Quite A Sunset...

.... not bad....

... !!!!...

.... cool..!!..

DRAG RACING!! (Part 1)

... annual "Nostalgia Weekend" at 'Pittsburgh Raceway Park' (forever 'Keystone Raceway'), so not much time for "playing on-line" today - many, many photos to sort thru...

... a preview...

... greatest sport on earth!...

Foleys Wall (Rock Climbing Part 4)

... small (areawise) but sweet - maybe 40ft to 50ft tall - maybe not - probably a dozen routes - all can be done on gear - "positive" textbook holds... great practice (if you own a real "rack"- a half-dozen 'quickdraws' ain't gonna' get ya' too far)...

... old B/W negative prints from "days gone by"... 'Goodman' climbing above... nothing really difficult (mostly moderate) - but steep - "tons of fun"... 

... good place to "get your head together" for "bigger stuff"...

... a young 'buddy Matt'...

"buffed"...

... if it wasn't for the large horizontal ledge about a quarter way up the wall (below this guy), would give the place ten stars for "excitement"... so... only six... maybe seven at best...

... some effort was exerted "rigging" the place over the years - top rope & rap anchors - as well as "gardening" and trail building (many times over)... 'buddy Matt' above...

... hey - right across the "valley" on the next rise over to the west is a small crag - has a pretty cool traverse... if over there and facing "wall left" ...traverse the lower horizontal crack (face climbing with decent gear) to the right... maybe 50ft to the end... climb 10ft to 15ft to rig a "hanging belay" below the small roof... switch leads and traverse the roof back left - again, maybe 50ft...all the way protecting the upper horizontal crack below the roof ...to exit (step off) on to a small shelf... not bad... 'Goodman' (above) on the lower traverse... walls maybe 40ft tall... 

... if headin' up there, please respect the land - is private as well as PA Gamelands...

'Lovers Leap' (Rock Climbing Part 3)

... or the 'Narrows' - is what everyone called the place "back in the day" - now'days labeled 'Locust Grove' in all the on-line climbing "sites" (is the name of the local small community)...

... pretty cool place just west of 'Cumberland, MD'...

... tall cliff with solid, steep face climbing with several good flakes and cracks with good protection - not sure of what rock type (some sort of 'quartzite'? - don't know)...

... was never any published information on the place - so never knew any established route names or difficulty ratings (all the better) - we figured that all the difficult stuff we encountered was probably in the hard 5.10 range - although - a route 'Goodman' put up long ago (now bolted) is rated 5.11b on-line - probably right - remember "seconding" that thing - very thin and "crimpy" - all the "pro" (thin wires and small RP's) was definitely only "psychological" - "X-rated" for sure - so the bolts are probably a good thing - was a good job by Rob.... (no - not the route pictured above)...

... this is the "First Buttress" - good face climbing - those are some guys from Uniontown we'd occasionally encounter - Rob sold 'em an old static rope one day - went back the next weekend and found it layin' in the brush at the bottom of the cliff - never saw them again to give it back - descent from the "belay ledge" was via that single small sapling (always kind of "hairy") - sure there's some "rap bolts" now'days...

... this is a pretty cool and easy left facing corner headin' up the 'Buttress' - "sews up"...

... here's Rob workin' his way up the face of the 'Buttress' - bomber pro following the obvious "flakes"... (the guy in the background this day once played pro-football for the 'Al Davis' led  'Oakland Raiders' back in the 70's - he had a few good stories to tell - especially reg'd Ken Stabler and neurotic blonds and John Matuszak bustin' up bars)... hey - just noticed! - Rob's wearin' old fart 'EB's"...

... a bit higher up...

... this is the "classic" route -  'Bee Sting' - one of the best moderate "crack climbs" to be found anywhere - Rob belaying... still trying to figure out who snapped this photo - think one of Rob's "chicks" was with us that day... there's also a formation known as the 'Upper Slab' in the woods above the main wall that has a few hard crack and face climbs - don't have any photos (that I can find) - but there's a few on-line if ya' look around...

... word of caution: was always access issues - you have to cross an active railroad to reach the cliff, and the ground between the tracks and rock is railroad right-of-way property - never could understand what the big deal was - hardly ever any rail traffic - you might see one train all day, if at all - have read that the railroad has officially designated the area off limits to all and has been enforcing the issue - don't know - haven't been there in years...

Fish Rocks (aka: "The Pipeline" - Rock Climbing Part 2)

... end of summer with fall movin' in - definitely "climbing season", and - "Man! - you don't post no climbin'!!" - I'm told - here's a "start' to a few good areas up on 'Chestnut Ridge'...

...'Fish Rocks' for one...

... here's an old route map - "done up" probably 'round 2002' - never really named or "rated" much - just located 'em - quite a few more added since then... pick a number... or add one... the "dashed line" is the trail system...

... located high above the 'Dunbar Creek' valley.... you'll have to figure it out from here on your own... pretty cool area - lots of big sandstone blocks - steep slabs and face climbs with a few good cracks - maybe 40ft at the tallest - 

... slightly "younger day's" - not yet a serious 'muscle girl' as yet (still a 'mountain girl') - Sarah on the "Guppy Dihedral" (route #57 on the map)...

