Rodellar- Getting there and the Grand Boveda

With sprirts high,

we flew to Madrid(Doug a little restless),

 

picked up our cars(Seth might be trying to figure out how to reverse),

figured out how to get to Rodellar(Alan looking overwhelmed),

and started driving(saw lots of anatomically correct bull silhouettes).

I hadn't even been in Spain for a day and I was already starting to miss the good old USA.  Thankfully, there was something to make me feel a little more are home.

Since we were all delirious because it was 4A.M. Boulder time, we stopped in Guadalajara(Spain) and got some much needed coffee and pastries.

After 5 hours of driving, we finally made it to Rodellar and checked into the Valle de Rodellar.  This is a new hotel/restaurant/grocery store that is about 20 minute hike from the first climbing areas at Rodellar.

 

With evening setting in, we went for a hike and saw the sleepy village of Rodellar,

the climbing (here is a video of the Grand Boveda).

and our first close up look at the rock.  Tufas!!!

We also ran into some friends from Boulder- Kynan, and Chelsea.

I was also shocked by the strong odor of poop that wafted about the crag and the copious amount of toilet paper just 5 feet off the trails.  Rodellar needs a composting toilet!

The next day we went back to the Grand Boveda and did a stunning parallel tufa route called Sopas de Ajo 12c.

Here's Ted "Muy Señor" Lanzano, lovin' his first taste of Spanish tufas.

Some of the other guys warmed up on Commander Coña 12c.  Here is a Seth Sandford on the lower half.  Apparently this is a rough warm up

After warming up, it started raining really hard and the tops of almost all the routes got soaked, so we were forced to try whatever was dry.  So we got on another amazing tufa route with a bouldery lip/mantle crux called Nanuk 12d.  Here are some pictures of Ted midroute,

and Alan "Loose Cannon" Bishop at the crux.

Seth also made an impressive ascent of a "short" 13b and I tried Colliseum 13b, but wasn't able to get to the top because it was wet.  With the light fading and the rain still coming down, we hike back to the hotel, ordered paella(which probably took over an hour to get to the table) and got our first taste of how long things can take in Spain.