Grand Canyon

It was hard to find the motivation to leave Bishop because we were having such fun climbing and the scenery and camping were great.  So, with much hesitation, we packed up and hit the road, leaving in the evening with the hope that Kye would sleep for the trip.  We drove through Death Valley and ended up near Las Vegas around 3am.  Somehow, in our sleep-deprived state, we mistook the Red Rocks Visitor Center for the campground and puzzled over how the gate could be closed with campers inside. [The Red Rocks campground was further down the road, we discovered the next morning.] 

We pulled into a large, vacant parking lot of a private resort and popped the top to sleep. We knew there was a good chance that we could get chased out of there but exhaustion overruled.  Sure enough, at around 5 am, we awoke to a grumpy property owner.  Thankfully, he didn't call the cops and was nice enough to point out safe, secluded camping nearby.  After a couple more hours of snoozing, we ate a disappointing breakfast, got more groceries, drove the Vegas strip, and then hit the road for the Grand Canyon.  

About halfway through the day, Kye had a pretty big meltdown which landed us in a gas station parking lot for a few hours.  Much discussion was had about bailing on the Grand and returning to Bishop, or bailing on the trip altogether.  Thankfully, when we hit the road again, Kye went to sleep.  

While Kye was sleeping, we discussed our options.  We chose the North Rim because it was a more quiet, secluded experience.  The idea was to either head to the campgrounds at the North Rim main area, or, more ambitiously, to drive the 61-mile dirt road to Toroweap, a remote park service campground.  The access road is washboardy and requires a high clearance vehicle to go over some difficult, rocky terrain, however reviews of the camping promise it to be a Grand Canyon experience unlike any other.  The park service warns that 25% of people that go in to Toroweap get one or more flat tires, many people break down or get stuck, and there is no assistance if you have problems.  They also warn that if you need a tow, it averages close to $2000! However, we had everything we needed for tire repairs, and felt we could be conservative in our driving to avoid such difficulties.   

So, it was about 6pm when we reached the turn-off for Toroweap....hmmm, still no decision.  We had no idea what the weather forecast was and worried about getting stuck out there, due to the fact that the road is prone to flash flooding.  We could go the safe route or the adventurous route.  After a little more debate, we decided to run into the nearest town to top-off on fuel and water and then go for it.  Because it was dark, we drove pretty slow, especially the last 5 miles.  Kye slept almost the entire time, and we made it safely to camp at about 11pm.  It was pretty technical terrain for the last 5 miles, especially for such a long, heavy truck, but we had no issues.  There was just one other person camping so we had our choice of campsites.  It was hard picking a spot as they were all nice.  Finally, we decided on one and set up the camper for the night.

Toroweap is an amazing place, I would say that it is hands-down the most amazing place Heather and I have ever vehicle-camped.  Being so close to the canyon, the scenery is unreal and the quiet is indescribable.  Three days here and we didn't want to leave.  We will be going back and spending more time there sometime in the future.  

The start of the difficult driving, this doesn't look too bad. 

Unfortunately, we didn't take pictures of the good stuff, as we were more focused on the driving.

Lots of rocks

Again, this picture doesn't do the road justice; 

here is a 2' rock shelf as you enter the campground

Our campsite, number 8

The whole campground is on red rock.

The view we awoke to.

Breakfast for Kye

Campsite 7

The enormity of the Grand Canyon is hard to capture in a picture; it was really big!

The area of Toroweap is considered to be the inner canyon, 

so it is one of the narrowest sections of the canyon, but still 3000' deep.

Just sitting in amazement

Kye really enjoyed it too!

Heather (little tiny pink thing on the left) sitting on a rock overhang.

Even the toilet has a view!

Heather standing with Kye on a volcanic spill formation, just before sunset.

Not much more to say, other than we will never forget this place.

Bishop

When we arrived in Bishop, we went looking for a place to fill our water tank and a campground, all while listening to a screaming baby. We stopped at a hot-springs to fill up the water tank and decided to camp there.  

The next day, we noticed another Four Wheel camper pull into the parking lot.  The truck had Washington plates and the couple that got out looked familiar.  After thinking about it for a minute, Heather and I were convinced it was a couple we used to climb with over ten years ago at the Vertical World.  Sure enough, it was Dave and Vivienne! It was such a small world coincidence that we ended up in Bishop at the same time and also that they had the same kind of camper.  It was really great to catch up with them and their lives. We ended up climbing a day with them and spending lots of time around camp chatting about climbing, traveling, our campers, etc.

