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Road Trippin’ USA
  • Levin Schilling
  • Birte Caesar
syysk. – marrask. 2023

Road Trippin’ USA

90-päiväinen seikkaillu — Levin & Birte Lue lisää
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Uusin ensin
  • Matkan aloitus
    2. syyskuuta 2023
    Road Trippin’ USA

    Goodbye Oldenburg

    31. elokuuta 2023, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Almost done with the preparations.
    The biggest milestone of all is finally ticked off the list. Birte finished the preprint of her thesis. On Thursday we drove to Hamburg and handed it to her professor. He was more than happy to get another 297 pages to read 🙃Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    Even percussive maintenance wouldn't help...2We found Waldo's plane!1With great brains and mustaches comes great responisibility

    Bremen

    2. syyskuuta 2023, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Everything is packed, the apartment is handed over to our subtenants, credit cards are tested, passports are valid. We're good to go.

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    11Suburbs of Detroit and Lake St. ClaireDetroit

    Frankfurt

    2. syyskuuta 2023, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The main part of our flight was Frankfurt to Detroit.
    Unfortunately, we couldn't see very much during the entire flight, because the clouds covered pretty much all of West Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, and East Canada...so here's a picture of food and people throwing cushions instead.Lue lisää

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    Ann Arbor

    2. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We arrived safely with a slight delay of 30 minutes. As usual, it took some time to get through customs, but the interview went smoother than expected.
    Tom and Nancy were already waiting for us and only 45 minutes later we were back at Birte's host family from her Fulbright exchange two years ago.
    Since we were pretty tired, we just took a short walk around the neighborhood and had a welcome beer with Tom and Nancy.
    The next morning I drank my coffee next to the hummingbird feeder and got some shots of this insanely fast bird. The video is in 8x slow motion and you still can't see much of its wings 🤯s 🤯    Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    11OldsmobileBlueberry Sour

    A day at Lake St. Claire

    3. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After a morning bike ride with Tom and Nancy along the Huron River and breakfast at Panera, we drove to St. Claire Shores Park in Detroit.
    We prepared the sailboat and enjoyed a fantastic day of sailing with strong winds (15-20 mph) and high temperatures in the 30s (Celsius). We sailed up to 7.5 knots across the border into Canada, watched a freighter from the Marshall Islands up close, and made our way back along the shores of Grosse Pointe, a rather affluent neighborhood of Detroit with some huge mansions and lots of yachts.
    Back at the marina we jumped in the pool to cool off, drove back to Ann Arbor and finished the day with some craft beers at Homes Brew Pub (I had the Blueberry Sour 😋) and Impossible Burgers with corn at home.    Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    20212023Ian lives in a TV at Moosejaw‘s. We saw him here already two years ago.#accidentallywesanderson202120231ChipmunkRed Cardinal1We are well prepared for our bouldering trip now. Thanks to Manu and Mad Rock! 😘13

    Lazy Labor Day

    4. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After a busy Sunday, we took Monday easy. It was Labor Day, so many shops and museums were closed. We used the day to organize some things and went downtown to get ice cream.
    Back home we relaxed on the deck and finally got some pictures of the red cardinal that often visits the garden.
    When Tom and Nancy came home from a bike ride, they put a few gin bottles on the table that they had bought on the way, so we ended the day with a little gin tasting! 🥤🧊    Lue lisää

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    Pumpkin hedge1🖖🦄1On the way to the museum or the Unicorn Shop? 🤔

    Ypsilanti

    5. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Ypsilanti is a small town near Ann Arbor. It is also a university town, and many people who cannot afford to live in Ann Arbor move there. It has a historic district, Depot Town, with colorful old wooden houses and stone buildings.
    Unfortunately, the Automotive Heritage Museum was still closed. But we could have a look through the window. There were a lot of really old Cadillacs, Fords and Oldsmobiles.
    We had coffee and a cinnamon roll at Hyperion Coffee, a meeting place for all the hip students.
    Downtown Ypsilanti is a bit more run down, but at least you can get all your unicorn supplies here.    Lue lisää

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    An evening at Jessi & Elliot's

    5. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Tuesday night Adam, Birte, and I were invited over to Jessi and Elliot's house. They live a little ways outside of Ann Arbor in Dexter in a beautiful house with a huge backyard (with chickens!), a greenhouse, and a garage that must be a climber's dream!
    They just built the greenhouse this year, and it is really nice out there, so we spent most of the evening in it, talking about bouldering areas, past vacations, and our upcoming trip.
    The garage is insane! This is a place to get strong 🤯💪 ... if we ever grow up and get a place of our own, we will need this too 😬
    It was an amazing night. Thanks for all the guide books, Jessi and Elliot! And thanks for the ride home (and more guide books), Adam!    Lue lisää

