Forgive The North Fork, It Knows Not Its Power

 I thought I lived in a beautiful place. I guess I still do, only now it's in the way that I thought that Brad Pitt was attractive, before I set my eyes on Jake Gyllenhaal or Luke Wilson. My eyes have now been opened to the North Fork Valley of Colorado and I've had glimpses of the San Juan Mountains. They are a whole new kind of magical.

 On our way to and from Telluride, we opted to take the road less travelled. Here's a map of the route we took:


I've taken the liberty of highlighting some of our favorite places we stopped along the way.

Wine Tasting in Paonia complete with organic/local everything:

 Camping in Redstone:

 Mountains, Mountains Everywhere! Also, more waterfalls than I've ever seen in one trip. I guess we have our record snowfall year to thank for that.

If you have only ever driven the I-70 route across Colorado, please do yourself a favor and cut southwest for an unparalleled view of the many faces of our state.

The Art of Road Tripping

Have a Destination: In our case, the 28th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Plan Extra Time: We left a day early and came home a day late, leaving some time for exploration-at-will
Good Tunes: We became a little obsessed with the local community radio station. p-e-r-f-e-c-t road tunage
Good Company: My friend, Shelby, and I are pick it up any time friends. We can go months without seeing each other but are always on the same wavelength
Know Your Preferences: Shelby and I had to make sure we agreed on how much we wanted to spend, who would drive, what else we wanted to see and on the fact that we both enjoy doing our own thing and being independent. Do you want to relax? Be active? Eat out sometimes? Spend money? I personally really like travelling with only 1-2 others. It's nice to eliminate extra opinions sometimes.
Ask the Locals: We got most of our restaurant recommendations from local shop owners. They were better able to direct me to vegetarian options as well as just good places. They will generally offer more insight to a location than you would get just showing up. Often one store would lead us to another, and they'd send us on as well. It makes for great adventure and, really, word of mount is the BEST recommendation.
Smile A Lot: Karma takes you a lot further than being crabby. Be nice to people you meet and they'll return the favor by telling you their favorite spots, a better table at dinner, let you into your lodging SIX hours early, give you free parking passes, free drinks etc. Especially during big events, service people need a little extra kindness. Love em up! 

Mix these ingredients together and you get an unforgettable vacation!

Sorry for the poor video quality. Listen rather than look I guess. This is Old Crow Medicine Show playing Down Home Girl (one of my favs) with Mumford & Sons. If you listen closely, you can hear my hoarse and horrible singing voice. :)

Festivarian Ten Essentials

There will be a lot more to come regarding my trek to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the exploration of the southwest corner of Colorado but as I embarked on my first big music festival, I was struck by the fact that there were absolute gear necessities. So, for those of you who plan to sit still for a while this summer, whether it be for an extended period (like TBF) or for a few hours during Skakespeare on the Green, here's what I recommend you bring.

1. Tarp
     Blankets are nice but if it rains, you're out of luck and stuck schlepping a wet blanket.
    A tarp will repel spilled...err...beverages just as well as rain, or in our case even snow
2. Rain Gear
     Weather is more likely an issue in mountain communities but I've been to plenty of festivals in the Midwest
      that ended in rain. I recommend a pair of rain pants as well as your jacket.
3. Waterproof Footwear
     On our last night, we danced in the rain for probably a full FIVE hours. It was muddy and fun but was
     also followed quickly by dramatic temperature drops, a perfect storm (yukyuk) for hypothermia/frostbite.
     All of those people with no alternative to their Chacos were hurting pretty badly.
4. Sun Screen
     Seems like a given, but I saw hundreds of cripsy fried festivarians in the last week. It's just not smart,
     people! Especially at 10,000 feet.
5. Bug Spray
     I know a lot fo people that like to bring citronella candles but personally I think they're a bit of a disaster
     waiting to happen once you toss in dancing and alcohol. Bring your bug spray and it'll be one less thing to
     have to manage when all you want to do is go get a snack, dance, visit the merch booth.
6. A Book/Magazine
     We heard non-stop, amazing music from about 10am-1am for four days straight. While it was so fun,
      there were also times, when I needed a mental change from people-watching and staring at the stage.
7. Chair
     I recommend a low-back so as to give yourself more optionsin seating. Most festivals only allow high-
     backed chairs beyond a certain distance from the stage. Crazy creeks work great and pack light but
     can be hard on your back for really extended use.
8. Water Bottle
     You may have to take it in empty, but bring at least one. It's so important to keep hydrated, even if you're
     just sitting still for hours on end. This weekend, we observed a young guy (a nurse!) who passed out from
     dehydration, fell flat on his face and probably broke his nose.
9. Headlamp/Small Flashlight
    All important for gathering your gear up in the wee hours of the evening or just trying to weave your way
    to the port-a-john.
10. An Extra Layer.
     Even if it doesn't cool down, you'll probably want a reprieve from the sun at some point. Umbrellas
     are okay but then you'll be blocking the view of those behind you (not good karma).

