A visit to Plymouth Rock with Sparky*

Plymouth Rock isn't my favorite landmark that Camp Chaos has hit but a day with Sparky* makes it more then memorable and bumps the day way up on the list of favorites. We've been friends since the last century and have endured ups, downs and a lot of turns.

These days a visit with Sparky is filled with great conversations, a bit of history, silliness and a bit of yarn in some form.

LL Bean back in 2004

Sparky* bought me my first set of knitting needles and my first yarn (I still have both) and she attempted to teach me how to knit on her visit to Maine in 2004 but I wasn't quite ready. I eeked out 3" of a swiss cheese scarf and tucked it away. When I unearthed it in 2010 I was ready to learn, by that time I was in Colorado and she was in the Pacific Northwest so I resorted to youtube videos. She's always been my knitting mentor and I love being able to have that be a part of our friendship story. 

The original needles and yarn on my deck in Colorado in 2010. 

 A lot of knitter's have stashes of yarn- some of this is for yarn that's "next in the queue" but some of it's sentimental  I have small balls of yarn from my early projects, the first yarn I got from Sparky and now some yarn my uncle found from my grandmother's collection.

Canadian wool- it was the preferred yarn requested by her kids. I can see why- there's some balls of acrylic in there which are very scratchy! There was also a set of metal dps (double pointed needles) tucked away in the stash.

It was great to be able to add this to my stash of memories...

my uncle, Dave and Kendra all dressed up for a walk in the Maine woods 

Elvis goes to Mountain Magic at Sugarloaf

A few weeks ago my brother, Virg, came over to visit us along with his 5 year old daughter, Elvis. Virg hasn't skied in at least 6 years and was pumped to be back out on the slopes. They arrived to camp chaos on Friday night and we got Elvis suited up in a helmet and goggles for her day on Saturday.

Elvis jumped ski school for the day where she joined Coach Emily and other 5 year old never-ever skiers and mastered the art of slidding downhill and stopping. The program is called Mountain Magic and it certainly describes how the day went for Elvis. We skied by a few times during the day and it was obvious that she was having a blast with her Coach and teammates. After we picked her up at the end of the day we took a few laps on the Birches with her so she could show off her new skills. It was obvious from the look on her face as she clicked into her bindings that a skier had been made that day at Sugarloaf.

Elvis also got to watch me finish her pink sweater...

and enjoyed sledding around camp chaos with her furry cousins...

the frisco five hits Telluride

Last night the Frisco 5 hit Telluride and campchaos in force.. (you can relieve their first visit here...).  They settled into life at campchaos quickly and were soon covered with dog fur and engrossed in fiberarts. I've picked up a few pop-pop makers during my forays to Needlerock and the girls had fun learning to make poms. Today the girls helped with the morning dog walk and after some bacon and pancakes we loaded into the 4Runner and hit Bridal Veil Falls. The road to the falls is uphill and touchy in spots. Dave and I tend to view it as a nice leisurely drive compared to Imogene Pass that we did with Kendra and other roads but we clearly made some nervous and other excited by the trek.

Today was H2's 9th birthday and she enjoyed her day of waterfalls, shopping downtown and laughing with H1 & H3. She also rocked a sweet winter hat that I knitted and she had made the pom pom for. H1 also received his birthday hat and H3 had gotten hers via mail in July.

Hope Lake with a touch of camping in the rain

Saturday morning we were up early and packing for a day hike to Hope Lake then camping that night. We stopped on the way to the trail head to claim our favorite spot. We had last camped here in 2008 and had a couple of great nights with friends. We were dismayed to find a few large trees had fallen but hit the spot anyhow.
I had hiked Hope Lake last year with the pups but it was a first for Dave. The day began with sunshine but clouded in as we ascended to the high alpine lake. The pups didn't care and were in the water before Dave and I crested the top.  The sun broke for a bit as we were leaving the lake and descended the 2.5 miles back to the 4Runner.

Big Dave skipped out on the hike due to a leg injury but came up for the camping... sans tent. He's got a Tacoma now and is discovering the joy of truck camping in the back bed under the camper shell.
We finished setting up camp and the sunshade rainshade just in time before the first drops hit. Eventually the rain let up a bit and fueled by a bit of beer and a chill we couldn't shake, we got to work on the campsite. (Click here for photos...) We had two Gerber hatchets and a fold-able saw and hacked the smaller of the two trees. The boys made benches for the firepit and while I debranched the larger tree that won't be moved without a chainsaw.  Yup, that's what happens when you give a bunch of Mainer's some hand tools, time and beer in the woods.

weekends are for playing

We finally hit a weekend where the only plan was to roll with it. The weather's turned from full on summer to July Monsoon season where rain and or thunderstorms roll in most afternoons. Our rain jackets are constantly with us and usually on by 2pm. On Saturday we cruised to town to let the dogs swim in the raging San Miguel and surf a few rapids then Dave hit the golf course with a few friends while I had a quiet afternoon with the tired pups.  I managed to hem a few pairs of pants and make this snazzy holder for my knitting needle stash, a side for my double pointed needles (dpn's) and a side for my circular needles. 

