Day 13: Travel Day to Highlands

We spent Day 13 on the road to Highlands, North Carolina, stopping in Atlanta for a three-hour shopping spree at Ikea and dinner at my favorite fast-food burger joint, Checkers.

Day 12: St. Augustine

Here was the day I'd been waiting for, when my cousin's daughter Krista would show up. Aunt Laura made some fantastic BBQ beans, potato salad, deviled eggs, ham ... the list goes on.

Day 11: St. Augustine

The end of our first full day at the Fulwider Party Barn in St. Augustine found us at Outback Crab Shack, where the boiled dinner gets you a platter groaning with crab, crawfish, clams, potatoes, sausage, corn, shrimp, and other goodies. Here James grabs the first bite o' crustacean. Outback is so popular that we had to park a quarter mile away and take a shuttle van the restaurant provided.

Southeast Road Trip Slideshow Rough Draft

Friends and family, you've been clamoring for more photos, so here is a rough draft slideshow with 139 photos from our trip. No titles or captions yet, so you'll just have to guess at what we're doing.

To get you started: Above I'm at the top of a climb at Summersville Lake, West Virginia. I'm just a one-minute rappel and walk from a cool, refreshing swim in crystal-clear water. Can't get that at many crags!

Day 10: Travel Day to St. Augustine

We arrived at the Fulwider Party Barn Friday afternoon, where the world's longest dock led out to a beautiful sunset we enjoyed after wearing ourselves out playing with Gareth, setting crab traps and scoping for gators.

Day 9: Travel Day to South Carolina

We took a slow travel day to South Carolina, stopping at the Welcome Center in the rain (note lens cap captured in this hastily taken photo). We stayed at the halfway point to Florida in Summerton at the Deluxe Motel, a place whose name was half accurate. Coming up on Day 10: Partying with the entire fam for the whole weekend at Camp Fulwider in St. Augustine, Florida. I can taste the seafood boil already.

Day 8: Climbing, Deep-Water Soloing and Diving at Summersville Lake, New River Gorge

Feeling a tad sticky, we headed for Summersville Lake in West Virginia's New River Gorge. There you climb right next to a sparkling-clear lake and can take a dip after a tough send. Also available are deep-water soloing, ropeless climbing where falling is refreshing, and cliff-diving. Above, Jami leaps off a 40-foot waterfall in Pirate's Cove.

Day 7: Travel Day to West Virginia

We spent a long lazy morning packing up and saying goodbye to Miguel's, the coolest climber's campground ever, before hitting the road for West Virginia.

Day 6: Dog Tired

After four straight days of climbing (with no Fulwider epics!), we were tired. But not as tired as this dog, the mascot of Mike's Mountain BBQ in Torrent Falls.

Day 5: Muir Valley at Red River Gorge

Muir Valley boasts excellent sport climbing you can approach with a light pack because your lunch lies ready to pick along the trails. Fueled by blackberries, Jami did her second lead -- on a 5.8! -- and Jamie did her first at Rebel Camp Hollow. Later we drove down a long and winding road (da da) to Solar Collector and Gold Coast in PMRP, where the real climbers go to feel the pump on ridiculously overhanging 5.12, 5.13 and 5.14 (!) routes. We saw the route on the cover of the Red River Gorge climbing guide, which we'll definitely have to try sometime when they invent antigravity boots.

Day 6: Military Wall at Red River Gorge

We took advantage of our laid-back non-plan to stay an extra day at Red River Gorge, this time climbing with new friends Scott and Jens from Michigan at Military Wall. Jami climbed two 5.9s and Scott busted out with the JetBoil, making stroganoff noodles at the crag for lunch while the rest of us ate trail mix. Above, Scott masters Possum Lips (5.10d).

Day 3: Left Flank at Red River Gorge

We had so much fun climbing at Left Flank in Red River Gorge on our first climbing day that we took rather a paucity of pictures. Here's Jami on a route, the name of which and other details I will add later. The Red is paradise, and the best climbing we've ever experienced. We may just have to cut short other parts of our trip to extend our stay here. No, not the family visit portions! We might skip some country music time in Tennessee or the end-of-trip climbing at Sam's Throne.

Day 4: Roadside Crag at Red River Gorge

Jamie drove down from Indianapolis to join us for two days of climbing at the Red. Here she climbs Roadside Attraction the right way, as opposed to the wrong way, which involves fist jams, trying to conserve cams, and a flat-on-both-feet groundfall when a hex pops. Three guesses as to who climbed it wrong, and the first two don't count. Note to self: First placement is a cam. No excuses.

The four #2 Camalots I've managed to accumulate came in plenty handy on this route, the last of the day before some tasty Thai tuna wraps courtesy of Jamie. (Note the irony in my trying to conserve cams.) Earlier it rained constantly but we stayed dry and climbed all day because the Red River Gorge crags have abundant huge roofs hundreds of feet up to keep things bone dry.

Day 2: On the Road to Kentucky

After our morning in storm-tossed St. Louis, we spent most of the day on the road to Slade, Kentucky and Red River Gorge. Car and rope troubles slowed us down somewhat. On the former, our car security system must have decided we were stinking thieves! because it cut off the fuel pump, leaving us unable to get our motor runnin' after stopping at the above-pictured Kentucky Welcome Center for a map and a loo. Kind Welcome Center greeters loaned us phone books and tools, and eventually we convinced our car we were not stinking thieves! and were on our way. On the latter rope troubles, we had set off on a 20-day climbing trip without a rope for various reasons I shall not entertain you with. So we were trying to find a new one and after Herculean efforts to find gear shops and interview their employees about the state of their inventory, we drove to the northern Loo-a-vull, Kentucky burbs and purchased an exceptional Sterling 9.8mm rope. She's a beaut. All these adventures put us at our intended late-afternoon destination, Miguel's Pizza (and $2 a night camping, and $1 showers), at 10 p.m., where we collapsed.

Day 1: St. Louis

On the first day of our 20-day climbing-rafting-family visit-family visit-climbing adventure, we arrived in St. Louis the same day a historic severe storm hit the city, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, flinging an airport terminal roof onto I-70, and trapping us in a mall parking garage for several hours. It was all good, however, because we made it to Trader Joe's just before they lost power and closed the doors. We purchased ample tasty provisions for the road ahead, including a picnic breakfast we enjoyed the next morning in the branch-strewn Gateway Arch park.

Safer than Fireworks

What's safer and cheaper than fireworks and perfect for celebrating our nation's independence? Why, Diet Coke shooting six feet in the air after a violent chemical reaction with Mentos! This is my first YouTube video, just press Play.

Doorbird

Minutes before the open house was to start Jami exclaimed, "There is a nest in there!" Sure enough, and with five speckled eggs therein to boot. Does homeowner's insurance cover lawsuits from potential buyers dive-bombed by an enraged mama bird?

Heather's Birthday

Heather extinguishes a three-alarm fire at her Shakespeare on the Green birthday celebration. Note the billowing cloud of smoke.