Cool, but not cool
We did, indeed, get to go to the place Dad suggested last night for breakfast this morning. It was called Señor Egg, and as soon as we entered me and Mom were hooked. The place had the exact type of style and vibe that we always tend to enjoy. Plus my chocky milk came in a jar.
As Gideon put it, it only "had a slight chocolate flavor" but it was still delicious. Our meals took a while to come, but we were not let down. I personally ordered what was called the 'Ferrero and Friends' waffle, which was a waffle with Ferrero Rochers, Hershey Chocolate, sliced almonds, chocolate and caramel sauce and a very sizable dollop of whipped cream. It was delicious. Soulmate number 5, these waffles. In total that makes the list: Pie, Rainbow Waffles, Mac and Cheese, Mac and Cheese and Waffles . . . I have a pattern.
Before leaving Señor Egg, we decided to use the bathroom. Two things about this bathroom stuck out from the rest. The toilet water was the color of clean porta potty water, and the sink was the kind of sink you'd envision in the kitchen of a restaurant. I found it nearly impossible not to scrub in like a surgeon.
In the parking lot, we put on sunscreen in preparation for the park ahead of us. Me and Mom also switched out shoes because flip flops don't work too well on wilderness walks. When we were all back in the car, I turned towards Gideon and found sunscreen handprints on his window. Great. How's he gonna see a National Park through that?
We began our two hour journey to the southern gate of today's only attraction, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Before we get any further it's key to mention that this park has two sections or 'units'. Because we came from the north, we passed the entrance to the North Unit on our way to the South Unit. Even outside the North Unit of the park, the views of towering multicolored rocks were absolutely stunning. We pulled off at a scenic overlook before even passing the north entrance.
After passing the North Unit that had several people waiting in line to enter, we entered a National Grassland called Little Missouri. There weren't any pull offs or anything, in fact you wouldn't know it was a National Landmark if it weren't for the sign. It was just a whole bunch of rolling green hills which were pretty, but got monotonous after a while. So obviously, you know what I did. You guessed it! I took a nap.
I woke up when Mom must've hit a rumble strip or something. She pulled into a gas station afterwards, which had a large pit in it's entryway. It provided a nice 'bump bump' to wake me up fully.
A little later, we were only a few minutes away from the South Unit. Around it's entrance was a cute little town that resembled an old western town. It was obviously very touristy, but still cool. At the entrance to the park, we bought an America the Beautiful pass, which lets you into all the National Parks for free for . . .however long it lasts. If you're reading this, you're already on the internet, so look it up.
Directly behind the front gate was a small building with places for trash, bathrooms, a few picnic benches, a few mini exhibits for learning about the park and a gift shop. We used the bathrooms and then bypassed the orientation video because it would've been a longer wait than we were willing to wait. Gideon had fun with a few exhibits, though. He studied the pelt of some badger-like animal and took a look at which animals in the park are carnivores, herbivores or omnivores.
The park was absolutely beautiful. We drove through little prairie dog towns and fields with buffalo. . . we even saw a whole ton of wild horses! It was a little busy, and part of the loop was closed. We had to do a whole lot of retracing our path to see the whole thing. There were quite a few vistas with photo opportunities, and a few with short walks. On a normal day, I would've been up to seeing every single one. However, quite a few of them had short walking trails to get to the ideal view, and in the 106 degree heat, I wasn't really into that idea. We did two of the shorter walks, but nothing too serious. Don't worry, we kept really hydrated too.
At the end of the road, I was so relieved to be able to stay in the car for a while. We took the last ten or so minutes to the front gate and then I realized: we still needed to hit up the gift shop. At first I thought it was absurd that I had to go back out into the heat for postcards. But then I gratefully remembered that the Visitor Center had air conditioning. Ok, we can go see the merchandise, then. It wasn't as extensive as the shop at the Headwaters of the Mississippi, but there were still some good things. I got a sticker for the back of my computer and quite a few postcards. Gideon got National Parks Monopoly and a teddy bear with a shirt that says 'Theodore Roosevelt National Park' which he creatively named Theodore.
