Joshua Tree - April Edition

We finally got to Joshua Tree a week later than anticipated. I was third in the family to catch Emily's cold but it was supposed to be a nice warm day in Joshua Tree so we decided to just go anyway.

Christian and I climbed a rather challenging 2 pitch climb on the east face of the Sentinel called "Fote Hog." It is only supposed to be a 5.6 climb but has this scary traverse to this overhang. The overhang was so big that I could not reach the knobs to hall my butt up. Christian had to find a way around it for me. It was pretty scary.

We took the kids back to the Thin Wall to climb "Up Chuck" after lunch.

It's a fairly short climb but rather challenging at the top.

Emily and I saw a desert tortoise while Caitlyn was doing her climb.

That was the first time we ever saw one there...but we've been seeing a lot of wild life out and about lately. We saw the chuckwalla on our last trip to Joshua Tree. We saw a Kit Fox in Red Rock, NV. We had even seen deer in the Box Spring Mtns. 

I went around with Caitlyn to look for the tortoise while Emily was climbing but we lost track of it. It is a lot faster than you would expect and quite nimble on uneven terrain as well. We couldn't find it but I found a lot of other new wildflowers to add to my growing collection.

We brought our camping stove and heat up some soup for dinner while Christian and Emily climbed up this off width crack up on the Cyclops Rock. We had just enough time afterwards to jet over to a night program that the rangers put on in another part of the park. It was about the night creatures in Joshua Tree and the effects of light pollution. It was pretty interesting. It was late by the time it finished. The kids slept most of the way back.

More on Spring Break

We spent the rest of Spring Break at home...more or less. We went on short outtings in the Box Springs Mtns. here in our backyard.

On one of our little hikes, we found a big slab wall to practice on. It is difficult to get up to it as there is no real trail and is up quite high up the mountain side.

On another afternoon, we went up to the northern ridge to practice aid climbing. We would rappel down and jumar back up.

The hill is covered in wild flowers this time of year. I tried to find flowers that I have not taken pictures of yet. Apparently, a lot of the areas that we have been to lately has had a lot of the same type of wild flowers.

We took a hike up to the "C" on another day and came back down the long way by way of the ranger station on the other side. 

We had originally planned to go to Joshua Tree at the end of the week to make up for not being able to do any real climbing in Red Rock before having to leave, but that didn't quite work out as Emily was still sick by the end of the week. Christian started coming down with it as well by then and it was expected to be another cold and windy day in Joshua Tree. That was something that we all had enough of from Red Rock.

Spring Break - Red Rock, NV

For Spring Break, we decided to join my brother and his kids to go camping in Red Rock, NV. His kids have never been camping before (unless you count camping in my sister's backyard). We took my brother on a backpacking trip many years ago. That was his first time camping.

We started off Monday morning and arrived in time for a late lunch in Red Rock. It was pretty crowded and super windy...it did not bode well for us.

We had lunch at the look out and proceeded to go find a suitable campsite for all of us. It took us a few tries but eventually settled on an area that we thought might work out. We were then free to get out and stretch. We went for a hike and came back with just enough light to have our dinner and set up our tents. The wind never stopped and really only got worse. The wind chill really added to the misery of it all.

My brother borrowed a tent from my sister. It was not very durable and was bending in the wind. In the end, I don't think that it is good for anything except camping out in the backyard or in some other very mild and controlled environment.

We actually got a new tent as well. A few weeks back, the kids were airing out the tent in the driveway after one of our other trips so that we can clean it out and put it away properly, when a gust of wind came through and it must have pulled the tent out into the street. We were in the backyard celebrating Emily's birthday. We went out at some point in the afternoon to find our tent at our doorstep crumpled in an odd angle. Apparently, some idiot ran it over, broke a tent pole and dragged it on the asphalt enough to tear a hole through the rain fly as well as the tent itself. We live in a little cul-de-sac. We don't get a lot of traffic and you can't go very fast. It would be easy to drive around the tent if it got pulled into the middle of the street. Someone also knew that it was ours as they bothered to drag it back up to our doorstep. We were pretty upset about the whole thing and have a sneaking suspicion that it was our mail man since we heard him go by a little before. We felt bad that we didn't have the kids stake down the tent or something to prevent it from getting dragged out into the street, but regardless, I think that any accident and resulting damage could have been easily avoided...had they tried.

