That title is said with a lisp like Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber FYI. Every time I think of Aspen I think of that movie. Probably because I’ve never been to Aspen before so I have no other association. So Dumb and Dumber it will always be. Lol

We’ve tried to make our way there for the last couple years but Aspen doesn’t make it easy for people with travel trailers. There’s only boondocking for the really small guys and tents and most of their campgrounds (which are all of 4) book up months and months in advance. But we thought we’d try our luck this year because it was later in the summer and just maybe people were headed back home to get kids back to school. We were wrong. But that’s okay. We found a campgrounds about an hour outside in Basalt that was on a lake. They actually had 3 campgrounds all right there so we had to do some hopping around to stay all 3 nights but it worked out.

Travel days just consist of lots of cleaning, lots of driving, lots of grocery shopping and lots of shows for Mais.

That night we started looking up some hikes to do only to find we needed some permits that were all sold out. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Sounds very Aspen-y. Permits, no camping….lol But we managed to snag some for Maroon Bells in a couple days so we looked for another out of Glenwood Springs called Hanging Lake. The only permit left before noon was for 6:30 in the morning. Yikes! Mais has been sleeping until 7:30/8 every morning. But we decided to give it a go. We just packed the night before and the next morning around 5:30 grabbed her to put in the car in hopes she’d keep sleeping. It didn’t go so well. She freaked out! Like bad. I told Matt later on, “You know it was dark and we both had our hoodies on and pulled her out of bed and tried sticking her in a car. We probably just gave her her biggest nightmare.”

She finally calmed with mama’s hand and voice in back next to her but never made her way back to sleep. She was however in a fantastic mood for the trail which was awesome. I mean such a good mood that for the first time ever when we asked a stranger to take our picture she actually smiled instead of covering her face! Lol

Since we had the whole rest of the day ahead of us we took her back for a nap and when she woke we went to check out the town of Aspen and get snow ones. The town looked so European and the ritzy feel was everywhere. Maisey had as absolute blast chasing around the birds. We probably sat outside and watched her for over an hour while she looked for them and giggled while she ran after them.

On our list of spots to hit up while in CB were 2 lakes. Lake Irwin and Emerald Lake. Lake Irwin is about a 30-40 min drive but I’ve seen pics and it looks amazing. We decided to take the morning to head that way and do a small hike called the Scarp Ridge Trail. It was only 3.9 miles but with some decent incline and elevation. Like for sure the steepest hike we’ve done but the reviews were amazing!

Not all hikes are like what we experienced yesterday with Mais. She does SO good for her age but days like today she doesn’t care so much about the hike and just wants to get down and play or be held by mommy. Which with a hike like this there was no mommy holding. 🥵 Matt entertained her for a bit while I went ahead to get towards the top. The climb was steep and in full sun so I was slow going. Once at the top you could see all the way to CB. The ridge was super cool and totally worth it! The way down we ended up in a lot more shade and realized we probably should have done the hike in reverse. Oops.

Maisey passed out on the way down so we let her sleep and sat and ate lunch. Once she woke up we headed down to check out the lake. There were a ton of people and paddle boards galore. Matt jumped in for a bath…I mean swim before we had to get back to meet an architect at our lot.

The next morning I thought it would be fun to rent a 2 person kayak and take Maisey out on Emerald Lake. She seemed so excited at first, got her life jacket on, watched dad get the paddles together, told another little girl that was her boat and then nope. Said she didn’t want to go. She wanted to play on beach. So we took the opportunity for Matt and I to take turns out on the lake. It was nice and relaxing and got some just me time.

Sometimes we need pep talks. It helps us get through challenges. Today we did one of our longest hikes to date and Mais rocked it! Why? Cause we told her she had big strong legs and she could do it!

