Jeff tosses them, they're awesome. So is Smith.

Mark and I are hanging out in Redpoint Climbers Supply in Terrebonne, Oregon since they have free wi-fi.  We are taking a rest day to let ourselves recover, and I have some sort of cold with some pretty intense congestion, so hopefully that will clear up soon.  Other than that, the trip is going great.  The drive was smooth, the truck is a champ (26 mpg!), and we are having fun.  Here is a little update on what we have been up to since we left San Diego on Friday.

We stopped first in Ridgecrest, CA where Jeff treated us to some of his homemade pizza.  Although Pizza Factory may claim that they have awesome pizza, Jeff definitely has them beat.

After that we headed up to Pine Creek for some sport climbing.  But, we had to make an obligatory stop at Great Basin.  If you are going through Bishop I strongly urge you to stop there.  It is our favorite place to get food in Bishop.

The drive up the 395 into Oregon was long, but really pretty.  It was a nice change of scenery from the 5.  So now we are three days in at Smith, and the climbing is awesome!  Temps are a little high but we climb in the morning, go back to camp, then back late afternoon.  Because the sunrises about 5:30 and sets about 8:45, we can still get a full days worth of climbing in.  So far we are trying to get mileage in and get used to the climbing style here.  I was mostly climbing in the gym before we left, and up until then, climbing almost exclusively on granite outside.  The rock at Smith is welded tuff and it is an adjustment.

Aside from climbing, the camping here is pretty plush.  Well, compared to Camp 4.  For the same price as Camp 4 ($5/ person/ night), they have showers, soap in the bathrooms, soap on the dishwashing sink (that you are allowed to wash dishes in), and it is a pretty mellow, quiet spot.  Don't get me wrong, I love Camp 4, but the accommodations here are a pleasant surprise.  And thank you to Mom and Dad, we are living large in the Coleman 4-person tent.

I decided to save the best for last- we saw a bald eagle! Smith seems like it would be an awesome place to go birding.  My favorite bird sightings are the families of geese.  Mom and Dad with their little goslings, swimming up the river.

Smith!

Missing everyone!  xoxo Lauren and Mark

https://plus.google.com/photos/101111521267452402944/albums/5886093434377638865
Let me know if the link to all of the pictures above works.  Google switched from Picasa to something (I don't even know what it is) and I am not really sure how to use it.