Secrets 3: The Road to the Future

My alarm went off at 6:30 and then Devin and I took a quick shower, got dressed, and carried our duffel bags downstairs.  My parents were waiting for us in the living room. 

“We’ll be driving directly to Glenwood Springs, which will take about five hours, but you’ll be able to sleep for part of the time if you’re still tired,” Dad advised us.  “We’ll stop for breakfast in about an hour, so you can either sleep until then or remain awake until after you’ve eaten.” 

“I can also drive part of the way, if you want,” I offered. 

“I’ll see how I’m feeling after we stop for breakfast and then I’ll let you know if I need you to take over.  We’ll have lunch after we arrive at Glenwood Springs, and then we’ll spend the remainder of Saturday getting acquainted with the area, because the first activity that I’ve planned isn’t until Sunday afternoon.”

“Ok, then let’s stop wasting time and get these things loaded in the SUV so we can get going,” I urged. 

The drive passed by quickly.  We made a quick stop for breakfast, and even though I offered to drive as we left the diner, Dad said he was fine and got in behind the wheel.  Devin and I passed the time listening to music and playing games on our phones, and before we knew it, we were pulling into Glenwood Springs. 

The first thing we did was to check in at the Quality Inn, and as soon as we were given the key cards to our rooms, we went there to check them out.  We wanted to examine the rooms to make certain they were suitable before we looked for a place to have lunch, because we’d be staying at the same motel for the entire time. 

Devin and I were thrilled to discover that our room was across the hall from my parent’s room, rather than right next door, because this way they wouldn’t hear us when we were making love.  Both of our rooms had a king size bed, rather that two Queen beds, and the room was larger and much nicer than the rooms we normally stayed in.  After we completed our cursory examination of the room, we walked across the hall to meet up with my parents, and then we headed out for lunch.

The restaurant we chose was called “Yesterdays”, and since the name hinted at nostalgia, Devin and I were interested in seeing what it was like inside.  When we walked inside, the hostess greeted us and asked a question.  “Would you prefer to sit in the ‘60s and 70s’ room, or the ‘80s and 90s’ room?” 

My dad quickly looked at us and spoke.  “Well, what do you boys want to do?”

“Since we’re going to be here for a few days, let’s sit in the ‘60s and 70s’ room today and then we can come back here another time and see what the other room is like.”

Dad nodded at the hostess and she led us to a table in the dining room on the right side of the building.  The 80s and 90s room was on the opposite side of the building, with the reception/waiting area, a small bar, and the kitchen situated between the two dining rooms.  As soon as we were seated, Devin and I started looking around, because there were a lot of interesting things to see. 

There were a number of toys and other objects attached to the walls or suspended from the ceiling, and there were items that Devin and I had to ask my parents to explain what they were.  Sometimes they didn’t know either, so we had to ask the wait staff to tell us about those items. 

We’d passed a large jukebox as we were led into the dining room, and there were also small jukeboxes, or wallboxes, attached to the wall beside the various tables.  Each of the wallboxes offered a wide selection of songs that were popular during the 60s and 70s that we could choose to listen to.  There was a slot where we could insert coins, and we could play one song for a dime (10 cents) or three songs for a quarter (25 cents), which is how much it would have cost back then.  The music then played softly over the speakers in the room where it had been selected, regardless if it had been selected from a wallbox or the larger jukebox. 

“I’m glad the music isn’t blasting out of the speakers,” Mom stated. 

“It’s probably to make sure it doesn’t interfere with the music being played in the other room,” Dad pointed out. 

“Or possibly so we can hear each other talk without screaming,” Devin added.

Above each wallbox was a photo of a group that was popular during that time-period, and I studied the photo above the wallbox next to our table.  It was a photo of three men with long hair, and one also had a bushy moustache, and the name that was printed below the photo read ‘Crosby, Stills and Nash’.  

“Did you ever listen to this group while you were growing up?” I asked my parents. 

