Upon entering Dumas, we split up to accomplish different tasks. Scott went to the City Park to check out the campsite while Jerry and I went to Safeway for food. As we were walking out of the store, Scott came walking up to us on foot. 

He related the story that a guy was driving with his lights on, so he tried yelling at him to let him know. As he was chasing him down he ran into the curb and crushed his rim. The guy he was trying to help, a seminary student, came over and they talked for a minute, then took off, saying, "Good luck! I've gotta be in Pueblo tonight!" 

We set up camp and talked about what to do about the rim. Bending it back was hopelessly impossible, so we went to bed and hoped an answer would present itself in the morning. 

Starting shortly after 8:00 the next day Scott made a bunch of calls around town, getting rerouted from one person to another, and around 10:00 a couple of guys came to our campsite with a wheel. We slapped it on the front fork and trued it as best we could using the brake pads and a pair of pliers. It worked adequately, if not great, and we hoped it would at least get us to someplace where he could buy a new one.

On the ninth day of our trip, Scott let us know he was considering stopping in Denver instead of continuing all the way around the country. “It’s just not as much of a challenge as I thought it would be,” he added.

My internal response was “Whuuuuuut?????” 

I eventually realized that he probably meant it wasn’t as much of a physical challenge, because it has been quite challenging in other ways: numerous bike repairs (especially Scott, and maybe he didn’t think his bike could make it much farther), weather and wind, sore butts, knee pain (especially Jerry), and hunting for food and campsites. 

Or maybe he just didn’t feel any adventure in it. Some people find adventure simply by crossing the street, while others don’t find adventure crossing the country. Maybe his Cup of Adventure had been filled, and even now was overflowing. Later that evening, Jerry said he’s probably going to end his trip in Denver as well.

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