Det är verkligen så här man ska uppleva USA: Road Trip. Vi reser med bil den klassiska rutten California – Nevada – Arizona och det går inte att värja sig mot naturens storslagenhet; landskapets oerhörda förändring får en att tappa andan gång på gång.

Att sedan stanna för ett toalettbesök kan bli till en inblick i det USA du känner igen ifrån dina fördomar.

En rostig skylt gnisslade i den tjutande vinden (ej avbildad).

Folket i omgivningarna levde i Trailers – “Home of White Trash”.

Vi möttes av en avliden åsnas grav på uppfarten:

Det hängde Anti-Obama propaganda på toaletten (“Kommunisten Barack Hussein Obama”).

Där fanns också vapensamhället klart representerat:

Och som extra krydda eftersöktes Real Life Bonnie & Clyde:

Det var faktiskt på riktigt alltsammans och inte, som man skulle kunna tro, en kuliss för europeiska, USA-föraktande turister i jakt på vatten till sina kvarnar.

Om du får chansen, ta den!: Road Trippa! Det är fantastisk vackert, tröttsamt, ibland riktigt skrämmande men alltid särdeles lärorikt.
Kisspaus när ingen bebyggelse finns att tillgå

The states impacted are as follows:  AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, WI, WV and WY.

To find the rate adjustments, go to our Resource Center (Log in Required):

• Company = AARP
• State = (Pick your State)
• Product = Medicare Supplement
• Resource = Rates

Snow is in the mountains. It is time to make sure when you are out in the back country to take a few precautions.

Remember the rule of 3s. Then plan accordingly.

For exposure, make sure you are in the correct clothing. Do not use cotton. Cotton wicks water away but it will not dry fast. This will draw heat from your body in a more rapid fashion and cause you to chill faster. Do not use cotton.

Dress in layers and make sure your cloths are clean. Dirty clothes reduce the heat retention in your clothes.

Carry some type of fire starting device. Two is better. Remember a a backup.

Wear a hat. Most heat is lost through the head.

Carry a small space blanket in your pocket for warmth and I also include a big garbage bag or two for a poncho or an emergency shelter. They really work.

Look for more seasonal tips in the future.

CHeck out http://mountainsurvival.com or http://survival.ws. They are both the same site. One is shorter to type.

Be safe and prepared.

Snow is in the mountains. It is time to make sure when you are out in the back country to take a few precautions.

Remember the rule of 3s. Then plan accordingly.

For exposure, make sure you are in the correct clothing. Do not use cotton. Cotton wicks water away but it will not dry fast. This will draw heat from your body in a more rapid fashion and cause you to chill faster. Do not use cotton.

Dress in layers and make sure your cloths are clean. Dirty clothes reduce the heat retention in your clothes.

Carry some type of fire starting device. Two is better. Remember a a backup.

Wear a hat. Most heat is lost through the head.

Carry a small space blanket in your pocket for warmth and I also include a big garbage bag or two for a poncho or an emergency shelter. They really work.

Look for more seasonal tips in the future.

CHeck out http://mountainsurvival.com or http://survival.ws. They are both the same site. One is shorter to type.

Be safe and prepared.

Snow is in the mountains. It is time to make sure when you are out in the back country to take a few precautions.

Remember the rule of 3s. Then plan accordingly.

For exposure, make sure you are in the correct clothing. Do not use cotton. Cotton wicks water away but it will not dry fast. This will draw heat from your body in a more rapid fashion and cause you to chill faster. Do not use cotton.

Dress in layers and make sure your cloths are clean. Dirty clothes reduce the heat retention in your clothes.

Carry some type of fire starting device. Two is better. Remember a a backup.

Wear a hat. Most heat is lost through the head.

Carry a small space blanket in your pocket for warmth and I also include a big garbage bag or two for a poncho or an emergency shelter. They really work.

Look for more seasonal tips in the future.

CHeck out http://mountainsurvival.com or http://survival.ws. They are both the same site. One is shorter to type.

