My alternate personna, ClimbAddict Designs, is running an end of year promotion. Giving away $50 in product - you can find information on the Moments In Climbing - 2010promotion here!
Trying to garner People who *Like* ClimbAddict on Facebook, so I can spa...ummm, update them with new design info, Item of the week and such. It's been told to me that I am simply - NOT - getting the word out about the damned company, despite my nearly incessant efforts. I guess I have not been working smart....
On a personal note - Yesterday I walked around the Desrt Queen Mine area with a (famous) climber, who happens to be living at the Pit, which is where I am camping, in squalid luxury, several days a week. We stumbled upon the coolest on miner's cabin, near Fraggle Rock. I have pictures, but haven't edited yet. Will be posting once I do that.
An other news - my camp stove is funked up.... I have purchased a cheap interim one from Walmart, which is clearly worth every penny OI have paid for it..... Campmor, where I bought the original one, has been called and says to send it back, and they will refund or replace it. I am NOT trying to get over, but whatever is wrong is within the regulator on the hose system, and should not be occurring(it's leaking gas - not a good sign). I truly do believe an item SHOULD withstand use for the 3/4 year of daily use it has had and so I am sending it back. All I need is the hose replaced, and will say so - It's a shame to have the thing replaced if all they need to do is send a new hose, but I have the feeling a new stove will arrive in the mail.....
If you'd like to help Happie on her roadtrip, there are a few ways to do that! You can choose to support any of her online shops, such as ClimbAddict T0-Shirts and Giftware for Climbers, Talisman Studios Hair Accessories or OutrageousTees.com. Or, you can send her a (very much appreciated) donation in any amount via PayPal, by clicking the button here:
Monday, December 20, 2010
ClimbAddict Has a New Promotion
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Is It WRONG to Take a Joshua Tree Home With You?
Let's suppose a friend of mine asked me this question(Really; a friend. I swear!). What should I have said? What would YOU have told them?
Probably you'd say something like "Are you crazy??? Don't you know how delicate, endangered, BIG those things are?" Or "You mean from the actual park, the National Park??? Are you CRAZY?"
Well - you'd be wrong. The answer is "Sure! You really SHOULD take a Joshua Tree home with you."(if you happen to be in the neighborhood(of Joshua Tree Natinal Park).
"Why?" you might ask, and I'll tell you.
It's because the Joshua Tree in question is not the living article....but a whimsical miniature recreation, sculpted in copper wire and set amongst a base of stone, created by local artist Eric Pfranger.
Eric makes these beautiful Joshua Tree sculptures and places them for sale at venues such as retail store and local landmark Coyote Corner, and the Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce.
Here is an example currently at Coyote Corner:
And here's another one!(You can click this image to make it bigger sized)
You're next question might be along the lines of "How can I get one?!" The answer is simple, really. You'll have to come and pick it up!
So - if you happen to be in Joshua Tree, give Eric a call and see if he's got a tree available for you. He has no website, but you can call him directly, at (760) 974 - 6646.Tell him you heard about his wonderful creations from Happiegrrrl!
If you'd like to help Happie on her roadtrip, there are a few ways to do that! You can choose to support any of her online shops, such as ClimbAddict T0-Shirts and Giftware for Climbers, Talisman Studios Hair Accessories or OutrageousTees.com. Or, you can send her a (very much appreciated) donation in any amount via PayPal, by clicking the button here:
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Jerome, Arizona - A Photo Essay
As promised, I would post images and info on the portion of my travel where I came through Jerome, Arizona. My friend Tim suggested I really should stop and have lunch there, or at the very least, get out of the van and take a walk around. "Jerome is the coolest little town you've ever seen." he told me. He was right!
I did not stop for lunch, mostly because I arrived there at about 8am, but also because I had just spent $300 getting the van repaired the day before and that was pretty much my food budget for....about 2 1/2 months. Instead I pulled over in front of Nelly Bly's, which is now a drinking establishment, and pulled out the stove to brew my own breakfast cup of coffee.
Cup in hand, I and Teddy strolled up and down this hillside town, enjoying a sense of history, perseverance, and proof that a town does NOT need to kowtow to corporate America in order to be vibrant. There was not a single franchise to be seen. Not even a gas station or bank! Each and every store was a privately owned, mom and pop operation.
Admittedly, I do not know much about Jerome, but do hope to go back with Peter once he arrives in January. Until then, I will post some links for you which may provide more information about the town. I'll do that after the images, all photos I took that morning.
The Hotel Connor and Neighboring Building
A view of the land below the town of Jerome
Historical Block and Remains of the Mine Offices and Bank Building
A Safe Displayed as Art and Artifact
Smelting Furnace From an Area Mine
The Remaining Wall of a Long-Gone Building
Streetlight - They don't make 'em like they used to!