But I digress, our new tent seemed to hold up to the elements a bit better. We got a pretty good deal on the tent so we were pleasantly pleased with it. During the night, it started to rain. It rained pretty good for a good hour or more. The only time the wind stopped blowing seemed to be when it rained and as soon as it stopped raining, the wind kicked right back up. We were a bit worried about how my brother was doing in his tent. We were not actually next to him as we decided that camping in the wash would give us a little more protection from the wind (although, if it rained too much, we would have had to make a hasty retreat). My brother and his kids were cold and tired and wanted to just park next to the car. We angled the cars to give him as much protection as we could manage. Apparently, it didn't work out too well. They woke up before midnight with dust and sand blowing in their faces and the tent flopping all over the place. They eventually retreated back into their vehicle for the rest of the night as the elements proved a bit much for them and their tent.

When it was light out, we packed up to go back to our car and check up on my brother and his kids.

It was a beautiful morning, although, still extremely windy. We took some pictures and had breakfast while Christian set up his Go Pro for some time lapse pictures of the clouds going by. At some point, we were in our car and we were looking over at my brother's tent. It was really flopping all over the place and we figured that we should just help him take it down because we didn't think that it would last much longer in the wind. He still had a bunch of their stuff in the tent, including a big air mattress. When we looked over, we saw that Christian's Go Pro and tripod had also gotten blown over. He went to retrieve his camera, came back to take a picture before starting to take down the tent when the tent pole snapped all of a sudden. So much for our plan to save then tent. We still took down the rest of the poles so that it wouldn't blow around so much. My brother managed to get a little sleep (a very little) and came out to help pack up the stuff.

Afterwards, Christian and I went down to take down our tent as well. We had packed up all the stuff in it earlier. As we were taking the stakes out, a gust of wind came through and almost pulled the tent out of our hands. It would have flown halfway down the valley if we had not caught it. 

After all was cleaned up and packed up, we headed into the Red Rock visitor center to get maps of the trail and start our day. We headed out to Calico Hills to start our hike. 

It was pretty neat but I think my brother was a bit overwhelmed as we did not stick to the easy tourists' hiking trail, but headed up the hill itself. We didn't do any real rock climbing but the height combined with the exposure is not easy to get used to. His daughter seemed to fit right in with us. I think she enjoyed the climb a great deal. 

We had lunch at the top of Calico Rocks. As usual, it was a bit windy. Fortunately, Christian found a nice spot on top where we didn't get much wind and was able to soak in some of the warm sun while we rested and got something to eat.

We hiked back down and found some neat climbing routes we wanted to try the next day. We then went to the Willow Springs Picnic area to explore a little more and have a snack. My brother's knee was giving him trouble so we knew that he wouldn't want to do any more hiking.

Christian set up and anchor at the top of a rock near the parking lot and we played around on it for the rest of the day.

Jumar practice

We did some rappelling. The kids and Christian practiced ascending up the rope with some aid climbing gear. My brother, his daughter and I climbed up for the rappel as ascending with the rope was a little more than we wanted to try.

The sun was going down fast. We had our dinner on a shelf of rock before parting ways. Because my brother's tent was broken, he went into Las Vegas for a hotel for him and the kids. We headed back out to our campsite. We arrived without any problems to set up camp in the dark...only to find that our tent pole had also broken in that last gust of wind. It was our first time using the tent. Ours did not snap as his did but split down one of the sides. It would not take much wind to rip it apart. It was still blowing out. We decided to just cut our losses and go home. 

We went to gas up while driving through Las Vegas and got a hold of my brother to let him know what we planned to do. He tried to convince us to stay at the hotel as well, but we were more comfortable just going home. We actually considered getting some duct tape to hold our tent pole together and stay, but while we were at the gas station, we saw that there was a 50 percent chance of rain for the next day and finally gave up. Emily started showing signs of being sick that first morning and it was only getting worse. It didn't help that Emily actually forgot her jacket at home. All she had with her was her shell. She had her jacket on in the morning before leaving but when her cousins arrived, she threw the jacket off to play with them and forgot it...not for the first time, by the way.

Christian and I took turns driving home and finally made it back at 2:am. 

Joshua Tree - March Addition

We stopped by the local climbing store outside of Joshua Tree and found that they were doing a free trial product day with vendors from various climbing supply companies. We could try any of their climbing shoes for free all day...well, almost all day, they would wrap up by 5:pm.

It took some time for us to all find shoes that would fit so we started our climbing later than usual. Spring is upon us so, there were a LOT more tourists in our midst.

Mount Grossvogel - Roboranger

We climbed a short 2 pitch route called Roboranger. It took quite a while to get three of us up the rock pile. There is one part near the beginning that is pretty hard. It was a fairly nice day but windy...especially up on top. You really had to hunker down so that it didn't blow you off balance up there. It was not so nice. Because of the late start and the somewhat long approach to Mount Grossvogel, we had to cut out early and head back in order to make it back in time to return all our borrowed climbing shoes. Emily actually got two pairs but didn't even have time to try out the second pair which was identical to the one I tried.

