John Denver

All went well the first night of our visit to Colorado; considering the altitude, the different bed, the excitement of travel, Maggie was solid--I'm sure having three kids to play with helped immensely. I stayed up late with Ana and we talked, just like I told her was going to happen.

Here's some of what I learned: everyone liked Dad, his family did indeed own the coffee plantation and he ran it, his popularity kept him from any entanglements in the violence between guerillas and the state in the 1980s, he was a womanizer, he had liver cancer and died and had a well-attended funeral.

I brought a bunch of pictures from my childhood that Ana and Jose and Ana's Aunt Marta hadn't seen, ones of Dad in his 20s, when he was with my Mom, and ones of me at ages 1,2,3. I had hoped to see some of my time in Chinameca, and others without me, but only had two to look at. One of Ana at her high school graduation and one of Dad far into his cancer, posing with Ana and Jose and the other Jose (by the third woman). I left all my pictures there, for them to scan, but brought back one of myself at age 3, looking exactly like Gavin. I was assured that Marta would send back pictures from her collection in El Salvador.

That was the only disappointment of the trip. Ana and her husband Jose and Jose my brother saw to it that I paid for nothing, and told me from moment one of the visit that theirs was my house as well. So, to summarize, my family lives in Warrenville, and can stay anytime in two houses in Chinameca (Marta's and that of my father's cousin, Rene, a developing-country economist living in Alexandria, Va., and working with UNICEF in Africa) and one in Commerce City, Colo.

On Day 2, we drove to Breckenridge to spend a few hours at a family-oriented resort Ana and her family frequent. Beautiful place, with indoor and outdoor pools and indoor/outdoor hot tubs. That day the region suffered record lows and snow (the weather canceled a playoff baseball game between the Phillies and the Rockies), and Jose took us on the scenic route because he knew I love mountains and Maggie had never really been in them. Myself, Jose, Ana, Lilo, his 8-year-old sister Maggie and 3-month-old Nicolas rode in Jose's pickup and it was scary.

I am a bad passenger in even good conditions, and was nervous because I know what mountain driving is like, and the weather was not ideal, so the anxiety was compounded. Still, what scenery to crash in, if you had to. Plus, the scenic route involved many switchbacks without guard rails overlooking hundreds-of-feet inclines. I was happy to stop at Loveland Pass (ele. 11,990 ft.) for pics and leg-stretching. Windy, cold.

Had a blast in Breckenridge, and it was interesting to be in a world-famous ski town. You could spot the hardcore skiiers a mile away, and really got that fit and beautiful and rich vibe which is apparently more friendly than that of Vail or Aspen. We stopped at a pizza place called Fatty's and the 10 of us took over a back room, ordered pop and water and two large pizzas and took a bunch of pics. When the kids got restless, I took little 3-year-old Frankie and six-year-old Lilo outside. Had a lot of fun carrying Frankie on my shoulders and running around, and it sounded like he did, too. He was my Gavin for a couple days.

At the resort, we swam and steamed and sprinted to the outdoor hot tubs and drank a couple beers in sight of a massive mountain. It was Maggie's first hot-tub experience. She thought the jets were a hoot. We let the kids play at a nearby playground before heading home, as my brother Jose confirmed on the phone our large order of pupusas for pick-up once we got back down to mile-high territory.

It was great fun, and only in retrospect did I realize that our first day at Ana's was perfect preparation for the altitude we rose to the next day. Had we gone from Chicago to Breckenridge we would have been miserable, and I recall being short of breath a couple times while carrying either Maggie or Frankie. We took the fast way back, a little bummed we wouldn't have the Rockies game to watch that night.

Pupusas are corn tortillas with cheese in the middle, at their most basic. We also had frijoles pupusas, and some with shredded meat. They are eaten with a side of vinegary cabbage and some sauce--tear off some pupusa, pinch the piece together with the cabbage and sauce and pop it in the piehole (that would be a great name for a band, huh, Piehole). I first ate them in El Salvador and since I was 11 had eaten them only once, from a Salvadoran place in Chicago, in 2000. Maggie tried some gamely, then switched to mashed potatoes.

Ana drove us to the airport early the next day. Her husband Jose woke up to say bye, and Ana included some gifts for the kids and some of her Maggie's old shoes for Maggie as well as a purse as a belated birthday gift.

For the trip home we had no window seats, but it was a ride in one those new 777s. Very sweet. Maggie was happy for the headphones and kids' music channel, while I love listening to the air-traffic control channel. Plus, you get those TVs in the seatback and can see how high and fast you're going, which is very cool right after takeoff, seeing how quickly you're climbing. I watched a Tim Gunn makeover show because he's fun to listen to.

All in all, a great trip, still trying to wrap my head around having more family. This re-connect was something I had thought about and wanted for decades, and we did it. So happy I have a family to show off, and cannot wait until Carrie and the other kids can meet the Colorado crew.

Probably, we will drive out someday, and for the grandaddy of trips, coordinate a reunion in Chinameca.

Thank you so much to my Mom, who bought us the tickets for my birthday, and who was as happy as me to have the opportunity. Also, to lovely and sassy Carrie, who rejiggered her work schedule so she could be home with the other kids that weekend. Worked her ass off for four days at her job, then a couple more at home alone. And of course to Ana, Jose, Lilo, Maggie, Marta, Jose and Margarita for warmth and fun.