Rocky Mountain Mayhem (4 page)

“You’re so weird sometimes,” Vivian said.
“Wanting to see a truck in trouble.”

“Not in total trouble. They’d be saved! I
just know the snow would fly everywhere as they barrel into it.
It’d be awesome!”

Snow swirled in the wind and it was difficult
to see 10 feet in front of them.

“Where are we?” Wendy asked.

“Close to Independence Pass.” Lucy slowed to
five miles an hour and put the SUV in four-wheel drive.

“Do I need to pull out my camera and get
footage for
I Shouldn’t Be Alive
?” Vivian asked
nervously.

“No, I’ll get us there in one piece. It just
may take longer than we expected.”

It was now almost a total whiteout and
although Vivian couldn’t see anything, she could feel the tires
loose traction a time or two.
Dear Lord, I hope so. I don’t want
the SPS raising my children
.

“Let me tell y’all about my babies,” Kate
said sweetly.

“Babies!” Vivian said, happy for the
diversion.

“Shaun and I adopted two standard poodles,
Max and Bear.” Kate pulled out her phone and showed Wendy and
Vivian pictures.

“They look like cute, cuddly teddy bears,”
Wendy said. “I bet they’re smart.”

“They can do lots of tricks already. My
favorite is putting a treat on their nose and making them wait to
eat it.”

“Torture,” Vivian said, then she asked Lucy,
“So how ya doing with the driving and seeing the road, because I
can’t see a damn thing.” That wasn’t entirely true. She could see
the faint brake lights of a vehicle in front of them, but she
couldn’t tell how far in front of them.

“Ah, it’s lightening up a bit. I’m okay. I
promise not to go careening off the side of this mountain just
yet.”

“Beer me, please,” Vivian said to Wendy in
the back, handing her the empty.

“Maybe we should go ahead and break out the
champagne,” Wendy said. “If we’re not going to make it, we might as
well go out in style.”

“No!” Lucy insisted. “We’re saving that for
the room.”

The tension in the SUV built — Lucy
concentrating, Vivian drinking, Kate praying and Wendy cursing — as
they descended a thousand feet and finally made it out of the
blizzard-like conditions. The snow eventually stopped altogether
and Lucy took an abrupt turn onto a two lane road.

“What’s with the turn?” Vivian asked, bracing
herself on the console and door handle. “Another road sneak up on
you?”

Lucy gave her a grin. “No, I just had an idea
and we’re making a detour.”

“Exciting!” Wendy clapped.

Kate leaned forward in her seat. “Where are
you taking us?”

“You’ll see, we’ll be there soon,” Lucy said
and clicked on her right blinker.

Soon was an understatement, as the Blue
Spruce Winery came into sight. Lucy pulled in and threw the SUV in
park. “Winter weather treachery equals wine-tasting
debauchery!”

The log cabin tasting room nestled among the
spruce trees was a great surprise to Vivian and she was ready to be
out of the car. She opened her door. “I can’t wait.”

“It is kinda tucked away,” Wendy said,
shutting her door. “But it’s a welcome sight after that harrowing
mountain drive.”

“I second that,” Kate said, then had Lucy,
Vivian and Wendy pose beside a wine bottle-shaped entrance sign.
“Say wine and cheese!” Snap!

The crackling flames from a tall, generous
fireplace greeted the four as they stepped through a pair of heavy
wooden doors, trimmed in cast bronze door knobs. A middle aged
woman dressed in a tweedy blazer poured wine for a couple. Delicate
displays of expensive looking bottles lined the stone-clad walls,
and medals adorned several magnums.

An older gentleman sporting a gray beard and
burgundy ascot greeted the girls. He suggested they take a tour,
personally guided by him, before tasting. He explained as he walked
that the winery grew grapes on the estate, but they brought in
several varietals from southwestern Colorado. He led them past the
sorting area where the grapes were brought in at fall harvest, and
he continued on past five stainless steel tanks where the
award-winning Sauvignon Blanc aged. The air temperature dropped in
conjunction with the low ceilings, and the walls closed in more and
more until they stood in the middle of a damp room stacked floor to
ceiling with oak barrels, aging varietals of red wine for a minimum
of three years.

“This is awesome,” Kate said, studying the
structural integrity of the load-bearing rose-red, granite
walls.

