rbwen

I use Windows Media Player 10 with my mp3. I tried with iTunes by changing all the ITunes formatted songs to mp3s but it just wasn't working. The website for my player said WMP 10 would sync the songs for my player. rbwen

I would put in a vote for Queen's Creek. An hour away from Phoenix, nobody there, free camping, lots of rock, good bouldering. Also second the nod towards the granite just to the north (McDowell Mountains?) rbwen

Disclaimer: I am not a mechanic. I have merely owned a couple of VW vans. Feel free to pick apart my information and correct it if I'm wrong. I've owned a handful of them. I'll start with the good. I had a '71 van that was great. Easy to work on, fairly straightforward, parts were cheap, the Muir manual was indespensible. It wasn't a camper but you could easily sleep in it. I also had an '84 Westfalia and it was a piece of crap. I LOVED it to death but it broke down often and was costly to repair. The engine design is poor and because of that you have to have the head gaskets replaced frequently (75,000 miles) in order to avoid further damage. Many people talk about replacing them preemptively. Do the water pump at the same time. They are notoriously poor engines as they were some of the first designed to run on gas (not diesel). They also have a problem with the transmission, specifically a syncro between the 3rd and 4th gear. It wears out prematurely and then you have to get the tranny rebuilt, at least I did. It was one of those things VW knew about but wouldn't recall. They are slow and they're somewhat heavy but they are a TON of fun when they're running. We took mine across country and back and all around the PNW. Be wary of buying one with high miles that hasn't had a recent tranny service, new head gaskets, water pump, and possibly even new heads. I think they main thing with the heads with the 84 and 85s was the gasket used...I could be wrong. If you do buy one of the water cooled VWs make sure to use the correct antifreeze or it will ruin the aluminum heads. You need phosphate-free, so that would be a good thing to check when buying one. More good. We currently have a '91 Westfalia and we love it. It has 130,000 and had a rebuilt tranny and engine about 40,000 miles ago. It runs great and is a blast to own. There's nothing like driving somewhere, climbing all day, getting back and sipping a cold beer from the fridge, taking a nap in the back, heating up some dinner on the stove, maybe watching a DVD and heading off to sleep. If you are going to buy a Vanagon or Westfalia avoid the '84s and '85s. Apparently the '86s and up are mechanically more sound. An interesting note, to get financing for a Westfalia you have to be ready to convince the lender that they are worth more than the Blue Book says they are. They are very underpriced (or overvalued by owners) and we had to put some $$ down that we weren't expecting to get ours. We paid $11,000 for our '91 and felt we got a steal. It could have easily have gone for $15,000 in Seattle or CA or PDX. Feel free to PM if you have more questions. Again, I'm not a mechanice but I am an owner. Also, there are some pretty good forums that have a ton of good Q&A. vanagon.com is one, gowesty.com is another. rbwen

