No Cows. No People. No Gas Stations.

I really don’t know how else to describe Wyoming. It is unique. It was windy. But I hardly saw any cows or people or gas stations as I trekked through Wyoming to Colorado. There’s something to say about so much, seemingly, untouched land. Montana is like that, but there are houses dotted around the countryside and gas stations here and there, but once you’re out of a city and on the highway in Wyoming, it’s desolate. The texture of the land is rugged but stunning, and it doesn’t look like it would be an easy life, weathering Wyoming.

My check engine light decided it wanted to see Wyoming and Colorado as well, so it stayed on throughout the drive into Fort Collins. I was able to make some plans for Estella while I was in Wyoming. First, I had to figure out what Arthur would do if I could get an appointment with Mercedes-Benz in Westminster, CO. Rover.com has been such a great resource for Arthur on this journey. I decided it was probably best to board him since I wasn’t sure how long Estella would be in the shop.

I dropped Arthur off at a super nice couple’s home outside of Denver, and it was rough. He was NOT happy, and I have the scars to prove it. The couple did their very best with him, but it was just too much change. As much as he loathes driving from place to place, he really has adapted to life in the RV and is not curious about life outside of it. Pick up was just about as awful as drop off, but once we were back on the road to Fort Collins, Arthur was in better spirits and eventually forgave me for my terrible decisions. 🍫 🍫 🍫

There has definitely been something watching my back on this journey. When I contacted the MB dealership in CO, they were incredibly understanding of my situation and my timeline. I cannot say enough about how friendly they were to me, especially Randal – who was responsive and probably had to move heaven and earth to get Estella in and repaired – and how kindly they took my money. 🍫 The good news is that Estella was back within three days, fixed, and had a general maintenance service done.

Fort Collins.

There were some great parts about my stay in Fort Collins. It’s a great town. I was able to rent a car through Turo again and tootle around a bit. I saw a play (Our Town) on the thrust stage at Colorado State University. I stayed near the Horsetooth Reservoir, which was outside of town, but it was beautiful and worth the extra money to get rides in/out of town.

Arthur enjoying the view when we arrived.

The warm weather didn’t last, but I was ok with it. We had several, short snow falls that turned everything pristine and then muddy.

While I was in Fort Collins, I received some really difficult information, which was definitely a setback in how far I thought I had come in my journey. This is a journey of thousands of miles both logistically and emotionally. I started to write letters that I will probably never send, but they helped me get the thoughts out of my head and my heart. Outside of work, there aren’t a lot of distractions, so I have a lot of time to think, process, mourn, and grow. This journey has changed me, but it has also reminded me that I have a long way to go.

Even as I struggled, there were bright spots while I was in Fort Collins. Not surprisingly, it was my interactions with people that reminded me to be grateful. I mentioned Randal earlier; his kindness helped keep me on track with my trip and dissolved some of my anxiety about getting back on the road. When I was in Denver, I got an Uber ride to the airport to pick up a rental car. My driver, Gerald, was a calming presence who was genuinely interested in having a good conversation. It helped that we were in traffic for 45 minutes, but we were able to make a connection, giving me some support that I hadn’t realized that I needed.

Fortune continued to be in my favor when we got back to Fort Collins. My first ride into town to pick up my rental car was with a guy from MN – a little slice of home – and his stories about his family helped me see that I’m not alone as I work through all the relationships in my life.

After returning my rental car, my driver was also an open, kind person who was open and offered me some advice about how he finds his center. I promise I didn’t overshare; he just must’ve known I needed that. I also forgot my phone in his vehicle. 🍫 🍫 🍫 🍫 I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that was an ordeal. I had been using my phone as a hotspot since the T-Mobile signal was non-existent at this site. So, no contact with the outside world without my phone. I ended up driving into Fort Collins to get a better signal with my hotspot, contacted my friend to call my phone, and then drove back out to the park to meet the driver who generously had driven back out to where he dropped me off to get me reconnected with my phone.

I am grateful. I am strong. I will continue to grow.