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    Now those are some plates I would hang on my wall 😅Birtes university building from the exchange

    UofM & Planet Rock

    6. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    On Wednesday, Birte was invited to give a short talk to her former research group at the University of Michigan. It was very nice to see her old colleagues and professors again.
    To pass the time until the talk, we went downtown to the university's art museum. They have an impressive collection, considering it is "only" a university museum! They had several expressionists on display, even some German ones like Max Beckmann and Otto Dix!
    Later in the day we rode the bikes to Planet Rock, the local climbing and bouldering gym, and had a nice session with the crew. Lots of athletic climbs and crimps in this gym. We like it 💪.    Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    Guardian Building
    Guardian BuildingOne of many construction sites in the downtown areaAfter the Ministry of Silly Walks, Monty Python brings to you...There certainly are a few offices or lofts left 😅The People MoverFisher BuildingFisher BuildingFisher Building

    Detroit

    7. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    In 2021, there was no time to go to Detroit because our time together in the US was so limited. This year, however, we made sure that Detroit was on the list. It is a very interesting city. It used to be home to 2 million people, but now there are only 650,000. It was a thriving metropolis in the first half of the 20th century, but has been in steady decline ever since. Currently, about 80,000 houses are empty, and these are not only small residential houses, but also huge commercial and factory buildings. The city is quite photogenic, but sometimes a bit spooky...
    We first walked around the downtown area and had a look inside the Guardian Building, which is beautifully tiled and decorated, a milestone of American skyscraper architecture of the late 20s.
    After two hours of walking, we had a coffee break and took the Qline (tram) to the northwest of the city. We visited the Museum of Contemporary Art. It featured several African American artists and had a special exhibit of art by incarcerated people.
    A few stops away is the Fisher Building, another example of how wealthy the city once was.
    We want to see Eastern Market this weekend, so this won't be our last visit to Detroit!    Lue lisää

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    Tom's birthday

    7. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Upon our return from Detroit, we immediately went to The Earle Restaurant to celebrate Tom's birthday. The food was very good, but we most enjoyed the aperitif that Tom suggested: Kir Royale, a crème de cassis cocktail topped with champagne 😋.
    Back home, Tom opened his presents and we had some cake to fill the little space left in our stomachs...    Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    😐Sausage treeI am groot1

    Matthaei Botanical Gardens

    8. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    On Friday we went for a bike ride to the Matthaei Botanical Garden. They have a lot of cacti and succulents. Outside there are a lot of bonsai trees, some of which were really old and impressive!
    After that we went to Dixboro for coffee before heading back to Ann Arbor.
    Tom and Nancy were also out on their tandem. They suggested we meet at Townies, a small craft brewery not far from the house. We had a beer by the fireplace. They even served American Kölsch and Altbier!

    All week we had been trying to catch a movie at the Michigan Theatre, but they were renovating one of their theaters, so there were almost no movies scheduled. The evening was still early and we wanted to see a movie anyway, so we went to the State Theatre and watched Barbie instead 🤷 .    Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    There was another plane that said "Free weed at <some casino name>"There is free water everywhere in the US 🤩"Drive thru. Cheaper than stadium prices!"

    Wolverines vs. UNLV

    9. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We were lucky enough to arrive just in time for American football season. Nancy told us there would be a game on Saturday and invited us to her hospital group's tailgating party.
    We also asked Ember, one of Birte's good friends from her time in Ann Arbor, and she was right on board. Somehow she even managed to get us free tickets! Thank you, Ember!
    The city goes crazy on game days. Imagine 109,000 people in a stadium in a city with a population of only 120,000 🤯.
    Near the stadium, there are tailgating parties in many yards, in all the public parks, and even on the golf course. Many homeowners are renting out their driveways and front yards as parking lots. You can smell the barbecue on every corner and see people throwing footballs across parking lots and streets. Some people bring their own TVs and put them in the back of their cars to watch the live broadcast before the game starts.
    After three hours of tailgating and playing cornhole, we walked into the stadium. It was pretty impressive to walk into. Since we waited almost until the game started, the stadium was already pretty full. Coming out of the tunnel it got loud and bright. Blue and yellow everywhere. The marching band, dance groups, and cheerleaders were firing up the crowd, t-shirts were being thrown in the front rows, and in the background you could see the large number of football players entering the stadium to the roar of the fans and a collective chant of "Go Blue!
    The strange thing about an American football game is that there is simply no break for the senses. The game keeps stopping all the time, but as soon as the referee blows his whistle, the cheerleaders, dancers, a Frisbee-catching dog, and the huuuuge stadium screens take over to continue the constant entertainment. More than once we missed individual plays in a round because there was just so much other stuff going on 😵‍💫🙃.
    It was an intense and really fun experience.