Here it is...rbwen I loved going to PC. It had a lot of great climbing on Limestone and cheap camping with a great international flavor. Where do I start? Getting There: We flew into Laredo, TX and then took a taxi to the border and walked across with all of our stuff. From there crossed into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. This place is pretty unruly so if you're alone or if you have a lot of expensive looking climbing equipment I would be a bit wary. When I say unruly I mean lawless. There was a story a while ago about how the police basically had no control over the town and to be very careful travelling there. We took another taxi to the bus station which was a couple of miles from the border, not good walking distance at midnight. The cost for the cab was cheap. From there we took the Conejo (rabbit) bus lines all the way to Monterey. Luckily I speak Spanish and we started talking to a local and he was able to get us on the right but and headed in the right direction. The bus ride was about three hours to Monterrey and the bus stopped about ten miles over the border so they could check our visitation papers. You need to get these once you cross the border if you're planning on travelling farther into the country for an extended period of time. I'm not sure of what they're officially called but it's pretty standard procedure to buy them and get checked before going any further, even if you're in your own vehicle. I think it was less than $5 a piece for these and the whole bus trip was about $15 for two separate buses all the way to Hidalgo. Once in Monterrey we caught another bus (actually a school bus that had kids and workers on it) that took us another two hours northeast to Hidalgo. We were packed in quite tight with all of our stuff. From there they told us to find a cab and just tell them to take us to Homero's. Homero's is one of the camping spots just outside of Potrero Chico, literally a stone's throw from the entrance to the canyon and you can see thousands of feet of looming limestone from anywhere in town. Our cab ride up the hill about a mile and a half was about $5. You could walk this but we were eager to get up there. There are a couple places to stay up there. Homero's is pretty cheap. Maybe $10/night which includes bathrooms, showers, a communal kitchen and there is a covered area if it's raining that you can pitch your tent in. This is not a hotel and you're basically camping next to the driveway with a bunch of other tenters. We helped them out with the guidebook so they let us stay there for free...not bad. Most of the internationals stay here so there was a good mix of Mexican, French, American, etc. staying there. There is also a motel right next door called Posada El Potrero Chico that has rooms and camping and I believe a pool http://www.elpotrerochico.com.mx/ The third place is Kurt Smith's ranch. When we were there about five years ago this was the place where all the Americans hung out. It was okay, a bunch of campers in a field with a big covered area with stoves, sinks, etc. I think the prices were comparable to Homero's but it's about 1/4 mile further away from the rock AND I have heard the Smith's place was shut down and he was kicked out of the country awhile ago. Maybe surf that up to see if it's true. Could be because he's a bit of a bad boy down there, bolting crack climbs, etc. Climbing: To get to the rock you just pack up and start walking. There is a tiny, tiny store on the way up. You can get beer, chips, tortillas, the random can of something or other, and possibly some other small items to eat. Most of the good food is downtown so walk back down the hill and go to the outdoor market or street vendors. The market happened two days a week and is well worth the trip for fresh food/veggies. Oh yeah...climbing...we were there about eight days and climbed on six of them. The first and last day were travel/rest/orientation. You hike from your tent and in ten minutes you're in a canyon that is surrounded by thousand foot high walls of limestone. From here there are hundreds, if not thousands, of routes to climb. Most of the ratings are soft. I climbed a 5.11 sport route that felt more like a 5.10b route. There are plenty of routes in the moderate range and some really long moderate climbs to boot. There are places to be in the shade and the sun. Like I said, we went in December and it wasn't too cold at night. We climbed in the shade one day and decided we would try to seek out the sun as much as possible. In the sun we wore shorts and t-shirts. Fun climbs that we did that I can remember: You have to do Space Boyz. It's ten pitches of moderate climbing. There is one pitch of 5.10b or 10d but that's way up the face and you can either rap down from there or climb on up it. It's well protected all the way up and the first seven or eight pitches go 5.8/9 and are pretty easy and straightforward. We met another party and it was getting dark so we didn't do the last two pitches. Another awesome one was Estrellitas. I believe this was twelve pitches topping out with two easy pitches of 5.10b. Again, somewhat soft on the ratings. This one went up high and then you do three or four raps off the back side straight down to the other canyon where you're rapping in mid air searching for the next rap station on the cliff. Very fun route and probably the best we did there...but maybe not better than Space Boyz. We also did one of the two pillars (the right one). I can't remember their names...maybe Classic Pillar? It was fun and worth the climb. A bit runout on the first pitch but goes at 5.10a-ish. The second pitch was a thin crack but all bolt-protected. Most of the climbs were very well protected and there was really only one place on that pillar where things felt runout and sketchy. The rock is mostly pretty solid BUT there were some places (like anywhere...Vantage) that rocks come tumbling down. One spot in particular toward the back of the canyon had a longer sport climb above it (Snot Boyz...I think) that would always rain down rocks, some pretty big, so bring a helmet and you're fancy steppin' shoes to get out of the way. Atmosphere: We had a great time, met nice people at Homero's and on the rock, and enjoyed our time in town. We both drank the water without impunity but then we'd both lived in Mexico at some point, me for a year, so maybe I had some immunity built up. Maybe buy your own so you're not sending me haunting emails ;o) Book: There is a guidebook out there. I think the Texas Mountaineers sell it and it's by a guy named Magic Ed Garza. He and his wife run Homero's. Homero just owns the land. They are very nice and Ed puts up the majority of the routes in PC along with Kurt Smith, if he's still around. Unfortunately my friend has the book but if you can't find it I'll email her and she can send it to you/me. She's in Boston right now. Like I said we went about five years ago so I'm sure there's tons of new routes and possibly even a new/better book. We literally put together the book for Ed and he printed us off a copy from his computer before it was even bound, that's how new it was back then. Going Home: We had planned on taking the bus back to Monterrey and then back to Laredo but instead we hooked up with a couple of Texas guys who gave us a ride back to TX with them in their van. Not a bad deal and it was much shorter to head northwest to get back rather than south, then west, then north through Monterrey. If you rent a car make sure that you get rental insurance from one of the places at the border. You don't want to get in an accident in Mexico with your car or a rental car without insurance. I've heard stories of jail time. I've also bribed cops with $20 bills before...so it probably goes both ways. I dream of going back down there. I've got some pictures that I'll post, if I can find them and then I'll send you the link. Let me know if you want that book or if you need any more info. Feel free to call tomorrow or over the weekend. Good luck! Ray, Wenatchee, WA

