We had alarms set for the morning to get Jon to the train on time and both emerged from our respective vans at the same time. Dan and I hung out chatting while Jon got his stuff packed for his train to Denver, to be followed by a number of flights to Tokyo. We skipped on breakfast, thinking we might have time at the station to grab a quick bite. Dan came with us to the station where he was looking for dog food for Cleo.

I parked outside Pufferbelly station in a very packed carpark and we waltzed in to the ticket office. One of the first things we saw was a sign that said the west bound train, which ran once daily, was delayed until 3pm that afternoon. After a conversation with the ticket lady, she explained that a freight train had broken down on the tracks, causing the half-day delay. Initially I thought this meant Jon would miss his flight out of Denver, but it was leaving the next morning, so it wasn’t too bad. This was not the case for a family behind us in the station, opting to drive the four hours to Denver instead of wait for the late train. Jon was able to check in his bags at least and after a bathroom break, we went outside to find Dan and decided to wait fifteen minutes for a table in the Pufferbelly restaurant. These guys had their clientele nailed, only open until about 2pm, they got all the delayed train passengers. We hung out in the sun outside, me lapping up the warmth and reading the local newspaper while Dan read over my shoulder.

Inside, I couldn’t really stomach the idea of another rich American breakfast, so Dan and I ordered Biscuits and Gravy to share while Jon got the Hobo Breakfast, fully embracing van life. The boys had coffee which they kept refilling and while Jon was in the bathroom, the waitress found out it was our first time in the restaurant so we were rewarded with a huge cinnamon roll as an appetiser that we didn’t need. Lo and behold, when our food came out, the plates were massive and the food formed piles of food. We were all in food comas afterward and hung out in our comfy booth, not feeling guilty at all for keeping the line of people waiting.

With nothing planned for the day, but with time to kill, we made a plan to find a nice park where we could work on Dan’s scooter. We’d pulled it apart weeks ago back at his house and discovered a busted piston and since then Dan had bought a 100cc big bore kit to replace the existing pieces. Jon was keen for some spanner work so it was perfect. We found a huge park north of the city where there was all sorts of kids sports going on. It was a fatal mistak on my part driving through the carpark where we saw a LOT of Odysseys. It brought the final Colorado score up to 18-11, a devastating loss for me. The final scores of the game prove only that the Odyssey is more popular than the Astro, not that it has more character.

Dan met us at the park away from the sports fields and we set our vans up next to each other with a tarp between for a workshop. I had the sleepys, probably because I was still recovering from sickness, so I played supervisor, getting myself comfy in my chair in the shade. The boys worked away, pulling apart the crankcase of the scooter on my instructions to search for broken bits of piston that were for sure floating around in there. Sure enough, after having to detach the engine from the scooter, the crankcase was apart and the many pieces of piston that had been missing were discovered. We hit a snag when the gudgeon pin did not slide out of the conrod and by that time, Jon had to go and catch his train, so the workers called it a day. Jon and I left Dan to pack up the workshop while we headed for the train station.

No further delays for the train, we took a bench seat and waited for the locomotive to roll in on the tracks. There was a cluster of people waiting like Jon and a huge school group outside getting a lecture on proper behaviour while on the train. We hung out for just under an hour before the conductor called for everyone to board the train. Jon, ticket in hand, was excited for his scenic trip across the Rockies, despite the delay. We gave each other big hugs and said farewell, not sure when we’d be meeting again!

Jon being here with me meant I got the hatrick. Lizzy has visited me more than once while I’ve been living in the States and now with Kevin and Jon, all three of my best mates from Aus have travelled with me. It’s been a different adventure every time and being able to spend one-on-one time with these awesome people makes me a lucky girl. I’m very thankful for it and hope we continue to travel together as we get older (and wiser).

I drove back to meet Dan who was just finishing up stowing the scooter on the back of the van. No more plans for the day, we researched a camp spot and head fifteen minutes south of the city to another freecampsites.net offering. We stopped in at a Home Depot to pick up some pallets for firewood, but couldn’t nab any without looking suspicious so we settled for a few scrap lengths of timber. Another quick stop at a liquor store for some beers and we were on our way. After driving through a beautiful canyon by the creek, we found ourselves in a sweet spot mid-way up the cliffs with views down into the valley and to the cliffs above us. Our camp was right by a pyramid rock, with a miniature version serving as the backing plate for a fire pit.

Dan got a fire going while I converted my van back to single status for the first time in over a month. I’d been looking forward to it and took my sweet ass time repacking everything back where I wanted it. By the time I was done, the fire was ablaze and I stood on the roof of the van to get enough reception to talk to Kevin. We had a good old gander about life back home after his America trip and before his travel to the Philippines. I was glad to hear he was doing well and Dan was happy to hear Kev’s voice in all its Aussie glory.

The sun was setting by the time we sat by the fire to enjoy the huge amount of warmth emanating from it, partly thanks to the bonfire Dan had built but mostly because of the rock behind the pit that was reflecting the heat. After we had dinner, we sat by the fire for hours, catching up on each other’s stories over the past week. We played a round of cards by the fire before bed since it had been so long between shuffles. I taught Dan a new game called Queen’s Chair and I absolutely whooped his arse. At least I know one game I can win at, unlike the stupid Odyssey-Astro game.