Nov 20:

hola friends,

last night pat and i spent the evening at Vuk's place in vegas. he's an australian in all regards. a bbq master and uber friendly guy. as we entered vegas, we took "jean" to the strip! (we'll post a video compilation soon of the cruise down the strip)









also, i got the chance to try "vegemite"! the aussie breakfast / toast spread. salty goodness. :) i'll be looking for some in an international market in SF when i get home. thank you vuk and allison for letting pat and i stay at your pad at last minute notice and getting a chance to enjoy your most hearty and fun french bulldogs.



this is elvis! i didn't get a chance to get a shot of darla as she was on the move, BUT we did get some hilarious video of them - stay tuned!



getting on the road today we noticed the evil 80 mph "shimmy" coming from the rear end of the car. we have found out that "jean" like to pitch her rear wheel weights like teenage underwear in the heat of passion. (interesting lesson in physics). so for our 2nd visit to big-o tires for a rear balance, we had them do a "static" tape weight install where they stick the weights in the center of the wheel over putting weights on the back and front side. seems to work good thus far.

we left vuk's place this morning and headed out to see hoover dam. what an amazing feat of engineering.









here is a new bypass bridge that is underway. totally amazing!



we'll post the newest video as soon as it's done. thanks for your patience as we trudge through all of this compiling.
tomorrow we go to the meteor crater (i'll be bringing a 110lb. rare earth magnet to find iron from space with)
then off to the petrified national forest!!! something i've been wanting to see since i was a chid!!!

THEN we drive 4 to 5 hours to albuquerque to meet our good long time friends! fire fighter ron parks of salida, colorado, and dr. kent frisbee of colorado springs! these guys are going to be on the road up to 8 hours to spend 1 evening with us, so that's going to be a major highlight in the trip! see you guys tomorrow ron and kent! EDIT: pat just mentioned something very interesting. as we are thinking about it, the last time kent, ron, pat and i got to hang out together was probably upwards of 20 years ago! in the fort collins days. wowzer. :)

have a nice evening, and we'll see you tomorrow!