Be safe and prepared.

Keith’s second and last day with us was EPIC! It was so epic I’m breaking it up into two posts. One for each one of the climbs we did that day.

We hiked back up Kraft Mountain to a few crack climbs that some climbers had raved about while we were all around a camp fire a few nights before. Walking around the corner and seeing the Atman crack for the first exalted praise and aw from all of us. Things like, ‘Beautiful!’ ‘You got to climb it!’ ‘Oh my god.’ ‘Indian Creek.’ It’s rated 10a, and would be my most ambitious trad lead yet. Here’s Keith leaning out over the top of the crack, of course tied in to the natural anchor we built first.

Here’s the crack in its entirety. It presented a difficult shooting situation because of the high contrast between the sun grazing the top of the climb and the shadow the rest of the climb was in. Keith handled it like a pro and all it took was some contrast adjustment during post processing to make these images great.

Keith’s pictures captured more than just my leading the climb. He captured something I’ve very much wanted to share with friends and family: What Kristine and I are actually doing when we’re ‘climbing’, and how we do it. So I’ll narrate as the pictures tell the real story:

Kristine and I reach a climb, I tie in to the end of the rope, she puts me ‘on belay’, and I make sure I have all the gear I need for the climb. We always double-check each other–knots and so forth. I usually turn my hat backwards while on the rock. I do it because I saw Sonnie Trotter do it on his first ascent of Cobra Crack, 5.14, up in Squamish, B.C. For those interested check out the video by Patagonia. It’s bad ass! Anyway, here’s our cheery disposition at the beginning of the climb.

When climbing cracks, which is also called ‘trad’, short for ‘traditional’, you hand and foot jam in the crack to move up the climb. This climb had an especially hard and tricky beginning. The crack wasn’t quite wide enough to get the meat of my hand in. I was jamming in the crack just past my knuckles, which was a little insecure and painful. I’m wearing tape gloves on my hands to minimize the damage, although after this climb the backside of my right hand was pretty wrecked. This kicks off a great sequence of moves up the first half of the climb. You can see Kristine belaying, which is something of an art when lead belaying. She manages the rope that is out and is ready for a fall at any time, she feeds out rope as I climb, and is generally aware of everything that I’m doing and how the rope is involved.

After a few failed starts I finally got some momentum and made it half way up the crack before my forearms, pumped full of blood, screamed for mercy. I hung on a piece that I had placed and let out wild groans of pain and pleasure. Then back to climbing.

I anticipated putting in another piece of gear, which I put in my mouth while I had a good hand jam in, then climbed on with the piece in my mouth.

Now I placed the size 2, yellow cam, which is short for the Black Diamond ‘camalot’. They come in all different sizes and I have to choose the right one for that sized crack. It’s what makes trad climbing so engaging.

I’ve now clipped my rope to a beaner that’s attached to the cam. This is what protects me were I to fall at any point during the climb. It’s each climbers discretion and experience that dictates how much protection to use and how often. On this climb I kept myself pretty well protected, not being more than six or seven feet between placements.

After climbing past the #2 cam I was very close to the top and I placed my last piece, a #3 cam. With my arms and legs shaking I took an involuntary rest when my body gave out and I sat in my harness, against the rock, breathing hard and feeling humble.

One final and perfect hand jam!

While my eyes are looking up to find the final moves that will take me home, I’m really looking inside and scrapping down deep to muster the last bit of strength, spit, and courage to make this fat lady sing.

A climber at peace coiling his rope.

This was an amazing climb! I thank Kristine for the flawless belay and for giving me her time on a climb that was beyond her ability to follow.

In the last few years Keith has been fostering along a photographic interest that has developed into a full-blown skill, which I am indebted to for all the pictures that he took on this day (and every other day); as well as the motivation to get on this climb and make it to the top.

There was a beautiful 11c climb called Ying Yang Crack on the adjacent wall to Atman. It sat upon our gaze for quiet some time, until Keith and I vowed that we’d return to climb it. Just the kind of motivation we need for another climbing rendezvous!