    On our way home from the stadium, we stopped for ice cream to cool off. The sun had been shining mercilessly all day, except in the morning when it looked like it was going to start raining any minute, causing us to forget to put on sunscreen. A mistake we would see and feel for days to come...    Lue lisää

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    Eastern Market, Detroit

    10. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Eastern Market is a small area in downtown Detroit. Several days a week, the open pavilions are filled with stalls where people sell various products. We chose Sunday for our visit, the day when the focus is on crafts, art, and food.
    Tom and Nancy decided to join us since they hadn't been there in a while.
    We had breakfast in one of the small restaurants that surround the main market area before wandering the aisles.
    There was a lot to see, not only inside the pavilions, but also outside. Many permanent shops with small clothing brands, handicrafts, art, cafes and restaurants can be found all around the market. The walls are often painted with large murals and offer great photo opportunities.
    We found a few things that we would have bought at home or at the end of our trip, but right now...well, it is hard to transport a traffic light in a van for three months...and then on a plane 🤔    Lue lisää

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    Snarky Puppy at Hill Auditorium

    10. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Ever since we found Snarky Puppy on YouTube a while ago, we always wanted to see them live. There was a brief opportunity last year when I checked the concert dates and noticed that they were playing in Hannover the next day! However, it was during the week and work was pretty intense at the time, so we passed on the opportunity.
    This year, while planning the US trip, we saw on Instagram that they were playing in Ann Arbor in September, so we planned everything around the concert 😅.
    Tom and Nancy joined us. The concert took place at the Hill Auditorium, the biggest and maybe oldest concert hall in Ann Arbor. It is really nice inside. We had seats on the highest balcony in the first row. Perfect view.
    The concert was great! They played some old songs, but most of them were from the new album. All in all they played for about 2 hours and went all out for the whole concert. We really enjoyed it. However, when it comes to jazz, I'll stick to my rule of thumb: the smaller the venue, the better the experience.

    (Video: I did not take any videos during the concert, but at the end I really wanted to capture one of the fantastic drum solos. Unfortunately, Findpenguins only allows 120s videos... so the re-entry of the rest of the band is missing here...)    Lue lisää

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    Good Bye Ann Arbor

    11. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We spent our last day in Ann Arbor with a short bike ride to Barton Dam, a small recreation area north of the city. There are some nice houses around the lake!

    In the evening we met up with Ember again and played pool at the 8 Ball Saloon. It was a great last night in A2.

    We had such a good time here and it was really hard to leave and say goodbye to Tom and Nancy. But now it's time to hit the road!    Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    The Moore-Dugal Residence. 1895. His first official commission under his own name.
    Hat rack seatingDining roomHipster before it was coolBottomTopNurseryChildrens play room. See the grand piano?Here is the rest of the grand piano 😅The later added office buildingInside the office buildingFLW's desk. Here you were shown the plans for your house, if you were lucky enough to get one!

    Oak Park, Chicago (Illinois)

    12. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We took the 7 a.m. train from Ann Arbor to Chicago to pick up our rental van in Villa Park, a suburb of Chicago. We arrived at Union Station in downtown Chicago and had to walk to another station to catch a local train. The layout of the train was really weird. There were tiny stairs going up to the second level and it felt like sitting on the hat rack up there.

    We got our rental van called "Squares" without any problems (I have to admit I was pretty nervous the whole day...).

    We wanted to make the most of our day trip to Chicago, so we stopped in Oak Park, another suburb of Chicago. Frank Lloyd Wright lived here with his growing family between ~1890 and ~1910, the first 20 years of his 70 year career. When he bought the land for his house, it was all prairie and woods, but the area was about to be developed, which accelerated his career and provided several opportunities to restore houses in the neighborhood or to design and build new ones.

    His own home was remodeled several times to meet the needs of his family and his work. After they sold the house, it was remodeled again and changed hands several times. It was not until the 80's that some FLW fans bought the house and turned it into a museum.

