Red Rocks Canyon, Las Vegas Nevada

"You have more to do than be weighed down by pretty or beautiful. You are a fiery heart and a wicked brain. Do not let your soul be defined by its shell."

Camping on the Colorado River 

Tyson and I wanted to go on a warm weather climbing trip during Oregon's winter, so we planned a trip to Las Vegas to camp and climb near Red Rocks. I hadn't been to Vegas since I was a small child and never realized that it had some world class sandstone climbing just minutes outside of it. Mother Earth certainly produced a beautiful child in Red Rocks, amazing striations, fading black to red like an ombre painting.

A few friends finishing school in SoCal drove out to meet us. We camped the first night near Red Rocks and just got a small taste of the climbing in the park, with a few routes on the J Wall and Panty Wall. Next, we hiked out to Ringbolt/Arizona Hot Springs, which was perfect in these cooler months. We hiked 4 miles out through slot canyons to be so sweetly rewarded at the end, reaching these hot springs neatly tucked away by the Colorado River. We slept out underneath the stars by the water. It was amazing and therapeutic. 

Ringbolt/Arizona Hot Springs

Red Rocks Canyon State Park

Smith Rock State Park

I used to live in central California and I love the ocean.

I now live in Portland, OR and I love the forest, foliage, and greenery.

I have never lived in the desert or intend to, because I don't love the dryness, the extreme temperatures, or the scenery.

But Bend, OR and Smith Rock State Park is a playground for the outdoorsman/rock climber and because it makes my husband, Tyson, so happy, it's become one of my favorite places to visit. The rock formations are so majestic and the views are pretty unbeatable. There are several thousand climbs in the park and more than a thousand are bolted routes. It's on our bucket list to climb Monkey Face as soon as possible! 

Sorry to those avid skiers who were hoping for snow this winter, but I certainly have no complaints about this mild January weather. We camped this last weekend with a few friends and rock climbed. 

Tyson and I at Smith Rock State Park

Winter outdoor climbing in January at The Peanut 

Fun weekend crew / Tyson and I, Kim, Parker & Denny (their Blue Heeler)

 All of these pictures by Kim Pridgen: http://instagram.com/kimberly_pridgen

Waldo Lake, Oregon

Christmas 2013, my father got us a inflatable kayak. January in Portland doesn't exactly excite one to get in the water, and the summer following, Tyson and I got married, and found that planning a wedding, accommodating family, and getting off work for our honeymoon to Costa Rica and Aruba didn't give us much time for other trips. 

After my dad dropped several comments, like "You haven't used it yet, huh? [sigh] I really thought you guys were going to like it." We decided it was time to make a weekend trip to Waldo Lake in central Oregon in the fall. 

We'd done a bit of research and nothing seemed better than taking it out to Waldo Lake, an ultraoligotrophic lake (having extremely clear water with very little organic material). Apparently, Waldo Lake contains some mineral in the water that prevents it from growing any vegetation, which means no algae, so you can see clear to the bottom everywhere, even at 150 ft deep. Also, all gasoline motors are prohibited, keeping this Lake free from pollution.

By late fall, only one of the campgrounds was still open to the public, so we strapped our food, tent and gear to front, stuffed our sleeping bags in-between the seats and paddled out to a sandy bank where we set up camp. We built a fire, burned a hole in the bottom of one of our sleeping bags trying to dry it on the fire, roasted s'mores, made soup, and slept on the sandy bank under the stars. 

It was magical. We highly recommend this spot to anyone.

Clear water on Waldo Lake 

(1) Setting up camp on the bank  (2) Our campfire on the shore

Waking up in the morning / our view from the shore