Waffle House!

On my cross country I have passed by many Waffle Houses but I never felt the need to stop by one. But since Jennifer had fond memories of the walnut waffles we decided to make a stop.

The waffles were o.k. but I think the more interesting dish is the one in the back. Can you guess what it is? It's hash browns! Well... it's hash brown with some additional toppings. Listed below are toppings you can get.

• SMOTHERED –ONIONS
• COVERED –American CHEESE
• CHUNKED –Hickory Smoked
• DICED –TOMATOES
• PEPPERED –Jalapeño PEPPERS
• CAPPED –MUSHROOMS
• TOPPED –Bert's CHILI
• “ALL THE WAY” - Everything

Needless to say I got an "All the way". It was kinda tasty in a greasy diner kind of way. I don't recommend you make a stop at waffle house just for it but if you happen to be at a waffle house and am on a unhealthy kick give it a try :o)

Fort Sanders Yacht Club! - Knoxville.

Since I have more time in Knoxville than I originally planned I was doing a fair amount of walking trying to find cool places to go. I accidentally passed by this small brick building that had a classy white lettering stenciled on it's window "Fort Sanders Yacht Club"

I would have just passed by it without thinking much about it but then I saw the most peculiar thing in the club, an arcade machine... I took a closer look and learned that this "Yacht Club" was actually an arcade bar!

Awesome random discovery! Sweet! The bartender told me that the bar's name was a spoof off of another bar that was the diveist, dirtiest bar that had a funny a sophisticated name like "Fort Sanders Country Club". Apparently the bar sometimes gets calls from people looking to join the sophisticated boating community, lol.
The beer selection is pretty good and the arcades cost only a quarter. If you want you can play NES or SNES for free! Let's not forget about the free wi-fi! Apparently Monday is the most fun to visit when they have guest bartenders and Tuesdays are good for $2 Tuesday for certain beers. It's a fun place to waste some time and drink some beer. If you have a lot of time and want to waste some time this is an excellent place to do it :o)

Tomato Head - Knoxville

If you are looking for a healthier meal in Knoxville the place to to go is Tomato Head.

Tomato Head!

Jennifer!

I visited Tomato Head 3 times during my 1 week+ stay in Knoxville and here are few things you need to know about Tomato Head:

1. A small sandwich is very very small... I would say it's barely big enough for a snack...
2. The burrito is not the most delicious thing on the menu but it is probably the most filling.
3. Almost every ingredient is divided into 3 groups. Any ingredient on the group can be substituted for another in the same group or lower for no additional cost. For example if your sandwich comes with fresh spinach, which is in group 1, you can substitute it with fresh mushrooms which are also in group 1 for no additional cost. If you wanted to substitute the spinach for a group 2 item like Artichoke Hearts there will be an additional cost.
4. My favorite item on the menu was Oh Boy sandwich! Thanks Danny for the recommendation!

Me and the Oh Boy sandwich!

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Knoxville

Right before I hurt my back my friend Jennifer decided to join me for part of my cross country trip! The original plan was that I would hit up Rocktown Georgia and I would pick her up from the Knoxville Airport a week later. Now with a busted back I needed to find another way to keep myself busy for a week. With not much I can do physically I decided to head out to Knoxville and spend a full week there. I have to give special thanks to Klinton for hosting me for a full week! Thanks to Klinton and his friend Danny I had a fun time in Knoxville!

Lupi's Pizza! - Chattanooga

If you want some delicious food in Chattanooga you should definitely checkout Lupi's!

I don't think you can really go wrong with anything you order here but there are somethings you want to know before you head out to Lupi's.

• If you are hungry the calzone is the way to go! As you can see in the photos below they are pretty big!
• After the 4th topping additional toppings are free!
• The line can move pretty slow so be prepared to wait for a while. 
• The beer selection is pretty decent so have a cold one!

 Mmmm~ Calzone!

LRC Doh!