“We were only little kids when they were popular,” Mom responded, “but I do remember a few of their songs.”

“Then you can select the songs we listen to.”  I inserted a quarter into the slot and Mom selected three songs that eventually played over the speaker in the room. 

“It looks like the songs play in the order they were selected,” I said when the songs we selected didn’t play as soon as the previous song ended. 

“That seems fair,” Devin commented, and I silently agreed. 

The food was tasty and the service fairly efficient, although my mom and dad were slightly annoyed that they had trouble getting the server’s attention when they wanted a refill of coffee.  In fact, Devin had to go over to the server to get his attention, which made my parents happy, and overall, it was an interesting place to dine and we enjoyed our time there. 

After we finished eating, Dad drove us around Glenwood Springs for a couple of hours so he could make mental notes about how to get to the various places where he’d made reservations to take us to later.  Upon our return to the motel, instead of going directly to our rooms, we walked around the local area so we could check out some of the other facilities closer to where we were staying.  This included various businesses and other places of interest that my parents thought we might want to visit again at another time. 

“I want to have lunch at this café at least once while we’re here,” Mom stated as we passed by one of those locations.  “It reminds me of the stories I’ve read about Parisian cafés and I want to sit outside to eat while we’re here.”  

We all agreed to do that, and then we started walking around some more.  It was during this time that we passed a large map in a store window, so Devin and I stopped to check it out.  While studying it we learned many things, including why this area was nicknamed ‘The Land of Water’.  It was because Glenwood Springs is located at the junction where the Colorado and Roaring Forks Rivers converge, and this provided us with a clue about what Dad might have planned for us.  After all, he did tell us to bring shoes that had a decent traction on wet and slippery surfaces, didn’t he?  

As soon as we finished looking around the immediate area, which took a couple more hours to complete because Mom and Dad kept stopping to look at things more closely.  Eventually, we stopped to have supper at another restaurant we came to, and then after we finished eating, we returned to the motel.  Before we said goodnight to my parents, I asked my dad a question.

 “How should we dress for tomorrow?”

“You’ll probably want to wear a new pair of shorts over your swimsuit, and you should probably wear a pair of the nylon sweatpants as well, because it will still be chilly when we first get there.  Also wear one of your new shirts and wear the shoes you brought with you that are good on slippery and wet surfaces.  And bring your windbreaker too, just to be safe, because if you decide you don’t need it, you can always leave it in the SUV until later.”

“Ok, we can do that, so what are we going to do tomorrow?”

“You’ll see when we get there,” Dad replied.  “Like I told you at the house, I want to see your reactions when we do each of the activities I made reservations for this time.” 

“Ok, I guess we can live with that,” I replied, while Devin nodded in agreement. 

“And set your alarms for 6:30, because I want to eat breakfast by 7:00.  That way we’ll be done early enough to reach the destination prior to the appointment time.” 

We then headed to our rooms, but it was still early, so Devin turned on the TV and checked out the cable guide to see what was on.  We soon discovered that “Ready Player One” was playing on one of the channels, and even though we’d seen it before, we switched to that channel to watch it again.  The movie was just as exciting as the first time we saw it, even though they had to make some changes to it so it could be shown on TV.  When it ended, we took our showers and cuddled together in bed as we slowly drifted to sleep. 

As soon as the alarm went off the next morning, Devin and I got up and hurriedly got dressed, and once we were ready, we headed across the hall to knock on my parents’ door.  Of course, we’d be enjoying the motel’s complimentary breakfast, which was probably a prerequisite for him choosing this motel in the first place.  

Dad kept urging us to eat quickly so we wouldn’t be late, and Devin and I were eating as fast as we could without choking, since we were excited and eager to learn what we were going to do today.  Dad had only given us information about what to wear and it wasn’t sufficient to give us a clear indication about what he had planned.  We were pretty sure it would be something on or in the water, but we had no idea if we’d just be going swimming in a lake or if we’d possibly be doing something more exciting.  

