Black Beard

The number one question I've been getting recently has been, why haven't you shaved off your beard yet? Hasn't your sabbatical started already? It is true, I have not shaved it off yet. I'm doing what I do best... procrastinate. It will come off soon, but I'm not quite ready to say goodbye. Katie is also wanting me to shave it off sooner rather than later, not because she dislikes it. But because she wants to get it over with so that it'll grow back sooner. (I found a keeper)

So for one last hurrah with the current beard, I wanted to try one last experiment. Today I dyed it black. And learning from my mistakes last time, I dyed it dyed it instead of using some temporary hair coloring thing that just flakes off in a few days. Also I moved the operation outside so that I wouldn't have to worry about making a mess. Here's how it all went down.

The before shot

My setup outside

The result

And that's that. I now have a black beard. We both like it so far. And it was nice that dying it went much smoother this time. The next set of beard pictures will likely be the shave, but I make no promises. Though Katie may have something to say about that... :)

Cheers

p.s. In case you missed it, here's the post I did a few weeks ago about dying my beard purple: http://ourmooseinabox.blogspot.com/2015/06/purple-beard.html

Brandon's Last Week

Last week was my last week of working for a while. Friday, June 19th was my last day. So I am now officially on sabbatical... woot woot! 

It was a good last week. For those that don't know much about my work, for the past year+ I've been mainly working remote. I'm sure I'll do a blog post or two later about the ins and outs of working remote. But long story short, I thought it would be best to work my last week in the office so I could be more readily available for discussions and to see people in person that I haven't seen in a while. 

It also allowed me to schedule other things to sorta have a series of send-off/meet-ups. So just like old times I scheduled a couple rounds of lunch soccer. We had a pretty decent turn out. It was really nice to hangout w/ some old friends. But what made these rounds extra special was that Katie was able to join in. This was her first time playing ever other than just kicking a ball around with me for exercise. She did AMAZING. Truly a natural. She had more goals than me on both days that we played. And also just like the good old days I did end up getting injured on the second day. Luckily it wasn't too bad. It was just very difficult to walk/stand up for like 24 hours. It was a "nice" reminder of how old I'm getting. But Katie fixed me right up. There are definite perks to being married to a physical therapist. 

I had a couple really nice lunches as well. I grabbed some delicious Mexican food with a couple guys I used to work a lot with in the past. And then on Thursday my team put together a barbecue sorta in honor of my last week. There was cake and everything. It was a very nice send-off. 

In terms of actual work, I spent most of the week with lots to do. I tried my best to not do any more coding. It would be bad if I just introduced a bunch of bugs and then left. Instead I made lots of videos and blog posts where I just talk through different code I've worked on or had opinions about. I tried to give as much direction to the team as possible. There were of course a lot of things I wish I could have had more time to wrap up. But overall I think I left them in a pretty good position to move forward without me without too much headache. 

Mixed into a few of the evenings that week too, I did the traditional TechSmith meetup at Franks, a bar down the street from work, for drinks with whoever wanted to just chat and hangout "one last time". It was a good reminder of how cool the people I work with are and how I need to start being intentional in spending time with them too, both now and in the future. 

Since I didn't want to commute back and forth everyday that week, I crashed with my old roommate at my old place in the Lansing area where I still actually have my old bed. In the evenings we sampled from his large cellar of beer. We made sweet potato-black bean tacos one night and smoked chicken tacos another. So that too just made the week extra special. 

In general the week was filled with awkwardness. Goodbyes are awkward to begin with, but there was added awkwardness because leaving for a year is different then leaving indefinitely. It kinda feels like just a long vacation. But at the same time a year is a long time and there is no guarantee I'll be back. So both myself and others didn't really know what to say sometimes. 

Friday was the most awkward. I had to send out my "goodbye" email which was a bit odd to write. There were of course some oddly phrased goodbyes, good lucks, etc. But it was also strange because at the end of the day I was leaving all my computer stuff behind. For the past 7 years I've always walked out of those doors with a computer bag, but I turned all that in. So because of that feeling of missing something, I had to do a run down of my personal items check list a few extra times before I took my last step out. 

So yeah, that was my last week. It went better then I could have ever expected. I'm very thankful for such an awesome place to work and that so many people have been very supportive of this decision. There will be many days that I will miss it all, but I think the adventures ahead make it all worth it.

How to do a Red River Gorge rock climbing trip

Location: 
Red River Gorge is located in Kentucky about one hour east of Lexington. 

