Deschutes without Brian!! It's his favorite brewery!

The beers at Deschutes! We got to try all of them for free.
Hop in the Dark and Chain Breaker IPA were our favorites.

Tasting beer

The brewery

Part of the tour, fermentation tanks on the right and left.

 After the brewery tour we were hungry after drinking the free beer we got and so we went to the Deschutes Brew Pub in downtown Bend for some dinner and more beer. The food was excellent... but wallet busting. :(

at the Deschutes Brewery Restaurant... I look like I've been to hell and back.

Here's an awesome video, on how they bottle the beer at Deschutes. Pay close attention! Although I think its sideways, so turn your screen 90 degrees!

Oregon Coast

Well.... we still haven't climbed since the last post. Chiropractor's orders to stay off the heel until this monday's last therapy session.

Good news, we did get the car fixed. After running around all over central Oregon on tuesday (6/12) to three different auto-salvage/graveyards one each in Corvallis, Albany, and Eugene. We were looking for two replacement doors for Michael's Camry, which we eventually found, a green and a white door, the car is actually gray. A mechanic in Siletz, OR put the doors on for us and the camry is back up alive and waterproof after staying in the garage for nearly a week.

Michael showing off his new white and green doors on the the gray Camry.

Now with the freedom of a car, from the auto-shop we headed to Newport for a celebratory beer at none other than Rogue Brewery! The brewery is along the historic bay area near the port of Newport. To get to the bar and restaurant at the brewery you have to walk through all the 20ft+ fermentation tanks containing all the beer, the place reeked of the sweet smell of several kinds of wort boiling somewhere. Maybe the best smell besides rain. Upstairs we enjoyed a sampler of 8 different Rogue beers. Some delicious, others strange and very different. Our favorites were the black IPA, chocolate stout, juniper pale ale, and jasmine mead. We tried a Chipotle Ale, Shakesphere Stout, and a Menage-a-frog. We also had a cup of clam chowder and beer cheese soup with our beer! Rogue had over 20 of their own beers on tap... how freaking cool. Plus Rogue has their own distillery and creamery across the bay. I might have to splurge for a bottle of the their Spruce gin.

beyond excited for the Rogue Brewery beer sampler

Today we headed to Tillamook, OR to go tour the cheese factory!!

CHEESE!!! In the center bottom of the picture there's leftover cheese in the bins
from cutting?? They sell that stuff for cheaper in the store downstairs.

The factory was huge and there was tons of happy milk cows in the grass pastures surrounding the factory and the town of Tillamook. Must be why the cheese and ice cream are so delicious here. We bought two pounds of cheese as endcuts, which was much cheaper than the regular rectangular blocks. We bought a 3-year aged white cheddar and a garlic white cheddar...yum! We couldn't help but get an ice cream cones of Tillamook ice cream with Grandma's cake batter and Tillamook mudslide. 

Ice cream in hand in the cool vans they drive around to advertise.
Michael did not want to take a picture in the van at all, he's faking it well.

It was such a nice day today we couldn't help but go down the beach and enjoy the sand and nice views.

bearglarized

Well we haven’t blogged in  a few days and there’s a lot to update everyone about, so this one will be a long one.

Monday, June 4th
    Climbed a few routes at the central Owens River Gorge

Michael leading Hungover (5.11b)

Michael excited about his new rope that came in the mail

Wednesday, June 6

     We left Bishop, CA and the high sierras behind hoping for a change in pace and different scenery…. And California sure did deliver.

      We didn’t end up climbing Mt. Temple mostly due to Michael’s heel and we thought let’s go do big multipitch in Tuolumne meadows in Yosemite that have short approaches. So we left our gravy, free campsite in Pine Creek Canyon, bought two weeks of groceries and planned to spend the next two weeks climbing Yosemite National Park.

      On our way into Yosemite we stopped at Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining on our friend Tiffany’s suggestion. It was delicious and we both still had a hard time believing they offered such gourmet food in… a gas station. Thanks Tiff!

BBQ chicken pizza with cilantro sauce at Whoa Nellie Deli

    We assumed we could camp in Tuolumne Meadows since we read on their website there was several campsites next to the climbs we wanted to do (cathedral peak, matthes crest, Fairview dome, eichorn pinnacle to name a few) we would just have to pay $10 to $20 every night. To our surprise and disappointment all of the campsites were closed till July and the only ones open were in Yosemite valley. So change of plans again. The valley we find is packed, swarming with tourists taking pictures of everything and clogging the roads trying to find parking. We find camp four, the infamous site of Yosemite dirtbag climbers, only to find it FULL with well..... tourists, not climbers. We hunt down the ranger on site and she manages to squeeze us into a site. In the middle of the camp 4 parking lot there is a trailer with a bent door, exemplifying what bears will do to your car if you leave food in it. We thought “haha” what city-slicker would be dumb enough leave that much food in their car to merit a bear to shred a car to pieces. We settle in for the evening with plans to rise early and climb Snake dike (5.7R) up half dome the next day.

