About a year ago I noticed a new construction project happening on my weekend trips to the Red River Gorge. For weeks I took it in passing, unsure if it was a commercial operation in general or if it was a local establishment. With climbing down at the Red (and in general) growing at a pretty steady rate, I’ve learned to expect changes.
It was a few months before I started to get more and more curious, and if I’m being honest with myself, a bit nosy. Passing by the construction site become a bit more focused and that’s when I took notice of the DIY signage that read “#rrgproject“. To the Instagrams and Facebooks I went, and sure enough, I was pleasantly surprised with what I found.
That didn’t ease my curiosity though. If anything, it fueled it even more. Over the next few months I began paying closer attention. What were they building? Was it a lodge? Was it a bed and breakfast? Is it climbing related? All signs pointed to some kind of overnight facility, definitely with outdoor recreation in mind, but that’s all I was able to gather.
On a lark, I decided to send a message and make introductions. I figure that the worst-case scenario would involve dead silence. A short time later, I received an enthusiastic reply. I was stoked, and I decided to push the envelope a bit more. “Hmmm… any chance that we could arrange a tour of your new place to get a better understanding of your project?” Again, worst case scenario is reply stating that it isn’t possible or to come by with everyone else at a grand opening. No big deal either way, but I have definitely learned that if you never ask, you’ll never know for sure.
To my complete surprise, not only was I granted a tour, but also an invitation to a cookout that they were hosting. Whoa… a tour I can understand, it’s literally just a bit of time out of their day, not much of cost, and might help spread the word to the community. A group invitation though? Where we will be fed and everything? The generosity was unexpected and appreciated and I felt compelled to provide at least something in exchange.
I arrived that evening with a print of one of my more popular prints, framed and ready for display and the owners/operators really seemed to appreciate it. They welcomed us in with open arms and gave us the full rundown of the entire establishment. The vision, philosophy, ethic, and enthusiasm. We were all floored. During dinner we all engaged in casual conversation that included the inception of what was to become Bedrock. The story of the vision, creation, brainstorming, and contributions.
As the evening drew to a close, it was apparent to me that this place is going to be important. Something about it rang true.
Sketchy Climbing 