I apologize in advance for what will probably be a long post. We have kept pretty busy the last few days and I’ve been neglecting the blog.
Majority of our time has been spent either climbing, or resting our hands/muscles to be able to do more climbing. While in Red River Gorge, we spent 6 of the 7 nights at a campground called Miguel’s. This is the most well-known campground in the area and majority of the campers are climbers. Not only is it the cheapest option ($3 per person, per night), but it has also been around the longest. Showers are $1 per 4 minutes, but bathrooms and dish washing stations are free. Since there is a common appreciation for climbing, it is easy to strike up conversations and make new friends. This aspect definitely gives Miguel’s the feel of a summer camp for adults. Speaking of friends, we had the pleasure of getting to know 5 really awesome people that we climbed with over the weekend. Josh and Lindsay were a couple from Utah, Philip and Lauren were newlyweds from North Carolina, and Rich came by himself from Vermont. We shared long, tiresome days at the crag, followed by good laughs at camp in the evening. As most of you can imagine, Tom and I were pretty stoked about having Spikeball/Codenames competitors. Of course we were too cheap to pay for showers, so each day after hiking/climbing the group would make a pit stop at a nearby lake for a quick suds and swim. Tom and I are both disappointed with ourselves for not taking pictures of the swimming hole. It was a large lake that converged into a stair-stepping stream. The last drop was taller than the others forming a short waterfall into a small pool where we swam. The cold water offered welcomed relief after long days in the hot sun. We discovered the lake last Thursday, which was our rest day. Tom and I had the campground to ourselves since everyone leaves for the day to climb. This gave us some nice privacy to work on projects, do yoga and play the guitar. There were nearby trails where we took Mogli for a run. Dogs weren’t allowed on all trails, so Tom stayed back with him while I ran a few more miles. I took the path up to a landmark called “The Natural Bridge”. It’s a rock formation much like the arches in Utah, only you can walk across it. Since it is fairly wide, there are no railings at the edge. The top offers a beautiful scenic view of the valley below. The lapping hills extend as far as the eye can see and are covered in luscious green trees. I had hoped that Tom and I could eventually make it up there together, but we never got around to it.
Sunday morning was spent saying farewell to our newly made friends. Josh and Lindsay borrowed us a mitt-full of climbing guidebooks for places that we plan on visiting. We hope to link up with them when we make our way out west. We had planned to start driving that afternoon, but changed our plans, and instead climbed with Rich for the day. We didn’t get back to camp until around 8, so we decided to spend another night and leave in the morning.
On Monday, we drove from Red River Gorge in Kentucky to New River Gorge in West Virginia. It was a beautiful 4 hour drive, which we broke up with a lunch stop and a grocery run. Once at our campsite, we took a nap, did yoga/cut up wood and made pasta for dinner. Since Rich was driving back to Vermont, he decided to follow us here for another day of climbing.
The forecast had predicted high chance of thunderstorms starting in the afternoon yesterday, so we got an early start on climbing. It took a little while to get comfortable on a new kind of rock, but the routes we did were a lot of fun. After hiking back to our cars late in the afternoon, Rich got back on the road, while Tom and I found a beautiful overlook spot to have lunch. Mogli sniffed around while we ate at a picnic table. Being bitten by the snake definitely gave him PTSD, making him pretty entertaining to watch when he’s checking out a new place. He’ll smell around a little bit and then out of nowhere, jump back with stiff limbs like a cat would. We hope to get it on video to share with you guys. After lunch, we found a place to swim/rinse off. The lake we were in was massive but really nice and warm. I had forgotten that it doesn’t get very cold here. We spent the night in the camper working on crosswords and playing cribbage. We have come to love our little den and appreciate a rainy night that justifies hanging out in it.
We’re really missing everyone, but are loving being on the road and are grateful to have the opportunity to do it. Feel free to call us whenever. We don’t always have good service, but will get back to you when we do. Love you guys!!
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