As we approached Phoenix on 17, the first non-scenic drive of our trip since the 15 to Las Vegas, it became much, much hotter, & we saw fields & fields of classic cacti by the side of the road (& even, once in Phoenix itself, planted by the side of the road like oaks).

We got slightly tangled up in the local streets of Phoenix, but still managed to make it to Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, Taliesin West, in Scottsdale, by 7:10 pm--in time to take the summer evening tour. On our way there, we saw a beautiful, complete double rainbow in the sky after the slightly stormy afternoon; unfortunately, out of the car window (we almost missed the tour), I wasn't able to get the entire thing.

Our tour guide was good, & we enjoyed the tour; I especially liked sitting on the furniture he designed, as we did in all the rooms we entered. Considering it was only around 85 (since it had just rained, breaking a six-week stretch of 106 degree days) in the dark & that they gave you lemonade in the middle of the tour, we were very, very glad we had decided to forgo the 12noon tour tomorrow in favor of this one.

After the tour, feeling extremely grimy & hot from our busy day, we checked into the Motel 6 (pictured) in Scottsdale, a block from the best shopping mall & one of the poshest Motel 6's we know--check out the palm-lined pool! We savored the delightfully icy air conditioning, showered, & quickly discovered there was nowhere to go to eat at 10pm on a Friday night here (the desk clerk, in response to my explicit, ''Are there any non-fast-food options for dinner right now?'' helpfully suggested Domino's & Denny's.

Paging through the phone book, we found a drive-in not too far away, & decided to eat popcorn for dinner there. We arrived at the drive-in at 11, & saw most of Space Cowboys (Grumpy Old Men in Space) & Bless the Child (Sixth Sense meets Dogma). I love drive-ins--no vacation is complete without one, no matter how sweltering it is in our car while watching.

I don't think I mentioned it till now, but Norman, though an excellent & reliable car, has never had superb air conditioning. This trip, by the time we got to Vegas last Friday, his air conditioning decided that desert heat is way too much for it--you can turn it on & off, listen to its sound, & feel the air it moves, but it does not cool the air one iota. So, if we seem more than usually obsessed with the heat & how anyone, past or present, could possibly live in any of the crazy places we've been, that's partly because it's just been very hot where we've been & partly because we've been driving around with the windows down & extremely hot winds whipping our heads off. Next summer we're going to Alaska instead.