A little change of scenery...

If there's one place in the lower 48 that's the exact opposite of the quiet, dry, dusty Utah desert, it's probably Disney World in Orlando, Florida. And I'm in a unique position to make that judgment - I doubt too many climbers have spent a few weeks in the desert, and then have all of a sudden been blasted out to the heat of Florida for a week-long vacation. The two destinations are not exactly on the same circuit.

But I was there this past week, running around in the Magic Kingdom, lounging on the beach, and hanging out with the family. The usual hilarity ensued when a bunch of us get together - people got lost, others were forced to do "I'm a little teapot" renditions in front of an entire restaurant, and I got sent on a few henchman missions to steal lounge chairs from other groups on the too-crowded pool deck. My mother set a breakneck pace, determined to see every attraction at every park we visited. With drill sergeant precision, she plotted a course on her map and kept us all in line. It was brutal.

All in all it was a blast, and a great break from the climbing bum lifestyle. My hands had a brief chance to heal, and I'm ready to go back and hit the desert with full force.

Meanwhile I'm in SLC, because the transmission on the van died. It's gonna set me back about $1200, which I'm not too psyched about, but what can you do. It should be fixed by Tuesday, at which point it's back to the desert!