July 29th

A lazy, warm morning. We packed the car and were on the road by 11am. We took route 60 east of Phoenix, and headed into the beautiful rocky hills. It got warm out, but the elevation helps keep it a little cooler than Phoenix. The route took us through lots of different terrain. Just out of Phoenix we hit some fantastic desert full of saguaro and several species of yucca over 10 feet high. Later we went through red rocky canyons to a number of old "wild west" mining towns. We saw a small Catholic shrine by the road just south of Globe so we stopped. It was full of candles and pictures of presumably departed loved ones. We stopped for lunch in the mining town of Globe and had a good lunch at the Blue Ribbon Cafe. Apparently, Globe was originally settled in the late 1800s as a silver mining town but when those reserves ran out, the mines switched to other minerals such as copper and manganese.

As we approached New Mexico the grasses got greener and we saw fewer and fewer cars. Big rain clouds made shadows on the landscape. We listened to 660am out of Window Rock, Arizona (the Navajo country-western station). You can only get it within a hundred miles or so of Window Rock and Gallup so we alway try to tune in when we are in the area. The radio DJ speaks just in Navajo with a few English words thrown in when needed but most of the advertisements are in English. So, to our untrained ears it sounded like "blah blah blah, blah blah. Blah. Blah blah Convention Center blah blah blah". Then an ad for selling mobile homes would come on followed by a Garth Brooks song. Very strange. We love it.

One of the main reasons that we took route 60 was so that we could stop at the VLA (Very Large Array) in the plains of San Augustin near Magdalena, NM. For those who don't know, this is a huge radio telescope for listening to radio signals from space. It was built in the early 1980s and is still the largest in the world in terms of listening ability. The reason for this is that single dish telescopes would have to be impossibly large to have really great accuracy. This array is made up of 27 dishes spread out on a grid. They are actually on railroad tracks so the dishes can be moved as needed. When the signals received by all of the dishes are combined and, in a sense, overlapped, they can act as if they were one humongous dish. Does that make sense? If you want more information, check out theirwebsite. . Also see the movie "Contact" which was filmed here.

We got out to take some pictures and may have spotted a UFO (see picture, below)! This place is amazing... when all the dishes are out to their maximum distance, it is larger than the DC metro area! We went to the visitor's center to alert the scientists of the impending alien invasion but nobody was there. We left our comments on the guest register--in secret code so that the scientists could be alerted without alarming the "general public."

The sun was setting just as we were leaving, and the rain clouds made a spectacular sunset. We made it to Socorro by 8:30 and then to Albuquerque by 9:30. As we got closer to Albuquerque, we decided it would be very appropriate to listen to the classic rock station (104 fm). ABQ is is one of those great places where people still listen to this stuff with a vengeance. It took us back, waaay back. To prove that the karma was right and good, just as we entered the city limits "Back in the Saddle Again" by Aerosmith came on. Welcome home!!

It was strange driving into town from the south. We got off the freeway and took Central all the way up. As always, it was full of changes but memories too. Some old haunts were closed (including the Fat Chance!) but as long as Jack's Lounge and the Frontier Restaurant continue to survive, all will be well with the world.

Mom was waiting with green chile tuna caserole. It was yummy! Greg Hansen came over and brought a guitar he made for me, the Do-Bob, a hybird Dobro/Guitar instrument. It is so beautiful - steely silver blue. I love it and it was great to see him. We plan to go camping with him and his daughter Lily sometime this weekend.

	Big beautiful clouds!
	Eastern Arizona
	Robby with evidence of previous alien presence on Earth...
	Shrine near Miami, AZ (just south of Globe)
	Loved ones and candles
	UFO! Prepare for alien invasion!
	Us at the VLA
	One of the 27 dishes in the VLA (diameter of each = 82 feet)