It seems a little wrong to lump all these big square states all under one title but at seventy miles an hour things go by pretty quickly. We only clipped the northeast corner of New Mexico so not really much to report on the Land of Enchantment, didn't even stop for gas until we crossed the state line into Colorado. The snow capped peaks of the front range of the rockies were in view throughout the whole day and the sky was clear, we had no trouble with the massive trailer hooked to our back bumper but that didn't stop us from checking the straps that secured the load, the bearings, tires, and lights. We made Boulder at about 7:30 at night and we gained an hour so that made for a long day. The great thing was that we spent the night with Trippy and Clay at their awesome house just outside of town, a house on the edge of a lake with a stream running down past the driveway across from some conservation land with a spectacular Rocky Mountain view.
Jeff and I had both met Trippy (Amy) while hiking the long trail in 2015, and although we calculated we had only known her for a week (probably 100 miles of trail walking) I felt that we were old friends that had shared a remarkable experience while walking the woods of Vermont. Her husband Clay was initially an unknown but by the time he had put the steaks on the grill it was clear that he too was good people, great people. I slept well in what may be the last bed that I sleep in for a couple months and for that I am grateful. Thanks Amy, thanks Clay.
Wyoming the next day was beautiful, big and wide open turning cool and windy, a feature that ended up defining our time in Montana. The kind of wind that pushes around a van and trailer, Straits of Magellan kind of wind. Still with the Rockies on our left side all day we cruised through giant wind farms, immense cattle farms, horses, wheat fields, old wooden grain elevators and only one tatooed welder dude that worked for a year with the carnival and who, after leaving us at the rest area, thought it was important enough to return after a half hour with an offer to fix the trailer. The trailer was fine but it was generous and interesting of him to offer to help.
We slept the night after 14 hours, another 700 miles up the road, in a rest area on a state highway just east of Great Falls Montana. A big old Rocky Mountain Big Sky day.