After Valley of Fire and visiting friends at Lake Mead, we headed to the Red Rock Rendezvous, a climbing-oriented weekend at Red Rock Canyon sponsored by Mountain Gear. The event sold out, so we were expecting a big crowd at the campground at Spring Mountain State Park, and we found it. Someone commented on how many of the tents looked the same, and it's true, they were remarkably similar! I guess climbers think alike.
My friend Randi joined us, and the next day we headed off early for a climbing clinic while my brother Ed watched the kids (thanks, Ed!). It's been awhile since I've climbed, so I felt really rusty. Nevertheless, I was ready to get on rope and climb some rock! I really appreciated Randi for talking me into attending.
Climbing instilled some fear in me, but also reminded me why I like. It feels really good to conquer a slab of rock.
Next it was Randi's turn, and she did a fine job of getting reacquainted. She's done some cool climbs, including a 16-pitch one in Yosemite that I'd love to do someday. It took her and her climbing partner 15 hours to do it. It turned out that one of our instructors held the speed record for that climb: 52 minutes. Whoa!
Here's Randi before she disappears around the corner.
It seemed like the right spot for a selfie!
We did a couple more climbs and then headed back to the parking lot. It took awhile to get back to camp, and when we did we found Ed relaxing in the shade by himself near the tent.
"Where are the kids?" I asked.
"Oh, they're playing in the creek." He pointed in the general direction, and I couldn't see them at all.
Um, should I be worried? Was I a helicopter mom or just reasonably cautious? I eventually went over to take a look.
Sure, enough, they were down in the ravine, happy as could be, playing in the creek that was at most a couple inches deep. They had had a great time with their uncle.
It was getting hotter, so we decided to take a walk and see if we couldn't find a swimming hole. Google maps showed a nice body of water nearby. Soon we found it.
So we went back to the creek, where we had a good time.
The next morning we went climbing with the kids (something I managed not to get any photos of!), and that was fun until it got hot. So we wrapped it up and Randi headed home. We let the kids choose where to go for a late lunch, and they chose Indian food. I think I've trained my kids right! It was delicious.
Then it was one more activity before heading towards home: bowling.
Wow, it's been awhile since I've bowled. And bowling after rock climbing isn't exactly the best idea. But the kids had a fantastic time and it was air-conditioned, so it was good all around.
Then it was time to head home. Except I got tired, so we spent one more night out...
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