Length of trip: 
We like to try to strike a balance between having enough days of climbing to make the drive worth it and reducing the amount of vacation time we have to take from work. Leaving early Saturday morning and returning Tuesday evening to Michigan has been ideal for us. There are many weekend climbers, so with using this schedule you only run into busy rock walls on Saturday evening and Sunday morning; Monday and Tuesday the gorge is pretty cleared out. We also want to have enough endurance for the trip, so two half days of climbing (Saturday and Tuesday) and two full days of climbing (Sunday and Monday) work well. Avoiding holiday weekends is also a good plan. 

Training: 
You don't necessarily need to train for a trip to the gorge, but we like to in order to avoid a disappointing lack of endurance. We usually start going to the climbing gym twice a week at least one month before a climbing trip. Practicing lead climbing at least once a week helps us gather guts for the outdoor routes. 

Gear/Packing List: 

• Usual climbing gear (harness, chalk, shoes)
• Cleaning gear
• Climbing rope and draws
• Stick clip
• Guidebooks
• Hammock/rope
• Tent
• Sleeping mat
• Sleeping bag
• Pillow
• Flashlight/head lamp
• Decent hiking shoes/boots
• Sandals/climbing wall leisure footwear (makes for an easier transition in/out of climbing shoes)
• Raincoat
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Toiletries 
• Toilet paper (no bathrooms in the gorge)
• Bandaids and climbing sport tape
• Sunscreen/bug Spray
• Water bottle (important to have enough water for all day in the gorge)
• Chargers
• Camera
• Tablet/audio books/music 
• Phone/wallet/keys
• Cash for campgrounds
• Cards/board games/rainy day entertainment (assuming it doesn't take up a lot of space)
• Clothes (4 days of climbing, post climbing clothes, pj's)
• Towel/wash cloth
• Food (see below)
• Lots and lots of Ibuprofen

Food: 
We pack food for breakfast and lunch. For breakfast at the campsite we have bananas, apples, peanut butter oatmeal bars, banana bread, cliff bars, or some similar combination. We have to hike down into and out of the gorge with all our gear when we climb, which we don't want to do twice, so we eat lunch in the gorge. Tortillas and jars of peanut butter and nutella seem to work best for lunch. Tortillas are already flat so it doesn't matter if they get smashed in our backpacks. Peanut butter and nutella are fairly lightweight for all the caloric and protein value. If we have more people to carry more things we also bring trail mix, dried fruit, and cliff bars. 

After a long day of climbing, we treat ourselves by going out for dinner. Miguel's is a staple of the Red River Gorge and a popular rock climber hangout. They are most famous for their pizza which you pay for by the amount of toppings you add. And, there are a ton of toppings! Anything from chickpeas to avocado to your classic pizza toppings. 
In the past few years a place called Rock House has opened down the road from Miguel's, and it too is amazing. In fact, it could be more amazing than Miguel's, but we're biased, because Rock House serves tacos and burritos (as well as hamburgers and fries and such) and we're Mexican food addicts. They also serve beer, adding to their awesomeness, but not on Sunday due to county liquor laws. 

As mentioned in our last blog post, all of this food is delicious, because really anything prepared fresh for you after a long day of climbing is. 

Camping accommodation: 

• Miguel's--Yes, in addition to being a restaurant, Miguel's has camping for climbers as well. Expect more commotion and noise if staying here, but it can be a great way to connect with fellow climbers. 
• State Park--Typical state park camping and located near Miguel's
• Land of the Arches--The location is great as it is between Miguel's/Rock House and Muir Valley climbing area. There are no sites; you just camp where you want. However, there are no trees for hammocks and there is road noise. 
• Lago Linda--This is more of a hike from Miguel's/Rock House, but is not unreasonable. It is probably not the best choice if you are going to do climbing only on the North side of the gorge. The perks is that it is close to Pendergrass Murray Recreational Preserve (PRMP) climbing area. It also has trees for hammocks and more strict quiet hours without road noise. There are sites available as well as an open field where you can set up camp wherever you please. We like to camp in the open field away from other potentially noisy campers. 

All of this accommodation is super affordable at around five dollars per night per person which includes hot showers and bathrooms. 

Guidebooks: 
We use the Red River Gorge South and Red River Gorge North guidebooks by Ray Ellington. There is also a Muir Valley climbing book that goes more in depth on this area and 100% of the cost is donated to the Friends of Muir Valley climbing association to maintain this beautiful climbing spot. 

