Graduation on the Mountain

The United Club at RDU features snacks and hot food items as well as a bar and comfy seating.

It was with a great deal of love and pride that Diane and I traveled to the Rocky Mountains in late May to attend our eldest granddaughter’s high school graduation. That our son Nicholas and daughter-in-law Jessica could themselves have a child who reached such a milestone was hard to fathom, but time flies by quickly without regard to our sensibilities. Starting out from the Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU) on a Thursday afternoon in late May, we were fortunate in getting through TSA Security in record time, thanks to our memberships in both CLEAR and TSA PreCheck. With time to spare, we visited the United Club located across from Gate D3 where we were warmly greeted by the receptionist. We managed to find some seats, but I was surprised to see it so crowded. Then I remembered that Business Class passengers on the 3:40 PM Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt were invited to use the United Club as both airlines are members of the Star Alliance. Eventually, those passengers cleared out some 45 minutes prior to their departure, which made our time in the club much more pleasant. I will give United credit in upping their game with regard to the food offered in their clubs, even though their in-flight catering continues to lag behind their rivals. There was a plethora of choices, including Salads, Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Crackers, and local favorites like Roasted Chicken Barbecue and Carolina Cheese Grits served with an assortment of Roasted Spring Vegetables. But, all I did was look as we were planning on having dinner on board.  

I pre-ordered the Tomato-Burrata Manicotti with Black Pepper Alfredo, served with a side salad.

Our gate was changed from D17 to D13 which caused a bit of a scramble on the concourse. Following a very large number of pre boarders (families with small children, those who needed extra time on the jet bridge, Global Services and Premier 1K flyers) Group One was called and we soon settled into Seats 3E and F on the starboard side of the aircraft. United was operating a B737-900ER on the flight to the Denver International Airport (DEN) that afternoon with 20 seats in the forward cabin in a 2 x 2 configuration across five rows. During her announcements, our flight attendant made four separate references which mentioned the prohibition of consuming alcohol which passengers may have brought onboard with them. (I can only assume this continues to be a problem for the carrier post pandemic.) We were airborne about 4:45 and enjoyed a smooth flight at an altitude of 34,000 feet. Lucian was serving the First Class cabin and, while she was very kind, the service was slow to start. We didn’t receive cocktails and warmed nuts until nearly an hour after take off and then dinners were distributed immediately. Since our flight was over 900 miles, United offered a full, hot dinner service. After flying for three hours and ten minutes, we touched down 30 minutes early at 6:00 PM local, and parked at Gate A28. 

The Hampton Inn & Suites offered standard mid-range amenities, but its location was perfect for us.

As luck would have it, our youngest son Joe was in Denver that week on business and he picked us up at the airport for the westward drive on Interstate 70 towards Silverthorne. This mountain town in Summit County is known as a “base camp” for outdoor recreation, offering easy access to skiing, hiking, fishing, and boating on the Dillon Reservoir. We had reservations at the Hampton Inn and Suites, an 88-room hotel that's located just off the interstate and is part of the Hilton portfolio of brands. Completely renovated in 2025, each room was equipped with free Wi-Fi, a 55- inch LCD TV, a work desk and a Nespresso coffee maker. We had a friendly and fun exchange with Joe, the front desk clerk, and went up to Room 403 to unpack. Within a short time, Nicholas drove over from his nearby home in Dillon and we spent the next hour catching up while enjoying a few beers which Joe procured from the Thirsty Pike Taproom in the Outlets of Silverthorne right next door. I must admit that the bed and the pillows at the hotel were top notch and I slept very well on Thursday night after our cross-county flight. We rendezvoused with Joe for breakfast at 8:30 the following morning which gave us a hearty start to a very busy and somewhat emotional day. 

The Peak School is a top-rated private institution with smaller classes and personalized instruction.

Our granddaughter Dilan attended The Peak School in Frisco, CO and the graduation ceremonies began at 11:00 AM at the base of the Copper Mountain Ski Area some seven miles west of that town. The Peak School is a private, progressive college-preparatory school serving grades 6 through 12 that offers a personalized education with a small 6:1 or 7:1 student-teacher ratio. Seniors complete a hands-on, months-long capstone project involving research, travel, or industry mentorship, which is later presented to the entire school. With an enrollment of between 85 and 90 students, The Peak School is intentionally small and boasts a 100% graduation rate with an average SAT score of 1160. There were only nine students in her graduating class.

