So what do two people do with the day off in 100* temperatures? One answer: waterpark. What we thought was just going to be a way to cool down ended up being a worthwhile place on it's own. 20 minutes outside the city center of Sioux Falls lies Wild Water West Waterpark (say that 5 times fast!). 10 minutes outside of city center, you are no longer surrounded by urban or suburban dwellings, but instead rolling acres of farmland. Then boom, you've arrived.
While in line for water slides, from towers ascending off the ground, one can see pretty far into countless farms. Surrounding this waterpark are miles and miles of green, manicured countryside. You don't feel like you are just another number. There is no FOMO. While waiting in line, you get to be present with nature and appreciate this beautiful earth. What a phenomenal experience. Prices seemed fair, lines were not ridiculous. Makes me miss the craziness of city life even less. And get this: free parking AND in/out park privileges. No need to get a locker, worry about your stuff or spend money at the concessions - just return to your car (which has been baking in the sun) for your needs.
Another remarkable part of our day exploring Sioux Falls was our experience at a coffee shop. Before the heat got ridiculous, we decided to take a morning stroll down to the Big Sioux River, a casual 40 minute walk away. The city is almost completely surrounded by the Big Sioux River and therefore, parks and riverwalks along the way. Kudos to whatever city planner developed this city, as it is wonderful to experience it's parks and riverwalk. We found a coffee shop and were surprised to see they were not only dog friendly on their patio (which we had saw on BringFido) but dog friendly inside their restaurant as well. Maybe I'm new at this whole dog ownership thing or maybe I'm just oblivious but inside? in an enclosed space? How wonderful! So if you get a chance to go to Sioux Falls (which I'm already highly recommending!) check out Josiah's Coffee.
After the walk and our day at the waterpark (which even included a swim up bar on the lazy river!) we planned to take Piper to her own waterpark. Sioux Falls boasts the only indoor waterpark for dogs in the nation (how is that true?). For a nominal entrance fee, our canine could play around and in the water features. Most dogs chose to play around the water, not really getting the full effect of this neat place, but enjoying it all the same. I may have gotten more wet than Piper - but it certainly was nice to not hear the screech of a lifeguard's whistle when running was had.
If our day wasn't full of adventure enough - as we were loading our car up for the SplashBark (seriously, look it up) we noticed an older overweight beagle hound dog mix running unaccompanied down the sidewalk. As our brains processed what we were seeing, and Piper alerting us to a new playmate for her, I immediately exited the car and started following the dog. Though he was not terribly fast, I broke into a jog to stay with him. I attempted to grab his collar but he made a gesture I wasn't sure was friendly. So I decided on the therapeutic approach of talking to him. Eventually, he calmed down and slowed to almost a stop. (Therapy for the win!) Alex brought the car around and we poured him a bowl of water and attached Piper's leash to him. Unfortunately, no tags or identification. As we stood looking at each other, a car pulled up and a man got out. We exchanged "is this your dog?" to which neither said "yes". I shared my side of the story and he, Pedro, shared that he had seen him a few minutes ago running down a different street several blocks away and had attempted to find him. He had called the humane shelter but it was closing in a few minutes and we would not be able to get him there in time. The dog stood panting and aimless. He refused water. We knew we had to get him out of this incredible heat. As we explained our situation, the man offered to tend to him overnight despite his own dog, baby and wife at home. As I assisted walking the dog to this man's house, it was evident this dog had previously gotten an intense bout of adrenaline as he could now barely walk and fell over trying to get up the curb. I checked on this dog later to find that Henry was returned home. Turns out he was a 15 year old that escaped and the owner also called the humane shelter. I'm still in awe of Pedro, his family and their willingness to take in an old dog despite their own busy household. Thank you for being so willing to help, we need more of you!
I wish to say that was the end of the adventures for this day, but only two blocks after leaving Pedro's house we found another unleashed dog. This one was walking in the middle of the road. I don't know if it was this heat or just Sioux Falls as a whole but I have never come across an unsupervised dog before and now two?! You can't even make up the stuff I unintentionally get into.
This dog was a younger golden retriever. They had a collar and tags so I figured this would go a little smoother than Henry. I hopped out of the car, Piper's leash still in hand, and I carefully tried to calm the dog, grabbed their collar and tried to read the identification. A man came out of a nearby house toward the retriever. I quickly stated what we witness and asked if this was his dog. He muttered something and took the collar. I asked again if it was his dog - to which he said nothing. I wasn't sure what to do as he barely even acknowledged me. He did not confirm it was his dog, he did not thank me and he gave no possible excuse for why the dog was in the middle of the road. This was far less satisfying of a rescue than the first experience only minutes prior.
Reflecting on the craziness of the day, it sure had so many elements that are not in our typical life. That's the whole point of this trip. To just see where the road takes us.
Comentários