The honeymoon phase 3

The starter was out, the bus was dead, and we were stranded in an odd and somewhat pseudo-hippie unfriendly environment. Luckily, I had new-bride sadness that could sway even the meanest of men (I was going to say hardest of men but thought that might not be appropriate verbiage in context with new-bride).

Mechanic man decided to fix the starter. This required calling around to find a starter. Apparently all of La Junta, CO was having a beer drinking day and could not be bothered to be in their auto parts stores to save our trip. He ended up calling in to Rocky Ford, CO and found the part. This, however, required someone from this auto parts store to drive over to La Junta to deliver it. I imagine some game of rock-paper-scissors occurring and the loser of 4 out of 5 having to play delivery person. Regardless of how long the rock-paper-scissors tournament went, we weren't getting the part for several hours.

To waste our time until the part showed up, mechanic man and his beer buddy suggested we go over to the Hog's Breath Saloon to get out of the sun and get a drink. Awesome.

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What the two reviews online say of the Hog's Breath:

1. "As you might expect from the name and its location in this ranching town, this is a totally unpretentious steak house that has a liquor license and also serves pork."

2. "I dined there once with my father while visiting La Junta. First, the bartender was friendly and poored well. Next, the wait staff was efficient and competent. Everybody seemed to enjoy working there, a good sign of effective management. Most importantly: the food. All around fantastic! The best ribs I've ever had (besides my own). These were cooked properly; seasoned and slow cooked. Not boiled and then buried in cheap BBQ sauce. Oh, and DON'T pass on the pies. Made like Granny used to. Last, a very fair check at the end of the evening. Dont miss this place if in La Junta."

At least they poor well...

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We walk the few blocks over to the Hog's Breath Saloon. We were the only ones in there that did not have on our motorcycle leathers or cowboys boots. Scott was also the only one in there not eating meat. We were also the smallest people by a good 100 pounds. We were quite the attraction...

Through the speculative and not-so-furtive glances, we placed our orders for something meatless (probably nachos and pie). We sat and ate, idling until we figure that the starter MUST have made it to La Junta. The walk back to the shop put me in mind of something from Treasure of the Sierra Madre. It's rattlesnake country down there, my friends. It is dry, dusty and hot.

Our return to the shop brought a sigh of relief. The starter was in and mechanic man was putting the final touches on its installation. He put the key in the ignition and the bus shuddered to life. Yay! At least it was no longer dead. For his labor, the mechanic took $300 of our money and sent us on our way. That money, I am sure, disappeared into several packs of Natty Light.

We hit the road, trying to beat the sun out of La Junta. A mile or so out, the bus began to smoke. Plumes of blue smoke poured out of the back engine compartment. Having already hopped on the highway, we decide to make it to the next town--Rocky Ford and former home of our starter--and wait until dark to hit the road. Because, obviously, the smoke will show up less at night than during the day. We were too conspicuous by day and Scott was illegally driving.

We pulled into a KOA with a trail of dust and smoke following, parked between the RVs, and hung out in the heat. We saw several blue haired ladies peek out of their RV doors and glare at the bus. Probably because VW busses equal reefer junkies ad the people within cannot be trusted. By this time, we have decided to abandon the plans for Banff, Canada and just head back to Oklahoma. This bus was definitely not making an intracontinental trip. We had only lost three days so we could easily recoup the losses by taking the bus back, borrowing a car, and making a quick trip north. We had 2 weeks of honeymoon vacation built in so we were good.

Life, however, had other plans for the new Taylor couple.