If you're in Colorado, you also need to bring a hat and gloves...I don't care what time of year it is. It's mid-June and we used them duing a SNOWstorm on the last night. We also had periods of intense sun when I was very thankful for my kicky, cheap straw cowboy hat.

Snacks are also a good idea and will save you a small fortune, but that's only if the festival you're attending will let you bring them in. Read up on their rules in advance.

Colorado, along with other outdoor-oriented states/communities, is an exception in that the festival wasn't about to shut down for anything. Heat, Rain, Snow, Mud...no difference, the bands still played. As bands get paid whther they play or not, this is often the case, even at small festivals. This is why it's better to be prepared for anything. I would have kicked myself if my lack of preparation kept me from seeing Old Crow Medicine Show play a few songs with Mumford & Sons or if I had missed the experience of the rainstorm breaking and rays of sun burst through during Awake My Soul (I mean, wow!).

And by the way, if you bring all of your gear, and bad weather does strike, you'll wind up with the best view in the house! The unprepared masses will flee the storm while you cover your bag with your tarp, toss on your rain gear and go up front to dance your pants off in that rain.

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:

Gear For A New Season

 Summer is officially here! Okay, not really officially. We still have a few weeks before that. And OKAY, you all have probably been in your summer for a month or more (I'm talking to you, 90+ Midwest). Now that I have sufficiently negated my introductory statement...Summer is unofficially here in Grand County, CO.

 Being a crazy planner-type, I dream up my travel and vacation plans seasons in advance. I hoard my vacation time in such a way that I can make the most of every possible minute off. Summers are slightly more difficult to plan than other seasons since it's M's busy season (meaning he gets 6 days off between Memorial Day and labor Day). This means a) I need/want to be home for those specific 6 days b) trips I take now must include my dog and c) there's a good chance that I will be flying solo on many adventures. BUT it also means that I will be alternating working a few Saturdays, which allows a few opportunities to smash together 3-day weekends! This is the season of work hard-play hard!

 In preparation for a new season of road trips, hiking, biking and schlepping of gear to various destinations and because I am an organizational loony toon, I have been on the hunt for a specific piece of gear. Gear to rule all gear. The piece of equipment that will wrangle and maintain the order of all odds and ends. Last week I found it, last night I received it. And here it is, the Mountainsmith 3 Cube Modular Hauler!

Okay, just kidding...that's not what it's designed to haul.

 The system consists of 4 pieces, the 15x25x15 hauler (outer bag) and 3 cubes that fit inside.

 The intention here is to be able to organize equipment in the color-coded cubes and easily lug in/out as needed.

I'm thinking of a few ways to use this.

1. Stuff for Bracco, Stuff for Me, Stuff for M (when he can join us)
2. Hiking Gear, Biking Gear, Stuff For Bracco (he's always going to need food/water etc)
3. Quick access clothing for a few nights

The great thing here is that depending on the adventure, I can designate the cubes to carry whatever I need them to. I can easily grab Bracco's bag and toss it into someone else's car for an impromptu hike or make sure that I always have my running gear accessible (no more excuses I guess). I purchased this for about $80 but if that's out of your price range, Mountainsmith makes a 2-cube version for about $60. There's free shipping if you order through backcountry.

 I have had many tricks in the past for organizing without this item and I know many of you will find it to be unnecessary. You could come up with similar systems using the Eagle Creek Pack It System (although, I doubt it would be cheaper) or using Rubbermaid containers for less. The bottom line is that not everyone will need this. I plan to attempt all of my packing for the (adventure leak) Telluride Bluegrass Festival next week and I'll let you know how it works out. My only concern at this point is the size of the thing. I drive a roller skate.