Leaving the East Coast

The snow is my compass once again and it points West come December. After taking care of some unfinished work regarding my MS degree, I took off for the south. I made it to Knoxville, TN after the 1st day of driving. Pat was able to play host to me which I was real appreciative of. It was a short, but great visit. Next day I was bound for Starkville, MS. This is where Delores lives! I took her, and our friends Natalie and Emmet climbing over in Alabama. I think for all of them it was their first time climbing outdoors. They were super pumped! Here are some pictures of them climbing.




Since the snowfall has been a bit tardy showing up in the Wasatch, my starting date of work got pushed back until the 10th. That means I didn't have to rush out of the south and head for Utah. So, I spent a week down there getting to know the area more, which was a real treat.





Before I knew it I was on the road again, Utah bound. I had my first stop in Kansas City, and then Denver. I went up to Wyoming to bypass the roads in western Colorado. Up in Wyoming, it was -10F actual temperature. A big shock compared to climbing around in T-shirts and shorts just a few days ago in Alabama.

The weather forecast for the Wasatch is looking real good for skiers. It snowed a couple inches down in the valley last night (so more up in the mtns.), with 10 inches expected tomorrow and another system moving in next weekend. Looks like I didn't miss anything this past November out here!

More pics from the road trip are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Kyle.Walcott84/RoadTripDec09#