Major climbing areas: 
Obviously, you'll find these in the guidebooks, but as a general overview you have the following: 

North Gorge:
This area is mostly trad climbing, but we have been able to find enough sport climbing to happily fill some of our half days of climbing. To get to North Gorge, you have the fun experience of the Nada Tunnel. You flash your headlights and honk and hope no one is coming from the other direction as you go thru this one lane tunnel carved thru a cliff. 

South Gorge: (in order of closest to farthest from Miguel's)

• Roadside areas--Unfortunately, some of the best climbing in these areas has been closed by private land owners. There are a few areas still open that have beautiful hikes with convenient parking on the roadside. 
• Torrent Falls--Private climbing area that you can pay to stay and climb or just buy a day permit in advance to enter. We haven't done this yet, but would like to check out this place in the near future. 
• Muir Valley--Awesome climbing for all skill levels. The hike in and out of the gorge is tiring after a long day, but beautiful. The trails and vault toilets are nicely maintained by Friends of Muir Valley. Be sure to sign a waiver before climbing and give a donation! Muir Valley is a must-do for us; we climb here every climbing trip, since there are so many great routes. 
• Pendergrass Murray Recreational Preserve (PRMP)--The preserve has two entrances to two separate climbing areas and we've done a little bit of climbing in each. One of these entrances brings you to the famous Motherlode climbing area, which is way past our skill level (but, maybe someday we'll be able to try it!). Thankfully, there are other easier areas available as well. There are some steep gravel roads thru this area that less terrifying if you have a more SUV-like vehicle. 

Vehicles:
An SUV or other vehicle suited to steep gravel hills is advisable for some of the climbing locations, especially the PRMP. Remember, if you drive down, you have to drive back up again! You can make do with just a car in other locations, such as Muir Valley. 

Weather: 
Kentucky is very hot and muggy in the summer, so we prefer to climb in the Spring or Fall. We don't want rain when we climb, because we want to avoid slippery rock faces and soaked gear. Climbing in lightning storms is also dangerous due to metal gear. However, if it is just a light rain, you can find plenty of climbs with overhangs that keep you and your gear dry. Just check the guidebook for suggestions! 

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We hope this post helps and inspires others to go on a climbing trip! If you have more questions, let us know! 

The first road trip of the sabbatical: Red River Gorge, Kentucky

The first weekend of June we took our first road trip of the sabbatical. I say first, because I am hoping that Brandon and I do many little road trips or day trips around Michigan this summer. This first road trip was about 8 hours each way to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. We try to do this trip at least once a year to rock climb outside with friends, and this year three friends were able to join me and Brandon. We all fit ourselves and gear into my sister's car for the trip, which was no small feat. 

Upon arrival to Kentucky we proceeded to exhaust our poor bodies with rigorous climbing (two half and two full days of climbing) and camping. Probably the best quote of the trip came from our friend Matt who said wryly, "You know some people use their time off work to get things like room service...". Well, we certainly did not have room service, but we did have dinner each night from either the famous Miguel's or down the road at the Rock House, both of which tasted heavenly and kept our bodies going for the next day of climbing. It's tough to say whether or not the food really is amazing. Rock climbing all day will give you quite the appetite. But I guess we don't really care because either way it always hits the spot on this kind of trip.

This trip we climbed the following routes: 

Danger Mouse: 5.8

Please Don't Feed the Triceratops: 5.7

It's a Wonderful Life: 5.9+

Rat Stew: 5.10a

Send Me on My Way: 5.9-

Return of the Manimal: 5.10d

Stay Off the Radio Jeff: 5.9+

The Bee's Business: 5.7

Boilerplate: 5.8

Deeznuts: 5.8

Sunny the Boxer: 5.9

To Defy the Laws of Tradition: 5.10a

Mr. Bungle: 5.8+

Not too shabby considering that Monday we had thunderstorms and rain to contend with. Many of the routes have naturally overhanging rock that protects the rock face from getting slippery from rain and the rope from rain damage. However, it is still not advisable to climb in lightning with all the metal gear we use. We huddled together to stay dry under a rock overhang and wait for the rain to clear and had to end the day a little early as another storm rolled in later. Thankfully, the weather on the other days we climbed was beautiful. 

Overall, despite feeling broken by the end of the trip with our tight muscles, torn cuticles, scraped up extremities, and bruises pretty much everywhere imaginable, we were all pleased to see improvements in our leading, topping, and general climbing performance from the last trip. *

Brandon looking up to me as I lead "Send Me on My Way"

Me working thru a difficult section of "Return of the Manimal" on top rope

Brandon, our fearless leader, leading "To Defy the Laws of Tradition"

Carolyn conquering the slab section of "Sunny the Boxer" on top rope

Cait and Carolyn hanging out on "Mr. Bungle" on top rope

Matt climbing well on "To Defy the Laws of Tradition" on top rope

*I have used the terms "lead" and "top rope" in this blog post. If you want to understand more about what these are and the difference between them, I have found this blog post from the American Alpine Institute to be helpful: 
http://blog.alpineinstitute.com/2011/03/definitions-for-beginners-top-rope-vs.html

Our Airbnb Experiences Thus Far...

