Now that we're in the home stretch toward Ironman 2009, eating dinner together, let alone going away for a weekend is a rarity. So spending the weekend together...out of town...was huge. After deciding that the dutch oven of Joshua Tree was not to be (and that I'd miss meeting up with my good friend, Laurie), we settled on Lover's Leap near Tahoe. Apparently, all of California struck up 100 plus deg temps while we basked in 70 deg days and 40 deg nights.
For the first two days, I believe the universe was screaming at us to cut climbing short and go shopping at the Patagonia Outlet on the third day. I stepped within 1 foot of a rattlesnake. I ran away with arms fluttering and a high pitched squeal. Happy for both myself and the little rattler, the snake had a rodent twice its size lodged in its unhinged jaw. It shook its rattle and curled up to lunge at me, but couldn't overcome the weight of the critter.
The next day, as Mike was leading "The Line", (after waiting for 2 hrs in the sun for the 3 person team in front of us), he reached a rare situation; he wasn't sure how to get around the first roof.
He took one heck of fall sideways. Then managed, bleeding, to conquer it.
Notice a few things: 1) the knee gash 2) the dent in the helmet 3) Photo of Mike taken from above and not below. Much was learned that day; wear your helmet!! And that I can lead a second 5.8 roof in place of shaken and tired husband if required.
By the end of day two, we had tallied a sprained ankle, gashed knee, two rattlesnake close-encounters, a broken in helmet, and a proud wife (for many reasons).
Day three entailed a major Patagonia outlet shopping experience, Safeway sandwiches and snickers on the beach of Lake Tahoe, and smores by the fire.