A Loveley Window from one of Jerome's Buildings
Plaque for the Motor Building
The Motor Building
Plaque for Jennie's Place, an historical Bordello
Plaque for Husband's Alley, so named after Prostitution was made illegal in the town
Another pretty buidling currenlty in use and providing Jerome visitors a glimpse of it's quaint modern charm
Chandelier and Vines on the Porch of a Jerome Establsihment
A Big Blue House on the Hillside
Jerome's Firehouse
Unknown Building in the Valley Below, as Seen Near the Motor Building
LINKS:
Tourism Information - "America's Most Vertical City" and "Largest Ghost Town in America"
Wikipedia Entry for Jerome, AZ
jerome Times - Including a "Stories and legends" and elements from the twon newspaper published in the 18800's
Connor Hotel
Google Images for Jerome
If you'd like to help Happie on her roadtrip, there are a few ways to do that! You can choose to support any of her online shops, such as ClimbAddict T0-Shirts and Giftware for Climbers, Talisman Studios Hair Accessories or OutrageousTees.com. Or, you can send her a (very much appreciated) donation in any amount via PayPal, by clicking the button here:
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Upon Arrival....
Despite my dark, and never mentioned aloud, concerns, the van made it to Joshua Tree. I rolled into one of the primo sites in Hidden Valley Campground last night about nine pm. Not without drama, of course. But each epic was a “Terrie-type” one; that is to say – no true inconvenience was involved.
The first on-the-road problem arose just after I left from my family visit in Wisconsin, where I enjoyed leisurely days of lounging on my sister's couches while the wretched Wisconsin winter taunted me outdoors. I should also mention the wonderful Thanksgiving celebration we had the Saturday following the holiday – yum, yum, yummy!
At any rate, I had offered to drive my younger brother Al back to his home in Wausau, which is slightly north, and west, of Green Bay, where I had been staying with my older sister Gini. After driving 90 miles, I dropped him off and went upstairs to see his apartment. Upon returning to the van I smelled an odor which I instinctively knew was a sign of trouble, yet allowed myself to quell the fears by believing the rubber-like smell was probably some oil I had spilled while topping off before leaving Green Bay.
It wasn't, as you likely have surmised.
As I drove southbound on an interstate(53 or 51; fifty-something or other), with cruise-control set at 65, each time the engine would surge for an uphill injection of fuel, I would hear a slight, crinkling noise. “Uh Oh,” I knew, yet had no frame of reference to diagnose this additional clue.
What the sound was, I guess, was bits of the accessory belt crumbling and dropping away, as the belt wore away. It finally frayed to the breaking point; the belt broke, engine thrust dropped, and the power steering went out. This occurred as I approached an exit ramp at Mossinee, allowing me JUST enough time to understand I had to take that exit and get a safe place to stop immediately.
I rolled through the stop sign at the exit's end, and drove the couple hundred feet to a Kwik Mart convenience store, “conveniently” located so very closely to my break-down it could hardly be even considered such. Talk about a micro-epic! How much less traumatic could such a thing have been? Had just a few seconds passed before I knew I had a problem, I'd have been past the exit, broke down on a highway and having to walk the distance to the mart, then back to the van to await the tow.
Fifty dollars and a half an hour later, I was deposited at Martin's Auto Repair, where I was told “We can't get you in right now. It will be about an hour.” A whole hour!? I was surprised the man thought that would be considered even a slight inconvenience, considering I had just been towed to his place of business, with a full day's work already in process. Maybe he saw the New York plates on the van and figured I was...a New Yorker(with it's inherent “hurry up and wait” mentality).
I played online, updated my businesses, and within a short while was back in motion. Things went smoothly, except for the daily oil reading conundrum, until I passed Albuquerque, New Mexico. Reading the dipstick in this van has been practically an exercise in futility, and probably the dilemma is compounded by the fact that I really would like to believe what the guy who sold me the van told me - “It doesn't burn or use a drop! When you get to California, add a quart. That's all you'll have to do. It just had an oil change too! Here's the paperwork.”
The stick barely registers oil at some points, and other times is coated. Often when no oil has been added.... When I brought the van home, a friend looked at it(tut-tutting the whole time, and worrying aloud for my future) and said “You're down a quart.”
Having “just had a change(with paperwork!) that seemed – odd. Yet when I took it to the mechanic for a go-over(yes, NOW I understand just why – even on a $2,000 used vehicle – you take it to a mechanic for a pre-purchase look), the asked(after telling me all the problems) if I'd like an oil top-off. “It's quite low,” was the look in his eye. When I got the bill, there was a charge for two quarts on it.
