Broken down in Green River, a wild wrecker ride, and a rainbow ending

It all happened because we were hungry. Mac told us to be sure we were hungry when we got to Green River, UT because the best burgers out west were to be found at Ray's Tavern.  We got off I-70 at Green River, drove up and down the one main street, and finally located Ray's on the third pass.  We tturned the corner and all hell broke loose.  Westy's temp gauge pegged on "HOT", a buzzer on the dash went off,  steam poured out the back of the car and we heard a nasty hissing sound from somewhere underneath us.  Craig shut off the engine, coasted to the curb, and we got out to find greenish liquid pouring onto the pavement.

Whaddya do in a situation like this?  Eat burgers, of course.
 
After lunch( and those burgers ARE good)  we asked around to see if anybody at Ray's knew of an auto repair in town that worked on old VWs (nobody did).  We finally poured enough water into the cooled-off engine to limp Westy back to I-70 and the Super-8 near the exit, checked in and went to work on an internet search for mechanical assistance.  Turned out that the nearest foreign car repairs were in Moab, UT  and Grand Junction, CO -- and the Moab place (much closer)  wasn't sure parts were available.  After working the phones for more than an hour, Craig lined up a wrecker to take Westy (and us) to GJ the next moring.
     We met our ride at 9 am --  cowboy driving a huge flatbed wrecker (capable of hauling a semi truck) with high-clearance wheels and a cab requiring one to climb a ladder to get into it.  He loaded Westy onto the flatbed (where he looked awfully small), chained everything down, and we were off.  Two and a half hours later we pulled into The Foreign Aid, the auto repair in Grand Junction, and met Steve Stewart -- owner, mechanical genius and weekend racecar driver.  We knew were were at the right place.
       Within twenty minutes Steve had put Westy up on a hoist, diagnosed the problem, ordered the necessary parts overnighted in, lined up a rental car for us, and told us about all the area sights and spots we needed to see while we were in the area.  When it bacame obvious that we were not going to be able to leave until the next day, he suggested that we spend the night in Westy, inside his air-conditioned shop.

     With the work completed the next day and Westy once again ready to travel, we turned for home.  Campground next night was at Bonny Lake State Park in eastern Colorado, a hard-to-find spot in the middle of nowhere that was one of the nicest parks we've stayed in.  A sweltering hot afternoon looked like it would give way to a late-day thunderstorm, but the storm never materialized.  Instead, a heavy layer of clouds produced just a few sprinkles -- and a spectacular, full-bow double rainbow over the campground.  Amazing -- what a way to wrap up a memorable vacation!!