After we returned the gear, we ran back into the park to try to take advantage of the last rays of daylight to make one more climb.

The Bong

We had enough daylight to head up and set up and anchor and everything. Caitlyn only got to do a couple of partial routes because they were all a bit much for her. By the time the last person went up the route, it was dusk and Emily had to use her headlamp to finish. Luckily, there was a full moon out as well.
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We didn't quite get enough that day and ended up going a second time the weekend after. There were even more tourists around this day and it was kind of a nuisance getting around. And all they did was whoop and holler everywhere they went. It was not pleasant.

On the bright side, even more spring flowers were out. I couldn't believe how many different wild flowers were blooming every where we went. It was beautiful!

Our first route was on an especially crowded area of Joshua Tree.

 Our first route was already being used so we headed to the next route on our list in the same area on what they call "The Thin Wall." That was pretty fun but as there were a bunch of people climbing along side of us and didn't want to wait in line for another route on the wall, we decided to create our own. Since Caitlyn hadn't been able to do a lot of the ones we have been working on, Christian picked out and set up a route just for her.

Apparently the chuckwallas were about all over enjoying the mild spring weather and the tasty new shoots on the flowers as well, so the girls named the route after our friend "Chuck." The route is called "Up-Chuck" for various reasons!

When we were done, we decided to flee the screaming and gawking tourists and try our hand at some Go Pro videos on the big rappel.

We had two rappel lines going at the same time. It was fun but the videos didn't turn out that great. We had a little more time to do a little exploring but that was about it. 

2nd Trimester Award Assembly

The second trimester ended last week for the school year. The 6th graders had their award assembly on Monday. Emily got honor roll and perfect attendance again.

I still can't stand the way the new principal has changed the awards so that they can hand out more awards to kids that don't normally get awards because quite frankly, they haven't really excelled in anything. I know that it is supposed to encourage them or something...but the way they explain it, it is just so that each kid can get an award at some point so that they can feel special (whether they are or not) as long as they are putting a little bit of effort into it and not causing any problems outright.

Breakdown of awards:

Principal's Honor Roll = advanced marks in every subject

Honor Roll = 75% advanced with nothing else below the proficient level

Academic Achievement = You are mostly proficient (i.e. at least you are mostly staying at grade level)

Perfect Attendance = On time, all day, every day.

Perseverance, Growth & Effort = You are not achieving grade level but you are trying really hard and making improvement.

Character, Cooperation and Teamwork = You are following their "high four rules: listen, follow directions, use kind words, hands off" inside and outside of the classroom.

The last one is really arbitrary as only a couple of kids get it every time but I know more kids should be able to get it because it it so very basic and replaces the Citizenship award for the most part (of which the kids are still really upset about). 

They explain that only about a third of the class will get awards every single time. So the ones that maintain their academic achievements get the awards every time, but the other awards are rotated around to the remaining kids so that they can each get a chance to get an award. And just because they are still working hard and following the same rules they set up for them to get an award this time, doesn't necessarily mean that they will get an award next time. It's very arbitrary and just confuses the kids and is just plain wrong on so many levels.

But I digress, Caitlyn's award assembly was on Wednesday morning.

She made the Principal's Honor Roll again and got perfect attendance as well.

Christian managed to take some time to go to the awards assemblies with me. I neglected to explain to him the details of some of the award changes last time. When the principal was explaining it at the beginning of the assembly, he almost walked out! We go to support our kids and their efforts but in reality, it has become such a farce. I don't know how much I can continue to do this if it gets much worse. I know that my kids earned their awards. Despite what some people might think, the grades don't come naturally for them. They work for it and we make them work for it. Emily has been trying all year to get straight A's again but has been unable to get there. 6th grade offers a bit more of a challenge for her...which was the point...not to just get straight A's all the time because it comes without too much extra effort but to push herself and grow to her full potential. But in her efforts, she has improved in the areas that she is weaker in.

We struggle every day with getting the kids to do their homework, read and work on their projects. They are sometimes lazy, stubborn and easily distracted just like everyone else but we set a standard for them to follow and work towards and we expect them to do it. If we lowered our standards, they would simply not achieve as much.

That's why are standard to follow in life is Jesus Christ, anything less would be short of the mark. Although we can't be perfect, if we aim high, we can achieve much. If we aim lower, we simply would not grow to our fullest potential.