A couple years ago with friends we started to do a 7.5 mile hike called Rustler’s Gulch. Now mind you it was in peak wildflower season but just the first lol 2 miles was insanely gorgeous. We weren’t able to complete it for some reason so this year I wanted to give it a go! It’s actually 8.5 miles but the very first mile is on a straight vertical gnarly road that few travel up. Matt said he could do it in the truck so we went for it to shave some length off. BTW it’s pretty funny when we’re on bumpy roads cause Maisey will groan in the back and go, “Ugh, Daddy what’s that?!” Apparently she’s not the biggest fan of off roaming. Lol

Though the flowers weren’t popping as much this late in the year this hike once again didn’t disappoint. One thing I love about CB hikes is that you’re not just hiking for miles only to finally get a pretty view at the top. It’s always a pretty view because it’s so open. Maisey hiked a bunch of it and it was a pretty easy one for her to do.

After the hike since we were right next to the Mecca of mountain bike trails, the 401, Matt decided to ride it over to Snodgrass and meet us back at camp. We spent our afternoon FaceTiming friends and family and then whipped up some dinner and crashed.

While away I made it a mission to bring back Maisey some new toys to play with. I hadn’t been to a Target once on this trip and I was in withdrawal. So I made Aunt Meesh come with me to not just one but 2 Targets to find the perfect stuff for her.

The dollar section might just be my most favorite too. I scored her some pink blue light glasses and a little baby shark flashlight there. Both of those were a huge hit!

We decided to look up some stuff that may be happening in town. Today was Farmer’s Market day and later the Annual Rubber Duckie Race. I had seen how Colorado towns have these races where you buy duckies and they dump them in the river to race and the top like 8 win stuff. It was too late to buy a duck but we knew it would be fun for Mais to watch.

So Matt went on a solo bike ride and Mais and I hit up the Farmers Market. She found a cute girl around 10 who made little rubber and bracelets and for $2 you got one plus a free chocolate chip cookie. Score!

Being that she was on a sweets kick we stopped to get ice cream and of course had to sit in the Elsa and Anna chair they had out front.

Then on to the races!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled mountain posts….for a bachelorette party. Yup, I had to leave in the morning to catch a flight to Austin TX for my baby sister’s bachelorette party. After dropping me off Matt took Mais to the same urgent care we were at last year when she had horrible RSV. They were amazing and so was the hospital they had admitted her to so we were glad to go back to the same place for them to diagnose her. Again being as amazing as they are, they weren’t open yet but the family office next door was and told them if she’d been there before they’d be happy to see her so he didn’t have to wait.

I don’t need to really fill in much here since I mean the bachelorette party isn’t part of Driving Miss Maisey and honestly Matt and Maisey had a lot of down time just trying to get better so I’ll leave this post with pics from 2 totally different experiences over the weekend.

The next day I had convinced everyone to go on a short hike to the river to let the kids play since well our little river lunch idea didn’t pan out so well before. Brinkley mentioned how much she hates hiking….and that she wished she had her stroller but I told her it was such a little hike she wouldn’t even stress.

Being that I was in charge I searched for directions to the trailhead. It took us straight to a small parking lot off of a private road. Not what I remembered but hey, it’s was google and All Trails said so it must be right. We started up the road looking for the trail. And we kept going..and kept going. Still no trail. At this point it had been a decent hike and we hadn’t even gotten to the start of it. 😟 Now Brinkley was wondering what I had gotten her into and we had 2 toddlers not having fun. Oops! Finally we made it to the trail…and next to a lovely parking lot that was for people with small children. 😬 That would have been nice. After some time debate we scurried down to the river as fast as we could so the kids could at least play for a minute before going back for naps. Thank goodness for Matt who ran all the way down to the truck while we hiked back so he could pick us up.

Later that evening we grabbed dinner in town at Bonez. I think we all stuffed our faces it was so good. Maisey and Mack were like 2 peas in a pod and having a blast just playing together and sharing their toys. We laugh cause Maisey loves to pull Mack along saying, “Come on!” and talk his ear off and he just looks at her. Such a typical girl and boy relationship. They really are the cutest together!

That night we FINALLY got to play some games together. See every time we hang out we play some sort of cards or dice game and each night this trip with 3 kids to put to bed we struggled to ever make it happen.

The next day we had a morning meeting with a builder (poor Hansens had to deal with us having so many meetings while they were here) and Maisey seemed a little off but she hadn’t been a fan of these meetings so I didn’t think much of it. After it was done I asked Matt to just drop her and I off at a playground cause I felt like she may want to play since she had been stuck doing business. I was apparently very wrong. She was miserable and I was realizing this may be her getting sick. After being stuck at a playground with a sick kid Matt finally made it back with the truck while him and Taylor went off to do…you guessed it….a bike ride. Road not mountain this time. I rushed her back to camp and gave her a fever reducer to help with pain. I could tell we were dealing with an ear infection.

Once the boys were back she felt better cause she rested and had meds. They were now in charge of the kiddos because a few days ago Brinkley and I made massage appointments. I felt guilty going but knew she’d be fine. We went to Escape Bodywork and it was amazing! It was a much needed moms only time.

After we returned the Hansens packed up and rolled out in order to let their kiddos sleep some on the ride back home. Knowing that they’ll only be a 6 hour drive away when we’re up here is exciting!

Now it was time for me to pack up for a flight the next morning…..

As soon as we got the guys together for dinner, us girls knew this meant talks of mountain bike rides the next day. So that’s exactly what happened.

Britt and I had the kiddos and took them to a nearby playground while Kyle and Matt shredded down some mountains. (I’m guessing that’s the proper term) After the park it started to rain a bit so I got Mais down for a nap at their rental and the older kids had lunch and watched a movie while Britt and I enjoyed some girl time sitting on the patio curled up under a blanket while it rained. While the rain was great for us, the mountain got shutdown for the boys due to lightning so they came back early. Afterwards we decided to grab some Indian food at Sherpa cafe and hike up Long Lake for a picnic dinner. Is it sad I’ve never had Indian food before? After eating Sherpa’s I realized how much I’ve been missing out. So. Dang. Good.

While hanging with my girl Britt she worked hard to convince me to do a mountain bike ride with her and our realtor the next morning. See our realtor, Kathryn is a pro and I haven’t been on a bike in 6 years so when I say she had to push hard I mean HARD. But I caved. And I’m glad I did. Kathryn went easy on us (me) and taught us some tricks of how to ride which were everything. It was so much fun and I got to meet another friend, Nikki. I’m honestly considering making this a new hobby….maybe. 😉

After the ride we met the boys and kids at The Last Steep for celebration drinks and lunch. After lunch we hurried back to camp to give Mais a nap and meet our friends, The Hansen’s that we’re driving up to hang with us the next few days.

Because this post is about bike rides and besties I’m adding another day. Yup, the bike riding never really ends here. Now that Taylor was in town all 3 boys wanted to hit the trails. So while they did that myself and Brinkley had big goals of what we’d do with the kiddos. We figured playground, toy store, lunch and then river. Sounded great. Then we realized how insane we were to attempt it all with 2 2 year olds and a 4 month old. By the end we were pooped and so we’re the kids so we rushed back for naps for all!

Also, did I mention that because they have a full on rv bus we had to put all 3 car seats in the back of Matt’s truck and the boys had to ride in the bed wherever we went? It was quite the sight.

I think I’ve been itching to get here since we left Dallas 2 weeks ago. See we actually purchased an acre lot here in Crested Butte a couple months ago and I still haven’t seen it in person so I’ve been dying. Because we were getting in pretty late we figured it would be best to go straight to our favorite boon docking site up on Washington Gulch Road and get settled and wait for tomorrow to see it.

After meeting with a potential architect we headed over to the pirate playground in town. We played until the rain hit hard enough it forced us to make our way back to camp. Some of our friends from Dallas had been staying in CB the last month and asked if we wanted a little double date night. I honestly can’t even remember the last time Matt and I had a date night so we said yes! Maisey loves their kids and even though we had a babysitter I knew their oldest daughter would be probably the one doing all the work cause Mais would be all about her and she’s such a little caretaker. We hit up Public House with a couple drinks and yummy food before heading back. How I managed not to take a single photo…I don’t know. I’m the worst (or maybe the best?) about not taking pics when hanging with friends.

The next day we decided to do the Washington Gulch hike since it was right up the road. “Right” up the road means like a ways away and with some major bumps and potholes. We ran into some ladies from the Carolinas in their 60’s trying to hike up the road to get to the trail head. They had a minivan and realized awhile back they weren’t going to make it in it so we offered them a ride in the back of the pickup. Poor things got abused back there even with Matt going as slow and steady as he could. Lol They we’re troopers though and were so thankful.

The Washington Gulch hike (aka 403) was stunning. An easy uphill hike surrounded by beautiful views and flowers! Ugh! I love all the flowers. CB is actually the Wildflower Capital of Colorado and luckily we got there just in time to see some before they were gone.

Since I got to have a day of me it was time for Matt to get some serious biking in. I did manage to squeeze in a quick run while they played but then off he went and just us girls had a day to cruise around town, shop, eat and play at the playground. Sometimes these are my favorite days. Mainly cause I get to see a little bit more of what it’s like in the closest town and do things Matt could care less about. Lol

After some fun play at the playground (Telluride really does have an awesome in town play area for kids plus a fishing pond) we walked over to a cute little store called Scarpe. They had a neat little kids section in the back. Maisey found herself an adorable stuffed doggy that she now has to sleep with and does “up highs” with. And I found a super cute backpack with a llama on it for her new school. Next us girls wanted to get a little lunch so we went to Lunch Money for something quick. It was good but the people inside were a bit much. I mean when my 2 year old is whining that she’s ready to go and all we need to do is pay but you’re still standing there asking about what yoga teacher the cashier uses and what’s her instagram (insert eye roll) you’re gonna have a feisty momma behind you. Lol

Every afternoon it rains in Telluride so after her nap we just had some playdough time and waited for dad (BTW yes, she now calls us “mom and dad” 🤦🏻‍♀️) to come back.

The next morning we headed back to Trout Lake so Matt could take his girl fishing again. Matt caught one and after un-hooking had Maisey grab it and throw it back in the lake. It was pretty dang funny to watch her. After that though all she wanted was dad to catch more fish which was a bust. Knowing we were going to be on the road again we decided to take Mais on a little hike down to the Priest Lake Campground and get some energy out. She found plenty of “muddles” (aka muddy puddles) and it became a goal of hers to find a stick and throw it in each of them. Watching her explore nature and come up with her own little ways of playing in it is always so fascinating.

After the little hike we hit the road to our favorite place of all…..Crested Butte.

Well here we are. Another year older. I don’t feel a day over 30 yet my body tells me otherwise. I am however so excited to celebrate in Telluride once again. We got to celebrate my 41st with friends here back in 2020 when Mais was just a teeny tiny baby.

The day before my birthday I searched for the perfect hike to start the morning with and found one that All Trails said was 4 miles round trip and gorgeous from waterfalls to a blue lake. I was pumped. So pumped I had a senior moment and forgot my hiking shoes….only realizing it when we parked at the trailhead after driving 30 minutes to get there. 😭 I was so bummed and all I had to wear were my Birks that were a no go for hiking. So we made the u-turn and went back to camp to get them. Now we definitely couldn’t get that long of a hike in before Maisey’s nap so we had to change plans and just do the Bridal Veil Falls trail.

Just as we were hiking the trail I realized wait, the sign says it’s 5.3 miles to blue lake. That means it would be 5.3 back down …there’s no way we could have done 10.6 miles at all so in all actuality it worked out better to have to change plans and do the 2.4 total there and back to just Bridal Veil Falls. The hike was super cool, crowded but very unique with all the rock fall.

After the hike we went to lunch at an amazing Mediterranean place called Caravan. Omg it was amazing! Best seasoned chicken I think I’ve ever had! Later Matt picked up a couple of grocery store cakes, candles and a card. We actually talked about how I had to have a cake with candles cause at home Mais pretends it’s our birthday all the time with her fake cupcakes and sings to us and makes up blow out pretend candles. However, in true Maisey fashion when it came to the real thing she wanted nothing to do with the singing and candle blowing. 🤣 I think all she could think about was getting her hands on the cake!

I tried getting her down for a nap but it wasn’t happening so we decided to run down to a pretty lake nearby and hang and fish. Of course she passed out on the ride and slept in my arms instead. Gotta love a 5:00 nap 🤦🏻‍♀️

We decided to cap the day by watching the sunset behind our trailer. The sun was more tucked behind the trees but it made the colors of the mountains so pretty with purple hues. Who needs a sunset when you can watch the mountains transform before your eyes.