Tentative Early Road Trip Map

If you’re reading this, it’s no secret that my wife and I have separated after a very tough couple of months of turbulence and rapid change. I’ve found myself in a position of great reflection and painful growth. \240For months, I was frozen in place stuck in a maelstrom, trying to hold on and understand what was happening, trying to slow it down. \240It was futile . . .

Phoenix Nik 🔥

After many tears and sleepless nights, I concocted a plan to find myself and forge a path toward healing:

- I need to write, I need music, and that means a trip to the Bible Belt to meet up with the band to recreate, reimagine, and rekindle my love for music.

- I need lots of hugs from people who love me, some I haven’t seen for many years. I will plan some thoughtful pit stops along the way to help fill my heart (and my belly) 🥰 \240

- I need wonder; sunsets that fall into the horizon with such warmth it will ignite my soul, and stars to shoot so brightly that my eyes will twinkle with imagination provoked. \240

- I need miles of loud music and singing out loud to center my heart and begin to hear myself, so I can begin to listen to myself and build my intuition.

- I need waterfalls, rivers, creeks, and a long coastal drive along the ocean to balance the fire within, I resonate with phoenix imagery very strongly right now and I’m pulled toward the water intensely.

My sister and I made a sweatshirt for the occasion - her Etsy shop is awesome!

Last sunset in Crookston before I embark.

I am filled with lots of emotions as I leave. I had breakfast with my girls and they sent me off with stuffed animals and hugs. \240I will miss them madly, along with the rest of my family and friends here - but I am eager to get back to Washington and begin this next chapter as well, whatever it will hold for me.

I need to find myself in the in between, and I’m going to give it all of me in the process.

Coffee fund 😎

If you’re reading my travel blog and want to buy me coffee on the road ☕️

Breakfast with the girls in North Dakota before I left 😍

I took the Amtrak Cupid train out to the Midwest, had a rest, worked a bunch, did some visiting, and turned my new-to-me vehicle into an adventure mobile fit to take me into the next era and back to my new home in aTacoma.

It was a very blizzardy welcome 🥶

I had a great plan with a blowup mattress for the back seat and an SUV tent. I’d be self-sufficient, with help (I’m working on receiving, it’s hard for me, I’m not good at asking for help - I was helped significantly before I left Washington with a care package of excellent supplies for my travels, pictures to come - my favorite item - a tie between the binoculars and the sheewee 😆

Dad had other ideas for my sleeping arrangements 💡

After some rumination and coffee conversations with dad, we crafted a plan to build a full-size memory foam mattress bed in the back of the Ford Edge, framed and sourced with repurposed materials. We worked together to plan and build the frame from pieces at his auto body shop after hours and on the weekend. I loved spending this time with him 💚

Measure twice, cut once!

Slicing pieces for the frame.

Select stud . . .

We laid a giant piece of cardboard down inside the Edge and traced the shape with a permanent marker to cut out with a razor blade. We used this mold to cut the floor and mattress to shape for a snug fit and excellent comfort and support - this modification gave me so much more room inside the Edge and I can lay out fully with plenty of room on an ultra comfortable I can’t believe this is the back of my vehicle kind of bed, so much better than I could have envisioned . . . A solid upgrade!

The floor is born!

We cut the memor foam mattress to size with an electric knife, the kind you would use to cut corn off the cob! It was funny and ridiculous, giggly and time consuming, but utterly effective in the end!

Can’t feel the floor beneath, don’t remember it’s a vehicle bed when you wake up, soooo comfortable!

After mulling over various storage and workspace/desk options, my brother took me to the county welding shop and the hitch attachment was born 2 a double decker storage tote holder, extendable 180 degrees with a kick stand to support and utilize as a standing desk, and a hook off the side for a solar powered shower bag.

Sparks first.

Then blue fire 🔥

Flame thrower! I did get a haircut that night, but not from this!

Ahhh to melt the shower hook, liquify and bend, it sizzled in the water once it had been bent to shape.