“Are you going to tell us what we’ll be doing today?” I asked as we were finishing our breakfast. 

“Yes, I don’t think it will matter now, since I’ll see your reactions when I tell you.  We’ll be taking a half-day kayak tour, but we’ll be doing it on what they refer to as ‘duckies’, or inflatable kayaks.  They have both single and double kayaks, and I’ve reserved a double kayak for your mother and myself, because she doesn’t have any experience doing things like this.  You two can use either a single or double kayak, but I’ll leave the choice up to you.”

After looking quickly at Devin, I responded.  “I think we’ll go with the single kayaks, since we’ve gone canoeing before.” 

“Yeah, and a single kayak will be more fun,” Devin confirmed.  

“I know you’ve paddled a canoe before, but a kayak uses a paddle with a blade on either end,” Dad explained.  You place your hands at the center of the kayak paddle so you’re able to rotate first one blade and then the other into the water to propel it.”

“I think we’ll still use the single kayaks,” I answered, “and since Mom hasn’t ever done this before, I’m sure they’ll give us some sort of instruction before we begin.”

“Yes, in fact it stated on the website that they’d be doing that before we got in the kayaks.”

When we finished eating, we hurried out to the SUV, and as soon as we were ready, Dad set out for Defiance Outfitters, the company that he’d used to arrange for this outing.  They advised him that we were required to arrive at the facility 45 minutes before our tour was to begin so they could explain a few things to us first, and Devin and I were eager to see the duckies.  We were greeted by our tour guide as soon as we checked in, and he began his introduction as soon as everyone was accounted for, since others would also be going on this tour with us. 

“I see there doesn’t seem to be anyone under twelve-years-old in the group, so let’s begin by discussing the rapids.  The trip will last for two and a half hours and we’ll encounter rapids that will range from type I to type III.  Type I rapids are easy, type II rapids are rated for novices, and type III rapids are for intermediate kayakers, although they’re only moderately difficult.  Since each of you has had some experience on the water before, or are partnered with someone who has, all we ask is that you’re able to self-rescue.  All this means is that you’re able to swim well enough that you won’t drown.”

As soon as everyone agreed that this was the case, our instructor continued.  “We’ll be supplying each of you with a life jacket, helmet, and river booties that you can slip on over whatever you’re wearing on your feet, as long as they’re dry.  We also have wetsuits that you can rent if the clothing you are wearing is cotton or might not protect you sufficiently.  We’ll also be providing your transportation out to our launch point and we’ll also be returning you back here when the tour ends.”

After he finished speaking, I looked at my parents and spoke.  “That’s why you bought us all those clothes, isn’t it, so we wouldn’t wear anything that was made of cotton.  Devin and I noticed the shorts, shirts and sweatpants were all made from different types of nylon, and that includes the windbreakers as well.”

“Yes, it’s why we bought you those things, and that way we wouldn’t have to tell you what we’d be doing on vacation.” 

“Ok, getting a bunch of new stuff is better than finding out what we’d be doing before we got here,” Devin said and I nodded in agreement.

We were then given a brief instruction about how to use the paddles first, and then we were issued a helmet and paddle so we’d be able to practice before we got into the kayaks.  After we completed the practice session while standing, we had a brief time that we could introduce ourselves to others in the group.  However, other than paddling down the river at the same time, we wouldn’t actually be interacting with them very much. 

Eventually, our tour guide advised us to bring our paddles and line up in order to get our duckies.  The only thing they asked was whether we wanted a double or single duckie.  As soon as we’d collected our duckie, we were told to take it, along with the paddle, out to where the van was waiting for us.  Once there, we’d be able to help the staff load the kayaks and paddles onto the trailer to be taken to the launch site.  It wasn’t that difficult to do, since the duckies were light weight, and the paddles weren’t heavy either. 