Release Date: 25/11/09
Genre: Electronic/Dance
Language: Korean
Bit rate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
01 – 코드명 N3D5
02 – Maryland 도착
03 – 코드명 N3D5 (Seniors ver.)
04 – 코드명 N3D5 (4872 ver.)

Full Single: Nevada – Secret Schools

Read this…Did Aliens design Humans?

I didn’t realize there were early college football games on today otherwise I would have done this earlier and made some bets.  Unfortunately I was stuck at work.

I was going to play Rutgers -3 and Cincinnati -20.5, but the games started before I had a chance.  Other games that were playable include: Colorado State -3, Kent State +4, Tulsa -14.5, and Bowling Green -7. I got my Nebraska -10 pick in, but didn’t get to post here in time

 Here are my other picks:

Pittsburgh 0 (vs WVU)

Boise State -9.5 (buy 4pts) (vs Nevada)

The Boise spread opened at -10 which would may have been fine but now it’s up to -13.5 which is too close for comfort. Nevada is a good team with a strong offense. They are on an 8-0 run after losing their first 3 and have score more than 50 points in 5 of those 8 and more than 30 in all of them. Last year Nevada only lost by 7. I may just steer clear of this game, especially since my NCAAF system is so new and untested.

NBA:

DEN -12.5 (vs NY)

PHI +12.5 (buy 7) (vs ATL)

DAL +2.5 (buy 4) (vs IND)

I’ll play Denver straight, but the other two games I’ll have to work into a teaser if I want anything out of them.  I’d do PHI, DAL, and any other team I mentioned in the last post in a 7pt teaser if I were to play them.

Aerial photographer Jason Hawkes captured incredible aerial images of Las Vegas at night. In order to capture the images, he used a state-of-the-art gyroscopic tripod for his camera and a low flying helicopter. The photo shoot took nine flights and 15 hours of air time to complete. All of Hawkes’s Las Vegas photos will be published in a book called Las Vegas At Night.

Visiting Las Vegas for a convention? Churchill has corporate housing in the Las Vegas area designed for the business traveler.

A panoramic view of Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk.

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It’s Thanksgiving week, which is also Rivalry Week. We’ll be light on commentary this week, because most of these games speak for themselves. Many of these rivalries are sullied this year with dominant teams facing off against their historic opponents in rebuilding years. However, for those teams with nothing else to play for, these match-ups will be their “championship” because it would bring a team – like Auburn or Texas A&M – no greater pleasure than to spoil the BCS title hopes of their nemeses. So, don’t be surprised to emotional play lead to some surprising upsets this weekend.

Remember to check the TV coverage maps, and note that all rankings are the current BCS standings. Enjoy your leftovers and save room to indulge in your week 13 viewing guide.

Thursday
8:00 PM ET
#3 Texas 49 v. Texas A&M 39
This was…unusually close. Despite the loss, the Aggies might have played their best game of the year – at least offensively. QB Jerrod Johnson looked fantastic, and will continue to be a threat to Texas in the next couple of years. Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be irate after the way the defense played Thursday night, but my guess is that emotion and momentum kept the Aggies in the game much longer than expected because the ‘Horns offense clicked most of the game. If you’re running behind on Eyes Of TX content, the in-depth game preview can be found here. There is no asterisk as division champs this year, as Texas has plowed their way to the Big 12 Championship game against Nebraska on December 5th.

Friday
11:00 AM ET
Rutgers at Louisville, ESPN2
Exciting! Not. But, football season’s almost over….let’s feast while we still can.

12:00 PM ET
Illinois at #5 Cincinnati, ABC
One final test for the Bearcats. Rumor has it former starting QB Pike will make the start this week. Eyes Of TX says, “why mess with a good thing?” Hope that doesn’t backfire for Cincinnati, but an upset sure would make the BCS happy.