... here's rock climber Laura Hahn lookin' for some "gear placement" on the same route ("Prince of Darkness" lookin' on from below)...

... and subsequently beatin' up 'old fat guys'... that's what she does!...

... here's Tim Anderson on second ascent of 'Master Blaster' (#56) - FA Rob Goodman... TR climb at the time - guess it's been done on "gear" since then (I'm told)...

... that thing is pretty overhanging - as you can tell from the rope angle from this shot...

... here's a "flash back" shot (1986) -  the 'Sharks Fin' boulder - #1 thru #12 on the map - and the "Left Crack" (#4) - brilliant!... that small old tree up above got zapped by lightening long ago...

... the 'Sharks Fin' is a steep slab with two excellent crack climbs left and right as well as great, steep, thin and technical face climbs every five feet in between - that's it there - with Tim and Laura for scale...

... Hey! - here's the "best climber that never was" - 'Howie' - toppin' out on the 'Sharks Fin - Right Crack' - took this guy climbin' twice - other than a 5.8, never took him to nuthin' less than a 5.10 - no experience - no falls - a "natural born" climber - didn't like climbin', however - "too much standin' around in between the action" says he... bad ass on the 'golf course' and on MTB... as long as ya' keep him movin'...

... ("nice shirt") - 'BeerWolf'...

... here's 'buddy Matt' high on a steep face - somewhere up there...

... Sarah with 'Mountain Dog Ben' atop the "Guppy" (routes #55 thru #58 + #62) - strong and tireless - would chase mountain bikes for up to 15 miles (at least) - swam river rapids - and was just him - passed away in October, 2007 at 17 years age - what a great dog!!...

 ... quite a few good "gear climbs" up there - here's Rob Goodman...

... another - Laura "toppin' out"...

... here's a thin face climb - #41 (needs one bolt - hey! - who said that?!!) - other than a few bolted top-rope and rappel anchors, nuthin's been "rigged"...

... Tim puttin' up a recent new route...

... big, easy slab (#60 & #61)...

... this is back in the small "cove" - #25 thru #31...

... first ventured here in 1986 - they'd just timbered the whole mountainside - for quite a few years you would have thought that you were out west if you didn't know better - sweeping view with lots of clear sky - 'till the place "re-forested" itself...

... lots of fun...

... also - 'Black Bear' (and 'rattlesnake') country - here's some 'bear-claw' scratching...

... the whole way up this tree  - to top out on this boulder!...

... a workout just gettin' in to the place - climbs around 600ft in elevation up a steep hillside located in the 'State Gamelands' - this photo is from quite a few years back when they were doin' some pipeline maintenance...

... a "good place to go"...

White Domes (Valley of Fire Part 2)

Started this yesterday before I had to take time out to "save the planet"...

... the 'White Domes' are a maze of brilliantly colored sandstone formations located to the north within 'Valley of Fire State Park' - heres a park map...

... the area was originally developed to facilitate 'Hollywood' movie production - it features a mile and a quarter loop hiking trail that travels throughout the formations, including a slot canyon, and includes sweeping desert views - pretty cool...

... here's the trailhead showing parking and vehicles to add some scale - that's one of the 'Domes' - I thought we had a close up shot of that 'kiosk', but maybe not - had a cool sign posted warning of all the critters you could potentially encounter that could "bite, sting and potentially kill ya', such as snakes, scorpions, spiders and 'Gila Monsters' - man, would love to see one of those...

... closer shot of the trailhead - buddy Matt for scale...

... had 'Desert Dog Koda' along as well - Koda's now a certified and licensed 'Therapy Dog' with lots of "frequent flyer" miles...

... many colorful rock formations...

... droppin' down into the small canyon...

... headin' toward the old "movie set"...

... the old 'Mexican Hacienda'...

... explained...

... here's the movie poster - saw the film several times - have to rate it in the top five westerns - can't go wrong with Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster, with Jack Palance as a great 'bad guy" - hey! - they didn't mention Woody Strode - that's him fire'n the 'bow' in the poster...

... movin' on past a large formation...

... 'Koda' chasin' many of the small lizards that were darting about and scampering quickly up the rocks...

... like this small 'Chuckwalla'...

... saw a few interesting long 'crack systems' - no climbing allowed, however...

... that red, orange, pink and tan rock really contrasts with the blue sky...

... a few 'spires'...

... here's the 'slot canyon' - Burt Lancaster blows it up in the movie...

... beyond the 'slot canyon...

... definitely one of the most colorful places you'll find in the 'Mojave Desert'...

... the trail eventually loops around back to the 'Hacienda' site - thats the north side of the first large dome - a lot goin' on in just over a mile hike...

... the majority of the 'Domes' are accessible by a short 'scramble'...

... with some great views of the sweeping desert landscape... can see why 'Hollywood' loves this place - not a bad camera angle to be had...