Day 173

November 28, 2017                                                                                                Day 173

My alarm went off at 06:00 but I didn't get up until around 06:30.  I walked into the rest area and straightened my hair and brushed my teeth trying to make myself presentable.  I was too nervous or excited to eat so I closed up my camper, put on some makeup and hit the road to Park Falls, Wisconsin...home.  The sun was just rising in the sky and what a sunrise it was!  The sky was such a deep orange and red hue it almost looked like an artist painted it.

The drive was about three to four hours long and went by smoothly except for the fact that everyone seemed to be driving so slowly!  In New Richmond, I pulled over and stop at a Walmart to acquire a chocolate cake for my little brother.  I had the lady in the bakery write, "I missed you" on it.  Walking briskly back to my vehicle I hopped in to remove the sticker from the cake so one could read the writing. When my navigation came back on I noticed that I was running behind schedule and may be late for catching him on lunch at school.  I really wanted this to work out and to catch him at lunch so when a gentlemen in the vehicle next to me signaled for me to roll down my window I screamed in my head "not now!"  but my polite side had me rolling down my window to talk to him.  He opened up with asking if the cake in my hands was my breakfast and I just laughed and said that it was for my little brother.  He was a contractor and curious about my camper so I got out and showed him my camper.  He was extremely nice and kept saying that he hopes he isn't taking me away from something and of course I am too nice to say otherwise so I told him that he wasn't and answered all his questions.   He gave me some pointers on keeping the rain out and expressed how impressed he is of me and said that I did a great job!  Before parting ways I gave him my blog and then I jumped in my vehicle and drove off in a fury. 

The roads were winding all over the place and the towns now read unincorporated.  Also, there were many signs "against" vegetarians and saying how we are for the plants :), along with a skinny dipper bar haha have to love being back in Northern Wisconsin.  I became more and more anxious and nervous about surprising my family the closer I got.  As I entered Park Falls it was an odd feeling and felt like I had been gone for ages.

Pulling into the Park Falls High School both lots were practically empty and had an air of abandonment about the place.  As I walked thru the doors, planning to have the office call my little brother, he appeared standing right there;confused.   So I yelled "surprise" and he came over and we hugged a million times and he was completely speechless.  He did his "rubbing his hand thru his hair thing" and just stared at me he was just shocked.  My eyes got a little watery for it has been a full year since we last saw each other and he has grown up so much!  It occurred to me at that moment just how much I missed my family.  Not ten minutes later the bell rang announcing the end of lunch so I said good bye and left.

Driving thru town was an odd experience and I prayed I wouldn't see anyone I knew on my way to Hines Park.  The roads were pretty vacant as was the town itself.  Parking in the camping section, which I have only ever seen two campers in all my years here, the wind was wicked strong.  To give everyone an idea of where I am located in the town I am right down the road from my parents house about a one to two minute drive.  Once I backed in I made oatmeal inside my camper and then just sat there playing games on my phone wasting time until 19:00 when both my parents would be home.  I tried to nap but I wasn't tired.  I was just bored and had no internet which was odd so I just laid there passing the time.

Around 18:00, my little brother called me for he just got off work and was wondering what I was doing.  When I said I was at Hines Park he said he will be right over.  I got to see his truck for the first time and then we decided to go one town over to Butternut to meet his girlfriend.  On the way back to Park Falls we noticed as we neared the house that both vehicles were in the driveway so we drove around and he parked behind the three big cedar trees on the side of the house.  He went in to say he was going to a basketball game and make sure both mom and dad were home and the blinds were shut so they wouldn't see me.  I waited out in the truck with my phone on silent; yet, somehow my phone still went off and it was mom calling me!  I quickly silenced it just in case she could hear it from inside the house.  When Cahill came back out he had brought a Nutty Bar out for me to eat and drove me back to my camper.  The time has come!

