Dinner crasher

This is the second part of the 3-part series about Thanksgiving at Indian Creek.  For the first part, see here.

The ebb and flow of climbers continued at our Superbowl campsite, when we met a couple from Colorado.  Annelen and Jerome fell in love with each other while climbing in Yosemite last summer.  Jerome was on his extended climbing trip around the world while Annelen was testing out her aid skills at the Salathe wall.  Climbing is clearly a big part of their life.

"We are very poor, but very happy." Annelen said that night.  You can definitely see the love in their eyes, it was very pure.  Jerome adored Annelen.  It all happened really fast too.  In a matter of weeks in the valley, they had to make important decisions about how they could be together.  Jerome was based in France while Annelen was working on her PhD in California.  It took some juggling to get both of them to Boulder, where they could be close to the mountains.  But they made it work.  Living happily together in a small garden-level apartment.  Work can wait, but love cannot.

We invited them over for dinner at our picnic table, but those lovebirds wanted some downtime with each other.  So instead, they laid a blanket down on the smooth red sand in front of their tent, wine in hand.  Andreas and I looked at them from afar with love envy.  It made me really think of Chris, and I realized at that moment that I really missed him.  I wished that he was there with me, enjoying the beauty of the Creek.

Annelen on Serrator - photo by Jerome

The following day we joined the lovebirds and went back to Way Rambo crag.  I did not dare to try Way Rambo again like the first day, but we did try other fun climbs such as the Serrator Crack and Layaway Plan.  The Serrator Crack was one that got Andreas really excited about, as he loves to test and push his tolerance for pain.  The other climb that looked like a lot of fun was Slice and Dice, which would have been perfect for my smaller hands and fingers (and not so perfect for Andreas' Vienna sausage fingers.)  There will always be next year.

The passing of time at the Creek was slow, and it started to matter less and less what day it actually was.  We listened to our body and rested when we needed to.  Before we knew it, it was Thanksgiving night.

That night Annelen and Jerome told us that their friends were meeting up at another campsite, and invited us to join them at the other site for dinner.

Shortly after we arrived at the new campsite, we could see a whole huge production kitchen tent.  There were big gas burners (4 burners!) with a stock pot and some other cookware.  The cooking was mainly led by a couple that is clearly very serious about creating delicious meals.  Someone else was assisting them by making hot coal in preparation for the turkey.  At another corner, a separate group was preparing the turkey that was going to be cooked in a coal pit. The non-cooks were building a big fire that could fit at least 20 people around.  It was amazing to be a part of this.

What was even more amazing, was the actual Thanksgiving dinner.

In addition to serving everyone turkey, sweet potatoes, and stuffing, the couple made a huge pot of broth for pho.  Yes you heard me, PHO!  In the desert!  It was perfect because that night the sky was clear and the air was frigid.  Pho was the perfect way to start the Thanksgiving dinner!  They even brought Sriracha sauce!

So even though the cooks had added a shitload of peppercorns in the broth already, I added the Sriracha.  My tongue was on fire but I did not care.  I was crying as I drank the soup.

Again, the fire and food had brought all groups of strangers together.  I met at least 10 more people but could only remember a few names, which was a shame.  It was one of the best Thanksgivings I've ever had.  Here in the desert, one can forget about Black Friday, football, terrible drives on the highway, and delays at the airport.

Perhaps, being at the desert with a limited supply of food made us appreciate the true meaning of Thanksgiving better.

to be continued...