Common Sense is finally on her way to the Canaries, and as of last contact, all is going well. The reconditioned gearbox is working
fine and Terry's injured finger is slowly healing. They pulled in to El Jadida in Morocco for a day to shelter from adverse winds, but are now just a couple of days out of Lanzarote.
Meanwhile I've done a marathon journey from Gibraltar to London, London to Las Vegas, and fianlly a Greyhound bus from Vegas to Laughlin, Nevada which is close to my mum's place just over the border in Arizona.
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| Golden Valley AZ |
I flew from Gibraltar to London, then direct to Las Vegas via Norwegian Airlines. It's a low cost airline, but that is more than compensated for by the plane - a new 787 that is faster and much more comfortable than the old models. After an overnight in Vegas I took an early Greyhound bus to Laughlin. We've done a Greyhound trip before, and it really is an insight into a kind of hidden underclass of American life that you don't encounter as a tourist. I'd suggest a cross-country Greyhound trip as an education for the political classes of both parties before the next election.
I enjoyed a quiet Christmas with my mum at the Tropicana casino - free due to her accumulated comp points. We're now working our way through the house, sorting and selling off possessions so mum can easily move back to Australia if and when she chooses.
Winter in the desert this year is surprisingly cold and wet, but that bodes well for a desert in bloom in Spring. Already we see rabbits, coyotes and quail, hawks, ground squirrels and hummingbirds during our morning walks. This desert is full of life.
