May 15, Las Vegas. Approach over northwest Arizona in flat light, haze. Doesn’t miss its mark, different planet, as usual. But what I see differently each time are the bright straight lines and rectangular patterns. How is it possible that the universe produces both the rock and sediment structures and the straight lines? (I’ve been at this point.) And that these straight lines, their direction of evolution, their possible history are just as interesting as the rock morphology.

We pick up the convertible, I need my reading glasses to even decipher the dashboards. I have to ask J. to read me the directions from the smartphone. Later, she drives and I scout the way with reading glasses. We eat burgers at Wendy’s with the top down, look at the fake Manhattan backdrop on the Strip, and babble in amazement at how great everything is.