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RiskEverything
Oct 9, 2008, 11:28 AM
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Registered: Dec 31, 2007
Posts: 16
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It's 7:40PM Thursday night and my '88 CRX HF is still loaded with Canoeing gear from last weekend. I have to unpack everything, leaving just the essentials (extra water and oil), do a oil & filter change, and then pack enough supplies to last 2 people for 4 days of primitive camping and climbing 600 miles from home (Bradenton, FL). I'm also supposed to sell a 10 HP outboard in Gainesville along the way (I think I'll strap it to the roof). I'm debating leaving the tent and air-mattress and sleeping in the car. That would save an enormous amount of room, and with temps in the mid-to-high 50s at night would still be comfortable. The seats even recline to a totally horizontal position thanks to the lack of a back seat and clever Japanese engineering. I'm just not sure it would be comfortable 3 nights in a row 
Even with 240k miles and a cranky distributor, the CRX is still the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. There might be just enough room for everything, but the car only has a 400lb weight capacity. I foresee a long, slow, muffler-dragging trip down the interstate with the fuel economy plummeting from 50MPG to a mere 30MPG. I only hope it can cope with the large hills / small mountains we'll encounter once we leave the Sunshine State.
I hope that my girlfriend and I survive the trip intact as well. I've been bouldering indoors since Nov. '07 and she's been doing the same since April '08. Neither one of us has climbed real rock before. Also, she's had all of two lessons on driving stick-shift, and I'm expecting her to share the driving time. I'm hoping I'll be exhausted enough to sleep though it, even (especially) if it's the last thing I ever do 
I'll be updating this when (if) I return on Sunday (or more likely after I recuperate on Monday).
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duncanlennon
Oct 9, 2008, 12:12 PM
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Registered: May 6, 2006
Posts: 109
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Good luck getting it up that hill to Rocktown. Enjoy!
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RiskEverything
Oct 13, 2008, 2:48 AM
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Registered: Dec 31, 2007
Posts: 16
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Had a blast and returned around 10:30PM Sunday. I'll update with story and pictures on Monday. The CRX performed flawlessly, although I'm missing the bottom half of my muffler now....
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Maddhatter
Oct 13, 2008, 3:03 AM
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Registered: Aug 28, 2008
Posts: 1752
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Me and my wife did Cincinnati, OH to Denver, Co
1300 miles in 16 hours. AND got 50mpg in our CRX!!
Then the CRX hit 70.000 miles and fell into pieces!!
Still it was a fun little car while it lasted.
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RiskEverything
Oct 14, 2008, 4:39 AM
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Registered: Dec 31, 2007
Posts: 16
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9 climbers from the Tampa, FL gym Vertical Ventures.
This was my first-ever rock-climbing trip, and it was one to remember. We had a fun and diverse group, but none of us had been to Rocktown before.
Arriving on Thursday proved to be a great idea, as out group snatched an excellent camp site. The slack line went up a good 4' off the ground (I drove under it with the CRX to park near my tent) and made for entertainment away from the rocks. I provided a propane stove, George brought the grill, and Uncle Jed had lots of firewood handy. We ate well- Pancakes, French Toast, bacon, ribs, steak, pork tenderloin, BBQ Spam & Pineapple ka-bobs, tuna-melts, etc... Carbs in the mornings and protein in the evenings seemed to be the trend.
We hit the rocks late Friday morning. Not knowing any better, we stopped and spent the day climbing the first boulder field we came to. I was amazed at how much more traction the granite provided than I was used to. Climbing in the gym is much harder for that fact alone!
Saturday was our big day. We hiked back to the main boulder field and found the pillars, walls, roofs, cracks and canyons that make this place great. George set up a top rope on the back of a pillar and both of the girls managed to top out. We went a short distance away to a large wall and started making routes and challenging ourselves and each other. It would have been a fantastic place to set up another top rope, but we couldn't find anchors to rig it.
We didn't seem to stay in any one spot for very long. Often, at the gym, I'll climb the same section of wall all night, working on a few difficult problems. Here we moved around a lot, trying to get in as much as we could in what little time we had. A week might be enough time to enjoy this location properly.
More pics and some vids should be coming shortly.
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Myxomatosis
Oct 15, 2008, 4:07 AM
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Registered: Jun 12, 2007
Posts: 1063
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Nice TR so far man... keep'er coming.
Good to see some gymbies getting out on some proper rock's for the first time.
As for rock friction... yeah some places you can nearly walk up the wall without hand holds... sometimes you go to places and its like walking on ice with gumboats (yeah im talking about YOU, Mr Limestone  ). Good foot work is key 
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