Alcatraz and Vegas

I found some mushrooms at Salt Point:

My first matsutakes in good condition, a lion's mane in good condition, some hedgehogs and black trumpets. Not pictured are candy caps and yellowfoot chanterelles.  I took the hedgehogs and some of the yellowfeet over to Kevin and Emily's and we made a duck and mushroom pot pie with duck that Kevin shot that morning. It was gooooood. And so rich. The matsutake and lion's mane went into a stir fry, and the rest went into the dehydrator. I've become the person that people go to when they have a question like "do you have porcini powder?" I'm happy to say that yes, as a matter of fact I do have porcini powder - and you can definitely have some, as long as you share the duck jerky you are seasoning with it.  I think a lot of people make really good food in Davis because there is NOTHING ELSE TO DO. It's a matter of survival.

Anyway, I'm working this route called Alcatraz at Jailhouse that is harder than anything I've ever tried, or at least have committed to trying. But what the hell else are you going to do at your home crag in the winter? It's a good route, I've done the first crux, am making progress on the second, and am linking substantial portions. The nice thing about starting to try a route is that you make a lot of progress really early...then it gets heinous if you plateau and realize that you can't do it.  Hopefully this will not happen, but if it does, fuck it - I have a day job.

I want to go to Vegas for a week or so. Climbing with Crista and the "bitch pack" got me psyched to hang out there more and take advantage of the awesome ladies that call Vegas home. Of course, the semester is starting and I have no fucking clue what I'm doing in terms of teaching this class, and the smelt will start to spawn soon and I need to have an undergraduate up and running so that she can do a lot of the work (I won't have time, plus DNA extraction has "undergrad bitch work" written all over it). Oh yeah, and at some point I should finish my bloody PhD. My CDFG guy from Bishop has had the manuscript for a month and keeps telling me that he'll get it to me "tomorrow."

This blog is boring. If you are bored, don't read it.