Only 23 miles away from 10,000 miles! Woohoo!! That's like putting my car through a rugged test drive. Not bad for a 1988 Plymouth Sundance. It's got a second life now.

For those of you who remember the Ocean City - 3073 miles sign I passed in Sacramento... I stopped by Coastal Highway and 1st Street here and saw the sign at the other end of Route 50. Sacramento - 3073 miles. My lifelong quest to solve the mystery of Route 50 is offically over. Except.. hmm... now I'll have to drive that someday and see if it's accurate.

My family met for dinner at Fager's Island restaurant, located at Coastal Highway and 60th Street. It's a wonderful restaurant we eat at every year we're here. There's something uniquely different about Fager's Island, though. Every night (good or bad weather), just a few minutes before sunset, the speakers come alive with the sounds of the 1812 Overture. Newcomers to Fager's might wonder what's with the music all of a sudden, but it becomes quite apparent once you start watching the sun go down. The music is always timed perfectly to end at the exact moment the sun disappears beneath the horizon, overlooking the bay. (The restaurant's slogan is "No Charge For Lousy Sunsets"). Everyone always applauds and cheers, as if it were the most incredible sunset they'd ever seen. But when you're watching it happen at Fager's Island, it's hard to argue that it's not.

My brother, mom and I sat out on the deck for a while back at the hotel, watching the ocean and listening to the waves, before heading upstairs for bed. A few kids were lighting fireworks on the darkened beach (which is illegal in Maryland, but I don't think anyone cared). The air was warm and the breeze was slightly cool. A few dimly-lit clouds hung overhead with a half-moon shining down on us. I've spent part of every summer of my life at this beach and this hotel, and I still love it here.

See you on the road...

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