Got a chance to spend 8 days in City of Rocks, my favorite crag in the USA. Lucky me. I used to climb there frequently 25 or 30 years ago but I haven't been back since. I climbed with my wife Gaby and my old friend and ex-graduate-school-roommate Joe Cupps. My daughter Cecilia, who used to be a bit of a hot-shot climber at the age of 12, has since decided that climbing is not her thing (teenagers!) but she hung out with us anyways. We climbed the same old stuff that everyone climbs. Here are some photos.

Joe Cupps puts the draws in on a bolted 5.8/5.9 on the back side of Bath Rock


The old fat guy climbs a 10a on the back of Bath Rock


Ceci kept busy reading many books


We avoided Donini's Crack because, frankly, it reminded me of something anal and made me afraid.

Cupps climbs an elegant 5.7 in the Bloody Fingers Corridor


Gaby climbs an inexplicably unpopular but very nice 5.8 on the Asian Wall


Of all the 5.9s we did, my second favorite (next to Funky bolt) was this route on King in the Throne.


Higher up on the same route


Gaby follows me up to the top


Another nice 5.9 crack on King in the Throne


Higher up the same crack


Get some gear


We camped right next to King in the Throne and didn't see anyone else climb there for the entire 8 days

Then we took a break to the high country




This popular 5.9 bolted route on Anteater was marked up with blue tick marks


Gaby climbs a nice 10b face on Flaming Rock, which was also covered with blue tick marks


This easy, fun 10a on Bumblie Rock also had blue tick marks


In fact, even Adolescent Homosapien, or whatever the heck it's called now-a-days, was littered with blue tick marks.

We didn't see any sign of other climbers at the Lost World. Here's Cupps on a 5.9 slab


and me on a 10b slab on the backside of the Drilling Fields


Higher up on the same route


Ceci got a lot of reading in


Gaby climbs a 5.8 on the back side of Owl Rock


Me on a 5.9 right next door


Higher up the same route


The old fat guy managed to send a short, three-star bolted 11a face on Decadent Wall


A tricky crux move


Now just go fast so you don't pump


A nice 10a on the back of Parking Lot Rock


Gaby higher up the same route


We did a few other routes, but lucky for you, we forgot to take photos!