As soon as all of the duckies and paddles had been secured on the trailer, those of us going on this tour were told to hop in the van so we could be driven to the launch point.  We were told that the van we were using held 15 people, that’s 14 plus the driver, and it was also pulling a trailer that was carrying everything we’d be using.  We later learned that the tour guide and other staff members joining us on this trip had left in another vehicle. 

When we arrived at the river, we were given a quick review lesson about how to use the duckies and paddles first.  It was also pointed out to us that there were several beginners assigned to two-person duckies with a more experienced partner, and the staff wanted to make certain they felt comfortable before we put the duckies into the water.  After they agreed they were ready, we were given a quick safety lesson before we collected our gear and carried everything down to the river. 

Once there, we placed our duckies into the water and got into them, and then we were given an opportunity to paddle around on our own for a while.  We had time to do this as we traveled around the wider section of the river where the launch point was located, and we explore what it was like to be on our own on the river for a short time.  Once we felt comfortable doing this, we followed the tour guide as he led us downstream, and there was two other staff members that were following behind, in case anyone had a problem. 

The section of river where we started out from was wide and the surface was quite calm.  In fact, the water there only had tiny ripples as it flowed downstream, which meant it was quite gentle and gave us plenty of time to get adjusted before the challenges began.  The rapids were mostly rated as class I & II for this outing, meaning they were rated for beginners and novices, and there was only one area where the rapids were rated class III, or intermediate.  Devin and I both felt very comfortable doing this, and when I glanced over at Mom and Dad, they also appeared to be doing quite well and we were all focused on our guide as we followed him down the river. 

When the river began to narrowed slightly, we encounter the first rapids, but they were fairly mild and we all seemed to handle them without any difficulty.  It remained that was until the river narrowed even further, and shortly after that we arrived at a more challenging section of the river where the rapids were far more extreme.  I have to admit that this area was exciting, possibly like riding on a typical roller coaster, but we made it through without any problems. 

We eventually reached a large bend in the river where the rapids were even more extreme, which instantly made us conclude that these were the type III rapids.  I made sure I could see my parents the entire time, in case they were having any problems, and that’s when I noticed that they were having a little trouble keeping the duckie from going sideways as they navigated through the churning water.  I was prepared to speed up so I could help them out and make sure they didn’t tip over, but before I got very far, Dad managed to correct the situation and they made it through the area safely.  Devin and I were also able to handle going through that area without any problem, and then we continued making our way downstream.

After nearly a two-hour journey and encountering even more rapids along the way, we reached our final destination.  After paddling our duckies onto the shore, we spotted the van that was waiting for us, so we placed the duckies and paddles onto the trailer, and then we loaded into the van. 

“Did everyone have a good time?” the driver asked, and he received a resounding “YES!” in reply. 

“It was a total blast,” one woman added. 

“And the rapids weren’t too bad,” Devin chimed in, “but there was one section that gave me a bit of a thrill.”

“Yes, I know exactly the place you’re referring to,” he replied with a grin.

As soon as the van arrived at the outfitters, we unloaded the duckies and paddles and turned in each of the other items they had loaned us, and then we went out and got in our SUV.  “I really enjoyed that,” I said as Dad was placing the key in the ignition. 

“I did too,” Mom concurred. 

“So, what are we doing now?” Devin asked. 

“First, we’ll go back to the motel to dry off and change, since I’m sure we all got a little wet while we were in the duckies, and after we’re all ready, we’ll find someplace to have a late lunch.  Just bring your windbreakers with you, because you might need them later.”

“We left our windbreakers in the van while we were in the kayaks,” I responded, “but will we need our sweatpants again?”  

“You can bring a dry pair along, if you want, but I’d leave both of those items in the SUV until you’ve determined whether or not you’ll need them.” 

As soon as we’d all dried off and changed, we got back in the SUV, ready to go have lunch.  “Would you like to go back to Yesterdays?” Dad asked.

“Yes, I want to see what the other dining room is like,” I replied. 