After the awesome day of climbing I was super psyched on climbing again at LRC! We decided to warm up near the Mystery Machine Boulders.
For my first climb of the day I decided to climb a slightly tall problem called the Incredarete V0. I thought this would be a fun easy warm up.
The starting moves seemed a bit tricky but I got through them and kept on going up. Towards the top I was planning on moving to the right instead of staying left and that's when it happened. My foot slipped, my hand popped out and I went falling. It was so unexpected that I didn't have any time to think.
Next thing I know I missed the pad by a foot and landed on the ground on my butt with my spine straight up. I felt a shock all through my lower back.
I did have a spotter for most of the climb but he decided to move away once I got higher because he thought I was already up. I did have a crash pad but the way I fell made me miss it by a foot, and because of the way I fell my lower back took all the force of the fall...
I was in pretty bad pain and needless to say my day was shot. I could walk but it hurt to twist my body at all.
This was the first time I took a fall that bad and I grew very concerned. I decided to go to a nearby hospital to get it checked. Fortunately nothing was broken and I just needed to rest it but the whole experience gave me a fright.
We all know going into bouldering that it can be a dangerous sport but sometimes life likes to give you little reminders. I was lucky to not have bigger injuries. So what did I learn from this experience?

1. Never stop spotting somebody till they are fully up and over and they can verbally confirm that they are o.k.
2. It's probably a good idea to not warm up on highball problems especially as your first climb if you have never climbed it before.
3. If the weather is cold make sure the rubber on your shoe is warm. When you climb with cold shoes they might not have the same amount of friction that you are used to. A good way to do this is to keep them inside your jacket to warm them up.
4. Never underestimate any climb. Even if a climb is rated far below your skill level a fall from 15 feet up hurts just the same.

Littel Rock City (a.k.a Stone Fort) - Crag Beta!

Little Rock City which has recently been renamed to Stone Fort is an excellent bouldering destination. There is a high concentration of problems and there are many amazingly fun problems. If you are anywhere near Chattanooga I highly recommend you make it out to LRC.

Location:
LRC is located in the Montlake Golf Course which is 30 minutes north of Chattanooga TN. 


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Access:
Since LRC is on a private land there are certain procedures you need to follow to climb at LRC. You must follow the directions below.

1. Create a LRC access account on the Southeast Climber Coalition's website in advance.
2. If you want to be guaranteed access to the boulders wake up at 5AM the day you plan to climb, log in to the site and scroll all the way down and click on "Get A Pass". If you need a parking pass press the yes button. You do not need to print out the parking pass. If you are climbing during the week you probably don't need to wake up so early to get a pass but for the weekend during prime season it might be a good idea to get a pass right at 5AM.
3. Park at the designated climbers parking area, the parking spots furthest from the club house.
4. Once there check in at the club house, sign a waiver and pay the $5 per car parking fee. You will need to display your parking receipt on your car's dashboard.

Approach:
The approach is flip flop friendly.

Guidebooks:
To my knowledge there is no published guidebook available for purchase for LRC. The best guide currently available is the Triple Crown Bouldering Competition book. The book has maps and good descriptions that make finding problems fairly easy. I do not believe this guide is publicly available but you will probably run into some folks that will be able to get you a copy.

Where to Stay:
There is no camping at LRC. During my stay I stayed with friends at Chattanooga TN.

Food:
If you want some good food there are many good options in Chattanooga. I would highly recommend checking out Lupi's Pizza,

Wi-Fi:
There are many cafe's in Chattanooga that have wi-fi access.

Etc:
Please make sure you read and follow the rules on the seclimbers.org website. It would be a shame if we lost access to this awesome bouldering destination.

Little Rock City (a.k.a Stone Fort) - Bouldering!

Warm Up

After HP40 my finger tips were completely raw and the cold weather camping wore me down but after a few days of recovering in Chattanooga I was ready for an awesome day of climbing!

The Crescent V1

Hairy Underclings V2

One climb that I thought was pretty fun was the Hairy Underclings V2. The rock formation is pretty awesome looking. The rocks have wavy bulbous slopers that have flat bottoms. The Key to the climb is to use your thumbs to catch the flat bottom portions to help keep your body close to the rock.

