On Monday we stopped somewhere in Nevada or something at an In 'n Out for dinner, and realized the GPS said we were about 6 hours from home. We both wanted to be home and done, so we decided to push through and make the drive. It turned out to be a 17-hour day, which is substantial even given a 90-minute lunch in St. George, Utah (verdict on Ernesto's Mexican Cantina: decent carnitas, but "enh" overall). Taking I-15 all the way through Bakersfield, we blew by the edge of the Kelso Dunes, through the Mojave Desert, stopped at Baker for gas and Alien Fresh Jerky. (In the 50 miles between Primm, NV and Baker, CA there is exactly one place to get gas, and they gouge the thoughtless traveler for $4.30 per gallon of the low octane. Kelly didn't like this highway robbery, and I didn't need gas, so we took the one-gallon spare tank which I'd refilled when we hit desert, and that got the bike to the station in Baker. So, that's a useful thing to have.) At Bakersfield we made some turns onto a bunch of local routes that took us into Gilroy, where we picked up US-101 and made it home. I did have to stop to shake off some drowsiness around 10pm: I have a way of power-napping by putting myself into a half-sleep, if I'm tired in the right way, so I was able to perk up with ten minutes sitting in the car. I bought a McDonald's coffee to keep myself busy, and drove with the windows open, since heat makes me sleepy and tired.

(Road trip through the desert to get to a week of strenuous martial arts training in the arid highlands of Colorado? In July? That sounds like a great idea!)

So nice to see the girl again. Life is good.