Potrero Chico - no surf but warm rock and a small town. I wrote a TR last year and if I can find it I'll PM you. rbwen

Check PMs

The Cliff Hangar by the airport went under a couple of years ago. I didn't complain but instead I built a wall in my garage with a couple hundred holds for under $500. Anyone is welcome to climb there this winter. rbwen

This camera has only been used to take three pictures total. It does not have the battery charger nor any of the original software or connecting cables. It does come with two 512Mb cards, a nice strap, a carrying case, lens cover, all the manuals, and the lens. It is basically in perfect condition, about a year and a half old. My father-in-law bought it to add pictures to his website but it was too much camera for him. I live in Wenatchee but am coming over to the Westside this weekend. PM me for further details or email birksray at hotmail rbwen

There's some pretty good online info at wenatcheeoutdoors.org Here's a specific link to their rock climbing section: http://tinyurl.com/rfltb rbwen

Just got back from Arlberg's in Wenatchee and they're closing out their climbing department. They are selling all their climbing gear at a 40% markdown. They have some good stuff left: ~10 Metolius cams, sizes very small to 1", some hexes (one huge one), assorted biners, lots of shoes, a few BD helmets, rope bags, quickdraws, harnesses (some Metolius), climbing holds, etc. They also had some mountaineering stuff but I'm not sure if that was on sale. I got a 9.8m 60m dry treated Monster rope for $110, reg. $189. 1" Metolius range finder cam for $30, reg. $55, five wooden climbing holds for $25, reg $39. rbwen

Climb: Icicle Creek/Leavenworth-Veterans Club Date of Climb: 9/10/2006 Trip Report: Don't like trip reports about cragging in the Icicle?...don't read anymore. I'm always looking for fun places to climb and enjoy sharing ones I find with others. Went out Sunday with friends from Seattle and their one-year old to check out Veterans Club (above Stone's Throw, near Eight-mile Campground). The hike took less than ten minutes and we had a great day there. We led the 5.8, Face Value, which was a very fun sport route. We moved right and did the arete called Nose Job, 5.9+, which shared an anchor with Face Value. This was a great route that gets a star in Kramar's Book. It's a bit short but the crux move is very fun. After that we moved left to the other slab and climbed a well-protected 5.10a called Left Cheek. The hard move is down low and the crux is nicely bolt-protected. After that move there's a shallow crack that moves on to a deeper flake to bolts for the anchor at the top. All of these routes can be walked off/top roped. There are good trees for shade and it's a great place to spend a few hours on the rock. To the left are two other semi-bolted climbs that seemed to be a bit harder. Those can be top-roped too. This place didn't seem to get a lot of traffic but it's on the way to Upper Eight-Mile crags. You could make a full day of it by climbing at Stone's Throw and then moving up to Veterans Club. We had our eyes on Crack d'Jour, which is visible from Veterans. We didn't see a soul all day long. Here's a pic of Nose Job. http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/uploads/7753/climbing.JPG Enjoy! rbwen Gear Notes: 5 quickdraws 50m rope Approach Notes: Take the trail ust below Eight-mile Campground, five minutes above Stone's Throw

The wife and I are headed over for a week to camp and surf. Anyone been there? Good places to buy used gear or rent? I've done the obvious Google searches but thought someone might have some inside beta. What is the best beach? Place to camp? Also, is a 3mm wetsuit going to cut it in the Pacific? Any info is appreciated! Thanks...rbwen

http://tinyurl.com/ecmmj

Just curious...what route was it on? rbwen

The local radio station, KOHO, just reported that the body was recovered but they didn't have any more details and they are not yet releasing the name. It sounded like she was local, Seattle, and her climbing partner was from out of state. A witness helped him down off of the rappel. After the report they had a two minute talk about climbing safety from the sherrif's department (or S&R). rbwen

This is from the Wenatchee World home page (this is all I can get without a subscription): WENATCHEE — The University of Washington announced Monday it has gained new life for the idea of a deep underground science laboratory in the Cascades, but this time it won’t be near Leavenworth. Instead it would be under Cowboy Mountain on the west side of Stevens Pass, about one mile southwest of the Stevens Pass summit. This descrption is from the site below: http://tinyurl.com/hwljo Location: Cowboy Mt. is 16 miles north and west of the Cashmere Mountain DUSEL site. (See Fig. 1.) The peak is immediately above the BNSF Cascade and Pioneer tunnels, 2.3 miles from their west portals, on USFS land. Access is horizontal at a 1.56% positive gradient. Highway 2 and the railway connect the tunnel portals directly to the proposed DUSEL Science Campus (near Leavenworth). The rail and highway (west portal) distances are 35 and 42 miles, respectively. Thus the DUSEL Science Campus could conveniently support this second site. The neutrino baseline to FermiLab (2630 km) is ideal and to BNL (3830 km) well within the acceptable range. rbwen

bump...tomorrow

Just wanted to warn anybody headed out to Playground Point in the Icicle that next Monday I'll be bringing about ten students out for instruction. We'll be on the lower four routes with four ropes from about 9am to 1pm. If we are in your way or on a climb you would like to be on just ask and we'll be happy to accommodate. rbwen