“The cave is cool, but having this as part of
the winery, even better,” Wendy said, clearly impressed with the
operation.

“I’m ready to do some tasting,” Lucy said,
rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

“Me, too!” Vivian said.

Ascot escorted them to the tasting room and
poured the Sauvignon Blanc first.

Wendy picked up the glass and swirled it
around, took a big whiff, then sipped it while sucking in air.

“What’s up with all the suckin’ goin’ on over
there?” Vivian asked.

“I’m just appreciating the craft of wine
making and the products thereof,” Wendy explained.

“Do I need to suck in air?” Kate asked,
swirling her wine like Wendy had.

“Yes,” Wendy said. “The air opens up the
bouquet, and you get a fuller taste. It will please your palette
more exquisitely.”

“Who are you and when did you turn into such
a wine snob?” Vivian asked before taking a big gulp
sans
sucking.

“Hey, I made an A in wine appreciation in
college. It was the best class. Ever.”

Vivian turned to Kate. “I’m surprised you’re
partaking, Mrs. Might Be Prego.”

“Just a sip of each,” Kate said with a
wink.

Ascot served four more varietals, describing
them along the way. Each girl bought a bottle of her favorite. On
their way out they took a short trail that led to a scenic
overlook.

“Ahhhh! Help!” Vivian joked, clinging onto a
large boulder that dropped to another, just a few feet down, but
from the other girls’ viewpoint it looked much more dangerous, as
if she could fall to her death.

“Oh my gosh, that’s a Kodak moment!” Lucy
yelled, looking around for something stationary to set her camera
on. She found a downed tree that allowed the camera angle to
perfectly project the death and destruction she was shooting
for.

“This is going to be so funny!” Kate giggled,
fake clinging to the boulder next to Vivian.

Wendy fake-clung, too, and Lucy set the timer
for 10 seconds.

“Hurry, it’s blinking!” Kate yelled as Lucy
ran into place.

She posed just in time for the flash, then
jumped back up and checked the preview. “It’s perfect. We’re
one-shot wonders!”

They took turns snapping a few more funny
pictures and ‘falling’ off the cliff, then they returned to the car
and piled in.

Vivian opened the door to the passenger’s
seat, but changed her mind. “I’m sittin’ next to the bar backseat.
Oops, I mean the backseat bar!”

Lucy, who had kept the tastes to a minimum,
said, “Altitude ladies! You’ll get drunk faster, you gotta be
careful.”

“Ha!” Vivian opened the cooler lid. “Little
late for that.”

THE snow returned in earnest on the drive
into Aspen. They slipped and slid a little but made it to The
Yellow Aspen Hotel without plummeting, spiraling or bringing injury
to themselves, others or the SUV.

Lucy handed over the keys to the valet who
ushered them inside and then unloaded their luggage, including
their backseat bar. The century-old building was boxy on the
outside, but stunningly elegant inside.

Kate, being an architect, pointed out
structural and design details to Vivian and Wendy while Lucy
checked them in.

“You know I’ll never remember what you just
told me, right?” Vivian said and giggled.

Kate shrugged her shoulders. “This is a cool
old place.”

The bellman held the door to the elevator
open for the girls before getting in with the excess of
luggage.

“We’re in 607,” Lucy announced, pushing the
6, then she passed a keycard to each girl.

The corner room was flanked with tall,
divided windows that showcased views of the mountains in two
directions. The blue and white patterned bedspreads reminded Vivian
of her grandmother’s China. Same Blue Willow pattern almost
exactly.

The bellman unloaded the luggage cart and
asked if they’d like anything else. Wendy handed him a tip and said
no thanks, as Vivian made a beeline for the bathroom.

When she emerged, Lucy was inspecting all of
the furniture in the room. As an interior designer, she was always
checking out other people’s designs. She stopped at the antique
desk and ran her fingers along the top then said, “Look, they even
have fresh flowers in the room.”

“We’re high-falutin’ now!” Wendy said,
unpacking her suitcase.

Kate pulled one of the flowers out of the
vase. “Nice touch with the tulips.”

Vivian wasn’t all that excited about the
tulips. Unfortunately, the once favorite flower now reminded her of
something she’d rather forget.

“Came with the room,” Lucy said, taking the
tulip from Kate and putting it in her mouth, then snapping her
fingers. “Olé!”

