South!

We started out on our five week Southwestern adventure by driving south for seven hours. We wanted to get as far as possible the first day. Choosing an unusual route, we drove down the Extraterrestrial Highway, circling Area 51. They had a little bar called the Ale-Inn, which I thought was kind of cute. No other sightings.

Arriving at the Pahranagat Wildlife Refuge right at dusk, the birds were just settling for the night and we could hear them calling to each other as we set up camp. No other campers were in the whole campground and it was free.

In the morning we walked about three miles lakeside, watching all the migrated waterfowl--tundra swans, mallards, Canada geese. It was chilly with a slight breeze, but not cold at least. Even though it is south, it still high up in the mountains. The lake was mostly frozen.

Our goal was to arrive in Las Vegas in time to see the blues show at Boulder Station on Thursday. It was a real treat for me to see one of my favorite performers, Eric Sardinas, for the first time in three years. He is a real showstopper with a seriously wicked slide.

The winds picked up fericously on Friday. We drove three hours south fighting with them; most the time they were tailwinds and that's okay, but the crosswinds were very scary. We made it to the Colorado River, right on the border of California and Arizona. The winds kicked up and rocked the motorhome during the night. The dust off the fields was everywhere. When they finally settled down staying in a little county park was very pleasant and warm.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about Slab City.....