Super Mario V4

One problem that Victor and I really wanted to hop on was Super Mario. According to the guidebook this is one of the most popular climbs at LRC and I can see why. This climb has many fun moves including a knee bar! Definitely hop on this problem if you visit LRC.

Red House V7

If you complete Super Mario you might want to give Red House a go. Red House is a harder variation of Super Mario. The climb starts low on small underclings goes up to some small crimp to the left, a finger lock, to a heel hook. It is a pretty burly climb but it suited my climbing style. I got really close on my first go but had a hard time sending it. It took many tires but I eventually got it! It was a fun climb! I think it is easy for the grade but I'm not complaining though, it was my first V7!

Your Sister Boulder

After Red House both Victor and I was pretty beat. Victor decided to take a break while I decided to get some easier climbs in. We headed to "Your Sister Boulder". There are 4 problems ranging from V0- to V3. I finished the Uncle Punchy V0, Drag Me Down V1 and These Feels Like Your Sister V3. Funny names and pretty fun climbs!

Mystery Groove V4

For our last climb of the day we decided to try out the Mystery Groove. This was an awesomely fun climb! For the start there is a shorter person scrunched up beta which I used and there is a taller person beta that Victor used. If you are feeling too scrunched look for a foot hold further out to the left. This climb was a perfect climb to end the day since it has many fun delicate balancy moves that doesn't need to much energy. I liked the climb so much I did it twice! I highly recommend you give this climb a go! The down climb can be a bit tricky. I found that the easiest down climb route for me was  on the left face of the rock using the horizontal crack. Make sure you scope it out before you head up. What an awesome day of climbing!

A photo showing that LRC is really located in a golf course.

Terminal Brewhouse! - Chattanooga

The Brewhouse!

To wrap up our rest day we met up Jenny from couch surfer at the Terminal Brewhouse. The Terminal Brewhouse is known for their micro brews.

The place gets packed and the wait for a table can be very long. The food is pretty solid, the atmosphere is pretty nice and their beer is pretty good. Thanks Jenny for introducing me to the place!

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Sluggo's Vegetarian Cafe - Chattanooga

Kevin wanted to check out a well known vegetarian cafe named Sluggo's. They are known for their tasty healthy vegetarian cuisines. As people might be able to guess from my numerous bbq post that I am quite far from a vegetarian but contrary to popular belief I'm an omnivore not a carnivore.

Victor and Kevin and a wooden tower of doom~!!

The cafe was pretty small and had a very chilled atmosphere. They have plenty of games to play while you wait. I recommend playing zenga with a slightly with a slightly wobbly table! Maybe I'm just being a sore loser, :oP

Vegetarian Dumplings

I ordered a small plate of Vegetarian Dumplings as recommended by the waiter. You get 6 dumplings with 3 different sauces. All the sauces were pretty tasty but my favorite sauce was the spicy vegan mayo sauce. The food's not bad but I think it's over priced. If you are hungry make sure you get a burrito!

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Horse Pens 40 - Bouldering - Day 3

Either it's really cold or the water is magical...

The sun finally decided to come out but it was still pretty cold! Since we were leaving for Chattanooga later in the day so not only was this was going to be our last day but it was also a half day!

Warm Up.

Kevin was taking a break letting his shoulder recover so victor and I headed out to the 10 pin boulder to warm up. As our first hard problem we tried Pop Eye V5. I got past the first few moves after much effort but was having a hard time finishing it up. I think if I worked on it I could complete it but I didn't want to get burnt out on just one problem. So we decided to move on to the next problem.

