Riverton serves as a place of transit and unexpected opportunity in Jake’s travels. Windy rents a car there to drive to her parents’ vacation house in Crested Butte; later, Jake’s time in town with Beckett leads him to a substantial purchase, an orange vintage Land Rover.

A Point of Departure

Riverton enters the narrative as the starting point for Windy’s drive to Crested Butte. Her parents have another vacation house there, and she plans to rent a car in Riverton and set out the following day. Jake presents this arrangement as the reason he has found a ride rather than needing to hitchhike.

Beckett and the Land Rover

Riverton is also where Jake spends time with Beckett, who lives nearby and plays in a reggae band. A musician in the band restores vintage Land Rovers from scratch and keeps a barn full of them for sale. Jake buys one in Riverton: an orange vehicle whose cost prompts a remark about the size of the nest egg required. The purchase gives Jake’s stop in town a different character from Windy’s planned departure, turning a practical location into the setting for an impulsive acquisition.