I drove around the neighborhood to pull up behind the three huge cedar trees so they wouldn't see my vehicle.  Then I walked on the road, ran up the driveway between their two vehicles and hesitated on the front porch.  Do I knock on the front door or the garage door that everyone goes to?  As I sat crouched down in front of the door I decided it was too risky for they could look out the window and see me so I ran inside to the garage.  I stepped up and knocked loudly then quickly stepped back down and out of view.  I could hear my dad shout he needed to get clothes on, mom yelled hold on and I held my breath.  When the door opened I jumped out and shouted "Merry Christmas!"  She seemed confused and shocked all at the same time and it took a few seconds for it to sink in and then she hugged me so deeply and cried into my shoulder.  At around this time, dad came around the corner equally shocked and I went to go hug him also.  It was perfect!  I cannot even begin to express or try to explain what I was feeling except to say it was pure happiness.  I then went into explaining how I had lied to them, that Sal knew where I was and what I had been doing.  I couldn't believe it myself that I was finally home after a year.

As we all caught up mom showed me what she has been working on and then I ate some lasagna and meatballs that they had made.  We all sat around talking until late.  Dad had to get to bed for work and when Cahill came home we stayed up until 22:00 talking about his trip to Europe and going thru pictures my mom had.  Finally, I washed my face without having to worry about how much water I used and climbed into my bed that I absolutely love.  It was so comfortable and warm and being home, surrounded by loved ones was indescribable.

The best little brother anyone could ask for...well I don't know about "little"

Day 172

November 27, 2017                                                                                                 Day 172

Today is just a shitty day.  I woke up well rested but with a migraine.  I made my usual oatmeal and then drove back to Lebanon Hill State Park to workout and possibly be able to wash and dry my hair.  First, my phone has started to have a mind of its own and change my route while I am driving so that I have to keep checking to make sure it hasn't rerouted me.  At the park, I went to do a workout yet due to the cold air that hurt my lungs and taking a few days off I was out of shape and sluggish.  I even forced myself to do a core workout that didn't go well either.  Afterwards, I went to the restroom where I washed my hair in the sink and plugged in my hairdryer to blow dry my hair and then straighten it.  Unfortunately, I did not get all of the conditioner out of my hair so it became greasy and I was not about to wash it again.  As I sat in my vehicle with it running, taking up only two spots, a sheriff along with a trainee and came up and said I should park somewhere else for I was blocking the road.  I was not in the way at all for she had drove right by me with no problem at all but none the less I moved a few feet away where she had suggested.

I found out that the house I had planned on seeing today was closed and then the museums I was interested in were also closed.  Mondays are not good days to try and do things for I guess normal people are at work and not sight seeing :).  My migraine still had not dissipated and I just did not know what I wanted so I decided to go see Thor: Ragnorak which only cost $10.00.  As far as I am concerned any movie with Chris Hemsworth is amazing and this movie was really quite good though more comedic then I was expecting.

With the movie over I noticed my Shakeology had been received at the post office so I drove over there before it closed (it is now a few minutes to 17:00 when the post office closes).  I was told I had to go down the hall to pick up my package. So down the hall I went and as I reached the window I was greeted by a very unfriendly woman who first told me they did not have my package and when I asked where it was for they had emailed me telling me that in fact my package was at this office she informed me that they sent it back with the carrier for they do not accept packages at a post office.  Well, now I am irate and confused for throughout my entire trip I have been receiving packages via post offices.  When I asked to talk to someone she told me there is no one who can help me and that I have to call the FedEx help line or something.  In a mad fury I stormed back to my vehicle (thankfully I did not have a ticket and was able to pull forward into a more acceptable spot) and called up FedEx who informed me that someone working at the post office I was just in signed for my package and that they should have it there for me.  So I explained to this person what I was told by the lady inside and they said that was very odd and would have to get in touch with the driver to see what transpired but that they won't be able to do that until tomorrow.  In the meantime I need to file a claim for they do not know where my package is and it would take at least two days for them to get back to me.