2:30 PM ET
#2 Alabama at Auburn, CBS
Can ‘Bama overcome their biggest rival to give themselves a shot at #1 Florida, the SEC championship and the national championship? We’ll see how Auburn gets up for this game after a killer start, but a late season let-down. If head coach Gene Chizik pulls off the upset, sadly, he will be enshrined as the best coach ever at Auburn.

3:30 PM ET
Nebraska at Colorado, ABC
Nebraska has clinched the Big 12’s North division and will face #3 Texas on December 5th for the Big 12 conference title. This will be the last opportunity to see what Bo Pelini’s squad has to offer, in particular his offense, and while most thought it will be Colorado’s last chance to help head coach Dan Hawkins keep is job, the university confirmed that he would be coaching in Boulder again next season. The NCAA might as well give CU the “death penalty” because they’ve definitely rolled over this year.

7:00 PM ET
#9 Pittsburgh at West Virginia, ESPN2
Does anyone else think Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt has a funny mustache?

10:00 PM ET
Nevada at #6 Boise State, ESPN2
Close out the night with this late game. Boise State could be shut out of the BCS this year despite being #6 and undefeated. It’s too bad their weak schedule didn’t allow us to see just how good they can be, and perhaps Oregon helped them look better than they actually are… With #5 Cincinnati and #4 TCU as mid-major schools ahead of them in the BCS, it will be a disappointment for the home of the blue turf.

Saturday
12:00 PM ET
Both of these games are intriguing for the in-state bragging rights implications. Neither matchup is particularly compelling but in the context of Rivalry Week, they’re definitely worth watching.

#18 Clemson at South Carolina, ESPN
The ‘ol Ball Coach tries to make a stand in Columbia against a ranked opponent. Win or lose, they could keep Clemson RB C.J. Spiller from winning some post-season awards if they can hold him to a sub-par performance.

North Carolina at North Carolina State, ESPN2
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around, does it make a sound? In the shadows of the Appalachian mountains, its basketball season folks.

12:21 PM ET
#25 Mississippi at Mississippi State, check local listings
If you can find this, see the same reasons as above. If anything, Texas fans can relish in the fact that when the pressure was on to deliver a big year for Ole Miss, former Longhorn back-up quarterback Jevan Snead fell flat in 2009.

12:30 PM ET
#12 Oklahoma State at oklahoma, Comcast Sports Net
Another one that will be hard to find, unfortunately, because it’s always nice to watch ou struggle. With this year’s ‘Pokes team rolling to a potential BCS at-large bid, it’s hard to imagine them dropping this one, even though they’re away from home.

3:30 PM ET
Florida State at #1 Florida, CBS
Florida’s won the last 21 games of this series, if memory serves. For Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden, the good thing is he’s old enough to forget each game. Florida wins big, and sets up the ultimate SEC Championship match-up of #1 v. #2 Alabama for the right to play in the national championship.

#14 Virginia Tech at Virginia, ESPN
Virginia is an absolute debacle this year. Expect the Hokies to roll the ‘Roos at home.

#17 Miami at South Florida, ABC
This might actually be interesting, as South Florida started out the year strong, as did Miami. We’ll see what the ACC has to offer up the bowl committees besides a surprising Georgia Tech. Can Miami step up?

(Also in this slot on ABC is Arizona at Arizona State, and Missouri at Kansas.)

5:00 PM ET
#21 Utah at #19 BYU, CBS College Sports
A great in-state matchup between two of the best non-BCS conference teams.

7:00 PM ET
Arkansas at #15 LSU, ESPN
LSU has found out they weren’t quite as good as they thought, in part due to horrible coaching by Les Miles last week. Arkansas has been inconsistent, but could pull off the upset. Unfortunately, Death Valley isn’t an easy place to play, especially the week after an LSU loss.

8:00 PM ET
Georgia at #7 Georgia Tech, ABC
Who would have thought the best team in Georgia would be out of Atlanta? Georgia Tech’s triple-option has proven surprisingly successful this year. Go Yellowjackets!