Yet, a few days later, when I took the van to the afore-mentioned friend to do the platform build-out, he took a reading and said “Huh. It looks like there too much in there now!”
And so it has gone, the whole way along..... I've wiped that stick for a second opinion more times than a nanny wipes her baby charge's butt on a day of diarrhea, adding oil when I felt I'd better but never sure if I was doing the right thing.
Perhaps this issue will now be resolved to some extent, since I had the Sender Unit and pressure sensor replace in Sedona, Arizona....
I'd been watching my gauges religiously all the way cross-country and was stricken with an adrenaline surge more than once when, on a quick glance while doing 70 mph on a highway, noticed a red-line indication, only to realize it was the damned gas gauge telling me the tank was full. So, when the oil pressure gauge began doing a dance one afternoon an hour and a half west of Albuquerque, I began to panic. Watching closely, I saw the gauge “worrying” itself between a mid-range level it had previously been fairly static at, and dipping down to near the red zone....
Pulling into the next gas station, I sat and waited an hour for the engine to cool down. When I finally took the oil reading...well, it seemed very, very low. I could have kicked myself for not having been more diligent – except I HAD checked it just that morning and it had indicated being PERHAPS a tad low, but not even worth topping off, really.
I added oil, and as it registered on the stick, blew a sigh of relief I hadn't killed my trusty steed(Trusty? Yes, I guess Swanky IS reliable, being that here I am, in splendid Joshua Tree). Onward, to El Mapais National Monument, 20 or so miles away.
A Supertopo user had suggested El Mapais when I asked for suggestions for a day or two in New Mexico and Arizona. Though I will be coming through these states with Peter once he arrives, I thought it would be nice to take a few days now, instead of rushing through to Joshua Tree on a weekend arrival.
Unfortunately, the maps give Grants, NM as the highway exit for El Mapais, but the reality is that the exit before that is also an entrance to the park, and the one with the more scenic hiking vistas. I'd blown the afternoon waiting to check my engine's oil level and barely had time to get even a short hike in before daylight would begin to wane. As well, the BLM camp ground I was intending to use was back off the previous exit, and closed for the season to boot. After speaking with a park ranger, I decided to continue on toEl Morro National Monument 20 miles down the road, where the campground was still open(and free, because they water was off for the season). I'd take a short walk about, have a leisurely meal, and come back for a hike in El Mapais the next morning.
Well, early starts in the desert are reserved for warriors, one of which I am not. Especially sleeping n such cozy conditions – a down comforter on a queen-sized mattress with two huge pillows – it's just really easy to loll. Which I did!
So, instead of reversing my route, I decided to take a look at El Morro instead, and I am very glad I did. I've a separate posting for El Morro to come(I promise!) and will add the link here once it's published. Suffice it to say, for now, that El Morro is definitely worth visiting, if you enjoy a sense of history mixed with your nature wanderings.
After El Morro, I drove to Flagstaff, Arizona, where a friend, Tim, put me up for two evenings, fed me delicious meals, and took me climbing in between. We went up Queen Victoria, a spire in Sedona, and...I will make a separate posting(I promise!).
After leaving Tim's place, I headed down Highway 89, intent on a scenic cruise through mountainous terrain as I continued my trip. Planning to stop in Sedona and prepare/mail out two orders I'd received for my hair accessories, the day started out normally enough. However, as I went back to the van I noticed a small slice in the sidewall of one of my tires. “Crap.” I asked a man who appeared to be a local about the service station across the way, expecting they might be pricey, being in the main part of town on a tourist's highway. He didn't have an opinion on that, but he did think I'd probably be better served at one of the shops that specialize in tries, of which there were two a few miles further down the road.
Off I went, and turned in to Tire Pro a few minutes later.
Looking at the slice, I was told it was okay. The man explained to be that the cut hadn't gone through the white cording, and with a spatula-like implement, plied away the black section to show me what he referred to. He did mention that the tire was getting fairly worn though, and pointed out the wear from imbalance. I thought I might simply replace the tire now and his stance indicated that, as a frugal soul, he'd be getting a few more miles out of that tire before he replaced it. However, he was not me, and he was not driving miles between even small-sized towns, in a huge van. In the hot desert. I bought a tire.
After paying, the owner told me that the van looked pretty good otherwise, but when I mentioned my oil pressure issue(it had done the dance the whole way from Tim's to Sedona, despite having seemed fine the other day), he said this was not an issue to ignore. Upon request, he quoted me the cost of diagnosing the pressure, and after doing that, I was told the Sender Unit was the issue.