“That’s a great idea, because we’re more familiar with the music of the 80s and 90s and the groups like Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, U2, and Van Halen,” Mom stated.

“And don’t forget Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, and Prince,” Dad added. 

“Those aren’t groups.  They’re individual artists,” Mom corrected him, “but they were good too.” 

“Yes, they were, and if you want to focus on groups, don’t forget about Aerosmith, R.E.M., and Nirvana.”  

After we entered the restaurant, we went up to the hostess and told her that we wanted to sit in the 80s and 90s room this time.  We soon discovered that this dining area was very similar to the other room we’d been in and there were items attached to the walls and hanging from the ceiling in there as well.  This time, however, they were all items that were popular in the 80s and 90s.  There was also a large jukebox in the room, along with various wallboxes by each table, but then I noticed a striking difference. 

“Hey, now it costs a quarter (25 cents) just to play one song,” I said. 

“It’s due to inflation and the fact that prices kept going up, so that’s what it cost to play songs in the jukebox during the 80s and 90s,” Dad explained. 

“And there’s a picture of a group hanging above this wallbox, but I don’t remember you mentioning this group in the SUV.”

“Why?  What group is it?”

“It says ‘Queen’.”

“Oh yeah.  They first became popular in the mid-70s, but they were still going strong throughout the 80s as well.”

Just to see what this group sounded like, I dug a quarter out of my pocket and selected a song by them.  It was called “Another One Bites the Dust”.

“You know, that’s kind of catchy,” Devin and I agreed. 

“Yes, they had a few songs that were quite catchy,” Dad agreed. 

During the course of our meals, we played a few of the other songs that Mom and Dad suggested, and Devin and I thought they were pretty good as well.  Dad eventually had to stop us from putting any more quarters in the wallbox, because he was worried that we’d be late to our next reservation.  Therefore, we quickly finished eating our food and then headed out to the SUV so Dad could drive us to our next destination. 

“What are we going to do now?” Devin asked. 

The next activity I’ve planned will be held at Snowmass Village, so after we drive there, we’ll spend some time looking around the area first, so I can see what else there is to do there.  After we’ve done that, then we’ll go to the next event.”

“Aren’t you going to tell us what it is?”

“Ok, I can do that.  I’ve tried to plan something music related for each evening, and tonight we’re going to see a bluegrass concert.”

“Isn’t that country music?”

“Yes, it is, but I’ll bet that if you give it a try, you might find that you enjoy it.  However, you might also want to put on your sweatpants and bring your windbreakers with you, because this is going to be held at the top of a mountain and it might get a little chilly up there.”

After we’d driven around the area for a while and Dad was satisfied that he’d seen everything he wanted to see, he took us to the special Bluegrass Concert, which was being held from 5:00-8:00.  We had to take the Silver Queen gondola up to the Sundeck at the top of Aspen Mountain, and then we found a spot were the four of us could sit down and relax. 

“What exactly is bluegrass music anyway?” Devin asked.  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of it before.” 

“Well, it’s a traditional American music style that features a group playing string instruments, usually a guitar, a banjo, a fiddle, and an upright string bass, and sometimes they’ll also have a mandolin.”

“Ok, but what’s the music like?”

“I guess you could say it has elements of blues, gospel, jazz, and old-time mountain music accompanied with high-pitched vocals and tight harmonies.”  

“Ok, but I still don’t know what that means.” 

“In a little while you’ll be able to hear it for yourself.”

Before long, a group came onto the stage carrying their instruments and the spokesperson stepped up to the microphone and began to speak.  “I’d like to welcome all of you here this evening, and since we’re at the top of the mountain, our first three selections will have ‘mountain’ for a theme.  We’ll get things going with a little number titled ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’.”

The guy on the banjo kicked things off to a fast start and the others quickly joined in and backed him up.  Just as we expected, in addition to the banjo there was a guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and a stand-up bass, and they were all very talented. 

