Past couple of weekends we've been down in Monticello working on Dustin's crag Keep It Like a Secret. Making first ascents and naming routes Lunar, The Monks Will Have You, Two to Tango, Okie Dokie, Okie Okie, and Darlin' Baby Bunker Boo are just a few. The area is beautiful this time of year, changing leaves with snow capped Abajo mountains. There's even a bouldering area above the wall.
We needed a break from the city, so we called on Devin and headed south to finish up some more routes. Introducing Okie Okie. The name comes from a word banter we have with Becca (Dustin's niece):
D: yes, yes, yesHere's to Becca!
B: no, no, no
D: yes, yes, yes
B: no, no, no
D: Okie Dokie
B: Okie Okie
We took the weekend and went on an exploration: map, truck, gear and all. Our plan was to take the Blue Notch Canyon to Good Hope Bay, an appendage to Lake Powell. The only problem was there was no beta, no mile markers to look for, no milage. All we had was a Forest map showing us the general area, and the name Blue Notch giving us a unique landmark in the red rock to look for.
True explorers we headed off down 95, me wide-eyed and gapping at the amazing red rock towers, canyon, landmarks, and unimaginable country. Dustin tapping his memory of the same landmarks to figure out where we were on the map. There is so much untouched country, I only wish we had more time to explore (or re-visit for D)!
Natural bridges, Fry Canyon, Cheesebox, Jacob's Chair, then there was the break of a Blue Notch in the canyon and we found our road. Surprisingly, the road was well maintained, but still fun dirt road driving, weaving up the canyon, with amazing views. At the end of the road we found the bay, choose our beach to camp on and set off in the kayak.
We spent the weekend paddling, bouldering, scrambling, eating good food, sleeping under the stars well full moon, finding seashells, chucking rocks, and enjoying each other's company.
Most importantly the truck made it and is still kickin'.
Skógar falls according to legend viking Þrasi Þórólfsson hid his treasure behind the waterfall, and if conditions are just right you can see the gold flickering behind the rushing water. The best we saw was two rainbows. The last couple days spent in Reykjavik we spent exploring the city harbor side playground, dressed like vikings, and ate their infamous hot dogs and chocolate cake.
The swiss must have brought the weather with them, because that was the first day we experienced hail and rain during the mid-day. The hut made the weather bearable, it had a clear roof so we could watch the stormy skies and see the clouds rolling through while enjoying the shelter and hot cocoa.
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