Vivian laughed and opened the cooler and
pulled out the champagne. She unwrapped the foil liner and loosened
the cage. Pop! The cork flew across the room smacked into the
window with a thud.

“Thank goodness that didn’t break the antique
glass,” Kate said.

“That would have been unfortunate, but what
about my eyeballs? Hello!” Lucy said. “I would have to wear an eye
patch and live my life like a pirate! Arrggggh!”

“You’re not a professional champagne popper
like me,” Wendy said.

“Yeah, but at least there wasn’t a hot
Mexican diving into my boobs like last time,” Vivian said with a
laugh, then handed the bottle to Lucy who held the glasses.

“Have you heard from Arturo at all?” Kate
asked.

“Nah,” Vivian answered. “I doubt I ever will.
That’s okay with me, honestly. I’d prefer to leave what happened in
Mexico, in Mexico.”

Lucy filled their rocks glasses with
champagne. Vivian watched the bubbles float to the top, then pop
back down, revealing the glass to be only a quarter full.

“Let’s have a toast,” Kate said.

They held up their glasses.

“To our second girls’ getaway. Mountains,
mi amigas
and many memories.”

The girls finished off their post-check-in
champagne, freshened up and then decided to do a little shopping
before dinner. They headed down the main drag in Aspen.

Some of the stores were closed because it
was, as Lucy reminded them, “mud season.” Vivian could tell by
window-shopping that the stores that were open would be expensive.
The first was a foofy-la-la boutique with clothing, a large glass
jewelry case and wall display of sequined and bejeweled purses.

“Heyzoos Kristo,” Vivian said, looking at the
price tag on a purse, then dropping it promptly. “Where’s the sales
rack?”

Kate flitted around the store with a
saleslady who placed several items into a dressing room for her.
The other girls sat in the comfy chairs placed around the dressing
area and waited while she changed.

Kate emerged in a flowy Maxi dress. The
halter accentuated her long neck and slender shoulders. The white
dress and purple flowers looked great against her skin. Vivian knew
it was a keeper.

“Kate, that looks beautiful on you. You have
to get it!”

“It would hide a baby bump,” Wendy said and
gave her a smile.

“I don’t know, it’s pretty expensive,” Kate
said.

“When has that ever stopped you?” Lucy
teased.

Kate tried on a few more dresses, but none
was as spectacular as the first. She bought it and added a lovely
silver necklace.

Along the way to the next store, Vivian
stopped to throw away a piece of gum. She pushed on the trash can
lid but it didn’t open. She looked at the contraption and pushed on
it again.

“How the hell does this work?”

Lucy laughed at her. “It’s bear-proof. You’re
not in Texas anymore, ladies.”

Lucy pushed a secret lever and the lid
opened. Vivian tossed her gum in, then tried the lever herself.

“Hmmm, okay,” she said. “They really need
instructions on these things.”

Wendy stepped into a t-shirt shop on the
corner and poked her head back out. “Y’all come in here, they have
all kinds of stuff that’s more in our price range.”

Vivian followed Lucy and Kate into the store
with its t-shirts, mugs, magnets, etc. A full-grown, taxidermied
black bear stood in a corner and Vivian walked over to him. “Let’s
take a picture with him, he’s cute!”

“He’s not cute, he looks like he wants to rip
your head off,” Wendy said, but she walked over anyway.

Lucy and Kate joined them, too, and Vivian
asked another shopper to take their picture.

Instead of saying cheese, they threw up their
hands and growled, doing their best “imbearination.”

“Thanks so much,” Lucy said to the impromptu
photographer.

Photo-op out of the way, the girls got to
shopping. “Oh, look,” Vivian said. “I can afford stuff in here.”
She picked out stuffed animals for Audrey, Lauren, Olivia and Ben
and took them to the counter. She noticed Wendy reading the label
on a can of bear spray.

“Who’s afraid of the big bad bear?” Vivian
joked.

Wendy abruptly put the bear spray down. “I
was just checkin’ it out. Trash cans got me thinking.”

“Uhhh huh.”

“I’ve got to find something for Lizzie.”

“Well that ain’t it,” Vivian smirked. “Might
I recommend one of these silky smooth stuffed animals?” She opened
her bag to reveal the moose, porcupine, otter and fox she had just
purchased.