Really you should visit- Summer Venture Out [81435]

cats, hats and dogs

Snowy San Juan days

Chaos and mayhem rip up the freshies

See...too busy to blog

8" of fresh and 100 underfoot with my k2 got backs

ski season- 23 days in

ski season officially hit telluride on turkey day and i feel like we haven't stopped moving since I woke up that morning to make an apple pie. in the last 23 days we've skied, played with the dogs, gone to yoga, baked cookies, knitted hats and worked a lot. Dave even managed to sneak in a quick trip to summit county with chaos but that's been it. we're in survival mode and are hoping to dig out before new year's eve... or groundhog's day....

Hats and dogs

Six years ago my friend Beth taught me to knit. I never got beyond the 6th row but carried around the yarn and needles she got me all this time. This summer I stumbled on it and re-learned how to knit with my friend YouTube. Really, you can learn anything on YouTube. I tackled scarves and hit up my local yarn store, Needlerock Fiberarts, for more supplies. I ventued into circular needles and knitting in the round.
I'm now on hat #4 and cruising along with help from knitting books from the library (I like the kids ones as they keep it simple), checking out knit hats that Beth has gifted me and of course a bit of YouTube....
Dave is into the new hobby as he is in the thick of snowmaking and it's cold out while these wool hats are toasty. The pups would rather go play but cope well with quiet nights curled up on the couch.

wicked good dog couch

I think LL Bean should rename this to the Wicked Good Dog Couch. We ordered one while on our visit to Maine- Colby even did a quality control check for us.

Chaos has never been a huge fan of any bed but ours and this dog couch perked his interest and he's slept on it almost every night since we've been back.... too bad for Chaos that Mayhem also enjoys the big bolstered couch....

thankfully they negotiate well...

guess we should have gotten an extra large....

The last month has looked a bit like this (cue photo montage)




In the last month we moved everything into storage, drove to Maine and back, moved things out of storage and into new place, spent time with friends, played with the puppies and got married.

Phew...

Movies at Sugarloaf

Big mountain, big love

Ajax Peak and 94 hours....

Saturday we ignored the to do lists, packing lists and travel plans in favor of getting up at sunrise and hiking Ajax Peak.  Four years ago we moved from Sugarloaf to Telluride and in that time we've had a few things happen like Mayhem.

Who happens to like his new life in Telluride and all the area hikes. He even likes wearing his backpack. These days Chaos carries a pack with a tennis ball and some treats while Mayhem carries a few pints of water for them to share. Chaos's leg still plagues him while Mayhem has energy enough for all of us.

The day started early and we drove to the top of Bridal Veil Falls and hit the trail by 8:15am. There was one other group that started hiking around the same time which was perfect as we forgot the map and it was our first time on the trail. We had read through the hike and had a good idea of where to go but it was nice to ensure that we turned off at the right time.

The trail starts at the top of Bridal Veil Falls and follows Black Bear Pass for .8 of a mile.

Yes, This is a 4x4 road and I wouldn't take the 4Runner on it or even the old Tacoma. It's one way from Ouray and one of the hardest passes in Colorado.

The trail turned off the road and became a single track that had switchbacks up the mountain for a few miles. Chaos and Mayhem followed the trail well and it was a moderate hike up. The road was harder as the rocks were looser and it made for sketchy footing. Hiking in the West is much different from the East with loose gravelly trails instead of soft forest floors.

From the ridge we could look over to Tomboy Road and Imogene Pass. We had gone up that pass a few summers ago with Kendra in the Tacoma.

You can see a bit of the Tomboy Mining area from the Ajax Ridge line.

The view from Ajax Peak (12,785') also showcases the town of Telluride and the Ski Resort. The Blues and Brews Festival was going on last Saturday and during our time at the Peak we saw the field fill with hippies and their tarps. (beer festivals kinda suck when you can't have gluten and there isn't a gluten free beer to be found in the park)

The next day we were back to packing.... only two of these pairs of skis are mine... the rest belong to Dave and Big Dave.... I think I need to catch up.

In less then 94 hours the packing project will be complete and campchaos will hit the road for the east coast. We're watching the leaves change here and should hit New England for Peak foliage in the east.

September, 16 days and 127 Hours

For some reason September seems to be a big month for Campchaos.... Four years ago we moved cross country, two years ago the tacoma was smushed and now as we ready ourselves to drive cross country for our wedding we find out we also need to move. We've gotten a new PO Box and a storage unit to hold us over until we return to Colorado in mid-October.  We've put our friends on alert and are following up on leads for new dwellings.
The next 16 days should be pretty busy as we move into the storage unit and pack for our trip. Hitting the road is going to be such a sigh of relief after all this. I can't wait to hit the Colorado/Kansas line and leave some stress behind.
This last weekend we were able to ignore our real life for a bit and take in the Telluride Film Festival. We saw 127 Hours which was dirrected by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionare) and told the story of Aron Ralston. In 2003 Aron was living in Aspen and hit Canyonlands in Utah for a long weekend. While on his solo journey through Blue John Canyon he dislodged a chock stone and became trapped in a slot canyon for six days. I had read his book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place in 2004 when it was released. The movie told the story solely from Aron's perspective..... while you'd think this could be dull they did a phenomenal job. Kinda makes a wedding, a move and all the other stuff not seem so bad! We enjoyed the movie so much we saw it twice.

hiking with Chaos and Mayhem

chaos and mayhem make great hiking buddies, after phish left town dave had to work on a Saturday so I hit the trail with the monsters. Hope Lake is above Trout Lake and around 5 miles round trip.

so we loaded up into the 4runner

and let the wind rip through our fur.

