Western road trip, day 12: Omaha

We worked at the hotel during the day today, taking a break to go visit the Lauritzen Gardens during lunch!

Rose in Rose Garden, Lauritzen Gardens

This botanic garden and arboretum is just south of downtown Omaha, very walkable, and has a good variety of things to look at. There was a Victorian garden, a rose garden, an arboretum, a prairie, a children's garden, a Japanese garden, and a lot of things under construction for the future.

Rose Garden

It is mostly not shaded, so we put on tons of sunscreen and got in most of our steps for the day just wandering around the place. And we met some wild turkeys running around! Some of the guests were so scared of them and gave them a wide berth on the sidewalks.

Turkey time

They have plans for a big field of daffodils, and the area behind the Japanese garden is still very much a work in progress. But what they have completed is cute!

Japanese arches

I also found a new flower I like: globe amaranths. They are native to Central America but grow well in many climates, so they are grown in gardens all over the world. They are like tiny dahlias.

Globe amaranth in Victorian Garden

On the way back to the hotel, we picked up a pre-ordered lunch at Fauxmaha, a vegan restaurant with very tasty seitan and other fake meats. I had a very nice breakfast burrito, which had lots of tofu, tater tots, and seitan. I could have used some veggies in there, but I ain't mad.

After finishing work, we hit the road to Lincoln for possibly the best beer in Nebraska: Boiler Brewing Co. Their selection of thick, chocolatey stouts is unparallelled anywhere except Goose Island in November. Their meads are dark, fruity, and stupendous. We tried some glorious beers on tap and bought even more to go home in a crowler. I realize that a side trip like that on a long trip like this felt silly, but I have no regrets (and really it was not that far when you consider how far we've gone elsewise).

'Nilla Killa AF - $50 bottle you have to drink at the brewery. Worth it.

On our way back to Omaha, we stopped at one of the better beers in the southwest brewing district, Kros Strain Brewing. I am reaching the end of beers I can drink on this trip, so I don't know if my review is fair, but the beers were decent. Pineapple was a little much, hazy IPAs were good, milk stout was tasty.

Helping out the breweries along this trip with orders and tips reminds us why we wanted to do it - not just to try things, but also to throw some money at the local economy. Done and done.

Speaking of which, we've been listening to Black Leopard, Red Wolf on audio book since somewhere in North Dakota, and we're almost done. It has been a journey. I don't even know what to say. Check my Goodreads if you want to see my review in the end.