Kye and Daddy walking in "The Pit" campground-

Our camper in the right background

Brandon on a V1

A V2 that Brandon got spanked on

Sunrise at the pit

Kye has become a morning baby.   He wakes up every morning around 7am fully awake and playful, talking up a storm.  I took the opportunity to enjoy this time taking pictures of Kye and talking to him while Heather slept in.

Wide-eyed 

Hi!

A funny side story- While I was holding Kye, I noticed this guy topping out on a boulder.  I thought, "Man, this guy looks really familiar." Then it clicked..."That's Dustin Hurt from the Discovery Channel's show Gold Rush!"  So I had to ask him, and he was, of course, really humble and didn't deny it, but you could tell he wasn't really into the celebrity thing.  Turns out he lives in Bishop during the winter, then mines in Alaska in the summer.  He was really nice and humored me with a pic, kind of cool to meet a reality celeb.

Heather on a steep V0

Kye enjoying a nap in his tent

Viv cranking a V3

Kye taking his first bath in the camper sink. He wasn't so sure about it since it is not as comfortable as his bath hammock at home.  Still, it was nice to be able to have hot water to clean the little guy.

Kye's sleeping arrangement- We bought this co-sleeper (that looks more like a cat bed), but we were worried about him rolling out of it.  So we used Brandon's belt to hold him in place and it worked good. :)

Dave and Vivienne, with their camper

Brandon on a problem at the Buttermilks

Kye, getting ready to send a V3. He just needs a little snooze first.

Beautiful sunset. We definitely need to come back to camp at the Buttermilks.

Brandon giving the Iron Man traverse a try.

Heather on a cool patina-featured boulder.

On the road....new camper!

We haven't posted in awhile as we have been on the road for the past few weeks.  The reason for the road trip was to break in our new camper! 

We have camped a lot over the years, most of which has been out of a backpack or car.  So, when Kye came, we decided to make the process easier so that we can get out more.  After our experience with our Eurovan as newlyweds, we realized that we would be more motivated to get out if we had a place to cook and hang out in bad weather.  

Several years ago, on a climbing trip to the City of Rocks, we saw our first Four Wheel camper and knew that we would have to get one some day.  So, after much research and looking for a decent used one without success, we went ahead and pulled the trigger on a fully loaded new camper from the factory in Woodland, California.  With a pickup date set and Heather still on maternity leave, I decided to get some time off and make a trip of it to break in the new camper.  Our plan was to pick-up the camper and head down to warmer climates, visiting places we have always wanted to see.  On the list were: Bishop, for bouldering, the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park.  

We left in a frenzy of packing, vehicle maintenance, finishing a refinance on our house, selling and buying a new snowblower, and trying to figure out a fussy baby!  Our thought was that Kye is pretty fussy and he loves sleeping in the car/ truck, so why not take a road-trip and deal with his fussiness in new, interesting, and beautiful places?  So, off we went, making the 13-hour drive to Sacramento into an 18-hour trip, stopping every two to three hours to feed baby and give everyone a chance to stretch out. Kye was quite happy with the road-trip arrangement at first, but, after taking a nursing/play break somewhere in the middle of nowhere following many tired hours on the road, he started to scream as we loaded him back into the car seat and we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into.

We finally arrived in Woodland at about 4 am, got a hotel close to the Four Wheel factory and took a little snooze.  Then I headed over to the factory to pick up the camper while Heather slept in with Kye. The camper install took longer than expected, just a couple of snafus, and we didn't get out of there until mid afternoon.   

The new camper awaiting install

Ready to go!

After leaving Sacramento, we were surprised to run into some nasty winter weather on our way over the mountain pass near Lake Tahoe.  The drive was pretty slow and we saw lots of wrecks, but we eventually ended up in Tahoe, quite late, with temps in the teens.  Not having used the camper yet, we decided to stay at a cheesy in-town campground with power to try out the camper.

First night, in snow!

The first night was great, it got into the single digits, but it was 68 + in the camper all night, we can get used to this!  Everything worked great...so far so good!

 Kye likes the camper

After our first uneventful night we headed out for Bishop...

Above Mono Lake

3 Months!

In honor of Kye's 3-month birthday today, some more recent pics of his cuteness.

He's fond of sucking on this tiger's nose while getting his diaper changed.

I just love to prop him up on the chair or couch...

he looks like a little man just sitting there waiting for you to join him.

Out hiking in the rain to Teneriffe Falls

Yes, he's a 'Genuine Baby', as the label says.