Notre Dame at Stanford, ABC
What could be head coach Charlie Weis’ last game at Notre Dame will be shown in most of the country. Meanwhile, Stanford will try to stamp their ticket with another win against a big-time program.

Thanks again to LilPete for his 2009 season viewing guides.

✩

The day after the Kraft Mountain brouhaha, Keith, Kristine, and I headed out to no other place than Kraft Mountain. The hike took us past some beautiful boulders, which caused Keith’s fingertips to salivate with desire. He’s a boulder-er by trade and has incredible strength and skill on small holds and powerful moves. We coaxed him to keep walking with us and on the back side of the mountain, after a half an hour or so, we made it to a batch of three sport climbs at The Family Crag. The book didn’t give the climbs very good ratings, but we were amped to climb regardless and began with the easiest of the three climbs. A 5.8 that Keith lead. He was gushing about climbing on his favorite rock: sandstone. It’s incredibly featured which makes the climbing very fun and dynamic as you pick your holds on our way to the top. I led it next and then it was Kristine’s turn to rope up. She had been feeling a little funny from the night before and wasn’t quiet sure how well she’d climb, or even if she would climb at all. We told her she couldn’t miss such a nice climb, especially since it was perfect for her ability. She conceded.

She felt a little out of balance as she began the climb but quickly got in the rhythm as she made it to the top without any difficulty. Keith and I were both impressed.

We then moved down the wall and I led the next climb, which was a very smooth 5.9. Keith followed and then again came Kristine and basically walked up the climb in very good style.

I again kicked off the third and last climb on that wall–another 5.9. It was a very nice climb. It seemed harder than the last climb. The holds were smaller and the wall a bit more overhung. I definitely felt a bit pumped when I reached the top. Keith climbed it next and really liked it. I told you those small, crimpy holds are his vice. I really wasn’t sure if Kristine would make it up the climb unless she exercised all the technique that she’s learned so far. She’d have to move up the wall using mostly her legs, while hanging on her arms and keeping them from getting too fatigued. She’d have to look ahead at the next few moves so she could commit to them and climb past without using up all her energy. Well. She did it! And made it look easy.

It was getting late when we finished the last climb. The sun would be setting within the hour. We completed our hike around Kraft Mountain and made it back to the car with the last few rays of sun lighting our way. Our fatigue and hunger shot flairs into our conversation demanding nothing other than ‘Chipotle’. Like the bat-signal a big barbacoa burrito lighted the sky. Half an hour later three hungry and satisfied climbers walked into a bowl of chips and guacamole. If we had ordered a round of drinks I would have made a toast to Kristine, “A climber! Body and spirit!”

Since  Centralia I haven’t done much, just took a long forced vacation because there weren’t any jobs.

I’m back in Nevada now though, working near Ely (another small town no one’s ever heard of) and another gold mine. The mine is owned by the same company as the one I was at near Elko, but the archaeology company is a different one. I’m doing basically the same thing though.

It’s cold, we’ve had a bit of snow and will probably get more next week, but that’s not too bad since I’ll be done after that. This is just a short project doing excavation on one prehistoric site. So far we’ve found a few tools (arrowheads and such), a lot of flakes (the bits of rock left behind when you make tools), and a hearth. Nothing particularly cool to take pictures of though. We’ve got one more week of excavation – starting on Tuesday December 1st and ending on Tuesday the 8th – and then I’ll be back home probably.

Lie to Me – I don’t know much about this show, where it originated, who writes the thing, who the actors are, or what the media hype is.  What I do know is that since the moment I downloaded the first episode of the new show onto my I-Pod, I was immediately transfixed and entertained.

 The story line is probably “traditional,” but the concept is really cool.  Here’s the scoop: there’s a techy and “off the wall” company located in Washington, D.C. with interesting and slightly quirky, highly intelligent people who read people’s signals such as eye, lip, and facial movements – all in effort to evaluate whether or not the person is lying. 