    The house tour was great. Of course, it's not Falling Waters yet, but even in this early period of his work, you can find many elements of his unique style, such as clever lighting, incorporating nature into the house (a tree grew partially inside the house!), and cleverly combining practical needs with aesthetically pleasing interior design (a grand piano in the wall to reduce the space needed but still have the full musical experience; the back of the piano hung in the staircase and filled the whole house with music when played).

    After the house tour, we walked around the neighborhood trying to find as many FLW houses as possible. Some of them are obvious, but others are quite atypical. This is due to the fact that he had to take all the jobs he could get early in his career and it was still the 19th century! His style was very unusual and somewhat futuristic for the time.

    We were very excited to see these houses and still wonder why we don't see houses like this in Germany...    Lue lisää

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    St. Joseph (Michigan)

    12. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    After leaving Oak Park in the afternoon, we tried to catch the sunset at St. Joseph's Lighthouse on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, the traffic in Chicago was insane! We have never seen such a freeway system. At one point, three or four freeways merged and cars were getting on and off the freeway on both sides. Everyone was changing lanes like crazy. We counted over 10 lanes! Of course this leads to huge traffic jams...
    In the end we missed the sunset by 10 minutes. But it was still beautiful and very windy! Although it is only a lake, the waves look more like in the ocean. The way to the lighthouse was constantly flooded by big waves, which created a very dramatic atmosphere.

    And if you look closely, you can see where Birte got the inspiration for the tattoo on her elbow 😉.    Lue lisää

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    1Still as good as in 2011 😋 @Ingo 😘Fantastic Mr. Fox

    Niagara Falls (Ontario, Canada)

    13.–14. syysk. 2023, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The journey begins.

    The van is ready. We bought a first round of food, got some sheets, blankets and towels from Nancy, the water tank is full and all the crash pads are stowed in the van.

    First stop: Niagara Falls. The Canadian side.

    I don't know why or what, but at some point in my life I must have done something that put me on Interpol's blacklist. Every time I cross a border with border control, I get the extended questioning. I have been searched by border police in several different countries, whether I crossed on foot, by train, by car, or by plane. So when we arrived at the Canadian border in a rather colorful van, we were a little nervous about what would happen. The officer was very friendly. He asked us some standard questions, filled out some paper, gave it to us, and told us to go to the office building where we would answer some more specific questions and then get our entry stamps. So we went to the building. We were met by 5 officers who told us to get out of the van and hand over our passports. One of them stayed with us in front of the car and talked about soccer, Munich and his upcoming vacation in Germany, while the other four pretty much dismantled the van. They were very courteous and thorough. The whole search took about 15 minutes. By then they had gone through every single bag and sock. They found nothing. And we were allowed to cross into Canada. 🤷

    We arrived at the falls in the early evening, parked the van and walked up to the cliff. There were a lot of tourists, but wherever we stopped, we had a clear view of the falls. There is simply nothing in the way, which is both a blessing and a curse, because I could take lots of pictures, which led to me taking lots of pictures...

    After sunset we cooked and ate. A fox came by and stayed with us for a while before leaving for the casino. "Ein Fuchs muss tun, was ein Fuchs tun muss."

    The next morning we got up very early and watched the sunrise over Niagara Falls. It was definitely worth setting the alarm. Few people were there that early and the changing colors of the water and spray in the first rays of sunlight looked beautiful.

    We had seen a lot so far and only spent $15 for parking, so we figured a few bucks for the Behind The Falls Tour would be fine. Not sure if it was worth the money, but feeling the power and hearing the roar of the falls in the tunnel was impressive.

    All in all, it is a strange place. On the one hand you have these beautiful natural waterfalls and on the other hand you have casinos and a huge amusement park that stays open until midnight. You can zip line into the gorge, learn about power generation at the Niagara Falls Power Plant, drive a 1.5 mile go-kart track by moonlight, and then play action miniature golf at a dinosaur park. All in a single day. 😐    Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    Neolithic, V7
    Neolithic, V71It ain't no place for leek

    Niagara Glen (Ontario, Canada)

    14.–15. syysk. 2023, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Niagara Glen is just a few minutes north of the falls. Of course we didn't want to miss the opportunity to climb along the Niagara River.
    Even though the rock is limestone, the boulders are spread out like in a sandstone or granite area and most of the boulders can be climbed!
    We had a great day and climbed a bunch of fun lines, my favorite being Neoilithic, V7.
    The only negative thing about the area is the bouldering permit, which is $25 for a day or $50 for an annual permit. So a day trip is quite expensive, but it was worth it.    Lue lisää