The proud grandparents and Uncle Joe joined Dilan for a family photo prior to the ceremony.

We managed to greet the graduate before the ceremony, along with those who came to celebrate her. That included her mom, dad and brother of course, as well as her other set of grandparents, her aunt, uncle and cousins. Dilan had quite the group on hand, nearly all of whom had traversed the country to be there for her on the big day. We even got to meet her boyfriend Owen whose graduation from Summit High School took place the following day. With the start of the festivities, each of the graduates walked out to a recording of the middle section of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance. (I’d be fibbing if I said I didn’t get misty.) Then, they took their seats in a semicircle on the makeshift stage. Those assembled were first welcomed by Travis Aldrich, Head of School, and the Keynote Speaker was Melanie Benedict, the Associate Head of School. The graduates were next introduced to the assemblage in a rather unique way as each of them had pre selected someone to speak on their behalf, other than a parent. The stories they told were heartwarming and informative, giving everyone a personal glimpse into each senior.  The Peak School has a highly unique commencement ceremony whereby seniors and their families normally ride the Super Bee chairlift at the Copper Mountain Resort to the top of the mountain to receive their diplomas. Unfortunately, there was some thunder and rain in the area so we were unable to do that, but it didn’t dampen any enthusiasm as the young men and women on stage received their diplomas.

Frisco's Pure Kitchen is a popular, health-conscious restaurant and the site for our celebratory dinner.

The day was capped off with a group dinner at the Pure Kitchen, a farm-to-table restaurant in Frisco known for its healthy dishes made from scratch. The restaurant emphasizes using real, whole-food ingredients sourced from local farms, offering a warm and friendly atmosphere. Their craft cocktails were very good and several of us enjoyed an Old Fashioned with appetizers of Fried Pickles and Buffalo Cauliflower. There were fifteen in our group that evening and Dilan’s gifts were presented as she distributed pieces of her graduation cake. Some of the intrepid diners among us also indulged in ice cream, root beer floats, small cheesecake bites and creamsicle floats! We returned to the Hampton Inn afterwards sated, but happy and had a brief visit there with Nicholas, Dilan and Owen. 

Stopping to allow patrons to load dirty dishes, the robot at the United Club never did take a break.

Saturday found us heading back to the Denver Airport where Joe returned his rental car. We hopped aboard the West Terminal Shuttle to the Jeppesen Terminal, the airport’s sole central hub. Surprisingly for DEN, the CLEAR-TSA PreCheck security lines moved rapidly and we soon took the train to the B gates, stopping off at the United Club next to Gate B22. This is one of the newer and very nice multi-level clubs in Denver and we took advantage of the food offerings for a luncheon snack. My favorite part of that lounge experience was discovering the Bear Robotics Servi Plus Unit used to patrol the floors and assist staff by autonomously bussing empty plates and clearing trash. He appeared to glide across the floors effortlessly. Our flight home to RDU was on an Airbus A319 aircraft and we settled into Seats 2A and B on the port side of the aircraft. There were 12 seats in the forward cabin in a 2 x 2 configuration across three rows. Ben was our First Class flight attendant and the in-flight catering or lack thereof had him flummoxed. Initially, he explained that none of the dinner pre-orders were onboard and dutifully offered us either a 5,000-mile deposit into our Mileage Plus accounts or a $100 voucher for future travel on United. We both chose to receive the miles, but somehow Diane ended up with the voucher. At any rate, after his spending an inordinate amount of time in the galley trying to come to grips with the dinner mix up, he emerged to inform us that the pre-orders were indeed aboard. He explained his hand-held computer had mistakenly counted everyone twice. So, Diane had the Cheese Plate after all and I was served the Chicken Enchiladas. At least we got to keep the miles and the voucher.

We touched down at 9:15 that night after a smooth, two hour and 58-minute flight. The wonderful memories we made with family during that special time in Colorado were priceless.

Until next time..safe travels.