From Knitting

From Knitting

 

From Knitting

Today we grabbed the dogs, rain jackets and climbing gear and met Dave and Sally by Society Turn for a bit of climbing while avoiding the storms. You can see all photo's from this weekend here...

freegrass'n in Telluride

Telluride has a full summer calendar- not just this year but every year. It's an expensive town to begin with so sometimes we skip these events- plus Bluegrass sold out months ago so it was an easy choice to skip out. Meghan and Sam got tickets for Yonder Mountain String Band on Wednesday and Friday passes at town park so they pulled into town on Wednesday with Kaya and Echo in tow.
We did hit some free Bluegrass events and also enjoyed the acoustics of the box canyon from above. 

a three hour tour...

Friday night we pulled outta town and camped in the mountains above Telluride. Our neighbor always jokes with us that we're packing for a three hour tour as we load up dog food, sleeping bags, the tent, tripods and other gear.
We camped above Telluride off the Last Dollar Road... which is the same road that once killed the midpipe of the Subaru's muffler back in April of 2006. The moon made a good showing as it peeked through the aspen trees and the puppies toys created streaks across the dark sky. You can see those here...


Sunday we loaded up the dogs and headed up towards Alta Lakes so the dogs could get some much needed time in the sunshine. We headed up the road and found it mostly melted.... mostly. The 4Runner cleared most of the hard packed snowbanks easily... until it didn't. Dave backed up and did a second take....and the undercarriage came to rest on the glacial mound of snow and ice while the tires spun deeper in the softer snow. Somehow the avalanche shovel we keep in the truck wiggled it's way into summer storage and we found ourselves working at the ice mound with our axe and Mayhem's chuck it stick. One was very effective while the other was just good for throwing tennis balls. You can view all the good times here...

The phones worked fine and Dave called Emory who came to the rescue with his 4Runner and two young labs. Emory had two shovels and the boys were able to dig the truck out quickly. Cheers to friends with four wheel drive, shovels and time on a Sunday afternoon.

Rock on....

Saturday we loaded up into the 4Runner with both two and four legged friends and headed back out to Clay Creek for some more time climbing. The weather was immensely warmer and I'd guess that it was in the 70's plus radiant heat from the sun.


 I managed to start a hat during our drive and adventures on Saturday and finished it up on Sunday. It's fun to be back in knitting mode again especially since we've had a foot of snow fall just today...

hitting the (rock) wall....

We took advantage of the warmer weather and hit the wall this past weekend with friends. It was a gray day but relatively warm in the high 40's and some gusty but manageable winds. We haven't been out there in a long time... we scouted another place in the area last year but hadn't roped up there since late April, 2008. I have no idea why we waited so long to go back (oh wait the photos reminded me... it's too hot in the summers). It's less then 40 minutes from our house and just a short, steep hike to a bolted wall that has a number of routes rated 5.8 and up. We've only been to the gym once this season back in October so my paws were very tender and I only did two routes as I eased myself back into the game.
 
We had an equal number of four legged monsters as two legged people with Sam & Kaya, Conrad and Kiera and us with our two monsters. Sam hasn't climbed much before but took to the rock like spider pig- even in  his LL Bean hiking boots. Conrad's worn out more then one pair of climbing shoes in his career and lead the climbs for the day. 
The dogs were very well behaved and Mayhem had the only bit of trouble as he managed to get 4 small cactus plants stuck in his paws during the day...which meant that I got stuck a few times while removing them. He's very stoic and doesn't flinch in pain which is unlike Chaos who would have whined if he had been that unlucky.Back at the car we enjoyed a late lunch before heading back to Telluride and the winter weather.

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.

Moab

We were finally able to escape the lingering winter weather that's been in Telluride last weekend and hit the road for Moab, Utah with the monsters. After a bit of searching we found a great campsite along the muddy Colorado River in Negro Bill Canyon. This was Mayhem's first camping adventure and we were a bit worried since he usually sleeps in his crate on how he would do with us in the tent. We had done a few trial runs outside the crate before the trip and he seems to be fine as long as he's near us and Chaos.

We also managed to catch up with some Sugarloaf friends who were on a small road trip for some warm weather and biking. It turns out that Moab also was in a bit of a cold spell but it was still much better weather then Telluride and camping was comfortable. Our sunshade that we picked up last summer for Telluride Festivals was a great hangout for the small rainstorms that hit us during the weekend.

