The Passing of Rod Mckenzie…

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Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Dec 14, 2016 - 08:11am PT
I didn't know about the runs either. As a tail runner myself ( sometimes) I'd love to hear more about these adventures!
Ahwahnee Bartender

Big Wall climber
Fog Town
Dec 14, 2016 - 08:15am PT
Ron was my roommate in D Dorm across from the Village Store. I returned to the Ahwahnee in the summer of 1977 to work as a Wine Steward. After checking in at personnel, I walked across the street to find the housing manager for my room assignment. She said, "Well I have a room for you but let me go with you first and make sure the person already living there knows you are bunking with him" I'm thinking, whatever - I have done the Yosemite dorm thing a half dozen times now and it's no big deal. I was wrong.

So we walk up the stairs to a corner room and I stay behind her about 2 doors. She knocks on the door and says, "Oh Ron, I have your new roommate here!"

Ron who is still completely inside the room immediately goes ballistic and screams at the top of his voice, "WHAT? No way - I've had this room as a single and I will not accept a roommate, you can't do this! I've worked here for 10 years and this will not stand! I just can't believe it! You will just have ...."

About this time, Ron peeks around the corner and see me standing there. Although I had never spoke to him, we both "knew" each other from working at the Ahwahnee together, me in the Indian Bar and him in the Dinning Room.

Ron makes a complete attitude change and in a calm voice says, "Oh it's you - he can stay".

I guess you had to be there but it was hilarious. Back then all I wanted to do was climb every spare minute before reporting to work at 5 pm. And Warren Harding was my hero so I had Downward Bound memorized. And I knew Ron was mentioned in the book so I thought he was famous.

I said to Ron that we should go climbing together being as how he knew Warren and all. He said he didn't climb much anymore but did like to boulder and knew the Camp 4 circuit by heart, move for move. I says, well I prefer a steep aid wall but it would be great to hang with you for a day at Camp 4. So a few week later we both head over and Ron patiently points out the names and ratings of each problem, of which I know nothing about as all I want to do is nail rurps on something scary. At each famous boulder, Ron would try to crank a move or two but with not a lot of success. I was even worse so that was my day at Campy 4 with this famous Downward Bound character.

dickcilley

Social climber
Wisteria Ln.
Jan 3, 2017 - 11:00am PT
Bump for Rod ,He was a stand up guy.
Mike Honcho

Trad climber
Golden, CO
Jan 3, 2017 - 12:44pm PT
I just checked my Facebook "friend requests" and as I thought, his is just sitting there.. I really do prefer to know someone personally before we do the Facebook thing, but sh#t, RIP Rod.
rmuir

Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 12, 2017 - 09:25am PT

The vagaries of social media. Just received in my inbox…

Voices from the grave?
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Feb 25, 2017 - 10:00pm PT
hey there say, ahwahnee bartender...

wow, i was thinking of ron, the other night, when a whole hord of crows flew out of my huge oak tree...

so i came back to take a peek here...

he had shared something once, on birds?? or a flock of them? though i NOW have forgot exactly what it was (on the facebook) that made me think of the flock of crows...

crows, flocking, again, back before that:
same thing, happened the day before he had passed on...


well, thank you for sharing about the your adventure, there,
with 'new roommate' etc... so fun, :)

very nice story--the kind that make life and friendships,
stay precious for our 'eternal years' as we move onward to them...


extra note:
wow--never KNEW he RAN, but then, i only knew him from
his facebook request, ONE that many said was GOOD to accept ...
so glad i did ... *though i was late by about a year-and-a-bit-more to be
brave to try a new friend that i had not known, yet, :)


thank you for being a friend, rod...
you are missed...



wow, funny, ekat, at to this quote:

^ ^ ^ ^ That was about the time he spray painted his Adidas Marathons black for work shoes at the Ahwahnee.

HA!


EDIT:

oh my, i-b-goB, say,
i just BACKTRACKED... i think that might have
been the BIRD-THING that i saw on his facebook, and THAT
is why the crows made me think of him, those two time...

(the birds in that heart pic, look black, i think, from
silhouette, but, yeah, THAT might be it) ...


edit:
the day, that i hear he had passed on, might have been the very day
that the crows were flying around, visiting each other...


the later huge flock of roosting crows, was only recently,
THIS feb...


still, little things like these, that friends, liked:

remind us to be glad that they WERE in our lives...
and that we knew them, in some nice way...

this is for you, rod:

[Click to View YouTube Video]
Messages 21 - 26 of total 26 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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