Day 15 - to Sparks NV

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It was a big day of driving so we wanted to get an early start. Levi was the first one up about 7:20. He had only been up once in the night and didn't really need anything, just some reassurance and refill of water (even though he wasn't out). We were on the road about 9:30. It was a little later than we hoped, but it would work. Sarah sat in the back with Paul for the first parts of the drive to help him with homework. Our first stop was the Bonneville Salt Flats rest stop just east of Wendover, UT. We played in the salt for awhile and drew some pictures in the salt. The boys tried to use their sand toys, but the salt was a little too hard. It had been raining earlier that morning. Next we made a quick stop for gas and then we continued westward. We were hoping to make it to Reno/Sparks area by 4ish, but the late start and fairly long stop with the salt flats were going to make that tough and impossible if we stopped for lunch. We did stop for lunch though, in Elko, NV. We found a great park with a huge wooden play structure that appeared to have been expanded over time by several donations. The boys enjoyed a chance to run around a bit and then get some food. After lunch we did 4 straight hours in the car. When it wasn't nap time, we had fun singing and talking. At 5 pm we arrived in Sparks, NV and stopped at the newly opened Scheels store. The kids had fun playing in the play area and Todd and Paul rode the indoor Ferris Wheel. We met some friends from Reno there. When the store closed at 6, we headed to the Great Basin Brewing Company to continue to hang out and have some great food. After dinner we hung out in downtown Sparks across the street from the restaurant letting the kids play in and around some train cars that are on display. The three older kids had way too much fun playing together and we had fun connecting with our friends. It was late when we got settled in the hotel but it was a great day. Paul fell asleep quickly but Levi needed help winding down from the exciting evening. We're hanging out in the bathroom again. It will be so weird to be home again tomorrow night. After 16 days, it will be strange to be back to "normal" again.

Day 15 Stats

• 3452.7 total miles driven (today only: 517.3)
• 131.0 total gallons of gasoline consumed (today only 20.2)
• Average 26.3 MPG (25.6 for the day)
• 68 hours, 35 minutes in the car (7:43 for today)
• 0 additional state license plates

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