Back to dad’s shop for refinement and wiring.

Plywood panels - some varnish will help with the weather and aesthetic.

Paint for the rust, color changing paint with some sparkle in it 😁

Tested the joint and built the lock mechanism secured by carabiner - classic 😎

Assembled and loaded.

Parked and packed.

Final Crookston sunset.

One thing about northern Minnesota that I love is that I can watch the sunset fall beneath the horizon forever, there is nothing in the way and the sky goes on forever it feels 😍

Bittersweet.

I felt like I didn’t have enough time or spend it the right way and also like I wanted to get started on my road trip toward myself because i need to build up my Big Nik Energy, I have felt unlike myself in a lot of ways for a long time and it feels like I’m just coming up for air.

Growth is painful. Grief is heavy. Trauma is hard. \240I am strong and I’ve got work to do, starting with finding my way toward myself again. This time with myself is so important at this crossroad - so I created a plan to ensure I spent my energy on me with intention and kept enough for me too if I chose to share my energy and to give myself space and time to really go within and reflect, explore, and begin to love myself so deeply I won’t ever lose myself again. \240Hard shit, worthwhile investment, excruciating endeavor.

Transition. The mosaic. Phoenix Nik.

I was given a private tour of the firehall, and I got to play with irony in regard to my phoenix imagery 🤣

Captain Nik?

Deelia’s young daughter did amazing cartwheels in the living room and showed me their music room and pretend lemonade/smoothie stand. Deelia and I had a drink and a pizza for our visit before I crashed on the couch.

I worked a half day with delicious coffee and living room office space and then traveled onward to Wisconsin.

Easy drive for the second leg of the trip (2 hours) for two nights in Hudson, Wisconsin with Kelly and her family. \240

Benny is getting big!

Jordi and his chocolate face!

I worked in the basement and at their kitchen table during the day. I had a wonderful icy walk during my stay and enjoyed their company briefly before departing. Kelly made some suggestions to help me sparkle about a bit and they fit quite nicely into my plan.

Lunch at Ellsworth Cheese Factory

Cheese curds, strawberry shake, and some almonds for lunch - the ladies took a picture for me and she made the shit out of my shake 🙌

How can I leave Wisconsin without some cheese?? It was delicious as I drove through the wooded areas of Wisconsin on my way to my next destination, my imagination running away with delight for my next stop.

Kelly sent me singing over to the Spam Museum, a free relic along the way! Amazing and quirky and just the right kind of weird for me to speculate what kind of items and history would belong to a spam museum.

Very clean glass indeed, spam cleaner maybe?

Well if it’s reserved . . . I mean I wouldn’t classify myself as a spam fan . . . Yet.

But the puns and wordplay are fire 🔥

Paul walked around with spamples (grilled spam with a pretzel stick in it, all kinds of different flavors on a charcuterie board, served with a smile). \240Of course I tried them, I bought three cans for my camping trip - thanks Paul!

Ahh, totally in my price range! 🤣

Bacon fueled motorcycle??

Statue pic - I think I may work this in more often bahaha, what other statues can I find?

Cheap cheeky souviner, the penny press, destroying government property . . . The borderline badass strikes again!

Spam Museum was an awesome pit stop. I smiled and laughed at all the quirky items and history, I looked at the exhibits, I chatted up the employees and sampled the spamples. \240It was not a long stop but it packed a fun punch for sure, plus a little stretch and snack - but the brain fodder in anticipation takes the cake 😆

All of the people? Surely not . . .

Next landing is with Kaytlyn, Megan, and their beautiful twin babies for a little bit. I am exhausted, to my core, I need to charge myself up a bit.

I chased the sunset across Iowa and into the early evening before I arrived, I laid down almost immediately after arriving and worked the next day from the basement before watching softball and celebrating a double half-year birthday

Something about babies and music - they are inquisitive and filled with wonder, they are so responsive!

