Friday, August 19th 2011

Up at 5:30 and after coffee and banana bread I start sorting my stuff and packing the van. This done I worked more on the Day 6 report but was unable to finish before leaving Halsey at 9:00ish.

Today's route would take me across most of the rest of Nebraska via SR 2 to Alliance, a distance of 142 miles. From there I would take US 385 south to I-80 and then onto Laramie for a total of 370 miles.

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When I left Halsey is was foggy and overcast and stayed that way for much of the drive.
This snap is somewhere near Ashby, NE. The brown dots near the lake are cattle and in the foreground one of the coal trains.

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The wide open spaces of western Nebraska.

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This was outside of Bridgeport near the intersection of US 385 and US 26. It is acres and acres of farm implements and part. I saw several of parts yard like this.

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Back in Nauvoo, Illinois is the start of the Mormon Trail. This plaque marks the location of one of the camps.

The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile (2,092 km) route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868. Today the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails System, as the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail.

The Mormon Trail extends from Nauvoo, Illinois, which was the principal settlement of the Latter Day Saints from 1839 to 1846, to Salt Lake City, Utah, which was settled by Brigham Young and his followers beginning in 1847. From Council Bluffs, Iowa to Fort Bridger in Wyoming, the trail follows much the same route as the Oregon Trail and the California Trail; these trails are collectively known as the Emigrant Trail.

Source: WikiPedia

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This was to the west of Cheyenne. I went in and out rain and saw quite a display of lighting along this section of 1-80.

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If you look closely you can see a sign for the Sierra Trading Post outlet! I have to admit, I was tempted to stop.

I told Scott the previous day I would roll into Laramie between 4-5 and I got there just at 4:00, or so I thought. I had forgotten about the time change so when I called Scott for directions to the house he was surpised at my early arrival.

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After getting settled in and a nice dinner we all enjoyed the sunset.

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This is the view from their back door. Not to shabby!

After visiting and web work until 10:30 (my time) I hit the sack. Tomorrow Scott and I would go up to the Medecine Bow NF and have a look around at some of their favorite spots.

Nighty-night...