Half Dome (Snake Dike 5.7R goes up the right side of the dome on the slabs)

Thursday, June 7th

      We wake up around 6am gather our things and make the 100yd walk from our campsite to where our car is parked. 50yds into the walk we see at least 20 people lined up to get a camping permit and I notice a white Prius with official seals on the side of the car with two rangers leaned up against the car as if waiting for someone. I thought “uh ohh…,” a bear must have gotten into someone’s car last night. 25yds from the car I notice something sticking out from the side of Michael’s camry.

       Noooooo….. it’s not possible. WTF. Michael blind with no contacts or glasses is oblivious to the scene as my stomach turns in knots. The rangers ask us if the camry with Texas plates is ours, we say yes….. “well you’ve been beargularized.” Upon closer inspection… sure enough one door has been completely pried open with shattered glass everywhere and a second door the bear also but tried unsuccessfully to bend open. Mr. Bear turns out, ripped open our car for a flimsy head of garlic that we forgot to put into the bear bins at our campsite. Luckily the rangers didn’t give us a citation, usually cases where food is left in cars is a $1000 citation. Although the rangers weren’t surprised at all that a bear wasted time and energy ripping the car apart for a lousy piece of garlic to stink up its breath.

   

       Stupid bear… why couldn’t you have just broken the glass like any normal burglar? Was it really necessary to inflict body damage to the poor car and then just walk away for some f***ing garlic!?!

THE BEAR DAMAGE

nom nom...! yummy... car upholstery and yellow foam

Broken window and bent door frame.... classy

      And so begins my diatribe. We’ve both been in the remote wilderness countless times, where each time we’ve never had such an encounter with a bear. Sure we’ve had bears mess with our bear bags hanging up in the trees, but it’s not often bears will succeed in taking away the booty and if you get within a 100yds of the bear  they run at the site of human presence. Wild bears are just like every other animal, skittish and constantly in flight or fight mode.  Not such in Yosemite valley where a previous wilderness is now a populated and humanized tourist town. Yummy, accessible food is dropped and deposited carelessly from tourists and campers alike over the past few decades and generations of bears are now accustomed to living off of the “freebies.” It’s an easy life and just like humans the bears realize our life is easy and why not join in raiding our bountiful waste instead of foraging for their own food.

       I’m afraid to say we've ruined the bears of Yosemite, humans have changed their lives so dramatically that they’re no longer wildlife but domesticated. I don’t blame the bear for what he did to our car he doesn't know any better, but in due course of time that same bear will be captured and either euthanized or relocated 100’s of miles away.  The bear becomes a threat to human lives and because we want to take over his wilderness for our enjoyment, he gets punished by being killed or relocated.

      I’m afraid to say the National Park Service might have failed slightly at their jobs. While they’re doing a fantastic job of making wilderness areas more accessible for the masses, they're forgetting an important part about educating the masses about the wilderness and leaving less of an impact. National Parks and wilderness areas were created in order to preserve these areas and protect them from commercialization and human impact, but this isn't what we see today. Where did we go wrong?

     With our tails tucked between our legs we drive out Yosemite N. Park for San Jose, hoping never to return. We make it to San Jose, find a motel close to San Jose State University and empty out the car and place all of our belongings in the room.

      I can’t even explain how many people got a huge laugh at the expense of our blunder. So many people were shocked to hear a bear managed to pry a door frame in half for some garlic. “Some bear..” they’d say. We didn't think it was too funny, our home on the road was no longer water-proof or burglar-proof.

       I needed to go up to campus to meet with my graduate advisor and complete paperwork for the following school year. While busy with this Michael found a body shop who bent the door frame flush with the rest of the car for free, after he laughed for a good minute about the incident first. We placed painter’s tarp over the window and duck taped it, now it only looks like we got robbed by a real burglar, rather than a “bearglar.”

      Later that night we headed out and about to grab a nice, sit down dinner. Our friend John Clements back in Lubbock had given us a Red Lobster gift card for our trip and we want to thank him for the dinner he gave us last night. It was delicious John, we really appreciate it! I’m sad to say we weren’t able to climb anything in Yosemite and send you pictures.

Friday, June 8th

     We slept in at the motel and then gathered our things and hit the road out of San Jose to Siletz, Oregon, where one of set of Michael's grandparents live. More to come soon.

*I'll try and take more pictures next time... were slacking in that department.*