I tried cactus for the first time, in taco fashion - it was delicious and funny to me that I tried cactus in Iowa, seems counterintuitive!

Dinner and a private concert, she stated at me the whole time I played, full of love 💕

Him too - can’t just snuggle babies! 😆

No snow in sight - I played Dust on the Bottle and giggled about how I had no bottles currently, but plenty of dust! This billboard made me laugh, there was nothing for miles 😂

Ope and it’s a main draw in the city, where everything closed early afternoon if it was open at all, small town living.

The marvel, in all it’s glory, encased in a building filled with windows to peep the popcorn 🍿

It’s funny to think about the world’s biggest anything, this particular point of notoriety is purposeful, intended. A community got together and decided they were going to make it on the map for something and chose the popcorn ball, a nod to Iowa and their corn 🌽

The exterior of the building is filled with yearbook-like pictures documenting the community effort to build and shape this enormous kernel of joy.

It made me think about this kind of community effort in other applications and how important it is to remember that collectively, we are stronger together.

I am reminded of all the people I love who have touched me in different ways and helped me along my path to this moment, and I’m so grateful for each conversation, hug, and kind gesture 💚

All the helpers helping!

They had a heritage village area behind the popcorn ball, with buildings adorned as different old times community buildings, each shed mocked up differently, museum portion closed until closer to Labor Day.

I could have made a personal appointment and the internet said they would open the museum - alas, I did not opt for that option at this pit stop, but what an intriguing offer, a personal tour of the museum just by request . . . Maybe if I come back sometime 🤣

Iowa reminds me ⚡️

I was driving out of Sac City and peeped this gem and stopped for a pic. Of course Iowa would remind me to plant my independence - ok, ok. I am not sure about the seed potatoes, but I allow the billboard advice nonetheless!

🌽

Lunch and a chat with Jim Neppel (he was insistent on the spelling of his last name, as there are three variations in the area lol) 😆

I stopped at the only open place on my path, Fat Guys, and had some potato skin nachos and a beer for lunch. \240Jim liked my vest and I liked his jacket, we became friends. \240He told me about the fierce competition out there when picking wild asparagus, he walks because he likes the reflection time but the guys in trucks can be assholes sometimes!! \240He started picking asparagus on his walks when his wife passed away a few years ago, he donates the asparagus he picks to the community and he said he gives lots to the nurses that helped his wife, his way to give back - solid reminder of the good in humanity.

Jim talked about his knees giving out from working past retirement age and how hard it’s been since his wife passed away, how many people miss her, what an impact she had. He then asked me what brought me to the area . . . Popcorn ball Jim, his eyes lit up!

So apparently he was chief popcorn guy at a competing popcorn factory (hence the jacket!) and totally had the scoop! 🤣 The popcorn ball on display currently is the second popcorn ball, and the first popcorn ball was BLOWN UP with literal TNT 🧨 bahahaha! Okay, this makes the story way more fun!

We talked a lot through our lunch and Jim wanted to take a picture with me, so yep, absolutely - he shook my hand as I paid for my snack and departed.

A wonderful Iowa pit stop to bring some joy into my heart 😎

Reminder from the universe!

Fong’s famous wonton pizza - I don’t think I’ve ever tried Chinese pizza before!

I got total Revenge of the Nerds vibes as I entered, pictures of ducks flying on the wall, Chinese restaurant aesthetic, they were very nice and the food smelled so good!

Ok, Chinese pizza is delightful!! Crunchy and light, distinct different kind of flavor, not what I expected, it was like an awesome fusion of different textures and tastes - would totally enjoy this again sometime - Iowa, the land of the fusion foods!

Ahhh, I have landed in Arkansas and my heart is bursting with love!!

I never envisioned this scenario, but I welcome it wholeheartedly!! I am enjoying my first ever crawfish boil with one of my best friends Allyssa (20 years of friendship) and her family (mending some old notions from many year ago, fresh start, new slate, and in humbled by their kindness and the southern charm!!)