I'm guessing most of you have heard of Airbnb by now. And, if not, you're going to now! Essentially it's a website that helps connect you to people willing to rent you a room in their house or their entire place. Airbnb describes their services in this way, "Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries." They make it sound super fancy with talk of castles and villas, and I suppose it could be. But, Brandon and I are using it to find much more budget type accommodation. 

Indeed, for long term stays, we have found Airbnb to be a great option. Hotels are much pricier with per night costs. Hostels have the reputation of being cheap, but with their per person costs they add up quickly for a couple. In contrast many Airbnb hosts have reduced rates for week stays and further reduced rates for month stays. And, as our goal is to stay in a place for awhile rather than hop around, this is an advantage for us. 

We have speculated that there are a few perks for us in using Airbnb to rent a room in someone's house. First, it is cheaper to rent a room than an entire house. Second, and more importantly, we are hoping that having a host present will help us better experience the local culture. It will be nice to have someone available to tell us where the nearest grocery store is, or where the best local restaurants are, or how to use the train system, or what the must-do attractions are. These things are small but helpful in alleviating stress when arriving in a foreign place. Third, some hosts rent several rooms in the house, so we may be able to meet fellow travelers who have additional knowledge to share. Fourth, we will have kitchen space to make our own food and cut down on costs that come with eating out a lot. 

Excitingly, we already have secured two Airbnb reservations for this fall! In Melbourne, Australia, we found a woman renting out a few rooms in her house near the beach. There is a climbing gym nearby as well as easy access to the city center via public transit. In Chiang Mai, Thailand, we found a younger woman and her boyfriend renting out at room in their centrally located Thai style house. She is originally from the United States which will be easy for us for communication purposes, enjoys cooking, and even has her own blog filled with suggestions of things for us to do and see in the area. 

Of course, we won't truly know how good these places actually are until we get there, but communication with both of these hosts has been impeccable, so we are hopeful for good encounters. And, if these experiences go well, I expect we will have some more Airbnb reservations coming in the future! 

My Beard's Final Days...

The beard will be shaved off soon in honor of the start of the sabbatical so I can grow it out again over the course of the next year. But my time off doesn't start for a couple more weeks, so I thought I'd have some fun with it in the mean time. I asked on Facebook what I should dye it. There were a wide variety of answers. But my grandma was one of the last to respond and her support of anything beard related is a win in my book. So I went her vote of purple. Here are some before and after pics...

So how does it feel to be on sabbatical?

"So how does it feel to be on sabbatical?" seems to be the most popular question to ask me these days. Well, I'm on day two and as you could guess, it feels great! 

There are a few of things I really love thus far: 

• I love waking up on my own around 7:45 instead of having the alarm go off at 6:34 (yep, the 34 minutes is intentional...I am very efficient with my mornings and have the timing to get to work down to a science). I appreciate going to bed when I'm tired rather than when I have to, and I relish knowing that I don't have to get up in the morning if I don't want to. 
• I love having time to both exercise and make dinner. Yesterday I ran 2.5 miles and today I biked 12 miles and soaked up the sunshine. Tonight I'm making tacos and then enchiladas for the next day (yes, we thrive on Mexican food here!). 
• I love having time to both be productive and have fun. Yesterday, I purged two giant recycling bags of items and left them at the church clothing drive. Even the productive stuff can be fun when you're in charge of the time. And, as for real fun, I've been outside being active and hanging out with Brandon when he's done with work. 
• I love having time to spend with others. I already have several lunches scheduled this week and next week with people I haven't seen in far too long or people I want to see more often. 

I never understood why someone would take a staycation when they could go somewhere new or exotic, but I think I'm getting closer to understanding. 

Of course, we'll see how I feel about all this free time in a few weeks. I wonder about things like "When will I start missing work?" I do after all love the field of physical therapy and what I do. "Will I become bored?" "Will I fear I am not using my time wisely?" "Will I feel guilty about how I am using my time?" We shall see. I'll let you know in a few weeks how I feel. For now, I am just enjoying the little blessings of these first two days. 

Biking near Lake Macatawa