Not the coolest looking pose but I flashed it! The Low Down V4

The next problem we tackled was The Low Down. The beginning portions of the climb are pretty juggy but the top out is a bit tricky. Lot's of friction and moving your foot slowly up, typical HP top out I suppose :o)

Start of Mortal Combat V4

Mortal Combat! V4

Our next big project was the scary ridiculous looking Mortal Combat V4. This is one climb that is best climbed with ample padding and at least 2 spotters. The spotter on the left is very important since they are pretty much all that prevents you from falling down a crevice. The climb is pretty tall and the landing bad if not padded right. This was a very tough climb! There is barely anything for your right hand and there isn't much for your feet either. you have to look for any slight variations in the rocks and place your foot on it. I so wanted to get the climb but after taking many falls I had to call it quits. If you are a slab climber extrodinare you'll like this climb.

Lucky Charms V2

After Mortal Combat we just ended up doing some easier climbs. My time at HP40 was amazing but with my finger tips at the verge of bleeding through I was glad to be moving on to a destination that won't be so rough on my hands.

Golden Temple - Birmingham Alabama

Golden Temple near the Five Points

It was very hard to have the 2 day on 1 day off schedule of climbing. My hands were so raw that I need to take every other day off. Me and Kevin decided to head into Birmingham. We went to the Golden Temple.
The Golden Temple is a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, cafe/store. The store portion sells many items you would find at a health store, various supplements, incense and so on.
The cafe serves many healthy smoothies and vegan/vegetarian food. I decided to try the daily special of Vegetarian Mac & Cheese.

 The Mac & Cheese was awesome! It was super cheesy and tasty but some how feels super healthy! It came with a vegetarian gumbo that was only o.k. but not anywhere as good as a real sausage and seafood gumbo.
The Cafe portion of the store closes pretty early but if you are in Birmingham and want some tasty vegetarian food give Golden Temple a try.

Horse Pens 40 Bouldering! - Day 2

Our second day of climbing started out a bit cold and miserable.  The sun decided to never come out, our fingertips were completely raw and it was cold! It took us a bit before we finally got out motivation but once we did we were ready for a good day of climbing.

Kevin and Victory warming up

I forgot the name...

Growing Stone V2?

Groove Rider V3

As part of our slabby expedition we tackled Groove Rider first. You start climbing up the crack on the right and then make a transition to the groove when you are high enough to get your foot on the good edge. The problem is easier if you got a bit more vertical but I got in a few tries! If you want to experience some groove climbing this is a good one to work on.

Earth, Wind, and Fire V4

We decided to get the "groove" going so we decided to tackle Earth, Wind and Fire. This is a HP40 classic and I would recommend people give it a go. The climb is actually not too hard but fun. As with many slab/groove problems the placement of the foot is key to move up higher. I got it on my 2nd go!

Swirls V4

This was a pretty tough climb! The beginning portion of the climb is filled with slapping frictions and then you have to do a moderately hard top out. It seems like different people have problem with different portions of the problem. To me the slopey portion felt hard and the top out pretty easy but some people seem to have a much harder time with the top out.

The Slag V5

This is the first V5 I did at Horse Pens 40! There are 2 different ways to complete the climb. One is method is a hard dyno and the other is a hard static crimp. Victor sent the climb by doing the dyno move but since dynoing is not my strong point so I tried the crimpy method. It is a bit balancy and you do need to crank on your right hand a bit but definitely easier than some other V4s in HP40.

Excessive taping is futile!

After climbing for so many hours our hands were completely raw! Taping one finger may not hinder your friction too much but taping almost all of your fingers is not advised...

Genesis V3

The last climb of the day for me was ironically the first climb ever established in HP40. The climb is not something I would consider amazing but I really wanted to finish the climb for it's historical significance. The climb is a fairly short one with a dyno. It actually took me more tries than I thought. If you have a hard time sticking the climb you might be just hitting the wrong spot. I'm just glad I eventually got it!

Lucy's Cafe - Birmingham Alabama

Since I had to take a rest day I decided to go out back to Birmingham to hangout at a cafe. This is when I found my favorite cafe in Birmingham, Lucy's Cafe.
One thing you first notice when you go in is a big chalkboard with many names and numbers next to them. My first thought was that it was a wall of I.O.U.s. When I asked the guy at the counter he told me it was a list of people that have actually paid in advance!

