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 Credit: Big Mike |
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Darkness found us on the 97c last night, blitzing through frozen star wars.
"Can you even see the lines Mike??"
"Relax hun I can see..... Barely..."
"Maybe you should slow down a little" Pei called from the backseat.
"Affirmative. Dropping to 30 k/hr, I can't see sh!t."
"Maybe we should go back to Merritt!" Sandra cried..
"Fvck that. I'm going climbing tomorrow if we have to crawl to Penticton..."
Just then lights appear in the rearview. A semi.
"Oh good. Someone to follow."
I hugged the edge of my lane straining to make out the the white line on the black pavement through a sea of stars.
The slush splashed up on my door as he passed and I now had a beacon to follow.
The road turned white with a fresh light fluffy blanket stained with his black tire tracks.
"Would you please get off his ass Mike!" Cried my poor terrified girlfriend from the right seat.
"I'm off the gas and I don't want to brake too much down this hill hun. He obviously doesn't want to miss this corner. I'm backing off. Just chill out will you? I'm trying to drive here."
After another half hour of white knuckle driving at 90 it started to clear up a bit.
"Oh good there's road markers now on the right side"
"Uh, there were before Pei, but we just couldn't see them!" I said with a nervous chuckle.
This only encouraged the trucker to match the 120 limit, which didn't make Sandra any happier.
"Please slow down Mike!"
"Hun, we still have winter tires on, we're in 4x4. I haven't slipped once. You don't want me to loose him if it socks in again do you??"
"No!"
She started panting like a siberian tiger when it inevitably returned...
Another hour or so got us past the summit and white turned to black again.
All was calm as our guardian angel left us for brake check and I picked up the pace to make up for lost time.
After a late arrival it was tough to rise this morning. We dragged ourselves out of our toasty warm fart sacks to face the chilly yet beautiful day.
After some oatmeal and a flurry of activity, we found ourselves headed up the dirt road from Banbury. Through the vineyard and off to another fine day of climbing beautiful incuts in the northernmost tip of the Sonoran Desert.
I texted Rolf to let him know we were a running a tiny bit late. He was cool.
We found him chatting up a visitor who was cooking breakfast in the parking lot. He invited him to join us for the day. "Cool, I'll see you guys out there. After i finish up cleaning up here!"
It was a pitch heavy photo light day, but you know I got a couple pics..
Pei on belay
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Rolf aka "The Hood"
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Like a fuvcking toothpick.....
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Sunset on the lake at Camp.
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60 percent chance of precip tomorrow.... Cross your fingers for us!!
