After a not terribly interesting time in Roswell I went and stayed with Dan in Los Lunas, a few miles south of Albuquerque. It snowed. And New Mexico licensing laws are even more arcane than those of Texas.On the way I passed Bingham, which consists of two emporia selling 'trinitite', which is a glassy substance to be found around ten miles to the south on the site of Trinity, where the first atomic bomb was detonated. It seemed fitting, as I'd passed through Hiroshima on my way here.

Today I passed the Very Large Array. This set of radio telescopes featured in the film 'Contact' and is involved in SETI - the search of extraterrestrial intelligence.

I was heading for Flagstaff, but after riding through the first of several snow flurries and stopping for a coffee at Quemado, the Sheriff advised me that a severe storm was on its way and to head south to Phoenix.

Before I'd even reached the Arizona state line the snow thickened. I turned back and made it to the motel in Quemado just before the snow started coming down heavily. Dunno how long I'll be here.

I didn't tell you about another character I met in Port Aransas. Ron lives on his boat there for six months every winter, and drives around town in his immaculate 1954 Bentley. It's gorgeous.