Flowers for her sister’s birthday, I brought some charm to the south too!

Gotta clean them off before they get boiled - they were moving - crawfish fisherman caught them - I asked many questions and got the total inside scoop - of course!!

I had to help, I couldn’t help myself! I stirred that boil like a boss and was welcome into the club!!

Awwww poor little crawfish guy!!

Apprently the foam indicate it’s almost done ✅

Trying out the corn, delicious!!!! Corn on the cob in April, outside, in 70+ degree weather, excellent!!

awww final selfie!!

Sasquatch looking out!!

From my crawfish eating lesson, lots of work for little meat, kind of like crab!! It was delicious, and spicy!!

Beau and I dominated at beersby . . . 10-6 . . . The object is to throw the frisbee at the beer can on the pole and knock it off - Reminds me of winning cornhole tournaments in small towns in northern Minnesota - a little competitive lawn game action . . . Feels good to be a champ 😎

Sun ☀️ more sunscreen is needed!

Off to go meet Jess for an afternoon adventure in Alabama 😁

Jess’s bus!!!

Look at her long hair :)

Huddle house huddle up 😎

Lemonade out of lemons, right??

Power steering problems lead to an unexpected twist in our Alabama adventure, we are staying overnight until and looking for a mechanic in the morning - not even roadside assistance functions on Sundays in the Bible Belt.

The flipside is a nice fire on a beautiful night, a makeshift desk on the back patio to catch up under the stars and make room for the mechanic time tomorrow before my other meetings, 3 guitars in the moonlight, and most importantly, I am with two of my best friends safe and sound with a plan to boot - no frustration jump rope needed just yet 🤙

Prognosis currently undefined . . .

Today I’m working on patience and gratitude as I work from Jess’s back porch and listen to the birds sing until I hear about the adventure mobile and make a coordinated plan from there 🤞

Jeff with the win!!

It was an o-ring causing all that steering fluid to leak all over, he said! Fixed me up good - we are back on the road to Arkansas after our extended visit with Jess 😎

Cookin up a storm while I strummed away 😎

Ahhh, the bounty - tacos are the way to my heart always!! May I have tacos at every stop 🌮

She was proud of her dinner skills, totally superb, for the record 🤣

If this made you smirk too 😏

So it’s an honor to apply a sticker to the shop fride, and this was my contribution - procured at a random little gas station in Arkansas on the way back from the craw fish boil - I bet she can really turn a wrench in those heels, and if so, high fives 🙌

Tonight was a night for my heart, a good long catch-up with a best friend - a long overdue pick up from where we left off but with some much discernible growth recognized in each other, it’s heartwarming as hell and feels so comfortable. \240This time is invaluable, albeit brief in the big scheme of things, and I’m grateful for the pitstop and the associated shenanigans to come - seems adventures await in my horizon, sprinkled in the gaps, and I aim to capitalize.

And avoid tornados, I will also do my best to do that (there is a cellar next door to Tubey’s place, and the sirens work good).

I am filling my heart. I am working and focused. I am resting and taking time for me. I am working on a recalibration for my schedule in many aspects and choosing carefully where I put my energy. \240I am working really hard on balance and slowing down to rebalance with a more authentic perspective, writing lots. \240

And I will continue to chase the sunset, even through the clouds!

Good morning Arkansas☕️

Today I have the day off! \240

I woke early to have coffee with Tubey and chat, gotta capitalize on those little moments as much as I can. \240

Today I will do fun things, explore, play, wander a bit. We have some shenanigans in the works and time for a nap even - I will at least lay down and give it a go, trying to slow down too. \240

I feel good this morning and I aim to amplify today 😎☕️

I chose hitch attachment sparkly blue so I could match the hitch; dad and Ryan would be proud, or maybe not 😆

I was treated to a fancy little pedicure and southern Sonic breakfast experience, I gotta say, even though I was called sir twice I had an excellent experience and now I have princess feet 🤭