Thankfully, Megan responded to my message earlier about getting drinks for I was in dire need of a drink.  I met up with her and one of her friends and we all went out for a drink and food and conversation.  When I left them at her place I had no where else to go so I went back yet again to the same rest area. 

Day 171

November 26, 2017                                                                                                 Day 171

I woke up at the rest area well rested and I did not get out of bed until some time after 07:00.  Inside my vehicle, I mixed yogurt and granola and ate that while contemplating a place I may be able to stay at and shower before surprising my family.  I called the only two places in the area that had somewhere to shower but as it was barely 08:00 no one answered.  Thankfully, Minnesota still has a Trader Joe's so I drove there to do some grocery shopping.

From Trader Joe's I fueled up and drove to Lebanon Hills City Park where I then spent the day, until 15:00, meal prepping.  It wasn't too cold out but my feet were freezing which I could have solved by putting different shoes on but do you think I did?  Of course not that would just be too simple.  As I was cooking some asparagus a family stopped by and the husband just loved my camper and asked if I minded sharing my story and showing his two kids my camper.  He was super nice and offered a home cooked meal and a place for me to fill up my water so we swapped contact information in case I decided to go to their home.  Since I was going to be home in a day or so I was not concerned about being low on water and though I was intrigued to hear their own story I honestly just wanted to be alone.  Is that weird?

A little while after they left Sal asked if I wanted to Face time so I finished up the asparagus and headed into my camper to talk with him for a little bit before I continued cooking.  I really enjoy our conversations and I find it easy to open up with him and so I told him about not having support from those close to me and it was reassuring to hear that he supports what I am doing and thinks it is a wonderful thing.   When our call ended I finished cooking and cleaning up.  With my meals prepped and my kitchen cleaned up I really did not know what I wanted to do or should do so I drove to a Pilot truck stop and spoke with my beach body coach.  Then I went back to the rest area I was at the previous night and stayed there for the evening.

Day 170

November 25, 2017                                                                                                             Day 170

When my alarm went off at 05:00 am I did not want to get up and laid back down until it sounded again ten minutes later.  I quickly shut it off and laid there until 05:45 when I knew I had to get up if I was going to make it to Megan's by 10:00.  It was cold and dark out and I made coffee in my vehicle while I applied makeup and changed my clothes.  I had grabbed the wrong jeans so I had to quickly run to the back of my vehicle in my underwear to grab the right ones.  It was quite chilly haha.  By 06:19 I was on the road heading towards Minnesota, drinking coffee and eating yogurt as country music poured out of the speakers.

The majority of the drive was spent talking to my mom about some interesting drama back home. She also informed me of how a very special person to me was upset about my trip and wondering when I was going to stop and get a real job.  It broke my heart to hear this.  I  believe in my trip and what I am doing.  I have been working ever since I left high school and for the majority of it I have been working two jobs and not living life by my terms.  I saved up a lot of money to do this, granted at the time I did not know what I was saving the money for, and have never been one to scoff at work.  I know what hard work is and I also know that I will have to go back to working and saving money again but right now I am the happiest I ever been and wouldn't change my decision for anything.   I see how everyone around me suffers, working themselves into the ground and for what?  They are not happy.  They make do with what they have and I love them for their work ethic but that kind of life is not for me.  I only have one life to live and I refuse to be miserable and spend every day just trying to get by.  I want to live it to the fullest that I can.  It really hurts me that they are not supportive of my decision.  Just once it would be nice to have someone that supports my decisions and is not upset when I succeed in something or finds the negative in everything. Sigh...I apologize for my little rant let us get back on topic.

At 10:00, I pulled into her apartment complex in Bloomington, MN and rang the buzzard.  I was greeted by a woman I used to know almost as well as myself for we lived across the street from each other as kids and spent almost every day together.   It has been almost ten years since last we saw one another and as we sat on her couch catching up on each others lives her little kitten curled up in my lap.  A little bit later we left to explore the sculpture garden with the famous spoon bridge and cherry sculpture.  I liked the park and as we approached the park a giant blue rooster stole the spotlight from the spoon and cherry.  I loved that rooster!   As we walked around we chatted often and laughed even more and it felt as though we had never been apart.  From the sculpture park we drove to the Como Park Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory.

