Day 19 (7/31)

Last day. Nothing much to write home about. One more run in Louisville (ugh), a lunch stop in Ames, and an ice cream stop in Albert Lea. Man does it always feel good to see that MN sign again!

Vitals:
Miles: 401
Birds: Red Eyed Vireo, E. Phoebe, E. Blue Bird, Cedar Waxwing

Totals miles for the trip:
Total plates: 47
Total birds species:

Total towns visited....Many!

Day 18 (7/30)

A quick morning run in Laramie and we were on the road. Laramie was a nice town! Loved the college and the atmosphere it brought. Found a nice bike path along the river too. Not much to say other than another day of driving. Cutting across Nebraska isn't exactly the most exciting endeavor. When we finally stopped for the night, it was a rather disappointing campground along the Platte River between Lincoln and Omaha. VERY noisy trains blaring most of the night, with a cement plant to supplement noise during lulls. Other than a verbal argument with a truck about whether or not I was in the middle of the road, the run went by easy enough, but this is not a town (Louisville, NE) that's worth living it.

Vitals:
Miles: 530
Birds: Northern Cardinal
Plates: KY

Day 17 (7/29) Out our way home

Sunrise in NV

Well, the decision to finish the day in Great Basin was definitely worth it. We had a relaxing dinner, and woke up to a great sunrise over the basin and range. We were on the road by 7:30, and though we promptly lost an hour at the Utah border, we had a good jump start on the day.

Took a quick pit stop in Salt Lake City for a run. Kate found a nice trail along a river (Jordan?) and even though it was raining more or less the entire stop, it was a great run. Lunch was at some Good News church that happened to have a cafe/bookstore (Google didn't notify us of all this!). It ended up being good coffee/I got a pulled pork special.

Nothing much else of note today. I'd say it rained for 75% of the time on the road. Not the best traveling weather, but we made due.

The final stop for the night was Laramie, WY. Kate again found an awesome restaurant downtown for Bison Burgers, and good wine/beer. Also our cheapest motel of the trip at $45 and wasn't half bad!

The open basins of NV/UT

Vitals:
Miles: 610
Birds: N/A
Plates: N/A