The route 44 size . . .look how big my delicious \240strawberry limeade is 🤣

Shoutout to brotha Ryan, I am loving this vest and getting so many compliments on it 😎

We stopped at a pawn shop and I purchased a tiny little Fender amp for $25 so I can play with the looping pedal that Cody gifted me . . . It is a musical game changer!!!! And this knight, we exchanged philosophy on modern chivalric code 🤣

We went to a new place by Allyssa and Kourtney’s place called The Mighty Crab + and it was awesome!! 🦀

The only thing is that Abi, the waitress, was so nice and I asked her what spice flavor and level she recommended . . . But then I leaned in and went with it, like a southern culinary version of Hunger Gamess, I gotta try the southern food as tribute, but then my lips and mouth were legit on fire!! 🔥

Abi giggled and denied us when we asked for milk, she came through with some garlic butter, but I was almost through with my dragon test by then . . . I come from the land of bathing in ranch, this eye watering, orifice cleansing spice they have down here, oof!!

Abi did hook me up with a stash of mighty crab moist towelettes lol, which she smuggled out to me and then promptly asked me to hide them bahahahaha, like a handful!! So funny 😆 thanks Abi!!

The three of us are going to find some shenanigans in Little Rock tonight, in fact, I aim to slay at Club Sway . . . As if I were in a cheesy Saturday Night Live bit . . . I think that tongue twister will get longer, \240more convoluted, and much funnier as the night goes on!

It’s been an awesome day off, I have felt relaxed and filled with awesome moments of joy today - I had an awesome nap after the lips on fire meal and now I’m ready to go exploring for a bit, balling on a budget, tonight is about creative fun! 😎

Ope and we’re off to have a night in the Bible Belt! 👀

Scooters around Little Rock while we await the club to pickup a bit, let’s go! 🤗

Alabama with Jess for a stretch 🎶

I’m almost 3,000 miles in on my road trip, it’s been up and down in many ways - and there have been some stressors to navigate lately . . . So when the opportunity presented itself, I leaned in:

Today I took a much needed break hiking in nature with Jess and Skyla, it was absolutely beautiful outside, sunny and 70 with a light breeze! In April 😎

We went to National Bridge Park and hiked on and off path, it was the perfect mix of exciting and grounding, serene and so charged, water sounds everywhere I listened 💚

Rock stacking artists leaving their treasures.

Delicately placed to tower.

Bam - nature! Every direction, epic views today- check it out below 😎

They were marveling 👀

Because wow 😯

The trees were enormous and the root systems ran up and down the land and limestone, weaving this web of natural stairs up to the ledges and holding trees upright on almost nothing sturdy at times, totally exposed - amazing!

Safety railings, we aren’t wild even if her last name is . . .😏

Ok, but some of the paths were a little more brazen, I was wearing my hiking boots 🥾

Layered and weathered and gorgeous!

This sound was like rhythmic echoes dripping and reverberating down the hollow, soothing.

Cute little baby waterfall ☺️

A blue beetle! It flies . . .

My feet are in the water in April, it’s cold but refreshing. It was beautiful and so mesmerizing out here - this was exactly what I needed today ☺️

The sunset flirts with me above the gate while I flex some time from my hike earlier; I’ll work until we have a fire and then retire for the night.

🔥

The sunrise awaits me yet 🌅

There is something about fire that just lures me in, it’s so relaxing and I will have many fires crafted by the blade of my badass hatchet 🔥

This is the lot across from where I’m parked. \240I did some foraging for sticks here today.

I met Blake yesterday on his lawnmower as he was listening to some 90s Alan Jackson on his headphones, blue shades on, nodding away in the sun. \240He reminded me of an early southern frat bro 🤣

He was very kind and indulged me in conversation as to whether or not I could have his sticks bahahah, he was so excited that I would pick up the sticks and take them!! He was mowing for a while and kept stopping to chat and offered to help me clear them, which I thank him for but politely declined, sun was hot just then!!