Chaos knows that as soon as we hit a dirt road that's there is fun to be had....

Mayhem knows enough to be excited if Chaos is...

now if only mayhem can teach chaos how to drink from a camelback too...

but they both look adorable in their backpacks. Chaos carries the light treats and toys while Mayhem carries the puppy water to help tire him out... as if 5 miles wasn't enough...

Chaos and Mayhem enjoying the views

Chaos loved the swim in Hope Lake while Mayhem would rather cruise the shoreline.

And the wet pups hike back to the car after a fun few hours...

Chaos is such a poser... mayhem needs a bit more work... otherwise this would have been a great shot.

Mayhem went to play with his friends for the rest of the weekend while Chaos, Dave and I had a mellow Sunday. We're once again having a very busy August and trying to get a lot of things done with the dogs, work and upcoming trip to Sugarloaf. We did manage to get a good night out with our friends and watch one of my favorite Colorado finds, singer Rob Drabkin.

We first saw him when he opened for Tim Reynolds in 2007 at the Sheridan Opera House and I've love his music ever since. If you like Jack or DMB then I suggest you check him out.

Phish in Telluride

Dave's favorite band of all time came to Telluride and in early April he camped outside of the Sheridan Opera House overnight in a snowstorm to get tickets for us and he wasn't the first in line, the local judge was.

Sam and Big Dave also hit town for the phistoric show and the boys made a big weekend out of it and had some good times at Alta Lakes, on the golf course and just puttering around town. Chaos and Mayhem even got to bring their friend Stella with them to the lake on Saturday and I enjoyed a walk around it with the three amigos.

The shows were on Monday and Tuesday nights and town began filling up during the weekend and some Phish folks even came early enough to partake in Telluride Jazz Festival.  The area was well prepared and the influx of 8,000 people wasn't too disruptive.
Phish Weekend Photos

My first Phish shows were filled with good people watching. I've been to a lot of shows in town park and most of the festivals have a very social aspect but Phish had the whole park moving and a huge light show that bounced off the canyon walls. The canyon provides great acoustics and Phish provided monster speakers. The gates opened in the late afternoon and the show started after 7:30pm as the sun began to creep out of the box canyon. I knew a couple of songs each night but really enjoyed the people watching. There were hippies, yuppies, babies and everything in between. KOTO did a beer booth but sadly New Belgium still doesn't have a gluten-free brew so it was off limits for me.
The first night was just Sam, Dave, Dave and myself while the second night had a whole crew. We lucked out and the weather held both nights from the rain that's been pounding us lately. It was a big week and I think we all could have used a weekend to recover from Monday and Tuesday... except for Chaos and Mayhem who had a few quiet nights at home while we hit town park. This weekend our couches are empty and we're looking forward to a quiet weekend at the Telluride Festival of the Arts and enjoying some gluten free beer at the Grand Tasting.

rainy days

we're on a pattern of rain here that we haven't seen since the summer of 2007. This year we are actually getting full on rainy days. In the last two years we pretty much just got small afternoon showers that lasted less then a hour and this season we have woken up and gone to sleep in rain.

There really is a box canyon at the end of this road but today it was fully engulfed in the clouds. If you look really carefully you can also see a bit of Mayhem in the 4Runner.

I did manage to get these shots of the monsters on a reccent sunny day

Chaos loves to pose for the camera... I think it's all the treats he gets for it...

Mayhem requires a fast shot and you might getting him standing still...

or you can just get a nice view of puppy bums scampering down the trail.

summer daze...

Life with two monsters is alwasy busy. We're working hard each week to balance work with playtime and the engery needs of two pups. Mayhem's an active guy who can run for hours.

So we ride the gondola on adventures...

Drive up to Chaos's favorite lake for swim time and a bit of gluten free beer by the lake and

when they are all tired out we head home to make the donuts (gluten free, of course)

Rainy day walks

These two really don't care that its dumping, they just want the treat in my paw.

Alta lakes

A bit of rain never slows down our camping, the rainshade makes a great shelter.

Didn't June just start?

We're making a point this summer to not go to all the festivals and events that Telluride offers. We've experienced most of them and we're now focused on taking it easy and making time for the simple things like camping, climbing, walking the insatiable pups and spending time with friends and keeping up with new gluten free products and trends. Like 2 new gluten free brews, when you've only had 3 total brands to choose from adding two is a really big deal. While being gluten free is getting easier all the time it still takes a lot of effort and planning to stay safe and has become a big part of life here at CampChaos.
a snapshot (or a few) of june so far


and climbing gets it's own show... though we should be climbing more...
the dogs love the bouldering spot as it's in the woods provides lots of places to play without much trouble



Oh yeah, we're also becoming event planners. Yes, it's happening this October and no, it's not going to be big, but it is going to be big fun. We haven't seen most of you since... and in some ways this is going to be a big reunion for us, plus it will be Mayhem's east coast debut. Just planning a simple Maine wedding from Colorado is a bit of work in addition to keeping up with our own work, play and puppy schedules.

a day at the lake

We recently took a festival free weekend and took the monsters up to Alta Lakes. We goofed around and lounged by the lake all day. Chaos and Mayhem swam their hearts out and explored the woods. Yes, that's snow in the photo and the water was frigid. We found out each time the boys shook upon exiting the water. Mayhem will bring the ball to us while Chaos runs off with his. They are two very different dogs and really enjoy each other's company.

Dave channeled the energy of the karate kid

And Chaos and I had a nap in the afternoon sunshine on the bouldering pad.... good thing too as now Bluegrass has arrived and we're in for a busy festival weekend with 12,000 of our closest friends in Telluride Town Park.