Miguel's and the fit homeless.

So, for those non-climbers out there, I'd like to give you an eye into the climbing community. We are at a place called Miguel's. Short story is that it's a Pizza place. I don't know the whole history on it, but I'll give you what I know from being here a couple days and from the week I spent here 7 and a half years ago. Right now I am sitting in a basement area with nice wooden tables and chairs and a high center desk type table. The tables have chess/checker boards on them. I am using the free wireless Internet to type this for you. There are three (geeky) climbers who are "gaming" with each other in the corner. One is a bear and they are talking about the "oracle glade" a lot. ???? I don't get it and I never will. There are pretty Christmas lights strung throughout the basement and it appears to seat about 50 people cozily. This room wasn't here when I was here 7 years ago that I remember. If it was it wasn't finished as it is now. It is open (as everything is) to anyone who is camping here. The upstairs is a pretty typical pizza place except for all the climbing gear and clothing for sale hanging from the walls. It is very reasonable. You can get a half pizza (four slices) for $5. They have all kinds of fantastic toppings like zucchini and pasta. They also sell breakfast stuff and coffee in the mornings. There is one bathroom in the upstairs shop. Out back, and just outside the window I am sitting near, is a large community cooking area. There is a big sink for dish washing and several picnic tables under cover where people use their own stoves and cook food. There are also lockers and shelves where people can store their food. Next to the cooking area is a little shack with and outdoor bathroom and a few pay showers. This is all directly behind the pizza shop. To the north is a large field with about 25 tents set up in it and a yellow slack line about four feet off the ground. The parking lot (where the Rialta is parked) holds probably 100 vehicles. There are two picnic tables out front of the building too. Oh-- and Miguel's is painted bright yellow with an amazing carved wooden door. The door to this little internet basement nook is the same type of door and the carved figure is climber lying back the door crack. The cost for camping is $2/night per climber. Yes, that means that non-climbers aren't really welcome. Other than the addition of free internet and this lovely room I sit in now, not much has changed at Miguel's. The rates haven't even gone up, it was $2/night 7 years ago!! Miguel is in and out and always friendly, as are all the staff (most of which are climbers). Most hours of the day there are people here milling about talking about climbing. What they are going to climb, what they have climbed, where they are going to climb next, their best epic story, etc. At one table the first night we were here there were 8 people seated there, 6 of which are unemployed. I heard someone refer to us (collectively) as the fit homeless.

We met a cool couple the first day we were here, Jeremy and Kim, and climbed with them all day yesterday. They are about our speed and like to climb trad too (which is not the norm for this area). Kim is tiny and she climbs hard, so I'm loving climbing with her. Her shoe size is 2!!! They ride their Harley to the crags and they are pro-Brutus. We have decided to be a gang of Ninja's for Halloween. :)

Yesterday I onsighted two 10b's and Jay onsighted a 10d. We're feeling like 11's are in range and maybe Timewave Zero will be a possibility in Potrero.

In the Red!

And that's a good thing! I've already ran into a Canadian guy that I met in Thailand last year. The climbing world is a small and often intimate place. Hopefully my friend Jean will be here soon too. I haven't climbed with her all year, and I miss it. We left Friday night right after Hannah's birthday party and slept at a rest stop just past Cinci. Went straight to Roadside crag and did only three routes before my forearms couldn't take anymore. We got up a 10d the first day after almost three weeks of gluttony in Ohio, so I set the goal of leading 11c before I leave here.

Miguel's is a happening place and the reasonable rate of $2/night for camping hasn't gone up since May of 2000 when I was here last. There are probably about 150 or more climbers here (but this is the weekend). They have an outdoor cooking/eating area as well as a new cozy indoor basement eating area for the restaurant. And, get this, wireless! Maybe I'll do a better job of keeping this blog up to date? They even have a community computer (free) in the main shop. They have a lot of climbing gear for sale and clothes as well as Miguel's paraphernalia. This place is really a climber's paradise in KY! We met some fun people yesterday and hope to climb with some of them again today.

People LOVE the Rialta. It's funny. We get questions about it all the time and inquiries about taking a tour. It really is the perfect size for the three of us and is treating us well. Although it was nice to have space and hot showers everyday in Ohio, it's good to be back "home".

The acey duecy score is now Jason 5, Torey 4.

Reasons 2007 Should Not Be Erased From My Memory

Jason Robert Ivanic
Serious bonding with Dad
Closer to closure with Shannon
Sabbatical
David Roy Huffstettler
Dr. and Mrs. Paul David Simmons
Jason “Pumpkin” Ivanic
Quality time with old and new friends
Quality time with Mom and Bob
Good health
Addie Umphres
Castle Rock Spire
Heidi at the Needles
Fourth Annual Tahoe
Jason “Hard Core” Ivanic
Highly successful garage sale
Best roommate ever
Hillary is running for president
Daniel found Bekah
Yoga of the Sequoias
Hut trip
Jason “The Saint” Ivanic
Cayucos with two black eyes
Dinner parties

Hawaii
Baby shower
Bear Creek Spire
East side hot springs
Lion’s Head
Lobsta

Snorkeling with sea turtles
Jason “Brutus loving” Ivanic
Maximilian Ryan James Hansen I
Daniel and Bekah got engaged
Jogging in Parachute
Pumpkins, so many good things about pumpkins
Brutus has made lots of friends
Time out from Ohio in DC
Cleveland half with the soon to be wed
Jason “My favorite man in the whole world” Ivanic

DC

We've made it to the nation's capitol for a bit of a reprieve from Ohio and the hospital. Dad is doing well now and I am hoping he'll be home early next week. He recovered a little slower than any of us would have hoped, but is looking good now. The trial never happened, so that is still looming, but we have a lot more information now, so I feel a little better.

