Jason and jenn

Well, the theme of this site is “adventures”, and was started as we planned our wedding, then subsequently our life on the road living out of our minivan. Now that we’re a bit more settled, certain things (fishing, climbing, etc..) still seem like adventures, while posting about local politics, while I’m learning can be quite an adventure in Pinedale, is less than interesting to our three readers of this blog!!! Thus I started another blog dedicated to life in Pinedale, and specifically her politics and local activism. The ultra-conservative political mindset here bugs me, some things here are funny, and some things downright news worthy. I hope to report on all three. I put a link in the “blogroll” to it… Pinedale Unfiltered. But you could just click here to see it as well.

All in all, May has been exceedingly glorious. It has been unseasonably warm for a good stretch. Over 70 on several occasions, and just generally good.  

We had a powder day at the beginning of the month, and i’ve skiied several times since. Fishing has been good, and the climbing great. Jenn is enjoying her work well enough. She got to go get certified in red-neckery (also known as ATV School), where she road a 4-wheeler all day. Part of her job will be to gps roads using a 4-wheeler and take inventory on BLM lands. She’s currently in Ouray Colorado attending another training, this one for her volunteer work with the local Search and Rescue organization. She’s at High Angle Rescue school, learning fun stuff like raises and lowers and pick-offs.  Good stuff to know for sure!

Yesterday I got to Wild Iris to climb for the first time this season and Josh Hattan and I got in 7 routes from 5.8 - 5.11.  It was a great day, felt like August, with clouds stacking up on the divide and billowing upward into thunderheads. It was also in the mid 70s and amazing. I love Wild Iris, the setting is idyllic, and the climbing is great. This morning I sat on the porch with my coffee reading and enjoying the sunshine and bright blue skies. By 9am I was on my bike riding up the pinedale bike path up to the outlet of Fremont Lake, a great little 3 mile ride, up hill, but never ridiculous. Caught two good rainbows and a big brown. Back on the bike and in town for lunch by Noon. Then off to work.

Tomorrow I play some music with The Science Rockets at the Brewery. Should be fun. It’s supposed to be in the mid 70s again tomorrow. I could get used to this.

May 2009

I’ve been wanting to ski a peak all winter and it finally happened today. It was a last minute and hurried decision. Out of bed at 5:30am, hiking with skis strapped to my back by 7:30.  3,300 feet and 6.5 miles later I was on the summit in a t-shirt and enjoying awesome views of the Tetons, Gros Ventre, Wyoming, and Wind River ranges. There was little to no wind, and the skiing down was awesome!  Saw three moose on the way in, and on the way out everything seemed just a little greener. Spring is here.

The weather is still amazing and I can’t quite believe it will last. We shall see.

Spring did a blow-by. The last three days have been in the 70s, with very little wind. The forecast high is 80 tomorrow. This is surely a tease. Oh well, we’ll take it. Spent yesterday climbing at “the Shield” in Hoback canyon. Jenn onsited a couple 5.9s and we ended up doing 6 pitches. Took a drive up Cliff Creek (our backcountry ski area) to see what it’s like without snow. The smells from the pine and sage were intoxicating, and we once again remembered why we decided to make Pinedale home for a while.

Friends on their way to work at the Teton came through last night… was good to see some folks we met in Sequoia. Jenn’s job seems like it’s going to be great. Now, away from the computer and work to go run some errands, which is to say that I need a break from being inside.

It’s May. Middle of May to be exact. In a month, I’ll have been here in Pinedale for a year. That’s pretty cool. I only occasionally get the itch to get back on the road and do the seasonal thing. Having permanent and quality employment in one of your favorite places is not a bad thing. The bad comes from living in one of the wealthiest counties in the country. That makes affordable living tough, at least when you’re trying hard not to re-enter the rat race and live a life of mortgages and car payment and debt up to your eyeballs.

A week ago I went skiing in the morning then fishing at Half-Moon lake. As the snow melts from the lower elevations, wildlife is out in abundance (we recently saw, in ONE day, 20 moose, 300 elk, 15 big horn sheep, and legion deer and pronghorn). This wildlife includes Marmots, which if you know me, you have heard how one carried off my boot in Sequoia on the honeymoon and another chewed on our van last year at Lodgepole. Well, they’re after me again. As I came back from Half-Moon, I chased one away from the back of the van, then drove the 8 miles home. The next morning our neighbor knocked on our door to inform us we had two marmots coming in and out from underneath the car.  After a drowning attempt from animal control, followed by game and fish officers chasing them through offices and down the street, we are happy to report no damage to the van, slight damage to one marmot tail, and that two marmots remain at large in Pinedale! 

Warm weather has arrived in force, and I spent yesterday in Lander climbing 70 degree sunshine. Sunday it’s supposed to be 75 in Pinedale. The snow is still 6 to 8 feet deep in the mountains, but it’s hard not to want to go hiking/backpacking when the weather warms up like this. As usual, it looks like the mountains will not be accessible by foot until July. Things are turning green, people are playing outside, and there are boats on Fremont lake already.

Going to focus on climbing for a bit here this spring, developing new areas and trying to get in shape. Spent some time at a new bouldering area outside of town recently. The Galaxy. Here are a couple pictures:

ABC Nightly News aired a nice little segment about sublette county and pinedale on Tuesday night. Me and the scooter didn’t make it (kids in a stroller did instead… Steve was right!), but my buddy Josh Hattan was climbing the wall at the Aquatic Center and made in. 

Please though, housing is limited, expensive, and the winters are long… so stay where you are. Also, it’s a bit misleading to say we have the lowest unemployment as many people have been laid off. The simple numbers don’t equate that those who were laid off by the oil and gas companies never claimed pinedale as their residence. So they lose jobs here, but unemployment statistics soar in Texas.  Still, if you want a $12 an hour job and $1800 a month rent, come on out!!

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7465049