Both were free to the public and since it was winter there was hardly anyone there and all the animals were inside.  The conservatory was attached to the zoo and we went in search of the one plant I wanted to really see, the corpse plant, which smells like rotting flesh.  We soon learned that the corpse plant was recently (like two days ago) removed from the exhibit and may not be back for another three years!  Oh well.  It was still a great way to spend an hour or so.

By the time we were leaving the zoo and conservatory we were both hungry, I was ravenous, so we stopped at a place she goes to often.  I ate my entire burger and sweet potato fries and we continued to talk about our lives and other things.  I felt as though the conversation flowed easily; though, as we left we both felt like it was 21:00 but it was only 14:30!  This day just seemed to keep going though we have already seen a lot.  She then took me to the Mall of America for I have never been before.  I knew it was big but I never realized just how big it really was until we were walking around inside of it.  We walked around the entire thing, all four floors, and there were so many stores I wanted to go into but I didn't for I knew I would find something I would want to buy and not be able to; especially, since I need new clothes.  Maybe I can convince my mom to come here with me just so we can spend a day looking at things and doing something together.

After the mall, we drove back to her place and after an always awkward good bye I sat in my vehicle in the parking lot until I found a rest area on I35 near Elko, MN to spend the night.

Day 169

November 24, 2017                                                                                                  Day 169

It was early, around 06:00, when I woke up and stepped outside in my workout clothes.  I made some oatmeal and cleaned up my camper before grabbing my yoga mat to go look for somewhere to work out.  The grass in the surrounding area was soft; yet, the ground was very uneven which made balancing for my kicks quite difficult along with doing pushups.  The dynamic strength workout I chose to do did not go as well as I had hoped but I pushed thru and finished it along with a 15 minute core kinetics workout.  By the time my workout was finished the sun was almost completely up and I felt amazing!

Leaving Madrid, Iowa I drove twenty minutes North to Ledges State Park. I have to say that I am completely shocked and can not get over how warm it is out.  The temperature on my phone is telling me that it is 67 degrees out! I don't even need to wear my jacket to stay warm. At the state park it was like fall all over again for the ground was completely covered in leaves. Signs for the trails did not exist at all and after wondering around on my own for awhile I met up with a woman who was walking with her backpack and weights.  So I kind of just tagged along with her and we talked the entire time which was quite enjoyable.  She just turned 54 four days ago but looked much younger then that and was full of energy.  When we reached the parking area I showed her my camper and then we found each other on Facebook before parting ways.

From there I went on another short trail which was followed by me parking my camper in a sunny, isolated lot where I set up my camp chair in the grass and read a book. As I sat there soaking up the rays of the sun (just like those kids from Washington in that Twilight movie) lady bugs seemed to be coming out of the wood works and walking all over my book to the point where I had to be careful I did not squish any between the pages.  Awhile later I decided to wash my hair which entailed me filling up my squirt bottle with water, spritzing my hair and using my brush to pull the water thru my hair to completely wet it.  I then used a towel to dry my hair and added some leave in conditioner.

As I left the park, I headed North for earlier I had spoken to an old high school friend and was planning on meeting up with her tomorrow at 10:00 in Minneapolis.  In the meantime, the drive was a stressful for I was fighting against the strong winds that blew over the barren crop fields the entire time.  Within an hour, I was tired and found a place near Kanawha, Iowa that was free.  Cell service was not the best and the location itself was not grand but I wanted to eat and curl up in my bed.  So I lit my candle, loaded my things into my camper and heated up my dinner.  Oh...and I burnt another hole in my jacket lol maybe I should not be wearing my jacket while I cook?   Inside my camper, with the candle burning away I ate, read my book and updated my word document where I was typing up my blog entries to publish once I got home.

