August 21 - Northwest through Nevada

I woke again around 4:30, and worked on getting a blog page up, this one was only 6 weeks late, about my trip to see Puffins in Maine.  But the Bristlecone had a poor connection to the interwebs, so it took a while.  The motel’s breakfast was a little sparse, consisting of sweet rolls and coffee, as well as instant oatmeal, but I don’t need much in the morning.  I did stop by the old Ely Cemetery to see if there might be any interesting birds in the pines, but it was quiet this morning.

The old road is 'way narrower than modern U.S. Highways

I am heading toward home after being on the road for nearly three weeks, and continued west out of Ely on U.S. Highway 50 “The Loneliest Road in America” stopping at the Pinto Summit.

I did a bit of birding along a section of the old highway, where there were mule deer, chipmunks, jackrabbits, and quite a few Green-tailed Towhees.

eBird 'flagged' my entry for Green-tailed Towhees as a "high count"; there were a bunch!

A Loggerhead Shrike kept an eye on me

This would be a good place to bird earlier in the morning, rather than the heat of the day, which was sunny, had a southeast breeze at 5-8 knots, and sat at 86° F.

Curlycup Gumweed Grindelia squarrosa

I’m surprised that I didn't see Lark or Vesper Sparrows, but they could have been among the skulking birds in the sage & bitterbrush.

Brewer's Sparrow in the Bitterbrush

Continuing to Eureka, I drove north on Nevada 278 to Carlin, west on I-80 to Winnemucca, then north and west on Highway 140 to Lakeview.

There's a Sea of Sagebrush (and bitterbrush) in the Great Basin

It clouded up as I approached the Sheldon Antelope Refuge, which was kind of unusual for me, after being in the desert sun for 2 weeks.  I pulled into the Hunters Hot Springs motel to see if they had a room for the night, but they were booked full, so pulled into the Lakeview Lodge.  They charged me $91 cash for a not-that-good room.  It was clean and all, but the motel is ‘venerable’ and there’s not much in the way of amenities.  Definitely not worth the price.

When I asked about restaurants, they recommended El Aguila Real, a nearby Mexican restaurant which was closing in 15 minutes, or the Burger Queen.  Instead, I opened the cell phone, and found a delightful place, Julia’s on 395!  I ordered a beer and their sautéed chicken breast in a sherry and mushroom sauce, with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.  This restaurant had great food and some of the best service I’ve received on this trip!  I highly recommend eating here if you’re ever in Lakeview!!

Ely Cemetery eBird Checklist is Here  

Pinto Summit eBird Checklist is Here