Squamish
After days and days of baking in the hot sun, we decided that it was time to leave Oregon. So we packed up the car and the newly kidnapped french hitchhiker, and off we went to Canadia.
Or so we thought. We roll up to the border and they misread David's study visa, telling us that we have to go to customs to get it renewed. We know this is a mistake so we figure we'll just wait in line, get it straightened out and then get out. Apparently, there is to be NO laughing or having fun at the border. We got out of the car and decided to throw out this ham and cheese sandwhich that had been in the car for four days too long. We are laughing at the fact that the sandwhich smells and we are trying to make david eat it, then we dart for the garbage and this insanely cranky woman starts to repremand us like we are kids or something. She thinks we are thowing out drugs maybe?
Don't you know that ultimately this was the woman who would help us? Great... We get through the line and she questions us like we are criminals. She doesn't understand how we know eachother. She definitely doesn't like me, unemployed, on a three month road trip, unable to prove i have any money and travelling with some french guy I met only a week ago. And she looked in our car and asked us rudely "can i ask what all that crap is in there?" She hates us, all of us, she calls our climbing gear crap. She glares at us with her beady eyes from across the counter and she makes us sit and wait while she checks out our incredibly boring records. Then the verdict: she allows David in and deneys Bridgette and I!!! We only have $60 in cash between the two of us and she thinks we should have $50 a day...this woman has obviously never been on a climbing trip. On the way out, the guy at the gate laughs at us that david got in and we didn't. So we go back to the US and get our ATM account balances to prove we are not crossing the border with all our crap to live there and when we get back she doesn't even look at them!! We now are livid, it is after 11 and we are exhausted. We find our friend jeff in vancouver and stay at his friend's house. Welcome to Canada.
Now we are in squamish...ah colder weather. Climbing here is great. Bridgette is leading like a pro...she onsighted the 5.10b pitch of the Smoke Bluffs Connection yesterday. I took the 5.8's :) And then there's our rope gun, David. We don't quite understand how he learned to climb cracks overnight, we just don't get it. He's only been climbing since november, but he's already comfortable leading 11 sport and can second 5.10 trad like it's cake. He has never climbed a crack and yet his technique is beautiful. It must be his gymnast background, at least that's what bridgette and i decided. Bridgette is teaching him how to lead trad...as soon as he gets comfortable with his gear, he'll be hopping on 5.10s like they're nothing.
David has lots of job titles on this trip...rope gun, first bolt clipper, climb finisher, french teacher, chess master, sherpa...and that's just the beginning. We like him so much we are bringing him home with us. He's not too excited about Ohio...but we have big plans for the few days we'll keep him there. I promised him some pie from my mom and some indian food from naaz...some elyria bouldering, cement cracks, and a day at cedar point. Who needs France anyway?
He's been with us for a little over a week and is still patient with my horrible french, which is already a hundred times better than last week. We have a french lesson every night. Two days ago we went over every animal on the face of the earth. David was very impressed with how many animals he knew in english and i forgot the whole lesson because it took like two hours to go through all the animals. Anyway, i am really excited to be learning french.
Today it is raining so we are going to shower and play on the internet. We look like homeless people sitting in the library using the bathrooms and the free internet. We must look awesome.
Or so we thought. We roll up to the border and they misread David's study visa, telling us that we have to go to customs to get it renewed. We know this is a mistake so we figure we'll just wait in line, get it straightened out and then get out. Apparently, there is to be NO laughing or having fun at the border. We got out of the car and decided to throw out this ham and cheese sandwhich that had been in the car for four days too long. We are laughing at the fact that the sandwhich smells and we are trying to make david eat it, then we dart for the garbage and this insanely cranky woman starts to repremand us like we are kids or something. She thinks we are thowing out drugs maybe?
Don't you know that ultimately this was the woman who would help us? Great... We get through the line and she questions us like we are criminals. She doesn't understand how we know eachother. She definitely doesn't like me, unemployed, on a three month road trip, unable to prove i have any money and travelling with some french guy I met only a week ago. And she looked in our car and asked us rudely "can i ask what all that crap is in there?" She hates us, all of us, she calls our climbing gear crap. She glares at us with her beady eyes from across the counter and she makes us sit and wait while she checks out our incredibly boring records. Then the verdict: she allows David in and deneys Bridgette and I!!! We only have $60 in cash between the two of us and she thinks we should have $50 a day...this woman has obviously never been on a climbing trip. On the way out, the guy at the gate laughs at us that david got in and we didn't. So we go back to the US and get our ATM account balances to prove we are not crossing the border with all our crap to live there and when we get back she doesn't even look at them!! We now are livid, it is after 11 and we are exhausted. We find our friend jeff in vancouver and stay at his friend's house. Welcome to Canada.
Now we are in squamish...ah colder weather. Climbing here is great. Bridgette is leading like a pro...she onsighted the 5.10b pitch of the Smoke Bluffs Connection yesterday. I took the 5.8's :) And then there's our rope gun, David. We don't quite understand how he learned to climb cracks overnight, we just don't get it. He's only been climbing since november, but he's already comfortable leading 11 sport and can second 5.10 trad like it's cake. He has never climbed a crack and yet his technique is beautiful. It must be his gymnast background, at least that's what bridgette and i decided. Bridgette is teaching him how to lead trad...as soon as he gets comfortable with his gear, he'll be hopping on 5.10s like they're nothing.
David has lots of job titles on this trip...rope gun, first bolt clipper, climb finisher, french teacher, chess master, sherpa...and that's just the beginning. We like him so much we are bringing him home with us. He's not too excited about Ohio...but we have big plans for the few days we'll keep him there. I promised him some pie from my mom and some indian food from naaz...some elyria bouldering, cement cracks, and a day at cedar point. Who needs France anyway?
He's been with us for a little over a week and is still patient with my horrible french, which is already a hundred times better than last week. We have a french lesson every night. Two days ago we went over every animal on the face of the earth. David was very impressed with how many animals he knew in english and i forgot the whole lesson because it took like two hours to go through all the animals. Anyway, i am really excited to be learning french.
Today it is raining so we are going to shower and play on the internet. We look like homeless people sitting in the library using the bathrooms and the free internet. We must look awesome.
posted by Jenn at
9:51 PM
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