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    Not happy about that...
    1ChildAdolescent1AdultA great camping spot with a small lake just 100 m awayGood morning swimGood morning coffee12Twist Dah Hick (V5)

    Coopers Rock (West Virginia)

    15.–17. syysk. 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Coopers Rock wasn't on our list when we planned the trip, but with the detour over Niagara Falls, it was suddenly right on our way south. Birte had some unfinished business there with a boulder called Final Fantasy (V7) that she came very close to sending two years ago. Even though our fitness was not nearly as good as it was back then, we thought we should give it a try.
    We walked into the area and met a group of climbers who were clearing all the paths to the boulders of brush, shrubs, and fallen trees. We talked to one of them for a while and got lots of suggestions on what to climb and where to go. At some point we exchanged Instagram contacts and realized that we were actually already following each other! What a coincidence! 😂 Check out his Insta for some crazy slab climbing in West Virginia: @slab_justice_warrior
    The climbing at Coopers Rock is awesome and the area is huge! Everything is well documented by the locals on Mountain Project, so navigating the forest is really easy and convenient.
    Birte was able to relearn almost all the moves from Final Fantasy during the session, but it was not enough to finish the project. However, we had a really nice time at Coopers Rock and would love to come back here sometime.
    The rock is very solid sandstone and is said to have the closest resemblance to the gritstone of the infamous Peak District 🤷.    Lue lisää

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    121Hawks Nest DamThe longest (or highest 🤔?) one arch bridge in the worldOne Two Punch (V7)2Birthday muffin with a match as a candle 🎂Pizza Slice1Pizza SliceLake Summersville

    New River Gorge (West Virginia)

    17.–22. syysk. 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    The first national park of the trip: New River Gorge!
    What a beautiful place.
    We stayed 5 nights and went bouldering every day. The area is very diverse, some boulders are in dense forest, others are right in the riverbed, some accesses are only a few minutes, others took us more than an hour just to get to a single boulder we wanted to try.
    All in all it was great and quite adventurous. When I asked the Ann Arbor crew about bears in the area, they said we wouldn't see any and that we were more likely to step on a snake looking for bears! Well...turns out they were right. On our last day we went to the Meadow Top area, a beautiful boulder field next to a cliff with a dense rhododendron forest. It was early in the day and there were no hikers or other climbers around. We were struggling through the thicket when I suddenly heard a scream from Birte. "Snake! Snake! You almost stepped on it!" I froze, then slowly turned around. I still couldn't see it. Birte had stepped back a few meters. The snake seemed to have frozen as well, so I took a few more steps away. Now there was a snake between Birte and me, blocking the way. It was a copperhead, easily recognizable by its copper-colored head. Luckily I missed it by a few centimeters. Maybe I even touched it lightly. But we were lucky. It was already half grown. The babies are more dangerous because they cannot control how much venom they use when they bite. This one didn't bite, but froze, which is their way of hiding and trusting their camouflage (which is really, really good...I just couldn't see it, even though I knew it was there!) Well...we survived! Birte took a detour to get back on the trail. We went to the boulder "Egyptian Root Canal" (V5) and Birte climbed it!

    There is so much to say about this place, but I will try to keep it short.
    Fayetteville, the small town in the National Park, is really cute with lots of outdoor and antique shops, cafes and restaurants everywhere. It has a very nice and outdoorsy atmosphere. Most of the people here are either rock climbing or kayaking.
    The campgrounds were all free and we met very nice people everywhere. At one campground, an African-American family with a huge old RV (like in the movie Little Miss Sunshine) stayed next to us. They were really funny. On the morning of my birthday (unbeknownst to them) the father was singing gospel songs at the morning campfire, using a hammer against the stone wall around the campfire as percussion. It was beautiful to hear. It reminded me of the chain gang songs of the convicts in old western movies.

