Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada. I have no idea why it is called that, but it should be called the most boring stretch of road in the world. It was a long long drive from Nevada to Utah. This photo was taken on Tuesday, July 18. Mike swore he saw something... 

Heading EAST again!!! Nevada road driving...100MPH. Actually he was going faster but I told him to slow down.  

Yosemite national park, Monday July 18. That's Half dome behind us in the distance. 

6500 miles and counting

It’s July 18, 2005.

We’ve now been on the road one month (since June 14) and it feels like it has flown by. We have only about 2 weeks left until we “dock” in Philadelphia and begin the next adventure of buying and moving into our new home in South Philadelphia and the beginning of Mike’s new job with the EPA. We’re trying hard not to get caught up in what’s next and instead to savor every last minute of this trip, even the weird moments.

 

Most crowded National Park =Yosemite National Park in July:

Last night we stayed in a motel near Yosemite, and then drove in to the park this morning. Yosemite was crowded beyond belief. Parking lots were completely full and the heat was unbelievable. All the campsites were full so after a few short hikes, we left Yosemite Valley and drive through the park using 120, heading East. It was a pretty drive. We crossed into Nevada at about 5:30 p.m. and now we are on our way to Tonopah where we will probably stay for the night. Camping is almost out of the question given the high temperatures, so we’ll be looking for a motel or something. As I write, it is still 103 degrees and it’s 6:40 p.m. Pacific Time.

 

Next:

We were going to head to Las Vegas for a renewal of vows at the Elvis Chapel, but have decided instead to use tomorrow (Tuesday) to head through Nevada and towards Utah and Bryce Canyon National Park where we can do some more hiking.

 

Car milestone:

Today we passed the 36,000 mile mark on the Subaru (which ends our warranty period, so we are crossing our fingers!) and we celebrated the milestone by testing the speedometer in Nevada while we were driving on Highway 6.  In only about 15 months of owning this Subaru we have put almost 30,000 miles on it. Amazing. Next year we will undoubtedly see a marked difference in mileage since we will be city-dwellers again and will be using our feet and public transportation much more often.

 

Thanks to all of you who have sent us notes and left comments for us on the blog or who have called our cell phone to catch us up (215-880-1519). We really enjoy getting all the good news – babies born, babies on the way, weddings, birthdays, moves, new jobs and new adventures – and each day we are away makes us so much more aware of how lucky and fortunate we are to have such good friends, such loving family and more good news than bad.

 

Brain and Maya McCain at the wedding 

The lovely bride and groom, Scott and Lisa McGrath. July 16, 2005 

Patrick McGrath -- our beer delivery guy at the wedding 

Karin's mom and dad at cousin Scott's wedding Santa Cruz, Ca 

Flowergirl Emma 

Santa Cruz California is a cute place. Lots of little coastal towns, surfers, liberals. A lot like our old home of Charlottesville, Va but with a beach and more hippies.

Lots of McGrath family was gathered here in Santa Cruz for the weekend wedding of my cousins and so it has been quite an event leading up to the BIG DAY for the bride and groom. We shopped for drinks and beer, made place-cards, enjoyed the rehearsal dinner at Shadowbrook in Capitola and really had a delightful time helping with the wedding preparations, and getting to visit with cousins we never get much time given all of their various jobs and cities. Saturday morning there was a McGrath family brunch and we celebrated my dad�s 60th birthday, which is this coming Tuesday, July 19, 2005. We also had a nice time at the wedding itself which was in the hills, in a county park and historic house. The day was sunny and warm, with clear blue skies. The bride and groom looked lovely, and it was a great event.

Today we are off to who-knows-where, all we know is that we are surely stopping for an In-N-Out Burger along the way (our favorite burger joint) and probably camping for a few nights this week as we slowly make our way from California to Denver, Colorado, in time for next weekend, to visit with our friends Bret and Sarah.

Here's a photo of Karin talking to our friend Jill Klinger. She is also the person who bought our house in Charlottesville, and funny enough was a good friend of the bride so here she is reporting on how she likes the house in Charlottesville. She likes it! We miss it! 

Heading to dinner the night before the wedding. 

Karin kayaking in Elkhorn Slough, just outside of Monterey Bay. We saw seals, sea otters and pelicans, and had a nice lunch together on the water before Scott's wedding. 

Roller coaster in Santa Cruz, California 

Mike and Christy on the roller coaster!!! 

Karin and Emma McCain (Cousin Christy's daughter) in Santa Cruz. 

Everyone thinks my Uncle Bill isn't doing anything in his retirement, but we know better. He chopped a tree that came down in his yard into teeny tiny pieces and fit the whole thing in this can. He also made macadamia nut brittle for his son's wedding, which was REALLY GOOD!!! We loved visiting with he and Shirley at their goregous home in Walnut Creek. 

Even the laundry is cooler in California! 

Mike visiting with our friend Scott Connors at his and Christine's GORGEOUS and HUGE new apartment in the Marina district of San Francisco. We had a brief but great visit! Photo taken on July 10, 2005 

Mike in Wine Country, Sonoma County - July 9, 2005 

Off to Santa Cruz, California