Day 168

November 23, 2017                                                                                                      Day 168

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Early this morning I heard trucks pulling in but since I was at a boat ramp I figured they were heading out to duck hunt so I was not concerned and easily went back to sleep.  Since I had no where to be today I was in no rush to get going in the morning so I just laid in bed until I was hungry for breakfast.  As I crawled out I was surprised that it was not cold and I was able to make coffee and oatmeal without freezing in the process.

I contemplated doing a workout but in the end I figured I would give myself a day off since it was a holiday.  Also, it was almost 09:00 so I wanted to call around to see if a library or a Starbucks was open where I could get some work done.  As I assumed, the library was not open but Starbucks was so I got dressed and headed back into town.  I spent the majority of the day at Starbucks looking up material on coaching for beachbody, messaging people on Facebook, updating my excel spreadsheets and working on my blog.  My blog has started to become a pain in my ass for it is preventing me from uploading pictures (hence why I am just now updating my blog :) ).  While I was working on all of these things Sal called to say happy thanksgiving and so did my older brother, mom and grandma hoefferle. 

Around 14:00 I left to go to Walmart to buy something to eat for I was quite hungry.  I then drove to Madrid to see the high trestle bridge.  It was about a four mile walk altogether from the parking area to the bridge and back.  The view was not terrible either; though, I will admit I felt quite lonely. The bridge and walkway were filled with families and couples out enjoying the warm weather and it made me wish that I had someone to share all of this with.  As I stood looking out over the bridge the sun began to slowly go down and with it the temperature dropped.  By 17:00 it was time to start walking back to my camper before it became too dark and I would not be able to see the trail.  As I walked back across the bridge the blue lights came on and an old man riding a bicycle, with feathers in his hat, rode down the bridge beating a cattail against the railing and the seeds softly floated up into the sky.

Day 167

November 22, 2017                                                                                            Day 167

I slept throughout the night waking at 07:00 to my camper covered in frost and me freezing cold!  I quickly ran to my vehicle and turned up the heat.  First, I boiled some water for coffee and then I made oatmeal; however, in between doing so I leaned up against my littler burner without realizing it until feathers started to appear.  Soooo I ended up burning a hole in my down jacket which is now covered up with gorilla tape.  I guess it is time to look for a new jacket.

When breakfast was over I changed into my workout clothes and suffered in the 16 degree weather to do two workouts: MMA Speed 2.0 and Core Kinetics. As is the case with almost every workout I felt fabulous afterwards albeit I was still cold.  I picked up everything and attempted to do my dishes but the water and the sponge began freezing solid while I was washing the dishes!  It was literally that cold out.  I quickly threw down the sponge, tossed my dishes into my sink and briskly walked to my vehicle where I placed my almost numb fingers against the heating vent.  It goes without saying that the dishes did not get washed.  After I closed up my camper I got back on the road in the direction of Winterset, Iowa.

The landscape didn't change as I drove and was uninteresting to me for all it was farm after farm.  Near Winterset, I stopped at two covered bridges and snapped some pictures and then continued towards Des Moines where I was to pick up my Shakeology package.  It was there the problems started...

First,  I had to park in a no parking zone on the side of the road due to not being able to park in the parking garage and there was nowhere nearby to go.   Second, after waiting in line for quite some time I was told that my package was not there!  Now I was really pissed off for I am getting pretty tired of having to deal with this. As I pulled away from the post office I drove to a Walmart to call the company that sent my package out.  Apparently, the person I spoke to at the company wrote down the right address but the wrong city so they returned my package and the idiot I spoke to could not comprehend that I am traveling and have no permanent place to have a package sent too.  I was informed that I could get in within 2 to 3 business days but I would have to pay for the shipping! What the fuck! It was their mistake why the hell should I have to pay.  I can't have it sent home for my family would then know I was heading home.  I was in a terrible mood and just couldn't  handle talking to this guy anymore so I ended the call and decided I would just call back later once I figured out where I will be in a few days and if there is a post office near there that accepts general delivery.

