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| My sister Pam, Ceci and Gaby on a walk around Starvation lake |
I went to high school in a small town near Spokane, Washington and my parents spent their last decades living in and around the same area, so even though I moved to Salt Lake City to work and study at University of Utah for a seven year stretch before I left to Argentina in 1994, I still think of Spokane as a home to go back to. It's where I went to visit my folks when they were still alive and my sister continues to live in the forested hills up to the north. I hadn't been back since Mom died in 2011 and I hadn't seen my sister since she came to visit during my surgery in Ghent, in 2012, so I knew it was time to make a trip back to my origins.
Gaby, Ceci and I were able to take almost an entire month off, to make our summer vacation trip back to the USA.
During the first eight days of the trip we stayed a few nights in Spokane and for the rest of that time we stayed at my sister's house near Starvation Lake, in northeastern Washington.
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| Starvation Lake in northeast Washington |
There was no climbing during this period, but we did go on some walks in the snow.
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| Gaby, Pam and Ceci on a hike around the lake |
Then we flew down to Las Vegas to spend the next eight days at Red Rocks.
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| Is it any wonder this place is called Red Rocks? |
We camped out
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| Our campsite at Red Rocks |
and met up with some old, long-lost friends.
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| Mike, Joe, Ceci and Gaby together for some climbing and good times at Red Rocks |
Of course we climbed
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| The end of a beautiful day |
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| Joe styling a 5.9 |
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| Relaxed on a 5.10a |
After eight days in Red Rocks we drove down to Prescott where my niece lives. There we met up with my sister, my great niece and my great nephew (both children of my sister's son). We spent six days in Prescott, where I managed to get out and climb two days with Gaby in the Granite Dells
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| Hiking in to climb at the Granite Dells |
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| Gaby slab climbing in the Granite Dells |
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| Gaby higher up on the same slab |
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| Hiking between climbing sectors in the Granite Dells |
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| Butt shot of Gaby climbing on a nice slab in the Granite Dells |
I also managed to escape by myself and check out some boulders at Groom Creek one afternoon. All and all, over the whole summer vacation, I was able to climb 34 routes (32 onsights and two redpoints), of which 13 routes were 5.10a or harder. I also backed off a couple of other routes that wigged me out too much. In addition, I also climbed about six boulders (no crash pads, so I felt limited) at Groom Creek.
After our time at Prescott, we headed back to my sister's house to spend some time together as a family before finally making the long trip back to Argentina.
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| Tim, Gaby, Ceci, Pam's husband Curt and my sister Pam out to dinner in Colville, Washington |
