A/N: This chapter is based on a quick Google, and I'm not sure if anything is exactly like this in Colorado Springs. I am leaning on a festival I went to every single year as a kid. I never had a lot of money growing up and often didn't do a lot, but we almost always went to this one place unless the weather was terrible or someone was sick. (We didn't camp, but there were options to do so.) I am relying on a music festival I went to as a kid as well, so hopefully, this sounds believable. I really hope you are enjoying it. As I said in the beginning, supposed to be group-centered. Trying to get back to that in this chapter, but some SJ still in there. I am still stuck on Chapter 13, but it's finally fleshed out to the point I felt good putting this chapter up; then the final story arch will be after 13; I don't know how many chapters. It will be at least 2, maybe more. Thanks for the follows and reviews. They mean a lot to me. I usually don't get overly personal on here, but this writing is an outlet for me, and it makes me happy that some people can enjoy the stories I make up for these characters.
June came, and the first summer sun hit Colorado. Jack had finally been given the all-clear 2 weeks prior when the Tok'ra came and agreed to use the healing device to get his muscles back to full strength.
Daniel and Sam had been discussing their next trip. It was a local one and something a bit different. Sam wasn't sure if Jack would find it entertaining or annoying, and in truth, she wasn't sure what side of the spectrum she was on either. So when she brings up the fact she and Daniel have plans for the team that upcoming weekend, she says it hesitantly.
Jack gives her a look and smirks, suddenly aware of what the weekend has in store.
"Be prepared, Carter, that twang of a banjo won't get out of your ears for days," Jack stated.
Sam slightly cringed. They were going to one of the many bluegrass festivals held in Colorado Springs; she wasn't sure why there was such a high amount of festivals 8 already done for the year, the one they were going to, and 7 more spread out throughout the summer. Still, she knew there were other things at the festival. A few years ago, she had stopped by; she didn't realize it was happening and had planned on running one of the longer trails but instead found herself looking around the large park. Local merchants and vendors set up. The park was expansive, and although the festival would take up most of the park, there would be a few quiet places. Although it was pretty close to everyone's house, Daniel and Sam agreed they should get the whole experience and spend the night. Sam had pulled up the schedule of events online, seeing that it truly was an all-day event for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They wouldn't catch Friday night, but Saturday started bright and early with an 8 am "Wake up Pickin'" and went all night until 10 pm. Sunday was half a day ending at 3 pm. Sam figured they would be ready to call it quits before the Sun even brightened the day come Sunday morning.
Friday, the team comes back from a grueling mission; they had gone to the planet of Salade. The people were friendly and actually willing to trade. The problem was the mountain they had to climb to get to said city. It didn't look as big from the MALP, and the drone had shown the town just on the other side, but somehow the measurements were and what was estimated to take 5 hours to get to the city took 12. It was worth it though the inhabitants were slightly more advanced medically but slightly behind mechanically. It seemed like a pretty even trade discussion. The city even had a vehicle to get them back to the gate. The whole trip was only supposed to last 24 hours but turned into 36, and they were arriving a lot later home. Sam had asked the group if they wanted to scratch the idea of the festival altogether, but all 3 of the guys wanted to get an early start Saturday. Sam nodded. After going to the infirmary and having a debriefing, the group of 4 headed topsides for a weekend in the park.
The one thing that Sam couldn't wrap her head around was how quickly you were in town, then what felt like the middle of nowhere. The camping site only allowed one vehicle, and they packed very light, so Sam agreed to drive to the park. Sam had found the park pretty quickly after moving to Colorado. The large expanse was about 5 miles out of the city, surrounded by woods. It had a stream on one border and various fences around the other 3. There were cabins, a small lodge, and multiple buildings for summertime treats, rentals, and entertainment.
The park had camping grounds, but for the special event, the regular spots were cut in half; when they found their location, they had enough room for the tent, the car, and small gathering area, barely enough room for a campfire.
