Bonnaroo 2013: Wednesday
Bonnaroo Chris gets to experience Bonnaroo 2013.
And this time, with flair. #vip
After a stop at the grocery store and a quick brunch we got on the highway. The Winnebago was not fun to drive as it was nearly as wide as the driving lane and steered like a hovercraft. The construction areas along the highway, especially where they use the heavy-duty concrete barriers, felt alarmingly narrow and both ends of me puckered at certain times. The 75-gallon gas tank was large enough to get us out of Florida but at a miserable 6.5 mpg. We took turns driving while Sons of Hippies and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, among others, played in rotation in the CD player (we were thrilled it actually had a CD player.) Law enforcement was prevalent throughout Georgia and the traffic in Atlanta, predictably, sucked.
 |
| Driving to Bonnaroo 2013 |
The website for Chester Frost State Park says it closes at 9pm. We just made it.
We were camped in Chattanooga, TN to visit the Stone Fort or 'Little Rock City,' as it's known, next to the Montlake Golf Course. It was the first outdoor rock climbing experience for each of us and it was beyond expectations. We had to drive up a mountain and provided some free tree trimming with the RV along the way. The club house offered refreshments, necessities and helpful staff. We rented two crash pads and wandered into the woods. Sure, it was hard to locate routes via the trusted guidebook and the rocks were slimy from summer humidity, but we made our first outdoor sends and pushed some limits.
 |
| Chester Frost State Park, Chattanooga, TN |
 |
| Raylon rock climbing at Stone Fort |
 |
| Chris rock climbing at Stone Fort |
Along the way we ran into Kelly & Ethan, who recognized my Bonnaroo tattoo; plus a group from Tampa that climbs regularly at my home gym, Vertical Ventures.
 |
| Kelly & Ethan |
The boulder field at the Fort is a climber's paradise, bugs and humidity aside, and it's beautiful to boot. I made sure to give stickers to Kelly & Ethan. Back at the State Park we figured out a generator glitch that would have left us without a/c for the festival. Special thanks to Brian at www.MusicFestNews.com for tech support! We rejoiced with beer and poker.
Adventure awaits.