In the meantime, I know that once I am in this bad of a mood very few things can cheer me up and my day is pretty much shot in the ass.  The city is beautiful and I would love to explore it but with my mood and the inaccessibility of the city for campers I decided that I would just have to come back sometime in the future without my camper and hopefully in the company of someone whom I like.   In the end, I bought some food from Wendy' s and  drove North towards the city of Polk where I parked at a boat ramp for the evening.

There I ate my sandwich, did my dishes, cleaned out my cooler for my yogurt had an accident and prepped my camper for the night.  My mom called and we spoke for a little bit and I told her that I was still near Nebraska.  It is so difficult lying to my family; especially my mother but it will be worth it when I surprise them.

Day 166

November 21, 2017                                                                                                     Day 166

The wind was still blowing outside when I awoke and it was so cold that I nestled deeper into my sleeping bag and laid there until about 08:00.  I then got out and made a yogurt combo which I ate while talking to my mom inside my vehicle.  We talked for a good solid hour about all the progress she is making on the house and I have to say that I amvery proud of her for taking the initiative.  She also informed me of some disturbing and worrisome news about some members of my family that I won’t share on here out of respect of their privacy.

Around 09:20 I drove to The World War I Museum that opens at 10:00 and since I arrived a few minutes early I snacked on some medjool dates (which is basically like candy to me) before heading inside.  The museum was amazing and so full of knowledge on WWI.  There was an introduction video where I discovered that the war that involved the entire world took only one week to transpire and was all due to the assassination of one man and would take the lives of millions.  Granted I know that there were already other events that had fueled it and this was just the tipping stone but still.  I heard from one of the personal working there that what I was seeing was only 20% of what the museum has! I found it interesting to read the timeline they had on the events of the war and under that were also other major events that were taking place that were unrelated to the war like certain musicians that were making history: it was all so surreal.  I also enjoyed reading the individuals accounts of the war and seeing the items that were used during that time frame.  There was literally so much information and though I tried my hardest to read everything there was undoubtedly some things that I missed.  Before leaving I wanted to buy a sticker to add to my collection; however they were asking $5.00!

When I neared my vehicle I was talking to Sal and I realized that I had spent five hours in the museum!  As I left the museum I drove north towards the Iowa border and around sunset I pulled into King Lake CA near King City, Missouri.  The wind was whipping at around 15 mph and it was 30 degrees out but I still got dressed in my workout clothes and in the dark, by the light of my camper, with coyotes all around me I did a workout.  Once it was over I heated up one of my meals inside my camper where I was trying to be warm.  At 07:30, I listened in on a conference call for my team beachbody group which was somewhat difficult to follow for I had poor service.  When that finished I had a message from Sal saying he had called me but for some reason it was not showing up on my phone.  In the end, he called me back and we had a wonderful conversation until it was time for both of us to hit the sack. 

Day 165

November 20, 2017                                                                                                Day 165

The day started out with such promise and then it decided to just go downhill.  As I woke up I felt so refreshed and didn’t  wake up once during the night.  It was a little after 07:00 so I got out of my camper and walked to the restroom.  It wasn’t too cold out but also not warm due to the strong winds that were still blowing.  Back at my vehicle, I made oatmeal (this time using an apple) and it was not that great and I think I will stick with the banana.  I then went and changed into my workout clothes and proceed to have a crappy workout for my legs were on fire from the Cross Fit workout the other day.  I also just was not feeling it at all even though I wanted to work out.  Sal did make me feel better about it though by saying that everyone, himself included, has bad workouts.

Afterwards, I started straightening up my camper and vehicle and went to take a steaming hot shower that felt glorious.  I blow dried and straightened my hair, filled up two water bottles and took a bunch of paper towels with me.  Back at my vehicle and about to head to the museum is when things began to go downhill.  First, I found out that the WWI museum is closed on Mondays (which I should have looked up beforehand) so I then decided I would just go to an art museum; however, that was also closed on Mondays.  I was then going to go to the huge Kansas City Public Library but they only had a parking garage and therefore I would not be able to take my camper there.  In the end, I resorted to going to a Starbucks to try and get caught up in my blog and some other things.  Though I love Starbucks I hate how expensive it is and I am out of gift cards.