Finally, we were in the car for good for a little while. I began snacking, and Mom and Dad decided that there weren't any places for lunch around, so we ate the snacks in the car for lunch. We took the same road we used to come in, so guess what I did? You'll never guess. . . I slept. Again. Yep.
I woke up just before we went to the same gas station for a fill up. Both the parents left and Gideon began playing with Theodore at an obnoxiously loud volume. I tried to go to sleep again with no luck. Of course, Dad decided to tease me too by standing at my window and waiting for me to turn around and be scared. Too bad I saw him out of the corners of my eyes. I knocked on my window before he told me I was grumpy. Yeah. No, duh. When Mom and Dad got back in the car, Gideon quit all play with Theodore. Oh, nice. It was a special treat just for me. How kind of you, Gideon.
From the gas station it was only a few more minutes until we reached the much less travelled North Unit. There was a sign out in front of the entrance advertising the park, so we stopped to grab a picture there. We even used our newly purchased America the Beautiful pass to get into the North Unit. The Visitor Center for this unit was essentially a few trailers strung together by outdoor bridges. We decided to forgo any gift shopping or museum learning and just use the bathroom before seeing the park. There were far less people in this parking lot, but it still wasn't empty. Mom opened the door to the women's room and found a lady at the sink. Based on the size of the room, she assumed we were intruding and closed the door immediately. She said the woman was "strangely calm" for being intruded on. After processing, she realized she'd seen several stalls inside the bathroom. We went inside and did our thing.
Even in the first mile or so of the Northern Unit, it was easy to tell that this place had less funding. The roads often cut off into dirt in particularly old or worn stretches. The views of plain wilderness were better at this park, although there was not as much wildlife. As Dad pointed out, part of the area looked as if it might've been burnt recently.
There was one vista though, that really stuck out. It was a longer walk on a slope, but the destination was a cute little pavilion made of stone that had really great views. It was so beautiful and I even saw some cacti on the hill!
The North Unit was not a loop, but it didn't have an exit either, so you just had to turn around at the last scenic area. As soon as we turned around, we all resolved that we were not getting out of the car again. With that out of the way, we had to decide on dinner. Keep in mind that we'd been walking and taking pictures in 103 degree heat all day long, and we'd only had bags of chips and other snacks for lunch. Also bear in mind that our past few dinners have only been. . . ok-ish. Now, Dad suggested we try some regional pizza chain, to which Mom responded something I never thought I'd hear her say: "I want Dominos." After some frustration that the one time she wanted Dominos was the one time we weren't near one, Dad informed us that there was actually a Dominos in the town we were staying in.
With the promise of comfort food and the knowledge that we were once again taking the same roads we'd used to get there, I fell asleep once again. I didn't wake up until we stopped at a gas station for sodas. As soon as I woke up, either Mom or Dad asked if I was coming inside too. I didn't have any shoes on, and I didn't feel like putting on my sandals. I'd worn them all day and they weren't very comfortable. Still, I decided it's best to get up and walk around to wake myself up a bit. It felt so nice to stretch my legs, too.
This is the weird thing about gas stations around here. They're not just gas stations. This one happened to be a hardware store, a gun store, a clothing store, a pizza place, a grill store and a gas station. Why? No one knows. But they are, in fact, absolutely terrifying.
I accompanied Dad inside Dominos too, which just smelt too good. If I wasn't already hungry, I definitely was after that. The people inside were pretty nice, too, and one even went in back to get Mom her blue cheese dressing.
It was only about five minutes back to the hotel, but it felt like years. The warm pizza on my lap did not help. When we were finally able to eat, we devoured everything. A little taste of home was so nice.
Satisfied with dinner, I finally showered. I should've and was going to yesterday, but Mom pointed out that we'd just get even more gross today. We did. And let me tell you, that shower felt so good. So refreshing . . .
After my shower, we even got to watch the Owl House! New episodes come out every Saturday and me and Gideon are determined to keep up.
After a long day, we all went to bed a little earlier.
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