The woods deadened the songs coming from the park's central area that you couldn't make out the words, and the only notes heard were very low or very high. After an hour, everything was set up, and the group heads to the main area. There is a large stage under massive tents, similar to a circus. There are vendors set up all around selling anything and everything, Tie-dye t-shirts, lawn ornaments, plants, paintings, quilts. There were various assortments of food, ice cream, old-fashioned soda, pizza, grilled corn. There was a petting zoo for the kids and horse carriage rides. There was another stage to the north in an uncovered area, hosting what seemed to be young kids. This area also had even more vendors selling homemade soaps and wool sweaters. They had someone making old-time wooden toys; Jack got entranced with the marbles. Daniel watched as a woman was spinning wool, and Teal'c was intrigued by a large wooden machine pressing apples into cider. Sam was just taking it all in, glad that the 4 of them could still enjoy life on Earth after leaving it so many times.
Once they got a feel for everything, they went for food and drinks, and all sat in the hard metal chairs under the tent listening to some younger group playing a mix of hits only bluegrass style. They were all listening, no one was making fun, and they all enjoyed the time they were having. A break in the music occurred, and it was still early in the day. Sam suggested that they go to one of the many hands-on lessons they could do, and that time, it was candle-making. Daniel and Teal'c seemed semi-interested, but Jack would prefer to sample more of the food. Sam shrugs her shoulders as the 3 of them leave Jack behind. Jack sighs and starts going with them, but sees a big pretzel stand and its calling to him, so he steps in line, watching where the rest of the group goes while he waits for a butter pretzel.
When he arrives, he sees Daniel already had dried wax on his fingertips, and his candles aren't bad but not perfectly even. Sam isn't as far as Daniel is, but she seems to have a method of counting in between dips and dunking the strings down precisely, slowly bringing them out of the melted wax and counting again. Teal'c is just having fun, Jack thinks. He has no patience with candle making, and even though Jack would assume with all the candles he uses, he would be the one to perfect it. Teal'c was just dipping, not waiting, and his candle looked like it had already been burnt out before it even was lit. The man teaching the technique was annoyed but said nothing. There were about 12 other people there dipping their strings in wax. The man told Jack they were full and he'd have to wait until the next time. Jack shrugged his shoulders and talked to the group eating his pretzel, not caring about the fact he wasn't making a candle. It took Teal'c the shortest amount of time after the instructor told Teal'c that he had enough wax for 6 candles. They were short and stubby. Daniel's were pretty good. The tops didn't look the best but by far were better than the logs that Teal'c made. Sam's came out almost like the instructors, the top wasn't as evenly rounded, and they were about an inch shorter but by far looked better than anyone else trying. If they wanted to keep their candles, they had to pay a fee, but the wax would simply go back into the pot to be reheated and used for the next group if they didn't. Teal'c quickly agreed he was not a good enough candle maker to proceed with the charges. Daniel had decided to pay. The man is moved them to cool completely using a piece of masking tape on the would-be wick to write his name on them. Sam was hesitant, but Teal'c claimed if she were not going to buy them, he would himself and use them "to meditate." Sam smiled but paid the fee and gifted them to Teal'c. He bowed his head, thankful for his friend. The summer air was hot, and they were all sweating, something they preferred not to do if they weren't in the field, so the group goes to one of the only air-conditioned places on the property. The large cabin along the creek sold odds and ends. Fishing accessories, bottled drinks, Colorado souvenirs, various travel-sized supplies and rented out canoes and fishing poles, and even had mini golf. The group cools off when Jack decides they could all take a fishing break under the shade trees and hear the music from the tent if they fished in a particular area. The group agrees and finds a spot under a large shade tree. They all sit on the ground, the water is low, and Sam dangles her feet off the edge.
"Carter," Jack says, concerned.
