Climbing leads to...shots?

Went up to Hangar 18 climbing gym and started warming up on the boulder walls - really feeling out of shape after 3 months off injured!  Good to get back into it though.  Started doing some easy problems with a couple of locals (Lenny and Jordan) who have also just come back from a long time off.  Grading here is the V grade and the difficulty of the gym problems is comparable to back home.  A few V1s and 2s to loosen up, and a V3 to test where I'm at, but right now that's about the limit.

I saw some young guys trying a cool looking face-slab sloper V4(?), so I had a go and managed to send 2nd shot.  They are cool guys who have only been climbing for a short time, but are super-psyched on bouldering.  Andrew invited be out to Red Rocks in 2 weeks for a weekend of bouldering, before hitting the Las Vegas strip.  He was climbing with a couple of guys called Anthony and Eddie, and a cousin of Anthony's who's name escapes me.

I ended up bouldering with this crew for a couple of hours before we called it a day and they invited me to try "In & Out" - apparently it is the delux version of MacDonald's.  It was just greasy burger food to me, but tasty.  After that they invited me over to a friend's house to watch UFC and head out into Downtown LA to a bar called "The Association".  A really chic little dark bar loaded with people on a Saturday night.  The occasion was a couple of girls' birthdays; Anna and Amy.  So many names and faces!  I've never been good with remembering too many new people at once.  There was also a very friendly latino lass by the name of Maria who I spent ages talking with.  The night ended for me at 3.30am on someone's couch after way too many tequilas and too much beer, as well as too much shouting over loud music.  Feeling pretty hazy this morning!

A guy called Erickson (sp?) in the gym told me that he has some friends who come in on Tuesdays and Thursdays, who frequent the Santa Monica climbing areas, so I need to get back to hangar 18 to meet up with them and arrange to go climbing there.  There is also a group on Wednesday nights that often go out, so hopefully I can hook up with loads of people to go climbing with out there for a couple of weeks.

Monday I'll head up to Santa Monica / Malibu area to check out the camping situation.  I can't wait to settle into the van and organise it for comfort on the road.