First of all, they admit that everyone, everywhere, all the time – lie like rugs.  That’s a given.  It’s just that this group of people is hired to figure out who is lying, when, and ultimately the “why” is figured out.

Obviously because the company is headquartered in the most corrupt city in the United States with the heavy-hitters of liars, the Lightman Group sees their share of politicians who are accused of wrong-doing, lying, or whatever bad shit that the U.S. politicians can possibly dream up.

Then, the show story line veers off into some other folks such as hookers with multiple personalities, bad cops, etc…. 

Almost always interesting story lines keep me guessing “who done it” or “who’s the bad dude.”  Try it out sometime and see what you think.

 Lost Luggage

Hey, I’m hanging out on our bungalow patio in Cabo San Lucas wondering what American Airlines did with my bag.  This isn’t the first time good ole’ American Airlines has screwed up this part of my travel.  About 25 years ago they lost my bag with my “interview suit,” make-up, and essentials for an interview that I was going to in Radnor, Pennsylvania.  That was quite a lot worse than this. 

At least here I don’t have to wear a lot of clothing or worry about makeup and all that jazz.  Luckily last night after we arrived without my luggage, we were able to purchase the medicines and makeup that I needed to have for survival.

My one t-shirt is hanging on the patio drying after I washed it  in the bathroom sink…no problem!

However, American Airlines worked it’s “magic” twenty-five years ago when I arrived at the most important job interview I had ever had in my life dressed in ragged, filthy travel jeans, a smelly t-shirt, and hair sticking out all over – - yes; I didn’t get the damned job.  No surprise there.  I have never forgiven American Airlines for that screw-up.

This time I’m not happy with them, but at least I’m not worried about losing a job because of their screw up in losing my luggage. 

Where does all this lost luggage end up? 

Do American Airlines employees take it home, sort through our shit, keep the crap that they like and throw the rest of it in the trash?  Or, is there some huge warehouse that it gets shuttled off to where it sits until it completely disintegrates, and we forget all about it?

Is there some woman walking around in my favorite black underpants?  Did some kid end up with four absolutely fabulous cassette tapes of Abba in the 1980’s?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Hey, Abba was a cool group.  And, those black panties were quite stunning.  I miss that stuff.

Over the past few months I realized that I am dying. I don’t mean this melodramatically. It’s just a fact.

And, not a very pleasant one. A lot of people die. A whole lot of people. In fact, we all do.

It’s just that lately because of being so freaking sick for so freaking long, at last it dawned on me – I’m fucking dying. Don’t know when. But, it’s definitely coming. Sooner than later.

I’m kinda pissed about it. In fact, that’s probably why this particular blog has a lot of profanity in it. I tend to be unladylike when I’m pissed off. Dying of shitting myself to death is a real stupid deal. If I were to have an engraved marker on a burial plot, the inscription “Patti Redd died by having the shits” sounds pretty screwed up. Thankfully, I’m not going to have an engraved marker. Richard will get me burned and toss my ashes at Ledwell, Arizona.

This messed up illness trip that started in March . . . a mere 9 months ago . . . has been a crappy deal (pardon me for sounding silly). Richard has been sick right along with me, and has surely coped a lot better than I have. He’s a trooper. Richard reminds me of the “ever ready bunny;” just keeps on keeping on. He’s a macho guy, that one.

Me. I’m a wimp. Over the last week at work I have barely made it up, out of bed, dressed, and into the office. Most days I have enough energy to look at a few emails, peck out a couple of crappy responses, and then collapse on the couch in our private room. I did manage to teach a fall protection class for about five hours on Monday. That was about the most productive that I have been.

Yesterday, as we were sitting in the Dallas airport waiting for a connecting flight to Cabo San Lucas, I looked around at the faces of other travelers. Most looked pretty okay. A lot of porkers, but at least they look healthier than I do. Bathed in the unflattering fluorescent bright lights of the airport restroom, I looked in the mirror to see a skeleton of what I used to be. The veins on my nose and neck stick out like a 90 year old. My arms look like sticks.