"I'll be fine, sir." She claims the most significant threat right now is a rouge fishing hook. Jack sighs and sits a bit further back. Teal'c has never understood catch and release fishing and decides to read during this time. Daniel is alright with the idea, reminding him of the times he fished with his grandfather, which now seems like a lifetime ago. The next band comes on, and although it is a little airy, they can make out the music and words fine from where they are seated. The sound doesn't seem to scare off the fish as they've had over a day now to get used to the noise, and Sam has a pull on her line. Sam reels in her catch and Jack sees it's giving her a bit of struggle, nothing she can't handle when she finally gets the fish out of the water; it is a small trout that Jack thought would be about 4 times as big by the fight it put up. Sam laughed at the poor thing and quickly got the hook out and threw it back in. Daniel receives a few small fish, and Jack gets the "Fish of the day," a large carp. They are there so long, just talking, they didn't realize 2.5 hours had passed. They head back up to the tent. This time Teal'c on the food search, and Sam was needing a drink. Daniel and Jack find seats on the middle edge for the next band, and the group listens to their set. Before they know it, it's a dinner break, and they push recorded music through the speakers. A local church is doing a fish fry, and Sam opts for that; Jack had found Pit beef, and Teal'c agrees it's the best option; Daniel decides to go for a pizza, and they all meet in the pavilion. With Saturday night approaching, many people come in, and it's so packed that it seems they can barely hear each other talk. The live bands start up the music seems even louder to drown out the sound of everyone else. No one expected it to be slow, but it seemed like all of Colorado had shown. The tight crowds didn't make any of them uncomfortable; they thought about heading back to the campgrounds, but it was still early, and by going that direction, it seemed just as many people were packed in that area as well.
Finally, Sam said, "follow me." They go to the opposite side of the park, and the Cabins held various artists people were out on the porches picking banjos, some along with whatever songs were being played on the main stage, others playing a song of their own. Sam walks a path going between two of the large cabins, and even there, in the back, there is a line of vendors none of them ever noticed before; instead of taking the gravel path to the left where the people were gathering, Sam turned to the right, on a dirt path into the woods. Jack assumed this was a path she'd been on before but wasn't sure why she was leading them into the woods as the sunset. The tight course seemed to go on about .5 miles, and all of a sudden, there was a clearing and a fire pit with a large container full of firewood and kindling.
"How'd you know it wouldn't be occupied?" Jack asked.
"I didn't, but there are a few spread around the park. This is the most secluded," Sam claimed.
The group built a fire, and they could still hear the bluegrass music in the distance.
"So we came home to lay in a tent and make a campfire; how is this different from work?" Jack asks.
Sam smiled.
"Because it's on our own time, I'm not using the fire to cook a meal or stop from freezing to death," Sam stated.
They didn't make a large fire just enough to last about an hour and get a break from the crowd. When the last embers were glowing, the group stomped it out and poured what liquid they had on it, making sure it was out before walking back into the mass.
Even more, people had shown up, it was now dark, and the carts and stands were all brightly lit, still selling and tapping their feet to the music. It was around 9 pm when someone walked up to the main stage. Alright, everyone, tonight's final festivity is the moonlight dance; we'll be moving to the smaller stage North where the headlining act "The Deltas" Will be playing a selection of well-known hits, classic bluegrass, and their own songs, all to dance to under the moon and stars. The group heads to the new area, and the band starts playing while many people are just listening. Several are dancing way more than any of them expect. The set is supposed to last 2 hours and after an hour in Daniel and Teal'c head back to the campsite. Sam mentions that the song they are playing is one of her favorites, but she'll be close behind. The 2 take off, but Jack offers to stay with her. When Daniel and Teal'c are out of sight, Jack asks Sam to dance with him.
Sam smiles and agrees the medium-paced song doesn't require touching, and they dance next to each other, no fancy moves required. The next song is slow, another one of Sam's favorites, and Jack pulls her in, and for a moment, Sam holds a classic rigid frame to do a basic waltz or two-step, but about 10 seconds in, she relaxes and puts her head on Jack's shoulder.
"I'm really starting to like this music festival thing, and maybe we should come to the next one too." Jack smiles. Sam can't help but slightly blush.
"Sounds like a plan"," Sam claims.
"Deal," Jack stated.
The two dance to a couple of slow songs before the group starts into their pieces that neither Sam nor Jack seem to care for, so they walk back to their tent. The four-room tent is once again at play like the very first time they did a group outing. Ten months had passed since that day, and that was the last time she had been in the tent. Teal'c and Daniel were in the middle room discussing the schedule for tomorrow. Jack and Sam join in the conversation, believing that a whole day of bluegrass was enough, but they would stay the night and pack up first thing in the morning. Not that they hated the music, no it was different from what any of them would regularly listen to, but they did enjoy it; another day may turn them against it, though. With that, the group goes to their "Rooms" and falls asleep another group outing in the books.