After our brief stint in the Mammoth area we ventured south to the wonderful bouldering mecca of Bishop! After several weeks sleeping in the car my back began to get the better of me, so we decided to "treat" ourselves to a very cheap hotel room. We spent most the day watching television, cleaning dishes in a bathroom sink, laundry, and a nice hot shower! We stuffed our faces with delicious food from the Burger Barn and let the food coma rock us to sleep.
The following morning we packed up the car again and said good bye to the wonderful bed that eased the pain in my back. We stopped at Black Sheep Coffee to fuel up on caffeine and wonderful breakfast burritos. Getting antsy, we ventured up to the Buttermilks to "take a look" at the world class boulders. With the sun glimmering off the horribly sharp crystals, we could not resist. Out came the crash pads and shoes. I finally was going to climb at the Buttermilks!
Gabrielle on top of "Ranger Rock"
The rock was sharp and grippy, but the climbs were so much fun! It seamed like wherever you grabbed there was friction, or a "hold". We spent an hour trying every climb that seamed doable.
Gabrielle learned the hard way.
The weather began to turn at the Milks so we packed up quickly and made a straight shot to the Happy Boulders. After slogging up the sandy trail we finally arrived at the "Happy's"! I was amazed at how many boulders there was in such a confined area, and how many holds there were! We began in the Slowdance Cave Area climbing as many boulders as we could.
Gabrielle on an Unknown climb near Headbangers Cave
We worked up the valley to the "Heavenly Path Boulder" to see what all the fuss was about. What an amazing rock! So many fun and easy highballs, it was a little slice of heaven for me. I was able to climb "Heavenly Path", a climb suggested to me by my friend Heath.
Just after the crux of "Heavenly Path"
Gabrielle on "Celestial Trail"
The Happy Boulders are truly an amazing place to climb, I look forward to returning here and trying some of the more challenging climbs. We made our way back to the car and found a campsite at "The Pit" where we were more than happy to pay the $2 a night fee.
Campsite at "The Pit"
We continued south on 395 towards our next destination, Las Vegas. We made a few pit stops along the way. One of which was the "Alabama Hills", located just outside of Lone Pine and at the base of Mt. Whitney. Several movies have been filmed here. Including one of my favorites, Iron man.
Alabama Hills with Mt. Whitney in the background
Gabrielle on Monster Rock just outside of Alabama Hills
We continued the long drive passing through Death Valley. As the name implies there isn't much there, except the occasional lizard and some very sad looking coyotes.
Death Valley from above
Sad and hot coyote
Happy to be out of Death Valley and onto Red Rocks!
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