    My favorite boulder was Pizza Slice (V8). A perfect line along the arete of a 45° overhanging triangle block in the middle of the river! We were lucky to get there on Thursday, as we learned from a kayaker the next day. From the end of September to the end of November, the dam is open from Friday to Saturday to lower the water level of Summersville Lake. One day later, the line would have been unclimbable! Perfect timing!    Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    Of course we bought some shirts...1Free pizza! 🍕Comparing hand mobility

    Red River Gorge (Kentucky)

    22.–24. syysk. 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We are not sport climbers. Everyone knows that. However, from time to time we go to some sport climbing areas to see if we suddenly get the hunger for a long route. So far without much success.
    Red River Gorge is really famous, maybe one of the most famous climbing areas in the world. Pictures and videos we had seen of the area made us curious, so we packed our harnesses and belay gear when preparing for the flight to the USA.
    Lucia and Noah, two of Birte's friends from Ann Arbor, moved there two years ago and invited us to climb and stay with them. We gladly accepted and had a great day climbing with them after a night at Miguel's Pizza, which we had to visit for at least one night! Miguel's is known throughout the USA. At every crag, whether it's sport climbing or bouldering, you'll find climbers wearing Miguel's Pizza shirts. It is the American counterpart to Magic Wood, but much bigger...and much cheaper!
    The rock is bulletproof sandstone, like everywhere in the Appalachians. And the climbing is really fun. The holds range from crimps to slopers to jugs. Some of the climbing is very technical, other routes are mostly physical. There are short boudery routes and long endurance testpieces that go 50 meters or more.
    As expected, we were not very strong mentally while climbing and had trouble committing to moves above the third or fourth quickdraw, but we still had a lot of fun! The climbing was better than anywhere we have climbed before. We could really see doing this more often. But RRG is not just around the corner...

    Saturday night was a big party at Miguel's house. It was the 40th anniversary! There was live music, free pizza, and free beer. After a long day of climbing, the crew of Lucia and Noah, Ciarand, Danny and Jonah, and us grabbed one of the last parking spots near Miguel's and rewarded ourselves with pizza and beer. The vibe was awesome!    Lue lisää

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    3The Shield, V12 (still a project)Fury, V6 (still a project)Deception, V7Mary and David, our camping neighborsCitheronia regalis (the biggest caterpillar in North America)1

    Stonefort aka LRC (Tennessee)

    24.–28. syysk. 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    We left Red River Gorge at noon and arrived in Stonefort, Tennessee around 5 pm. Everyone had told us about Stonefort (or Little Rock City as it was originally called) and recommended boulders we should check out. The area has had many ups and downs, with times when it was completely off limits to climb there. The rocks have always been on private property. At one point, a golf course was built right next to the rocks, and not all golfers were big fans of bouldering...but eventually a compromise was reached and climbers were charged a fee to enter the area. Two years ago, the golf course and some additional land around it came up for sale, and a group of climbers (and investors) bought the golf course and the rocks, ensuring that bouldering will continue to be allowed! However, it still costs $9 to get in.

    The area is worth it though. The rock is top quality sandstone, the access is easy and short, and there are plenty of 5 star lines! The area certainly met or exceeded all expectations!

    My goal was The Shield, a very famous line that follows a shallow sloping crack through an otherwise empty wall. I knew I was probably not fit enough to climb it, and the conditions were not the best at 28 °C, but I gave it a try. I could not climb it, but I really enjoyed the two sessions on it. I wish I could go back one day in slightly colder temps...

    We spent the nights at Chester Frost Park, which is about 20 minutes away from the area. The campground was really nice, next to a lake where we went swimming in the morning and after returning from a day on the rocks.    Lue lisää

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  • Road Trippin’ USA
    Spearmint1That's what happiness looks likeThe. Best. View. Ever. 🤩Refreshing stairs

    Chattanooga (Tennessee)

    27. syyskuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    When we woke up, we felt that we desperately needed a day of rest. So instead of spending another day in Stonefort, we decided to go down to Chattanooga.
    The city was very different from the cities we had visited on our trip so far. It looked very clean and tidy 😅.
    We first went to the Songbird Music and Guitar Museum where we learned a lot about the early blues music history of Tennessee, especially of Chattanooga and its former music and entertainment district around "Big 9 Street". There were also some original guitars of famous musicians like BB King, Chuck Berry, Duane Allman, Les Paul and Bo Diddley 🎸.
    After the museum, we headed to the Arts District and the pedestrian bridge over the Tennessee River, where we enjoyed delicious coffee-blueberry ice cream. It seems that Chattanooga makes good use of every bit of space it has in this area. There are recreational parks, fountains, sculptures, and even a small amphitheater-like music stage under a bridge!
    A couple of Birte's friends from Ann Arbor recently moved to Chattanooga, and we know of others who are thinking or dreaming about it. Now we understand why. The city is really nice and the area is just amazing! There's so much climbing in the area that a lifetime wouldn't be enough to try it all!    Lue lisää

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