The Changing Times

I hope everyone has adjusted to the changing time.  I know it's not fun to SPRING FORWARD, meaning you have to get up an hour earlier.  I just want to point out that since I'm in Arizona, there IS NO TIME CHANGE.  I just love it!  To make it even better, when I'm in California, I never change my clocks.  That makes the time change a little easier to swallow.

The changing times are evident in Arizona however, as it rained all night long.  It never rains in March they say ... worst March ever they comment.  The bad news is it kept me up all night long, the equivalent of going through a time change.  And here I thought I snuck around that one.  It's going to rain most of the day, all night long and again tomorrow, putting the kibosh on my adventure activities.

I figured it was time for a movie.  If you haven't seen Free Solo, and I suspect most of you have not, since you are not rock climbers, well I'd like to say you definitely SHOULD watch it.  It's the story of Alex Honnold, the best in the entire world at rock climbing.  You are not going to believe this adventure.

Now that may sound rather boring to you, but trust me, you will be on the edge of your seat.  I admit the first hour wasn't so exciting.  It gives a lot of his history and his motivation which I definitely relate to.  Being a loner type of person isn't always fun.

Much of the movie shows him camped in his van, parked at Camp 4 in Yosemite National Park.  That's where all the climbers camp since El Capitan is right close.  It is probably the premier granite rock when it comes to climbing.  Everyone wants to climb El Cap, except me of course.  I was lucky to get 100 feet off the ground, but I did spend time in Camp 4.  By the way, I started rock climbing when I was about 55 years old.

At 7,569 feet it usually takes three days for the climb, meaning they have to pack food and bivouac supplies with them.  There are many routes up the rock, with names like New Dawn, Mescalito, Bad to the Bone, Atlantis, Chinese Water Torture and New Jersey Turnpike, just to name a few.  

Here's the thing ... we all climb with ropes attached to metal pitons buried in the rock wall.  Alex wanted to do it with NO ropes.  It's called free soloing.  

Working with three of the best photographer/climbers in the world (all his friends), he attempts this amazing feat.  In some spots, the only thing holding him on the wall is the pressure between his thumb and forefinger on a tiny nub of the wall.

If you're scared of heights like Nick Russell, this is going to give you the heebie jeebies, but watch the movie anyway.  It's on the National Geographic Channel and one of the most amazing things you will ever see.  It's just a sign of the changing times ... climbing free solo instead of with ropes.  Don't try this at home.  As you will see in the movie, many good men have died trying.

On a side note, here's another sign of the changing times ... sweet potato fries.  I just LOVE these things, and are they not good for you???  I tried baking some in the oven since I don't have an air fryer, and despite their lack of crispiness, they were delicious.  Just toss with a little salt.  

I guess it's going to be a day of sewing and reading since rain is still falling.  It would be nice to have my three new plants planted, but alas, even though I called to be sure there were some in stock, when I got there, there were none.  I was not a happy camper.  Maybe I'll try another store today when the rain lets up.  You have to be careful about running around in the desert in the rain.  Something about flash floods.