We came down to DC last Wednesday and did the walk around the mall. The new WWII memorial is powerful. Also, FDR's memorial is inspirational and beautiful with lots of rock and water. I think it is my new favorite. We walked the mall and then headed toward my friend Carmen's house near Mt Vernon. We stopped for dinner in Alexandria at a very quaint little place called Tiffany's Tavern. Concluded the evening sharing wine and stories out on Carmen's front porch.

Yesterday we went to Arlington and then toured the Capitol building. There's a memorial to women in the armed forces in Arlington now and I really enjoyed it. It's amazing all the different museums and memorials in this city and as far as I know that is one of very few tributes to women specifically.

This place is very inspirational. I want to read books on all kinds of topics, it seems high school history and government haven't stayed with me at all! For instance- the DC licence plates say "taxation without representation" which lead to our conversation about electoral votes and DC. I just looked that up and they have three. I guess it's that they have no representation in congress? That doesn't seem right. Also how many men have walked on the moon? I found the answer at the Air and Space museum as 12, all of which are Americans. DC is a good place to come if and when you question your patriotism. I love it. There's even a solar house competition in the mall right now.

Gotta write.

I've been negligent. I have a lot I need to catch up on, but as soon as I got back "home" it seems fecal matter once again began hitting the fan. I have been avoiding writing because all I can think about is a bunch of stuff you all don't need to know about. But, I am wise enough to know that I operate best when I write and I get that crap out of my system. My friend Molly, who has saved my life more times than I can count in the last year and half, bought a book for me this morning and called me and told me to pick it up at the B. Daltons at the Southern Park Mall (just a few miles from my parents' house). The book is called "Eat, Pray, Love". I have read only a few pages, but it is what brought me here to sit and write and get some thoughts out. I love reading, I love writing, and I have been on the verge of some kind of spiritual discovery. I will in no way claim to be born again or even Christian for that matter, but I did go to church yesterday. This book is exactly what I need right now. What kind of friend buys a book and tells me to go pick it up because "it's a life changer."? Molly does. That's while Molly and I will be sipping tea together when we're 80. Thanks, Mol. I love ya.

Pray for my cousin, Bobby. Pray for my dad tomorrow. And pray that there will be some closure to this potential trial by the end of 2007 so that I can chalk it all up to a bad year. Thanks.

One month down, fourteen to go.

I'm back in Canfield again. Last week we climbed Tuesday (at Farley's), Wednesday (with Erica), Thursday, Friday (in the near rain), and Saturday. By Saturday afternoon my forearms were shot. I couldn't even hold on to the super deep Gunks jugs anymore. I need some rest days and we are doing those rest days in style at my parent's house. Mom left us a note with all the food items she had left for us and was worried that I'd be moaning about her force feeding me. Usually I would, but with the amount of exercise we've been getting, yesterday was an all out food consumption day. we drove from New Paltz Saturday night evening to avoid the all day drive on Sunday. Jay got some pumpkin spice coffee and made the whole I-80 drive across PA.

The Gunks were great. They are definitely an outdoor gym and on the weekends they are a bit too crowded for my liking, but just like Yosemite Valley, you can find places where the weekenders don't go. It was nice to be in a deciduous forest watching the glint of the changing of the leaves. The maples were standing out the most, bright red amongst the majority of the still greens. On Friday I took a homeopathic case and although it had been threatening rain all day it waited until wee started climbing CCK to let loose. There was an incredible rainbow that landed in the little lake below us. Fortunately it just sprinkled a bit and the roof above us kept us fairly dry. I was wishing that we could have stayed one more week to really see the leaves change or head up to New England, but Ohio has great trees too. We were very spoiled at the Gunks. Michael and Erica hooked us up on many levels and it's just nice to spend some time with like minded people who understand our vagabond lifestyle. I've known Michael for about 12 years and I look forward to the day he and Erica show up on my front doorstep unemployed and traveling.

I just finished reading "Enduring Patagonia" by Gregory Crouch. Greg is a West Point grad and a friend of Michael's and it was a very interesting and inspiring read. He has the best descriptions I've ever read about why he climbs and what it does for him. I have been thinking on this a lot and will try to put my thoughts and emotions to words for you sometime soon.

Jay and I have been trying to figure out if we have the skills to get anything done in Patagonia and reading his book makes me want to go, but scared to death. I am much less prepared than Jay is and he's hesitant about his ability, which therefore makes me even more nervous. I've come to the conclusion that we should go. If we don't get up anything, we'll still have been there and seen it and know what needs to be done before we go back.

We've had a lot of fun thinking about our future lately, where we'll live and what kind of house (or houses) we'll have. We talk as much about California as Colorado, so I guess for now they are both still in the running. We have had a few arguments and I'm glad that I have had the time and space to see that they are completely spurred by my stress level. I thought I was going to have to testify in court tomorrow, but they called on Friday and said the trial was postponed. This is another reason why we are back in Ohio. I need, for my own sanity, to figure out what is going on with this mess and what I have to look forward to when it actually does go to trial. I could have stayed up in the Gunks for another week, but this way we will go to Seneca Rocks for a few days after I talk to the prosecuting attorney and get things a little clearer in my head. I don't climb very well when I am all wrapped up in unhappy thoughts either.

When we got back yesterday we watched a bunch of my old gymnastics videos. It was fun to see my little body,my big permed hair, and my lack of dance skills. I think Jay enjoyed it. I'll get some pictures up soon.