Here we are in the land of plenty, race of fatsos, streets jammed with Jack in the Boxes and other unhealthy, fattening food joints, and immediate availability of food everywhere – I’m literally starving to death. Go freaking figure.

I have a friend  – Katy. She always seemed so thin and tiny. Now, not so much. ..now I think Katy looks like the picture of health – she’ll probably snort with laughter if she reads this drivel!

If I seem filled with self-pity, I apologize. I’m really not. I’m just amazed. And, blown away at the irony of it all. Today is Thanksgiving. So, here’s what I’m thankful for:

 I am loved and I love

 Mexico, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Canada, Tahiti, Bali, United States, and a couple of unremembered countries have been explored by yours-truly

 At this moment I’m listening to Madeleine Peyroux on Richard’s I-Tune speaker – sitting on the oversize patio at The Bungalows in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

 Did I mention that I’m drinking a cold beer?!

 I’m warm (since losing over 40 pounds, it seems that I’m constantly freezing!)

 There are some wonderful people out there in the world whom I have had the opportunity to meet and enjoy

So, Happy Freaking Thanksgiving to those who follow this weird little “Rat’s Nest” blog. I hope that your day of thankfulness is righteous and enjoyable.

Eat. Eat lots and enjoy!

This is another Photoshop: Before and After post, as I’m sure many of my posts on this blog will be.  Not only do my photos generally need a lot of “help,” but I’m the type of person who just can’t pass up an opportunity to fiddle with and tweak things if I think it’ll make a more interesting picture.  This often backfires I think, but oh well – it’s fun.  I can’t decide if I over-tweaked this photo or not, but as you can see from the original shot below, I did tweak a lot!  By the way, that streak in the unedited version kind of looks like a shooting star, but it’s just an airplane. 

With generally all of the photos on this blog, including these, you can click on them to see a “full-size” version.

PS: There are a couple things I know already that I’d change next time in making this picture.  First, I’d start out with a slightly darker picture by lowering the ISO (I’m not sure about that one, but I think that’d make a positive difference), and I would definitely close the aperture a little while making the shutter speed longer.  After this set of pictures, I’m starting to think that lights at night (such as the “city” lights on the original picture) appear less blurry when the aperture is smaller, even if the shutter speed is slower.  This might also help with how much noise there is in this pic… I’d have tried to blur it a bit, but it was too hard to work around the stars which were already a bit blurry to begin with.  Uggh, I have so much to learn still!

It would be interesting to completely re-create this photograph about a year from now, and see how much better I can make it.

Today, while you all eat your turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, Jonathan and I will be enjoying our last day here in Vegas, at the Red Rocks. We will cram as much climbing as possible into our last day, and (hopefully) since it is a holiday we won’t have crowds to contend with.

We have been here for three fantastic weeks. While not a fan of Vegas, the rocks have held our attention and enthusiasm. We could easily stay another month and still not have done 1/2 of the climbs here. This gives us a good excuse to come back and send the climbs that challenged us on this trip and venture out to try more of the ones we haven’t yet experienced.

Our trip has been so fun and full of adventures, the time has flown by. It is hard to believe that it is already Thanksgiving – a big mile marker signaling only a few weeks left until Christmas, the end of the road (for awhile).  I suppose there are definite signs that we have been on the road – Jonathan’s ever growing beard, the state of our small wardrobe (dirty and increasing in number of holes), the stronger climbing ability and leaner bodies. I guess we have been doing this awhile.

Tomorrow we head south to Arizona to spend a few days with some friends in Tucson. We will enjoy their company, some good food, and some time playing outdoors. Jonathan & I are still a bit unsure of our plans after Tucson – maybe we will meet up with Ben for a soak (his hot spring pass time), climb in some local crags, head back to California for some time in Joshua Tree, or let the wind blow us  somewhere new like New Mexico.

To all our family and friends we send our love – enjoy your feasts, the long weekend, and the half marathon (good luck Heather!) – Happy Thanksgiving!