Chalkboard is on the right, above the counter.

I was planning to be at the cafe for a while so I got cozy, settled in and ordered a Tuna Melt. The Tuna Melt was mighty tasty! I think the bread is the key. Lucy's Cafe can get pretty busy during lunch time so just be prepared to either get your food to go or sit at a table with some strangers.

Mmmm.... Tuna Melt!

To access the wi-fi you need a code. Each code lasts only 2 hrs but you can pick up as many as you need from the side table next to the counter. This is my favorite cafe in Birmingham but they close pretty early so you will need to find another joint for some evening coffee.

Horse Pens 40 - Forced Rest Day

Some days nature makes you take a rest day weather you want one or not. Oh well. Pretty foggy pics will have to suffice.

Horse Pens 40 Bouldering! - Day 01!

The temperatures were pretty darn nice for my first day of climbing at HP40. Feeling pretty good I decided to start off easy and decided to do a V0- for my first climb at HP40! The V0- I climbed was the Down Climb Groove in the Ten Pins Boulder Area.

The Down Climb Groove V0-! My first climb in HP40!

The funny thing is I did not flash this problem! LOL! The climb was not hard but it was a friction slab climb. I had to shift my mindset from looking for jugs to looking for any place where I can slap my hand on and use the friction on my hand to climb up. I think in that way this was the perfect climb to start off my HP 40 adventures. I decided to get some more warm ups and decided to go straight for the classic Bum Boy.

Vandala V1

Warm Ups

More warm ups

I can't remember any of these climbs names...

The boulder that the Bum Boy is on is probably the one of the most amazing looking rocks I have ever seen. The whole rock looks like a scaly monster! There are three problem on the most bulbous scaly side of the rock. From left to right it is Bum Boy V3, Centipede V4, and Millipede V5. Some guide books including the Dr. Topo guide list each climb as one grade higher but due to all the sand baggery HP40 is known for they have been down graded a grade.

Crazy looking rock! Bumboy V3

There are at least a handful of ways to go up Bum Boy. The hard but frictiontastic way to go up is to slap up to slopers and somehow magically sticking. :o) If you are looking for a shorter strong person beta move right, get you left hand in the inverted V shape under cling, move your right hand to a decent sloper and then step up high with your left foot and push up on your legs and go straight for the better bulby slopers with the right hand. It took me many different betas before Amanda(I think that's her name... sorry if I got it wrong!) showed me this beta. During my many attempts at Bum Boy I met Will, Liz and their great group. They even fed me! I think it's amazing how many amazingly friendly people I have met during this trip. While hanging out with Will and crew I flashed Chicks V1, Dope V2, Moms V2, Panty Shields V3, and Eight Balls V2.

Panty Shields V3

Arrow pointing at a guy on the rocks!

Lot's of fun easy problem on the Front Slabs Boulder

Will and crew decided to leave a bit early but I still had a lot of climbing left in me. The next problem I attempted was the Crown V3. For a V3 the start move is a bit burly. It's a high twist up with the left hand to a pocket. The problem I was having with the climb was actually not the beginning but was the end! I was trying the tall beta and was failing miserably. The Short man beta that I eventually figured out made the problem seem so much easier. The trick was to place the left foot below the right hand and twist up with the left hand when you are going up to the "crown". I spent a fair amount of time working the problem and this is when I met Kevin and Victor.

Kevin and Victor were on a climbing trip from Indiana. We climb together for the rest of the day and became good friends over the next few days of climbing.

Some of the more fun problems we did that day was a pocketed Hueco climb called the Wasp V2 and the funky start Uniball V3.

 

Huecos in HP40? Yup! Sandstone friction-y sloper huecos! Wasp V2

The starting move on Uniball V3

I'm glad that Kevin and Victor figured out the beta. Logan told me about the beta but I completely forgot about it. The way you start is with the left hand, right hand right foot match. You then move up with your left hand to an under cling. It's a super cool interesting start! It can be a bit tricky but a lot of fun. What an awesome day of climbing!