Commentary and Reflection:

• Great companions – Pat Lueders, Carol Besse, James Wheat, Amy Hodson and Mark Welter
• 1100 miles traveled by car
• Special places – Forest Park, Cave Hill Cemetery (Graves of Muhammad Ali, Col. Harland Sanders and grandson of Jim Beam) Mammoth Cave, Jim Beam Distillery, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, St. Louis Gateway Arch
• Monarch Butterfly Migration
• Very different geography/topography – rolling hills and flat, big rivers, more deciduous than coniferous forests
• Very modern and seemingly strong downtowns – St. Louis, Nashville, Louisville and Indianapolis – lots of old and beautiful residential areas with architecture different than Northwest – but evident poverty as well in some areas.
• Ethnic mix compared to Seattle/Northwest seemed less Hispanic and Asian and more African American
• Corn and soybeans were dominant crops
• Definitely hotter and more humid than October in Seattle – but birding was blessed with no rain and very little wind
• Very different politics – radio talk shows were very “red”
• Very nice, helpful and engaging people everywhere
• 17 States completed with 50 species in a single day.