When that song ended, the spokesperson went to the microphone again.  “This next number is a song titled ‘Mountain Dew’, and it has no relationship to the drink of the same name from PepsiCo.  This song is more closely related to the stills that some of the good ol’ country boys used to operate far out in the backwoods.”

The song was quite catchy and some of you might even be familiar with this song, because the refrain goes like this: “Oh, they call it that good ole mountain dew / And them that refuse it are few / I'll hush up my mug if you'll fill up my jug / With that good ole mountain dew”.

When they finished that number, the spokesperson made another little spiel.  “The next number is also about a mountain, but not one that’s located in this state, but we’re going to play it anyway.  Our next number is called ‘Rocky Top’, and it’s one of Tennessee’s official state songs.  There are now eleven official state songs in Tennessee, with the first adopted in 1925 and the last in 2024, and Rocky Top was adopted as Tennessee’s state song in 1982.”

“I’ve heard that song before,” Devin told my dad shortly after they began playing it, “but that isn’t the same version of ‘Rocky Top’ that I remember.  The University of Tennessee marching band played that song, but they didn’t use any banjos or high-pitched vocalists either.  And I don’t think they played it quite that fast when I watched them during the football game on TV last fall.”

“Yes, I’m sure there are different variations of the song, but I’ll bet it got the crowd all pumped up and excited at the football game,” Dad responded. 

“Yeah, it did.”

A little later, the group played a song that I recognized.  “Hey, I know that song.  It was the theme song for ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’.  I used to watch that show when it was on Nick at night on the weekends while I was growing up.”

“Yes, it’s a very catchy tune, and since the show was very popular at one time, I’m sure you also heard a lot of people around us singing along with the band.”

On the way back to the SUV after the show ended, I asked Dad a question.  “Did they play any particular song that you liked?”

“Yes, they did.  It was ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’, because it was a song that my great-grandfather and grandfather were very fond of.  I think it had something to do with the guy who first sang it.  His name was Bill Munroe and I believe he had some sort of connection to my great-grandfather or his parents.” 

“That’s interesting.  What about you, Mom.  Was there any particular song that you liked?”

“Yes, I liked when they played ‘Rocky Top’.  I’d heard Dolly Parton sing the song before, and she sang it the way Devin was talking about earlier.  She also made a special edition of her album ‘Rockstar’ later and also performed the bluegrass version of the song.”

After the concert ended, Dad found a restaurant nearby that was still open on Sunday, so we went inside to see what they had to offer.  We quickly discovered they had a nice soup and salad bar, and Mom suggested that since it was 8:30 already it would be better if we had that instead of ordering from the menu. 

We were all fine with that idea, especially after we learned what they had on the salad bar.  To start with, there were two types of soups and they offered split pea and ham and chicken noodle, and you choose to have either a cup or bowl of either one or both.  They also had both Romaine and iceberg lettuce, along with broccoli and cauliflower florets and a bunch of other items for the salad. 

There were cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, cubed ham and turkey, cucumbers, onions, carrots, black olives, bacon bits, and several salad dressings as well.  There was also shredded cheese, croutons, chick peas, navy and lima beans, along with sliced beets, melon balls, and fruit cocktail, so we all found plenty to fill us up.

As soon as we finished eating, I asked Dad a question before we left the restaurant.  “How should we dress for tomorrow?”

“Dress the same way you dressed for this morning.”

“So, we’re going to do something on the water again?” Devin followed. 

“Yes, tomorrow we’ll be going rafting, although it won’t be white water rafting.  I planned something a little milder so your mother could get used to it before we do something more extreme.” 

“Ok, that sounds good to us,” we agreed, and then Dad drove us back to Glenwood Springs. 

As soon as we were in our motel room, Devin and I decided to watch a movie on TV before we turned in for the night.  When the movie ended, Devin spooned behind me, draped his arm over my side, and we fell asleep, eagerly looking forward to the next day.