I am pretty sure she has dropped as my ribs are finally pain free after many months of discomfort. Maybe this is nature’s way of tricking you into thinking, “Hey, this isn’t so bad after all!” I have been strangely euphoric the past fews days, then I Googled birth videos and now I am just nervous. I shouldn’t have done that.

So happy to have my Dad here for a couple days. He is an amazing man and has done so much for me, especially these last two years. So much has changed and all for the better, all thanks to this wonderful man.

Grandpa and Brendan testing out the new stroller. We have the Mac Daddy of all strollers coming soon – the Chariot! But this will do us good for trips around town. And its imprinted with Winnie the Pooh in honor of Great Grandma Winifred from Australia.

Last week, we went to Durango for Mel and Mutch’s wedding, and our own Baby Shower with Alex’s friends. Given that we had a week, it made sense to make a road trip adventure out of the drive.

Thursday afternoon: Palo Alto to Yosemite

A later start than expected as Alex was busy impressing the Palo Alto Institute board.

We wound our way east, avoiding traffic and nabbed our spot at the Hodgdon Meadows camping area with Yosemite. The campsite was the only one available in the whole of Yosemite for the month of June. We were lucky to get it.

Friday: Yosemite

Friday morning’s experience made both of us remember why we try to avoid camping in designated campgrounds. At 7:15am, our neighbour, in his big RV, decided to start running the engine. I was sleeping outside, in the fresh air, that quickly turned to Carbon Monoxide. I was able to get him to turn it off by banging on his window. Later, when he stepped out of his leviathan, he explained to me that the campground regulations specifically said that he was entitled to start his engine at 7:15am in order to recharge the batteries. I told him that was nice, but that my unborn daughter had different views. We quickly became firm friends.

Yosemite was recently voted the most scenic place for a traffic jam in the lower 48. Yosemite earned that award because there are many pleasant rocks to look at. See the pictures. Dad, Alex has set you a challenge.

Friday evening: Nevada

Out of Yosemite, we stopped at a Lee Vining servo for the best fish tacos in the world. Yes, really. Then across the rollercoaster ride of Hwy 6 through Tonopah and down the Extra-Terrestrial Hwy to camp in Caliente. We stayed in a campsite* that was empty except for our extremely friendly camp host, Lars.

* Handy fact: Some Nevada maps show Wilderness Areas as green circles. Campsites are shown as green triangles.

Saturday: Zion

Zion: full and raining, so we stayed in a hotel. When the weather cleared we took the bus trip up the canyon, saw some rocks, then adjourned for an excellent dinner at Parallel 88

Sunday: The Grand Staircase

From Zion, through Ruby Canyon, Escalante, Boulder is probably one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Especially if you like looking at rocks. For us, it was made even more beautiful by the people we met along the way, particularly one young girl who we were fortunate to meet in Escalante.

Alex and I stopped at the interesting and informative Escalante Visitor’s Center for a pregnant lady break. As we walked out of the center, a young lady approached Alex and said

“How exciting! You’re having a baby! All my friends are too!”.

Alex smiled and said that she was indeed having a baby, and that she was looking forward to meeting her. Our new friend replied

“Can I give you a hug?”

They hugged and the girl passed Alex a note with a pretty yellow flower. It was so touching that complete strangers (from Boulder) would reach out to Alex like that.

Monday: Durango

After staying in a tiny campsite that didn’t even fit our two-man tent at Natural Bridges National Park, we drove the park circuit, saw some rocks, and then crossed the border into Colorado, and our destination, Durango where we stayed in Kennan and Cheryl’s off-the-grid cabin.

Alex has only one annoying trait.

She likes to play one song repeatedly if it pleases her. There are a few songs that I like on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th play, but start to get a little weary of it on the 6th. I know now that if we ever play any Bon Iver, Pete Murray or The Xx then the MP3 player will go retro and sound like a broken record.

It was with some anticipation of this behaviour that we lobbed into the Great American Music Hall in the city to see The Xx live. I hadn’t listened to The Xx play one song to the next, and it was a treat to hear the variation. They didn’t repeat a single track. Though with such a short set, they would have had time to. How do you make that happen in a concert?

We got the Pregger’s Pass seating on the balcony and in the back corner. I don’t think they would have heard us from there if we had shouted that Alex wanted them to repeat.

The Great American Music Hall has a name that belongs in Nashville, and a decor that would not be out of place in Victorian London. It holds close to a thousand punters which is about right for the balance between intimacy and atmosphere in my opinion.

The Xx put on a mellow, moody show with plenty of deep deep bass, and lighting to enhance the mood. The sound was great and I was so happy to hear that song, that I’ve heard over, and over, and over …