At Starbucks it started off decent but then when I went to upload my pictures from my camera to my blog the pictures wouldn’t load and here I found out that though my computer was connected to the internet via my phone it was somehow not connected to my phone itself.  So this already makes no sense to me and I spent the next two hours trying to solve the problem and not getting anywhere. Eventually, I just gave up and decided to continue blogging without having the pictures which I am not happy about at all.  My mood did lighten up though when I started talking to one of my really good friends and he was able to make me smile and turn my day around for me.

I gave up on my blog after some time and contemplated whether I wanted to go to a movie tonight, go to a bar or just save my money and do nothing.  I am sure you can guess which one won…saving money and doing nothing.  I called and let my mom know that I was still alive and tried very hard to not give my exact location away so thankfully it was a short conversation so I didn’t have to create too many lies.  Leaving the Starbucks, I sat in their parking lot and heated up a dinner of chicken, asparagus and peppers on my camp stove and ate that in my vehicle.

As I pulled out to drive to a Flying Js for the night Stacie called me up but it was difficult to focus on the insane roads of this city and talk to her so I had to let her go so I could focus.  It turns out that the Flying J was pretty full and also seemed very sketchy for a lot of the inside lights were shut off and it just felt off.  So I drove to a Walmart that didn’t seem to be any better but I was out of options unless I wanted to pay and so I stayed. The one really good thing is that for the first time in a while it was actually somewhat warm in my camper to the point where I really didn’t need my sleeping bag!

Day 164

November 19, 2017                                                                                                       Day 164

Though I woke up at 02:00 I then fell back to sleep until after 07:00.  I changed clothes under my sleeping bag and crawled out of my camper to an empty parking lot.  I went inside to use the restroom and then drove west to Nebraska City to stop at the Walmart to get stamps and then I drove south towards Kansas.  It was a really boring drive and I fought off sleep for the majority of it.   I would also like to mention that the drivers within Nebraska are very rude and love to use their horns and ride right on your tail!  As I entered Kansas I passed fewer and fewer people, which was nice, and the landscape remained like it was in Nebraska and hence southern Wisconsin.  As I neared  Kansas City the landscape contained more trees and I saw more hawks.  

The spot I had originally planned to camp at had no cell phone service and I just got a bad feeling from it and so I decided to pay for a night at the Walnut Grove RV park near the city.  Once I was there and backed in and went to the restroom where I ended up meeting a gentleman whom I would then spend the next thirty or so minutes talking to.  We exchanged information and would be following each other’s blogs/websites.  Walking back to my camper I called my mother to quickly let her know where I was presumably staying and proceeded to meal prep.

This meal prep went quickly for first I boiled a dozen eggs,  cooked asparagus, chopped up three bell peppers and a lot of jalapenos, cooked up three chicken breasts, steamed some broccoli and made some oatmeal all while the wind whipped around me with such force.  Since I left South Dakota the wind has never relented…not once!  With everything cooked and put away in my cooler I did the dishes and then heated up a meal of: chicken, broccoli and asparagus for dinner.  I ate that on the back of my teardrop while listening to music and really not thinking too much about anything.  Once I had everything cleaned up for good I shut my back hatch and brushed my teeth before climbing in.

Inside I lit my new candle (Darkest Sandalwood), made another drink and continued to watch some more episodes of Stranger Things 2.  While I was watching an episode my good friend Stacie called me and we ended up talking for some time and she was able to give me some advice on some feelings I have been having.  Then another really good friend of mine, Sal, called me and we spoke for about thirty minutes and that put me in a wonderful mood.  As soon as I hung up with him my grandmother called me and we talked for a few minutes before I was finally able to get back to my show; though by this point I was exhausted from all the talking. :)