Colorado Vacation
I grew up in a small town in Texas on the gulf coast and worked hard for everything I had to my name. Mom was widowed when I was seventeen and I stayed at home with her to help pay bills and take care of the forty-acre property we lived on. I dated girls my age, but they were never what I wanted as I would go out to the over forty Country Western club and dance there. I was now twenty-two years only, six-foot-tall, and well-muscled from hard work.
I had saved up for several years for a basic van and fixed it up to stay weekends in the country. The entire drivetrain was rebuilt and it ran and handled like new. I set it up with a large bed with blackout curtains, cabinets with a sink, and a removable camping stove. Under the bed when you opened the back doors was storage for tables and chairs. Solar and wind power were also stored so I had off-grid power and could even charge the battery in the van if needed. I had fifty gallons of water on board for drinking and washing dishes if needed. Nice carpet all around with a small home theater with TV, stereo and really good sound system.
I was all loaded up for my first camping trip and when I went out the next morning I found it stolen. I was crushed as I had all my fun money for years tied up in it and it would take me several years to rebuild another like it.
I called the police and they took a report and I figured it was lost and I would never see it again. To say I was mad as hell was an understatement and went on with my life. Several months later I got a call from the police and my van was found in Steamboat Colorado and they gave me the number to call. I called and was prepared to hear it was trashed and stripped, but they told me they had pulled a person over and it was in good shape as far as driving it went.
I asked about the electronics and they had been stripped, but the rest of the interior was in good shape and it drove well as one of the Officers drove it to the holding lot. I told him I would fly up there and drive it home sometime in the next week or so as I still had to get time off from work.
I called work and let them know what had happened and I had over two hundred hours of vacation at this point. The Manager understood and since I was never in trouble and worked hard he told me to take a couple of weeks off and let him when I got back in town. I told mom I would like her to come with me and would pay all expenses.
She smiled a smile I had not seen on her face in a very long time and she said "I would love to have a vacation as it has been a hard couple of ears for us both. Let me make a few calls and have Linda from next door watch the place and then I will book the flight one way."
I knew that she had it under control and would need just a carry-on for myself with a couple of changes of clothing and anything else I would buy. The less to carry the better I thought as Mom had always said. The next morning Linda took us to the airport and since mom had set up the flight and everything it was a simple as dressing simple and off we went on the vacation. It was warm at home, but cool in Steamboat Springs so I wore a pair of slip-on cowboy boots, jeans with a nylon clip tactical belt and a dark purple polo, and a Houston Astros hoodie. Mom was dressed similarly and we each carried a wallet and our keys.
When we arrived at the airport security was easy as everything was in our carry-on bags and we pulled off boots and put pocket items in a bowl and in under fifteen minutes we were passed security and found a restaurant to grab a bit as we were very early for our flight. We talked about how much work I had put into the van and mom was proud I was doing well with my life. I was feeling bad that dad was not able to be with us, but I kept this thought to myself as not to upset her.
They called us for the plane and not much longer we were in the air and the plane was not crowded si I leaned back and pulled the hood of my hoodie over my face and took a nap as I had not slept well with all the coming events running through my mind. We did not have to get off the plane at the connection and more people filled the plane, but mom and I stayed in place and we both went back to sleep as Denver was the next stop for us during the trip. The Flight Attendant woke us both up as it was near time to land.
We landed and there was a short walk to a small twin-engine plane for the hop to Steamboat Springs. We grabbed our carry-ons and since we did not need baggage claim we were ready and up in the air within twenty minutes. The plane now was flying between the mountains rather than over them and soon on the ground. I went to the ride-sharing app on my phone and was picked up and enjoyed a short ride to the hotel. Steamboat Springs in the offseason was quiet and people walked the wooden sidewalks. Storefronts had displays out front and there were marijuana dispensaries on several corners.
"I forgot weed was legal here. Let's step in and get us some for later tonight." mom said and I was shocked.
I turned to her and said, "I never would have thought of you getting high."
With a laugh, she slapped my right shoulder and told me. "Before you were born we used to party pretty hard and I always enjoyed the mild buzz, but since it was against the law I stopped as I did not want to get busted."
I was still stunned and we went inside and mom was very comfortable and bought about 12 grams of very high-quality weed and we left. I was waiting for a cop to bust us when we walked out. We saw a liquor store and bought a couple of bottles of Merlot and then went to the hotel and checked in and mom must have made a mistake as the room was a suite with a hot tub in the bedroom and a single king-sized bed.