The Nik Stick Pic 😆

Bahaha 🤣 I do think I am funny! I am trying to create these moments of joy for myself, captured in the inbetween. Sprinkle a little proverbial glitter around for myself, make my own magic.

I’ve never taken my shirt off and cut wood up before, it felt liberating and a little risky lol 😝 I was covered more than a swim suit, so ya know, the sweat pants makes it borderline badass! Nonetheless, I let the sun kiss me for just a minute and then went back into the covered patio after my break.

I had a rather long night last night processing and writing. \240I took a nap about it today after work but I slept through the entire evening in the back of my adventure mobile, soooo bummed!! All that wood and I missed having a fire - I did absolutely need the recharge though.

Sweet midnight moment 👀

So here I am, early morning at the Chevron in Winfield, Alabama post long nap having some coffee and starting my day because why not? This flexibility to move and wander and work has been phenomenally freeing for my soul and I’ve been putting together a strong rhythm that fits my current life and priorities - it’s so different and almost indescribable, I’ve needed this time with myself.

My truck stop midnight station ☕️

As I was chatting up the lady working at the truck stop, I asked her what her recommendation was for something perfect for working in the middle of the night at a truck stop in Alabama 😆 it’s a pretty niche distinction bahaha, but she was confident that I needed the flat bread Italian sand which with two mustard and one Mayo, and dill pickle chips inside for crunch . . . Certainly a specific, quirky, tried and true exotic Alabama culinary delight - sign me up, leaning in to this weird shit!

Ha, it was like if Subway’s Italian BMT had an Italian gas station cousin who like cellophane but also was fresh and sassy and the perfect combination lol - who would have though? Miranda did! \240

Plus coffee and water . . . My mouth is totally confused 😂

Today is going to be a great day, I can feel it in my body - Alabama has been good to me twice now!

Pit stop on the way to uncle Bubba’s house! Time to unwind and stretch on our way to Oklahoma for the weekend, traveling with Tubey to her family’s bridge celebration for her grampa 💚

Rueben to split with onion rings, they totally thought we were a couple 🤣

But Chris hooked it up with the double green tea shot, delicious!!! 🧃I’m not driving 👍🏻

But we are chasing the sunset to wonderful music and singing with the windows down chasing the sunset!! 😎✨

The main event of our trip to Oklahoma was a luncheon for her papa’s birthday, he spent a lot of time working on this dam over the years. The first time I came to Arkansas was associated with his passing - this time I was welcomed into the family and it was so entirely beautiful to me 💚

Uncle Bubba, Tubey, and Mimi checking out the nostalgic family photos - gotta love a good black and white album!

There was an awesome trail down to the damn that I explored for all its serene glory, it was windy and a little rough, no job too little for these clearance hiking boots 🤣

It was like poetry for my senses!

There were so many breathtaking views of the water, cliffs and shoreline fore miles and miles, huge luscious trees filled the horizon in all their green glory - crisp air in the morning and then again at night just before the stars came out.

So Tubey was telling me about this pink Victorian room at Mimi’s that hasn’t changed at all her whole life . . . It did not disappoint - here is a dainty shot of me 😆

Then later in the evening we went to an all you can eat seafood buffet at this little diner, bahaha look at this advertisement, how can you not eat here?? 😝

I was feeling rugged and like I wanted to climb and wander and explore, I wanted to feel the wind and listen to myself with some quiet intention - it’s a work in progress, I will keep at it because it feels good to lean in to me 😎

Fun mural in Eufala to stop and play at!

Lol the giddiness on my face is palpable 🤣

Tubey can sure strike a pose!!

The adventure mobile parked outside of Bubba’s - I sleep like a baby in the back of that bad boy, sooooooooooo comfortable and peaceful 😍

#FullSizeBed

Ahhhhh the Oklahoma sunset, it was gorgeous as it disappeared into the water!

