I woke up around 01:00 am wide awake once again but after using the restroom I was able to go back to sleep until 05:45 upon which I decided to just stay awake. It was cold and I got dressed inside my sleeping bag with the clothes that I had slept with. Then I began organizing my vehicle and decided to boil some water to make coffee but first I had to wash the pot out. As I worked, a deep fog clung to the landscape and I couldn't even see the fence that was about ten feet from me. My fingers froze as I tried to wash the pot so I quickly rinsed it and put gloves back on. In my vehicle, I jammed out to the Regina Spektor pandora station while boiling water for my coffee and re-braiding my hair. By 06:30 ish I was setting out for Rapid City, South Dakota.
The drive was easy going and I was in great spirits sipping on my coffee and singing along with the radio. It was dark when I left but soon the fog dissipated and the sun began to rise and cast a beautiful sunrise that had me stopping multiple times to take pictures. The landscape of South Dakota was vast but was more "hilly" then North Dakota and contained a few more trees. It was also accentuated with large rock groups that seemed to pop out of the Earth. Wildlife abounds in this desolate landscape for in just an hour I saw herds of pronghorn, mule deer, a fox, hawks, turkeys and an eagle. The fog also came back and between the sections of fog and the bright sun seeing was quite the chore; however, the roads barely contained any vehicles and at times I felt like I was the only one in this world.
When I reached Rapid City I went to the visitor center where I was the only one there and the older woman there was super friendly and helpful with answering all of my million questions. I left there with a lot of information and excited about my day. What put me in an even better mood then normal was that the temperature was in the high 40's to low 50's so I didn't need a jacket and was able to wear just a sweatshirt! Leaving the visitor center I headed to the Reptile Gardens that was located south of the city.
The Reptile Gardens was absolutely fantastic! There were so many snakes that I have never seen nor heard of before and explains why it is known as having more species and subspecies of reptiles than any other zoo or wild animal park in the world! The snakes were breathtaking and I literally read all the interesting fact plaques on each animal. The snake with the most deadliest venom is the inland Taipan; just one bite could kill about 300 people!! Reading all the interesting tidbits and seeing the snakes made my whole week. They also had birds and three Galapagos tortoises. The only thing I didn't like was the small facilities the alligators and crocodiles were in; hopefully, that is just where they go for the winter. I loved being there and after watching the snake show and buying a few things I went out to my vehicle.
After calling around I found out all the RV parks shut off or close their restroom and shower areas for the winter which completely sucks. Since it is Sunday and I couldn't call the state parks to make sure their showers were still operating I decided to go downtown and stay at a truck stop for the night. So as I sat in my vehicle I cleaned my face with a cleansing wipe and then applied some makeup, used dry shampoo for my hair, changed my shirt and hoped that I looked somewhat normal: for I have not had a shower in a few days.
Downtown was very anti-climatic but I found parking for my camper that was also free and walked the streets looking at the statues of the presidents that were located on the corners. I went into the Firehouse Brewing Co. where I ordered a flight of beers, a buffalo burger with bleu cheese and onions along with an order of fries. I ate and drank everything and then ordered dessert which was a chocolate and cream cheese brownie with ice cream and chocolate. The burger was nowhere near the best but the dessert was delicious. From there I walked back to my vehicle and drove to Walmart to do some shopping for groceries.
While I was at the Walmart I took out a scale and weighed myself while filming it for my challenge group. Though I was not happy about the numbers the wonderful women within my challenge group quickly put me at ease saying that numbers do not matter and it is mostly about how I feel and the fact that I have also went down a pant size! I love those girls they are so sweet and motivational! While still in the scale aisle Keri's brother called me up and I stood there talking with him for quite some time and enjoyed being able to meet yet another relative.
When I finally made it back to my vehicle I transferred all my vegetables to my one cooler bag in the hopes that they wouldn't freeze. I then drove to the Flying J in Rapid City where I would spend the night. Before crawling in, I talked to my mom while cleaning my face and she pretty much threatened me that I better be home for more than a week come Christmas. So I asked her when she would like to see me be at home and she replied that the first week of December would do! HaHa I love you mom.
**I have some amazing photos from my camera but something is wrong with my server and therefore it wont download the pictures. Once I figure it out I will have to update all my posts.
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