We have escaped the clutches of winter. We drove from Ely, NV to Las Vegas, fighting crosswinds all the way. There was one truly beautiful place that should have been named Organ Pipe something, but wasn't. Shortly thereafter, we passed through Crystal Springs and then found a tiny town called Alamo that sported not only a pay phone but a car wash. I called Pam in Texas and confirmed that Gracie had arrived in Las Vegas the night before. All other plans were cast aside, and after washing off the mud and salt of our wintry trip, we drove into Henderson, where we checked into the Boulder Lakes RV Resort on the Boulder Highway.

The following morning, Gracie and Adrienne came to pick me up, and I spent a delightful evening with them and Mike, Adrienne's partner, whom I had never met. I approve of him, even though he is a Republican. He has a great sense of humour. The next morning (yesterday), I cast aside my plan to go see Gracie one more time, because the thought of finding my way through Henderson made me turn pale. Instead, we drove to Lake Havasu, where we met Tru and Neil and paid a visit to the Javelina Cantina. Today, the weather is even better than it was yesterday - we think it's about 70F outside - and I'm thinking of breaking out the kite I bought in Oregon.

Altogether, things are looking up.