Leaving Las Vegas was easy !  We lost all of  $3 in the slots and could not
get the gondola ride that Rita had wanted at the  Venetian.  We spent our
evening riding the city bus up and down the Great  White Way, getting off at Paris
and Venetian.  It was late after our diner  at the Circus-Circus Buffet and
all the shops and rides were closed.  Only  things operational were the
slots......yikes !  It had been too hot in the  afternoon to do any sight seeing and
we could not leave Joubie in the van alone,  we would have come back to a
roasted dog !  It was over 110 F in the  van that afternoon !  We went back to our
campers, had a beer and  crashed.  In the morning we find Ina's bike had been
stolen, maybe this is  a good thing, it is now easier to get to her engine !
    We head off to Phoenix and to meet up with Karl  & Stephanie Woltz. Ina
has a friend in Winkenburg and decides to stay there  for a few days and have
Karl and his mechanic get all the problems with her van  sorted out.  We get to
Karl's about 7 pm and finally meet the folks I have  communicated with over
the last few years over the Internet.  It was Karl  & I who were instrumental
in bringing the Vanagon List sticker to  fruition.  We sit around and get to
know each other, Karl shows us  his fleet of Vanagons, we have some cold beers,
eat some shrimp and  eventually go off to sleep in his driveway.
    Saturday, Karl and I busy ourselves getting some  oil and a valve cover
gaskets. I change the oil, filter and left side valve  cover gasket, good to go
for another 5000 miles. Our westy is still running  strong with no problems,
thanks to Boston Bob & myself !  Karl & I  bake in the hot Phoenix sun while
Rita and Stephanie are out shopping.  Out  for a Mexican diner that evening
then to the car wash to get all the  Burning Man Playa dirt off the Westy.
Thursday morning we have a great  breakfast prepared by our hosts, take some photos
and head off to Tucson to meet  up with Larry "Roadhaus" Chase.  Thanks,
Stephanie & Karl for a great  time in Phoenix, hope the birthday party for
Stephanie was a success and we are  sorry we could not stick around !
    We find Larry at the Walmat off the I-10 coming  into Tucson, make plans
to go camping and head off east.   Stopping in Tombstone for a leasurily
lunch, jewlery shopping (again), and  I back into a pole which wrecks my bike rack
so have to take an hour or so  to repair that.  Larry and I get into "real"
trouble at the Tombstone  Saloon and Rita took the pics to prove it.  You'll see
in the batch of Pics  I will sent along when I finish with this note.
    Leaving Tombstone we arrive in Bisbee for a quick  tour and run into the
Bisbee Red Dress Runners, hey what ?  See the Pics  for more details !  Get
outa there and off to our camping destination at  Chiricahua National Monument.
We arrive there around 6, set up camp in a  beautiful forested campsite with
cactus, towering rock mountains just like in  all the Cowboy and Indian movies
I've seen in the past.  Rita and Larry  make a great supper while I get the
slide show of Burning Man Pics rolling on  the laptop for Larry to see.  We
catch up on his ramblings since leaving  Ben in Montreal with a new engine and
borrowed tranny.  All seems to be  working well now.  He's still looking for a
job so if any of you got a  position to get this guy off the streets and into
the rat race with the rest of  us give him call NOW !  More beers, more Vanagon
talk, off to sleep at a  much more comfortable temperature.  Rita and I
actually use the covers this  nite.
    In the mooring we make ourselves coffee, lounge  around 'till 11 and
decide we should get on the road to Texas.  Larry heads  on up the mountain for
some wilderness spot that Rita want's no part of (gravel,  sand, no guard
rails).  Rita and I head for the I-10 and Texas.   The I-10 turns into another one
of those monotonous rides best left to the  mirade of truckers zooming past us
all day in the 100 degree heat !  Just  as we enter Texas at Anthony there is
a Flying J and we decide that's  enough.  I park and crash for an hour in the
back seat.  Rita takes  Joubie out for a spin around the parking lot.  We
eventually have some  burgers and beer despite the huge signs saying "It is a
crime to consume  alcoholic beverages on these premises" .........
bullsh**........  enough  of that nonsense.  I get on the internet to write and send this
message.
    Tomorrow we will go off towards Houston and  Kemah, Texas where we will
meet up with my sister Maria, her husband Al and son  Brian  Get the beer cold
and keep the door open !

    To all those not able to see our Pics on AOL,  I'm sorry.  When I get
home I will fix that problem, no time to do anything  now.

    Anyone who is able to forward all my messages and  Pics links to Mark
Steven at the Almonte General Hospital, Bruce perhaps  ? please do so.  Somehow
the address _stevens@trytel.ca_ (mailto:stevens@trytel.ca)  is bouncing.

     Peace and Love to you all !

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 09 ~ 12, 2005
'87 Westy, '90 Carat &  Lionel Trains
Member: _Vanagon List_ (http://www.vanagon.com/) , _LiMBO_
(http://www.bcn.net/~limbo/) , _IWCCC_ (http://www.westfalia.qc.ca/)  &_ CCVWC_
(http://www.ccvwc.ca/)
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in  the Ottawa Valley_STEBRO/Vanagon
Stainless Steel  Mufflers_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)   _Frank
Condelli & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)  or
http://frankcondelli.com