A colleague of mine is looking for a place to stay in Bozeman for July. Please PM if you have any connections. Thanks! rbwen

"Tacoma Screw" off 405 near Totem Lake "Jones and Moles Funeral" in B'ham

I teach in Wenatchee and my wife teaches in Leavenworth. They're actually losing teachers every year because their enrollment is going down. New familiies cannot afford to move to Leavenworth but retirees and second-home owners can. In Wenatchee there are not new positions opening up but I'm sure that as enrollment goes up (hottest housing market in the state) we'll be hiring more teachers in the near future. rbwen

The local radio station just said a 24-year old woman from Seattle fell/slipped while on Cocaine Crack on IB. Her partner stabalized her on a ledge and went down for help. They said she had a broken ankle. Really wet weekend. rbwen

I've found some new routes in the Icicle that aren't in Kramar's book? Are there other routes/areas/crags that have been developed since his book came out that are worthwhile? Please list the location and grade. Thanks! rbwen

I just saw the other day that "Another Roadside Attraction" is completely bolted on the first pitch. Kramar's book only shows 2 bolts. I was scouting it out and didn't see anything new (not in the book) on the lower right part. rbwen

Climb: Icicle - Stone's Throw/Roto Wall Date of Climb: 4/30/2006 Trip Report: Another beautiful day in the Icicle. Where is everybody? Are gas prices keeping people away? It didn't seem very crowded except for a large group near Mounties Dome on Saturday and then again near Mad Meadows on Sunday. It was cold in the morning, with a pretty good wind blowing. We chose Stone's Throw because none of had been there before. The approach took us all of about thrity seconds. There are four routes here, three listed in Kramar's book. We started on the far right on the 5.8, Blink. We TR-ed it but it could be led pretty easily. The book lists it as having four bolts but there were none to be found, nor any sign of them having been there. We wondered if they had gotten chopped. I later searched on cc.com and found a lively discussion about cracks and bolts with Stone's Throw being the center of the discussion. This was a pretty good route with lots of horizontal cracks for protection and a great vertical crack up top for the last ten feet. There are two anchor bolts on top but no chains and the base of the climb slopes down pretty sharply. We moved to the left part of the wall and climbed the 5.8+, Audrey 2. A nice crack at the bottom but it peters out and gets pretty dirty toward the top. It seemed easier than 5.8+, maybe even 5.6-7. Two anchor bolts on top. We moved right and climbed a route that's not in the book. It's bolted and has a rap anchor up top. Does anyone know the rating on this climb? Name? It's between Audrey 2 and the 5.9, Stone's Throw. It starts out pretty blocky down low and quickly thins out onto a face. After the crux it's fairly easy to the top but the middle ten feet is pretty good cliimbing. I would guess it would go at 5.10b or c? The last one we did here was the 5.9, Stone's Throw. It gets a star in the book and it was probably the best climb we did at this area. It moves up and slants right the whole way and crosses a huge crack slanting down in the other direction. The crux is down low, about fifteen to twenty feet up and a long reach helped to get by this. After climbing it we all agreed it sorta twists you up and causes you to do some funky foot moves. Pretty consistent for its grade all the way up. After that we had some time to kill so we cruised on down to Roto Wall and did the 5.7 Slippin' and Slidin'. The route was very slippery and made it much harder than 5.7. While there I noticed a new route that had just been bolted (you could still see the rock dust) and cleaned. It was just left of Non Vertical Smile, the 5.6 crack. It had two anchor bolts on top and I saw at least two bolts on the route. It looked like you could put in a few pieces on the way up. It looked pretty uninspiring (but I'll probably climb it someday). All in all it was a fine day to be out cragging and as I mentioned before it seemed very quiet for a sunny spring day in the Icicle. The river is running so maybe everyone's kayaking? If anyone knows the rating on the route between Audrey 2 and Stone's Throw. I'm curious to know. rbwen Gear Notes: 50m rope Standard rack, draws