Emily's 11th Birthday

Emily's 1st Birthday

Emily turned 11 this week. She's almost as tall as I am already and will be starting middle school next year...a frightening thought. In fact, the day before her birthday, she had a field trip to the Junior High School for orientation.

It seemed like only a few years ago that we were celebrating her 1st birthday.

Children have an uncanny way of really marking the passage of time for you...in a way that you really cannot ignore.

We celebrated her birthday with a quiet evening at home. She got a care package from Hawaii with goodies for her and her sister from Grandma Cheri.

We got her a Kindle with the help of a gift card she got from Christmas from Grandpa Caldwell. We got her a cover to protect it, as well as, some e-books to start her off.

She requested one of her favorite dinners: chicken curry. And I made us a small batch of angel food cupcakes for dessert.

We didn't have much time for anything else as it was a school night, she had homework and Christian had to go help with appointments for the Bishop.

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We celebrated her birthday again on Saturday. Auntie Marian and Grandpa Caldwell came to celebrate her birthday with us this time. 

We decided to bbq some carne asada for tacos for lunch. That was one of the other things Emily requested. She wanted some kind of barbecued meat as we have not had any in a while. Christian also made some fresh bread to toast over the fire. Also a great favorite of Emily's.

The kids got to monkey around in the tree house and played with dad's ascender.

And then we had more cake and presents. She got another gift card and some new clothes and accessories.

Climbing Getaway

This past weekend was supposed to be the weekend that the annual UCR Heat Concert was scheduled for. We thought that maybe they would cancel due to the imminent rain threat but they declared that the concert would go on whether there was rain or shine.

Normally, the music starts blasting from the afternoon until the wee hours of the morning when it would finally end at the University only to have after parties sprout up at various location throughout the neighborhood. We've tried calling the police but they say that their hands are tied because UCR has a permit to abuse their neighbors. We've tried talking to the city, but they just talk in circles and not taking responsibility with what goes on in their city. In truth, they let UCR do mostly whatever they are one of the biggest tax payers in the city. Where do you think their priorities lie? Not with us.

This year, we decided to just throw our hands up in the air because nobody cares and we are unable to do anything about it. So, we decided to leave town for the weekend. We didn't want to stick around to be abused by UCR and the city.

Although we desperately need the rain, it was going to also put a damper on some of our plans. In the end, we opted to go to the Alabama Hills to do some climbing. Originally, we were going to leave Friday afternoon as soon as the kids got out of school but due to the rain, we figured that we would leave super early Saturday morning instead and just spend one night out camping.

We arrived in Lone Pine around 7:am. It was pretty chilly out but the whether seemed to be at least keeping the crowds at bay. We decided to climb the "Shark's Fin." Christian had been wanting to climb it for a while now and there were always people on it every time we went. This time, we got the place to ourselves.

Christian, Emily and I climbed the arete and two other routes on the shark fin. It was fun for the most part but the last route was kind of difficult. Because it was a bit much for Caitlyn still, we headed back over to "Lost Eye to the Moon" to find a climb for her.

The last time we were there, Caitlyn was able to climb up the 5.3 route in the dark. This time, we figured that she should be able to at least complete "Rhythm on the Range," a 5.5 route and then attempt the "Riders of the Purple Sage"...a 5.7 route. She shocked us by completing both. She needed a little help on a couple parts of the 5.7 route but she did it. I think next time, she should be able to do it without any help at all. The help isn't us pulling her up or anything. She just used on of the bolts as a hand hold once and another bolt as a foothold. We usually aren't allowed to use them as part of the rock face except as a safety for our rope.

Emily actually led both routes!

In between climbs, the girls got to play with Dad's new toy, an ascender. We only got one so far. 

We climbed until we were out of daylight as usual. We had dinner and went into town to get warmed up and get the girls a treat from McDonalds. It never got above 48 degrees F. all day. It was almost just as cold in the restaurant as it was outside. The girls enjoyed their fries and ice cream anyway.

We camped out in Alabama Hills that night. Although the weather never warmed up, the weather didn't drop very much either so it wasn't too cold. We didn't get more than a few sprinkles now and then so we didn't really get wet either. I think that we were pretty lucky overall.

We slept in Sunday morning, had breakfast and went for a drive up in the mountain passes. We tried several and at some point, all of them were closed because of the snow and rock fall.

The girls got to play with the snow until their hands froze. 

They made a mini snowman and we had some hot cocoa before heading back down for some lunch.

We hung out and read some scriptures before hitting the road.

When we got back, we found out that the UCR Heat concert got canceled after all because they were afraid of the lightning...small favors, huh?