Snack for the Trail or the Open Road

  Last week, I purchased a dehydrator. I've been mulling over this purchase for a while, particularly while I was eating raw. I finally bit the bullet and bought a Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt. My incentive in buying now was the possibility of making many of my own snacks for my road trip to Telluride this weekend. You see, while I'm incredibly excited about this adventure, cheap it is not. Just to give you a breakdown, our 4-day passes to the festival ran $185. Our 4 night hotel lodging, $1100 (aaak!! but our own fault as we waited too long to find our hotel), split between 2 of us (we had a couple of people bail on us too, increasing our expenses). 1 night en route camping, $33. Then there's food, gas and any incidentals that might pop up along the way. This incredible amount is not taken lightly, particularly as this girl sees every bill and expense as an international flight. Yes, folks...I could have flown to Ireland for the cost of four days in Telluride. I think I might vomit.
 So, yes, I will be eating light for the next 5 days so that I may be able to actually go to Ireland later this year! Hence, the dehydrator. Yesterday, I started my experiment with a new trail mix recipe that puts a new spin on the peanuts and raisin concoction we're all so used to.

Ingredients I Threw in a Bag:
Honey and Oat Granola
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Almond Slivers
Dehydrated Bananas
Dehydrated Strawberries

 The Finished Product-

Alterations could include whole almonds (or other nut-pecans might be good), coconut flakes, dried cranberries instead of strawberries (make them yourself to keep from getting all of the added sugar).

This is a light and delicious treat that I think anyone could love, even kids. By the way, did you know that peanuts are the most difficult nut for your body to digest? Maybe it's time to try nixing them from your GORP.

Summer Adventure Numero Uno

It's time for my first big adventure of the season! I'm so excited I could wet my pants. It's amazing how much more slowly working hours pass when vacation if just around the corner. I swear I work 43 hours a day right now.

Wednesday afternoon, my friend, Shelby, and I are hitting the open road for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in (duh) Telluride, CO. We're breaking up the 7 hour trip and have decided to camp in Redstone, CO, which is halfway, on Wednesday night. I've never explored this part of the state and have heard that it's a "must see" for any Coloradan.

The Lineup Includes:

Sarah McLachlan (huh)

The Decemberists

Yonder Mountain String Band

Old Crow Medicine Show

Mumford & Sons

Emmylou Harris

Bela Fleck
Robert Plant & Band of Joy

Abigail Washburn

While I do my fair share of travelling, the trip to Italy last October was probably the last time I went anywhere with such a relaxed agenda. There's no one to visit, only one other person to consider in any decision and the only objectives are to listen to music, bike, sit in the sun, hike...okay and maybe have a few beers. We have a great setup, having splurged for a condo. We really wouldn't have minded camping for the week except we wanted to bring bikes and were worried about security. We also weren't too keen on sharing the showers at the high school with thousands of other people. Does that make us snobby? More likely, germaphobes. At the end of the day, the camping/car fees wouldn't have been much cheaper than the route we went anyway so why not have our own showers and beds?

Anyway, pictures will follow when I return. The blog will be quiet for a few days...I'm taking some real time off.

If you need me, I'll be here:

doing this:



with these people: