A/N: Just a note to let you know...I did not have the shoulder surgery...yet. I developed a strep infection in the joint, so it had been postponed until February. I still cannot type very well, but was able to get this chapter done. I am going to finish this story, I promise, just a bit slow with the updates.
Return to Glory – Chapter Sixteen – Rocky Mountain High
Grab a chance and you won't be sorry for a might-have-been.
~Arthur Ransome, We Didn't Mean to Go To Sea
June
Sky Above Colorado
"Are those the mountains? Like Mt Rainier?" Jordan asked as he looked out the window of the plane.
"No, it's more like our mountain, silly," Katura corrected her brother.
"No, we don't have that much snow on Mt Russell – our flowers were up and the grass in the meadow was greener," Jordan said, not wanting to argue but knowing he was right.
"Wait, wait," said Blaine, sitting on the aisle seat in back of the twins. "It is very much like both our mountain and like Mt Ranier. There are differences, though. Remember how we talked about the way mountains are formed? That the Rockies were formed by plate tectonic movement and the Cascades were volcanic?"
"Are we having school now? It's vacation I thought," Katie said, pouting.
"Now, Katie-girl, behave yourself, please," Kurt said, rocking Mitzi in her car seat.
"Sorry, Tatay," she apologized to her other father.
"Let's just enjoy the scenery, we're going to land in Denver soon," Blaine told the children. "Look! See the big white tent over there? That is actually Denver International Airport. Get your belts buckled," he told them, then buckled his own and double checked Mitzi's car seat. The baby was sleeping, thank the stars. She had been fussy nearly the whole way there. Not really crying but whining and reluctant to take the bottle Kurt was trying to comfort her with. Blaine suspected it was her ears and the altitude, so he held her close to his chest and put his warm hand over her other ear for a while and she fell asleep.
Walking towards the trains at the airport, Kurt pushed the baby in her stroller and each of the others pulled their carry-on luggage behind them. They entered the train and Blaine told them to hold on tight, the train was very fast. It sped down the track to the main part of the airport and the twins' eyes got huge as they clung to the posts.
The train slowed and the doors snapped open.
"Okay, kids. Just step out and we'll go get our luggage," Kurt directed and he joined Blaine and the kids in the exodus to the luggage pick-up station.
As soon as they had luggage in hand and they stepped out into the main part of the airport, a large man grabbed Kurt and swung him around in a circle. Blaine grinned as Dave Karofsky put him down and smiled at the rest of the family.
"You made it!"
"Yes, it was so much fun, watching the lakes and mountains all over the ground," Katie said, caught up in the good feelings.
"Well, welcome to Colorful Colorado!" Dave said, taking some of the suitcases from Blaine and peeking into the stroller. "She's sleeping? In this noise?" Dave laughed.
"She had an exciting day," Kurt said, looking down at his youngest daughter. He glimpsed a small boy looking out from behind a post near them. As soon as he made eye contact, the boy slipped back behind the post.
"Did you bring anyone with you to pick us up?" Kurt asked, nodding towards the jacket that could be seen from the edge of the post.
"Yes, I brought my son, Freddy, but I don't see him now. I wonder where he's gone?" Dave said, serious faced.
"I'm here, Dad," said the boy, coming out from in back of the pillar to stand behind his father, shielded from the visitors.
"Hello, Freddy, it's good to meet you," Blaine offered, holding out a hand to shake. Dave nudged his son and Freddy came out and shook politely.
"Hi, Freddy. These are our children, Katie, Jordan, and in the stroller is Mitzi," Kurt introduced his family. "This is my husband, Blaine, and I am Kurt."
Freddy nodded at each person and then stood closer to his father, taking Dave's hand.
"Let's get to the car then," Dave suggested and led the way.
Sitting in Dave's SUV, Katie held up their plane ticket stubs to read their itinerary.
"Tatay, why does it take over three hours to go from Eugene, Oregon to Denver, Colorado - but only a little over an hour from Denver back to Eugene?" she asked.
Blaine smiled and looked at Dave and Kurt.
"Well, Princess, I'm going to let you think about that. If you give it enough thought, I bet you can come up with the answer, okay?" Blaine answered.
Katie rolled her eyes and mumbled something to her brother about 'does everything turn into a lesson for school?'.
She was quiet, whispering back and forth with Jordan and Freddy.
Did it have something to do with wind? The curve of the Earth? Altitude? The kids were busy for almost ten minutes until Jordan suddenly grinned. He whispered quickly to his sister and her eyes sparkled.
"It's to do with the time difference, doesn't it? When it's two o'clock in Oregon, it's three o'clock in Denver. So, if it takes two hours to fly from Eugene to Denver, it looks like three because you gain an hour because of the time zone. Going back you lose an hour. Right?"
"Right, my sweet, smart daughter," Blaine praised his daughter.
"It was Freddy and Jordy, too," she said, needing her brother and new friend to get the credit due them.
They rode for hours along the road to Aspen, watching as little clumps of flowers grew beside the road and views of snowy mountains showed in the background. By the time they reached Breckenridge, all four of the children were fast asleep.
"This is a beautiful little town," Kurt said, "Like it was lost in time." Kurt looked around seeing gabled houses and some that resembled Swiss chalets towards the mountain. There were paths going out of the town along mountain scenery and in the background were ski slopes.
"It just looks so quaint . . . "
"Until you see the 7-11," Blaine murmured. Dave laughed.
"It's a ski town, but they have hiking trails and things to do in the summer, too," he said.
They got some drinks and snacks, woke the kids up to use the restrooms, and got back on the road.
"Aspen is a ski town, too, isn't it?" Blaine asked.
"Mostly. It started as a mining town when the Smuggler Mine was founded in the 1870s. Silver was a big reason most people moved to Colorado back then. After the price of silver dropped, people moved away and the population dwindled to almost nothing until the 1930s when skiing became popular and a few more folks moved in.
"In the 1950s, Aspen hosted some big international ski championships and invited stars from Hollywood.
"Why do people go there now, in spite of the highest real estate prices in the US? A lot of celebrities live there so people go to see if they can spot them," he said. "It's funny, Aspen was a sleepy little town for years and years, then some artists moved there and back in the day a few famous people moved there – James Arness and Gary Cooper lived there in the 1950s."
"Is skiing all that draws people to Aspen? And the famous rich people, too," Kurt asked.
"No, there's the Aspen Music Festival and School, that's a big draw. There are a few international film festivals, art galleries, things like that. Most of the workers can't even afford to live there where the median price for a two bedroom house exceeds five million dollars," Dave told them, rolling his eyes.
"So, if you don't mind me asking – how do you afford to live here?" Kurt asked.
"We don't live in Aspen. Our clinic is there. Philip grew up in Aspen and Snowmass, the next town over. His folks had several houses, one on Owl Creek Road back when Snowmass was a working ranch called Brush Creek. His mother owned a florist shop in Aspen and that's where our clinic is now. Phil inherited the properties when his folks passed ten years ago," Dave explained. "We pay taxes, but otherwise the building is ours," Dave explained.
"Good deal, then," Blaine said.
They drove along in silence for a while, watching out the windows at the breathtaking scenery. An hour outside Aspen, Kurt started sniffing the air with a disgusted look on his face.
"What on Earth is that stench?" he asked as the children quickly rolled up their windows.
"Oh, the rotten eggs? That's Glenwood Springs. They have a mineral hot spring in the middle of town. Its a big tourist destination. The swimming pool is 93 degrees, and the therapy pool, which smells worse, and is 104 degrees. The rotten egg smell is sulfur from the geothermal activity that makes the hot springs. It's been here since the Ute Indians used it for healing purposes before the Europeans came. We can come visit if you like?" Dave offered.
"Ah, no thank you," Kurt said and Dave laughed.
"I don't blame you. I am not a fan of the smell, either, and the therapy pool is just too hot for me."
After a short time on winding roads, they came to a driveway outside of a small town drove up to an older brick home and Dave parked in the drive.
"I'll show you my room," Freddy offered, finally smiling at the twins. He was a year younger but taller than either of them. He had red hair and a smattering of freckles across his nose. Kurt smiled at him, thinking he was a really cute kid.
"Phil will be home in a short while, he had a full schedule today and it takes a while to drive home from Aspen. In the mean time, I can set you up in the guest rooms. Jordan, would you rather share with Freddy or with your sister?"
Jordan looked over at Freddy with a question on his face. Freddy smiled and nodded his head.
"With Freddy, please," Jordan said, his eyes sparkling.
"Okay, everyone get your luggage and we'll just go up these stairs," Dave directed and showed Katie and then Kurt and Blaine to their rooms. "We borrowed a crib for Mitzi from a friend."
That brought smiles from Kurt and Blaine, hugging the tiny girl as they followed Dave to their guest room.
"I'll leave you to unpack and tidy up then. There's an en suite through that door," he pointed out to the men and then showed Katura where the bathroom was in the hall adjacent to her room.
"Just get comfortable and come down to the living room when you're ready. I'm going to start dinner," Dave called, going downstairs.
They were all seated in the large room adjacent to the kitchen when keys were heard in the door.
"Hello?" a voice sounded from down the hallway and a small man came into the family room.
"Phil! I want to introduce you to Kurt, Blaine, Katie, and Jordan. Little Mitzi is asleep upstairs in the guest room, but you'll meet her later," Dave said, sounding nervous. He turned to their guests. "And this is my husband, Dr. Phil Nelson."
"Please call me Phil," the man grinned, shaking hands with everyone.
"Supper is almost ready," Dave said and went back to stir things on the stove.
"I hope your trip was pleasant?" Phil asked, sitting down on a loveseat facing the sofa where Kurt and Blaine were sitting. Freddy and the twins were playing a game at the table.
"It was good – no turbulence. Mitzi got an earache, but she seems better now that she's on the ground," Kurt said just as a noise came from the hallway.
"Speaking of our youngest, I better go see to her," Blaine said, getting up to go attend to Mitzi.
A few minutes later he reappeared, a newly-cleaned and smiling baby in his arms.
"Oh, look at her!" Phil said, smiling up at the baby.
"She is happy now – she must be feeling better after the plane ride," Kurt said, holding his arms out to take his daughter from Blaine.
"I think she's hungry, too," Blaine mentioned as he took her bottle to the kitchen to warm it a bit.
"Kids, you need to clean up the Monopoly game, we need to set the table for supper," Phil said and the kids put the pieces back in the box. Freddy set the table while Katie went to see if she could help with anything in the kitchen and Jordan folded napkins.
"What's for supper?" Phil asked, "It smells delicious."
"Leg of lamb, fresh spinach salad, green beans with almonds, and mashed potatoes," Dave said, taking the lamb joint out of the oven to rest before mealtime.
"Can I help?" Kurt asked, strolling into the kitchen.
"Would you mash the potatoes?" Dave asked, handing him the drained spuds and a masher. Kurt went to work doing that while Blaine sat on the sofa feeding Mitzi.
After supper, the whole bunch played another game of Monopoly, but this version was of Colorado instead of the traditional Atlantic City.
"I want to be the bicycle!" called Katie.
"Okay, if I get to be the gold nugget," Freddy put in, then glanced at Jordan. "Unless you do?" he asked politely.
"No, I was thinking I want to be the pine tree?"
"That leaves the dog for me,"grinned Blaine and Kurt took the iron.
"Ski boot or in-line skate?" Dave asked his husband.
"I'll be the boot," Phil smiled, giving his husband a kiss to his cheek.
The game lasted over an hour with Kurt as the winner when he finally took all of Phil's money as he landed on the Garden of the Gods square.
Freddy and Katie were sound asleep on the sofa and loveseat, having been beaten early on in the game. Jordan was holding Mitzi – who was likewise asleep in his lap.
"I guess we better get these little ones off to bed," Blaine said, reaching over to wake his older daughter.
"That was fun, thank you for the great evening," Kurt said, giving Dave a quick hug before lifting Mitzi out of Jordan's lap and heading to bed.
"If you're up to it, we have several things we could do tomorrow. We'll leave the final decision up to you," Dave said, picking Freddy up to take him to bed.
"Sounds great. Good night," Blaine answered, a smile on his face.
"Okay, we can just walk around Aspen today, see the park and stores, or we could go for a hike? There are a lot of things we could do – rent in-line skates, drive to Glenwood Canyon and take the Fairy Cave tour?" Dave told them over breakfast.
"Fairy Cave?" the twins said in unison. Freddy grinned.
"Yes, it's a cave that has phosphorescent rocks and lots of stalactites and stalagmites. Its a lot of fun," Phil said.
"It's about 45 minutes, a walking tour of the cave. Does that sound good?" Dave asked and got a hearty round of approval.
The entrance to the cave looked a bit ordinary and the tour guide told them about the history of the cave, which started with guided tours in the late 1800s. Mitzi was in her carrier on Kurt's back, having been fed and changed just before they came. She was awake and happily playing in Kurt's hair.
The kids all gasped as they entered the first 'room' in the cave and the lights went out. Rocks glowed with other-wordly colors of phosphorescent rocks in a rainbow of colors. They all loved it as each new room showed them a different aspect of the cave. In the 'cloud room', the ceiling was made of calcite that did, indeed, resemble clouds.
They followed the tour guide, sometimes going up steps to the next section of the cave and once exiting to 'Exclamation Point' to see a panoramic view of Glenwood Canyon and the city of Glenwood Springs. There were rooms with reflecting ponds, and one with 'popcorn' covered stalactites, and a room to see the huge underground canyon.
"Did you like it?" Phil asked after they'd all gathered together to have their picture taken after the tour.
"I loved it!" Katie crowed, her joy showing on her face.
"I did, too," Jordan said, smiling.
"Thank you, Dr. Phil and Mr. Karofsky," Katie remembered to say and Jordan echoed.
"Please, call us Dave and Phil, and you are very welcome," Dave smiled back at the twins.
"Yes, thank you so much, that was a lot of fun," Blaine said.
"We've thought of several more things for the week, but for now how about lunch and then home to rest?" Dave asked and they piled into his SUV, off to a restaurant in Glenwood Springs.
"Are you sure I can't tempt you to take a swim in the mineral springs?" Phil asked, not surprised when his offer was turned down. Rotten egg smell wasn't a good odor and some people couldn't get past it to enjoy the hot springs. Phil had grown up here and was used to the smell, but Dave still hated it even after all these years.
"Then how about a hike down the Roaring Fork river? We could fish for trout – Dave tells me you like to fish?" Phil offered. "But maybe you do enough of that at home. How about a hike to see Maroon Bells tomorrow?"
"That sounds wonderful," Blaine interjected. He'd always wanted to see and photograph that mountain.
"Sounds like a plan," Dave grinned. He loved hiking up to Maroon Bells...or anywhere for that matter.
And so the week progressed: they hiked all over, went shopping in Aspen, had a picnic in a mountain meadow, played putt-putt golf, and even went on a sunrise balloon ride over the Elk Mountains. By the end of the week everyone was tired.
"Can we just stay home and play board games today?" Jordan asked.
"Sure. I'm kind of tired myself. What will it be today? Clue, Life, Settlers of Cataan?" Dave asked.
"Oh, I've always wanted to play Settlers of Cataan!" Blaine said, excited.
The adults played that while the kids played another Monopoly game. They just stayed home at Dave and Phil's house, sitting around talking and playing games, and having a great time. All of the activities were fun, but this was exactly what they needed.
After lunch, Dave invited the kids out in the back yard where there was a fast-running stream at the rear of the property. He had a stack of what looked like over-sized pie plates in his hands and gave each person one. Blaine went with them while Kurt was rocking Mitzi after her lunch. Phil stayed in with Kurt to keep him company.
"Okay, does everyone have a pan?" Dave asked as he walked down to the stream. He knelt down by the river and scooped a bit of the gravel into his pan.
"This is Brush Creek. One of the reasons people settled near here was gold. There was a rich vein running through the mountains above Aspen and some of it can still be found in the streams. I'll teach you how to pan for gold and we might find some today," he said, smiling at the eager faces of the twins and Blaine.
"You scoop a bit of the sand and gravel from the bottom of the creek and swirl the contents of the pan in the water and wait for the heavier things to settle to the bottom of the pan, like this." Dave demonstrated how to do this, swirling the bit of sediment in his pan. When he was done there was a bit of dark sand in the bottom.
"This is magnetite sand and it's a good sign. Here, see how I dump the lighter gravel and stuff out of the pan and I'm left with the denser stuff," he showed them. "Gold is very dense."
All of the others followed Dave's example. They had various amounts of the black sand in the bottom of their pans.
"Now, swirl this around and you can see tiny flecks of gold. Look, Jordie, you have some right there!" Dave enthused, showing the boy the bitty flecks at the bottom of his pan.
"That's gold? Real gold?" Jordan asked, his eyes wide.
"Yes, sir, it is. Wait, I have a tiny bottle for each of you to save your gold. Here, you do it like this..." he said, showing Jordan how to gently coax the gold into the bottle.
"Oh! I found a big piece!" Katie shouted, holding up a nugget that shined in the sun.
"Oh, Katie, I'm sorry. That isn't gold. It's iron pyrite – what is called 'fool's gold'. It doesn't mean you are foolish, sweet girl, just a name because it fooled many people during the Gold Rush. It shines like gold, huh?" Dave said.
"Yeah, it does. Can I keep it anyway?" she asked, almost shy. She wasn't happy that she had been fooled by the shiny mineral.
"Of course you can," Dave told her, smiling at the young girl. He loved his son, but maybe he and Phil could adopt a girl one day?
They panned for gold for over an hour, each finding tiny bits of the shiny material before going back in the house with their little vials of gold to show Kurt and Phil.
"Oh, sweetie, are you going to support me in my old age?" Kurt asked Jordan, teasing the boy.
"But Daddy, I thought you were loaded?" Jordan said, his eyes getting wide again.
Kurt laughed.
"Where did you hear that?"
"All the kids at school used to tease me about it. They called me 'Prince Jordan' because you had so much money. Is that true? Do you have enough money to buy anything?"
"Well, Jordan, that's a matter of opinion. Yes, we are part owners of the Anderson-Warner Lumber Company. Does that mean we're rich? I guess it depends on what you consider rich. I'll tell you what I think and see if you don't agree with me.
"Blaine, help me out here. Yes, we can probably buy just about anything we would want. Any material thing. But something else makes us richer. We have family and friends – and any one of those people is worth more than all money in the whole world." Kurt said, his husband walking up in back of him to place arms around him.
"That's right, Jordie. Wouldn't you rather have Grandpa Burt instead of thousands of dollars? Or Auntie Rachel, or your cousin, Adele?" Blaine asked, his face serious.
"Yes, Tatay, I guess I would. But we could have a Lamborghini and Grandpa Burt?" Jordan asked, his face innocent of any guile.
"I suppose we could, but where would we drive it? I'm pretty sure the suspension wouldn't last on the dirt road up to our house. I think we'd be better off buying a new feller buncher for the lumber business than a fancy sports car, don't you think?" Blaine laughed.
"Yeah, I guess so." Jordan sighed. He could think of a hundred things he'd love to buy.
Their last day in Colorado was spent in Denver, shopping in Cherry Creek Mall where they had heard of a great toy store called The Wizard's Chest. They walked through several stores, looking at toys and games that the kids might like. Then on to Timbuk Toys, Second Star to the Right Children's Books, and finally to Colpar's Hobbytown to buy some models for the twins to work on at home.
For their last stop, Kurt and Blaine took everyone to the Build-A-Bear to make a teddy bear for their own. Freddy laughed through the whole thing, choosing a lion to build. Katie got a bunny and Jordan got a bear while Kurt and Blaine got a kitty for Mitzi. They had a lot of fun and everyone was tired as they took the Anderson-Hummels to the airport.
"Dave, this was so much fun. Thank you for inviting us to such a wonderful week of vacation and especially all the love you and Phil put into it for us. We'll never forget it. Next year you should come to Oregon and stay with us?" Kurt said, sad to be leaving such good friends.
"It was such a pleasure to have you come here, and yes, we'll plan a trip to your neck of the woods, I promise," Dave said, giving both Blaine and Kurt a big hug. Phil shook their hands and invited them to come stay again. The twins said goodbye to their new friend, Freddy, and it was time to go.
"Good bye! Good bye!" they called as they got in line to go through the security check and on to the concourse.