The rest of the day was spent at Tire Pro, where the patiently worked on my van. There was trouble identifying the correct replacement part and they were twice sent the wrong one. This would seem odd, except that each time I have had to provide the information on this van, it seems to “not be in the system” at some level, even with the VIN. Odd.
Long story short, they DID get the van back on it's wheels, at about 6:00pm. Thinking they'd not be able to complete the job that day, they said “no problem” when I explained I lived in the van, and would it be okay to sleep in it, in their lot, that evening. Super nice people, each one, who works at that shop.
But now , with the van fixed, I was in Sedona – tony Sedona – at dinner and bedtime and wondering where I was going to park for the night. Mentioning the nearest WalMart was X miles away, I was corrected, and told there was one just 15 or so mile down the road. (I've not spent a penny in WM on this trip, and intend not to, but that won't stop me from sleeping in their lots and using their restroom!).
The next morning I DID get an early start, at 7am. I drove through, and stopped in Jerome, a quaint and vibrant town without a SINGLE franchised store(separate post, I promise again!). Then a long push, to Joshua Tree.
EDIT: Here is the post on Jerome, Arizona
And here I am....
If you'd like to help Happie on her roadtrip, there are a few ways to do that! You can choose to support any of her online shops, such as ClimbAddict T0-Shirts and Giftware for Climbers, Talisman Studios Hair Accessories or OutrageousTees.com. Or, you can send her a (very much appreciated) donation in any amount via PayPal, by clicking the button here:
Friday, December 03, 2010
I Feel Like a New Woman Since Arriving in New Mexico!
I left Wisconsin after a visit with my family this past Monday, and started my southwest drive by actually heading slightly to the northwest, as I gave my brother Al a ride home to Wausau. I stopped in to see his apartment, and as I went back to the van, smelled an odor which set off the "UhOh" receptors of my brain but denial told me that it must simply be a little bit of oil I'd spilled earlier as I topped off at the gas station.
It wasn't.
Several miles down the highway, as the cruise control kicked in as I went uphill, I'd hear a little crunchy, crinkling sound... as if I'd driven over wet asphalt and bits were dropping from the car.... That wasn't a very comforting sound.
JUST as I neared an exit, power dropped considerable, and the power steering failed. I had exactly enough time to realize I needed to take that exit and get safely stopped out of traffic; preferably near a place to ask for assistance in calling a tow truck.
Limping in to a Kwik Trip gas station/convenience store, I rolled up to a parking spot, parked and cut the engine. Opening the hood, I looked for, and found, the obvious. Well, actually found remnants, that is. The fan belt was fried and had disintegrated, leaving just a string or two of...crinkled dry rubber near the alternator.
That sucked. But it certainly could have been worse. The people in the store suggested a tow truck driver who turned out to be pleasant, helpful and reasonable on cost($47.50). He took me to a repair shop who got the van up and running in short order, despite having a full day's schedule of appointments and several walk-ins they turned away. Thanks, Martins Auto Repair!
The rest of the trip went fairly smoothly, except of course the Kum&Go debacle. Easy sleeping in Walmart lots through the midwest, miles and miles and miles of grasslands in Kansas. And oil wells. Lots of those. And quint, holding themselves up by their bootstraps towns, dotting the highways of Iowa, Kansas. Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, most of which I cut just the corners on. Except Kansas... I went straight through that one. But it was still very nice - a pleasant drive on decent highway.
Yesterday I crossed from Texas into New Mexico and the change of terrain was immediately obvious. Instead of flat cattle-grazing ranges and commercial feedlots, and oil wells, the land became rich red soil, peppered with desert grasses and Juniper. Hills rolled with cut-ways hinting at the mountains coming as I ventured further. Massive hills rose up from the flatter lands as if they did it just to surprise you as you crested a hill and caught sight of them.
I stopped in Santa Rosa to rest, refresh myself with an ice coffee, give Teddy a walk and some Teddy-Time, and then began heading toward Albuquerque, where I stayed for the night(in a Walmart parking lot, of course.... I'd wanted to check for free camping in a *more natural* setting, but missed the last roadside pull off 30 miles east of the city. Thinking there would be one more, I soon came upon the suburban sprawl and knew I had gone too far....
This morning, I am at U-Mound, a bouldering spot right outside Albuquerque in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains.
After my coffee, and Teddy's breakfast - that's where we are headed.
I HAVE arrived!
If you'd like to help Happie on her roadtrip, there are a few ways to do that! You can choose to support any of her online shops, such as ClimbAddict T0-Shirts and Giftware for Climbers, Talisman Studios Hair Accessories or OutrageousTees.com. Or, you can send her a (very much appreciated) donation in any amount via PayPal, by clicking the button here:
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