Farewell Kentucky! Hello Tennessee!!

Well, the time came to bid farewell to Kentucky, our home sweet home of the last five weeks. Our time here was awesome, save for the regular drenching rains, and we are leaving on a high note, as we completed most of the routes that we hoped to climb, including the exciting send of Melissa's project, Golden Touch (her first 13b!), on the last day.

We are now in the deep south of Tennessee, where the accents are thicker, the people more strange and wonderful, and the rivers are even wilder. We are staying at a magical little campground called the Lilly Pad, owned by the world's sweetest family, the Scruggs'. There is Dell and Marty and their kids Bryson and Vade. They have turned their land into a marvelous little campground for visiting climbers and have an abundance of Southern hospitality to share. Rounding out their family is Tipsy, Jack, Lilly, and Soldier, four of the sweetest hounds of various shapes and sizes that follow us the 45 minute hike into the climbing every day. Winnie and Tigger have become part of the family too, and the six of them are like a little parade each day.
Oh, and there is also the two goats, Midnight and Pawnee, that belong to Eric, a resident camper. You should see the dogs try to make sense of those two!

There is a great natural hot tub in the woods, fed from a spring, and warmed by the fires that we build under it. It sits under a bluff, surrounded by tall pines and is a great conclusion to the day after climbing and hiking. This place is great! We won't be staying for long, however, as we plan to head to Georgia with our Canadian friends Rich and Senja.

Scroll down to view our most recent pics.

Our good friend, Rich, meeting the sweetest dog east of the Mississippi, Jack. At the Obed, Tennessee. 

The Man, the Myth, the Legend...Miguel Ventura with our Thanksgiving pizza; topped with sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry relish, wild rice, and roasted turkey. Delicious! 

The famous Miguel's Pizza at the Red River Gorge, KY...home sweet home for the last five weeks. We're now moving on the Tennessee. 

They're going to get beat up by the other dogs for wearing these sweaters! 

Winnie gets country. 

Melissa is shocked and awed by her hardest flash to date...Orange Juice (12c) at the Red River Gorge. 

Sweet O.J.

Melissa had a memorable day. We woke pretty sore from the previous day of climbing. The weather looked pretty crappy. Foggy and soggy in good ol' Kentucky. But we decided to hightail it out to a cliff named Funkrock City to go try a classic route named Orange Juice. It was supposed to rain in the afternoon so we were in a rush. The hike in is about 30 minutes long with a river crossing. We pulled up our pants to over our knees and made it over the river...almost. Melissa fell in (where's my camera when I need it?) and got very wet. It wasn't the warmest of days so her "sad clown" face was in position. We made it over to the route and she changed into some dry pants that I had. I tried the route first but was completely unsuccessful. Melissa went next and did the route on her first try. It was the hardest route she had ever done first try. Congrat to my burly wife!

Bouldering is tough

We went bouldering for a day in Boone, NC on the way back from seeing
Scotty. Our old friend Pat Goodman (formerly from Fort Collins) let
us crash at his house. We drove along the awesome Blue Ridge Parkway
and went to the Lost Cove boulders with a bunch of the locals who
schooled us.

Now we're back in KY at the Red River Gorge. This will probably be
our last week or so and then we'll have to move on.

Adam in need of a spotter in Boone, NC. 

Thanks for a great weekend, Scotty. Tigger misses you. 

Melissa bouldering in Boone, NC. 

Scotty snoring (audio post)

Welcome home Scott!

Adam and I have been busy in Kentucky, climbing alot, exploring Lexington, and waiting for word from Scotty, Adam's little brother, to arrive home from Afghanistan. Finally, that time has come, and we are currently in Ft. Bragg, NC with him, welcoming him home. Hopefully, by next week, he will return to Washington and be home for good!

We have been doing alot of discussing about future plans, and we could might even enjoy living in Lexington for a short period of time, as ONE possibility, so I will be researching some grad school options there. That is only an idea, and we will still continue on in our travels, and stay in the general Southeast region until Christmas. We plan to celebrate Thanksgiving with a quiet meal somewhere in the outdoors, then we will head to Alabama and Tennessee. Adam has been working hard on restdays to put the finishing touches on his research, and we will continue looking at options along the way.

Keep emailing us on our personal addresses or post here if you find anything interesting or amusing!

Adam, Melissa, Winnie and Tigger

The city of Brotherly Love, Ft. Bragg, NC. 

Welcome Home Scotty! Staff Sgt. Scotty Potty Holmes with his new sister-in-law in Ft. Bragg, NC. 

Rich, Senja, Melissa, Adam, Jay, Rose, Winnie and Tigger during a typical morning at Miguel's. 

Adam sending Soul Ram (12b) at the RRG 

Puppy love 

Melissa working on Golden Touch (13b) at the Red River Gorge, KY 

Stick bug 

Rose, Jay, Melissa, and Adam during a typical rainy day in Slade, KY. 

The famous door to your pizza desires.