Before we had a fire Chaos helped clean the old charcoal out of the firepit. He wanted to feel helpful and it reminded him of eating the charcoal that we used in the winter at the Maine CampChaos for traction on the snowy driveway.

Chaos and Mayhem would spend time wrestling at camp and Mayhem also had a favorite chew stick to play with. Chaos was allowed to be off leash if he was behaving... which he did until the neighbors made dinner.

I'd also take the pups on the hiking trail and we found a small swimhole for them to play in.

At night there were canyon river tours in the Colorado River and they light the walls as they cruise through.

We did do a drive through Canyonlands National Park and got some great views. We had the monsters with us and the park was not very pet friendly and they were only welcome in the parking lots.

It was a good relaxing weekend in our campsite by the river and I think the boys were bummed when we packed up camp and loaded the 4Runner to head back to chilly Telluride.

 Chaos could have just been bummed to have his brother crowding him in the back of the truck...

powder days in telluride

We awoke on Saturday to 13 fresh inches and the sky was still dumping. Chaos managed to score a short walk before Dave and I headed out for a day on the hill.

After taking some runs together, we found our friends waiting at the gate to Prospect Bowl... the rope dropped and it was a ski/board cross race to the lift. 95% of the crowd hit Gold Hill and Jess and I met up at Prospect Express. We had first tracks down Stella and captured the image in the low light..

We found some good stashes and hung out in prospect for a while...

Eventually we found Jared and Dave again and stopped for a snack at High Camp.

Seriously... this sounds narly but was actually really good and marked gluten free... a gourmet chocolate bar laced with bacon. While there was more snow this morning I ended up working all day and not making time for a ski break.... perhaps tomorrow if all goes well!

The bacon chocolate only made us realize how starving we all were and we descended on Big Dave's house at Melrose Place for some food and tubby time. We made Brinner (breakfast for dinner) and all the non-glutards piled it high on a bulky roll.  We made gluten free pancakes, hash browns, eggs, bacon and sausage and a few folks managed to get all these layered up into a sandwich.

powdah days

Friday had 15" of fresh powder and somehow we both managed to have the day off. We were on the hill by 10am and didn't hit apres until after 3:30pm. Today was another 5" and a shorter day on the hill since Dave is working tonight and needed to rest and nap. I used his nap time to make some gluten free homemade granola bars and reload my ipod.  Right now I'm watching a lot of Grey's Anatomy and started loading episodes right onto the itouch. Gotta love the McMainer! We started watching this October starting from season one on Netflix and am now on season six- which happens to be the current season. I had to delete some music and movies to make room for upcoming episodes. There's worse addictions I could have.

Chaos has dealing well with getting ditched on powder days... we try to take him on a good walk most nights and last night he got to go to a party at Uncle Dave's house then a big walk home down the snowy trail. He still chases skiers and did pull his muscle last week and has been limping around a bit. He's fine when he's outside but limps when he gets off the couch. That's what he gets for sprinting after skiers again...

rest and recovery

Where to begin.... a road trip to red rocks, camping, gluten free slow cookers, dog adventures, blues & brews festival.... so much to catch up on and so little time...

rainy day adventures....

um.... guys... i think it's gonna rain again...

I'm not sure why chaos was so concerned about it raining since he spent much of his time Saturday in the lake. Meg and Sam came to town and we escaped our house and headed up to Alta Lakes. It was a rainy afternoon and we set up our sunshade(ok.... rainshade), had a small fire and enjoyed a day by the lake with the three goldens.

we had started the day out right with a good breakfast of gluten free pancakes and finished with a visit to Fat Alley BBQ. Oh yeah... there's a small festival going on but for once we skipped it all! All four of us just needed a chill day watching some cave man tv (aka the campfire) and letting the monsters swim... Chaos spent most of the day yesterday recovering on the couch from all the fun!

bouldering after work

chaos wishing he had fingers....

me working past my fear of falling while jess shows no weakness

even in a place like telluride work can sometimes be stressful... so we head out bouldering after work with Jared and Jess. Their dog Stella and Chaos run around while we play on the rocks and get out some frustrations and have fun.

jared working the rock

We hit a nice spot not far outside of town. I prefer climbing on a rope to bouldering... I like the security the rope offers. On my little problem I found that my fear of falling (even just a few feet onto a thick bouldering pad) made me crimp my paw (hand) in fear. I wasn't able to move it at all or communicate my conundrum. After glancing through the viewfinder dave realized the my face was an unnatural shade of red and something was really wrong. I did manage to tackle the problem by the end of the night.... just not for a few more tries. I definitely earned my gluten free beer after that experience! It helped to take the edge of my aching arm muscles.

Dave's earned the name spider-pig due to his ability to latch onto the rock in an unnatural way... Jess and Jared have only been climbing this year and have really taken to it. It's fun to be able to go play with our friends while letting stress go.