So, we did it! Our first stop is complete. Sioux Falls did not disappoint. The walkability of this town was a wonderful surprise. Although we were only here for a few short days, I feel comfortable in saying it was a worthwhile place to visit. We loved the parks, the sidewalks and the walkability to water (in so many directions!). The challenge today of course was packing us all back up and into the car. That is a whole morning's work! Now, I will say, I do like packing cars. It's a real life Tetris game. Interestingly enough, packing today resulted in way less visibility out of the rearview mirror, despite everything being in the same locations. How does that even happen?!
I've brought from home what I see as needs. I do not want to be hauling in and out of the car one more thing than I need to. Somethings may not be used but I'm hedging my bet that they will. Like my work printer. I figure at some point on this trip, I will need to print something. I could pay Staples (do they have those in the middle of Montana?) or maybe a business center, but what would that even cost me? Unfortunately, the printer (and other heat-sensitive objects) will come into each hotel just to return to it's traveling position in the car a few days later. Somethings may never be used and can stay in the car - like a fan. It's summer and who knows if the places in which I will stay will have A/C. My college dorm didn't have A/C, neither did a hotel we stayed in outside of Seattle. Their belief is summer is so short - it's not worth the expense. Each and every item in the car has been chosen with purpose. With so many beings, each with their own needs, there is little room for "oh, just bring it".
On our way out of town, we took one last adventure to downtown Sioux Falls. Though we did a lot of walking - we never walked their main street as we were either driving or on a different route. There is also an urban dog park a block or so away from their main street. We knew Piper would love this adventure and maybe it would tire her our for the ride ahead.
We met several friendly dogs and dog owners. One of the owners at one point took out his phone to type in a note about his dog for us to read. I asked him if he was deaf and began signing with him. This was a fun surprise, perhaps for both of us. One of my majors in college was ASL, but it has been several years since I conversed in it. We spoke briefly about his work and how he brings his dog, Sven, on lunch breaks to let out some steam (though the dog stayed by him the entire time). I told him of our travels and about Piper. I tried to include him when other dog owners shared about their dogs. Throughout our brief time at the dog park, this man's dog barked fairly non-stop. At one point in the conversation, he told me that his dog's nickname is "Bark" because of his incessant vocalizing.
On to Fargo we go. If I'm honest - I'm less excited about Fargo. I know nothing about it, besides there is a movie named after it. At least with Sioux Falls we knew there had to be waterfalls somewhere. I have no idea what we will find in Fargo and what there is to do. This is both a lackluster thought as well as an intriguing one. That is the general plan of this trip. Less tourism and more living. What is life like there? What does Fargo have to offer?
We did find out that a downtown square offers various cultural events. So after unpacking and helping Piper feel acclimated, we planned to go to their free "Tailgate Opera". We arrived downtown early so we could walk the main streets. As we got to what we thought was the edge of the main thoroughfare, we saw signs advertising a free concert. Naturally, the crowd of people sitting on lawnchairs piqued our interest, so we pulled up some grass and sat. Sometimes the best things happen when you don't plan.
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