Archive for May, 2011

Rock Climbing – Clear Creek Canyon, Capitalist Crag

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Clear Creek from Capitalist Crag

I Climbed Lunch Money (5.9+)
Brenda and I climbed at Capitalist Crag. She was the rope gun for the day, leading Lunch Money (5.9+), Cheap Labor (5.10a), and Mounty (5.7+). We had a fun time. The weather flip flopped between bursts of bright sun and dark clouds with gusts of wind. We finished around 3pm. (more…)

Rock Climbing – Clear Creek Canyon, Canal Zone

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Jenny Clipping Draws on Box of Rain (5.8) Clare Climbing Box of Rain (5.8)
On Sunday, I went to Canal Zone to climb with Jenny & Ryan. We met in the morning and had a lovely walk to the crag. We were the first to the moderates! Woo-hoo!
Ryan Chalking up on Ripple (5.8)
Ryan Climbing Made in the Shade (5.9)
We climbed Box of Rain (5.8), Ripple (5.8), and Ryan did Made in the Shade (5.9). I just wanted to take it easy, and enjoy being with Jenny & Ryan. So, when the obnoxious crowds came later in the day, I just felt like leaving. Besides, it started getting hot-time to bail!
Clear Creek Canyon Wildflowers

Federal Cup 5K

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

Victory High Five at Federal Cup 5K Clare Winning the Federal Cup 5K
On Saturday, I joined my fellow co-workers at the 27th running of the Federal Cup. The race did not happen last year, due to road construction, so we were all pretty amped. Would we capture the Cup again, or would our Co-Ed team be beat by an all mens team (or all ladies team for that matter)?

Since I had been training for a marathon, now just a few weeks away, I figured I’d have a very competitive time. But, I must say, I did have some jitters about sprinting. The last thing I wanted to do was to get injured so close to my first marathon…
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Ft. William to Edinburgh – Day 15

Friday, May 13th, 2011

 Edinburgh Round About

Ft.William To Edinburgh Driving Map
Our last full day in Scotland, we drove from Ft. William to Edinburgh. We bought groceries in a very large store on the outskirts of Perth. There are always a few edible items we want to bring home. This time, it was HP sauce, Branston Small Chunk Pickle, Candies, and Penguins.

We checked into the Scotsman Hotel, where they hooked us up with a free upgrade to the Baron Suite (2nd largest room in the hotel). We were overjoyed….
Baron's Suite Study

Baron's Suite Bedroom

Baron's Suite Living Space

…Until later that night when the night club several floors down started playing their music. It was OBNOXIOUSLY loud and the floor was thumping in our room. We didn’t sleep a wink, which was the reason for staying at a de-lux hotel in the first place.

Lesson learned: if you are staying at the Scotsman, and they offer to upgrade your room, SAY NO! Unless you are tone deaf…

Glencoe, Castle Stalker, Rainy Day Drive – Day 14

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

With the wind howling and a dark drizzle, we set off for Glencoe. It took about 30 minutes from Ft. William. It cost 12 pounds each to enter the visitor’s center.

Glencoe Panorama

There are three themes to the center: 1. The Massacre and 2. Rock Climbing and Mountaineering 3. The Environment. I thought they did a good job of covering all three topics. There were lots of hands on activities for kids as well. (more…)