I can confidently assert that I lead with my heart, and I can hear myself clearly now 😍

I wanted to dance in the rain along the cousin crickets, frogs, and cicadas (which Google says emerge from the ground as nymphs . . .they bloom and come into life and turn colors, lay eggs in the trees that fall to the ground, burrow in and build a network underground until they emerge and repeat, and rumor has it they only appear every 13-17 years in cohorts). They split their shells and fly out of their own bodies . . . Badass . . .

Tubey described the cicadas as the southern phoenix . . . I can get behind that idea of the cycle of rebirth, fitting!

Gotta jump in the puddles and splash Tubey too 🤣

Ok and ice vending machines?? Kourtney and Allyssa could not believe I didn’t know about ice vending machines . . . It was exciting to watch the huge sturdy bag of ice shoot down the slide quickly and ready to go, wow 😯

I will be in Arkansas through this next week and then take off to continue my trip next weekend 🔥

New hat for my day of digging at Crater Diamond National Park - I didn’t get the dainty, fancy, lace horse racing hat I was hoping for (complete with white gloves lol) - but I did find this beauty in preparation for my day of digging in the dirt, it’ll do - I feel like an adventurer, low key Indiana Jones vibes in my step bahaha 🤣

We packed up the gear (shovels and shit) and took off for an adventure in a neighboring town, the diamond field to dig and pan and wash and speculate diamond and rock prospects!

Ahhh, what a mural, better lean on it!

Of course we brought snacks!

We dug near the right side of this picture, I like to solitude nature of that tree, beautiful and stubborn and strong!

We had shovels of different sizes, garden tools, buckets, screens, and sifters. \240We dug with our tools and our hands in the plowed field looking at all the rocks and playing in the dirt, sitting in the sun and laughing and talking - it would have been fine to find nothing (and we found no diamonds lol), but I did find quite a good time pretending to be a miner and playing in the dirt and water sifting for diamonds (like I could even identify what a rough cut dirty diamond looked like bahahaha, maybe I did find some and just discarded them!). \240

It was a beautiful afternoon outside in the earth daydreaming!

I pulled out lots of cool little rocks - mostly jasper, volcanic tuff, and and lamporite (volcano rocks). Maybe I can tumble them sometime? Hmm 🤔

Almost looks like a water fireplace mantle . . .

The awesome walkways and green lit paths were so enchanting every direction I looked 😍

Instigating sign . . .

It’s interesting to look at the way that nature and humanity collide 🤯

Breathtaking views on the outskirts of the park!

You can see the steam coming off the springs as it trickles down. I made a wish and dipped my hands in the water. \240It was so incredibly warm, I wanted to jump in - but not here, they have \240a bathhouse for that!

(I did not try the bathhouse - maybe I will come across a surprise spa day in my future and have cucumber eyes, and lather goopy liquids upon me as I sip mojitos with gold flakes and edible flowers in it, and lay in the natural wells of water in some oasis being fanned by a goddess . . . Or maybe not 🤣)

Yes I will go visit the alligator farm and petting zoo 👀

Ha!

First the mini goats, they tried to eat my shoelaces and sweatshirt strings but they let me pet them and talk to them for a while as they played 💕

These guys 😆

That scientific name just rolls right off the tongue!

The ducks, way cute and not working for Aflac 🤓

The peacocks were gorgeous and vibrant - there was one mail just shaking it all out at his target mate and she was having none of it, dude could not understand consent and kept having this feather seizure close to her, just shaking it around, \240borderline aggressively and frustrated - dude could not understand consent!!

Prominent presence on the path, gawking 👀

This guy was a nibbler, just snacking away at the kibbles 😎

A sleepy lone wolf - totally appropriate.

I conned some birds into hanging out on my stick with some treats, they were mesmerizing and sing songy!

Alligator!!!! I touched my first alligator!! And I held him, cuddly little guy - he maintained strong eye contact consistently even when I moved around, was gentle in movement and reactive with an almost squinty smile upon being touched.

All the babies wanted hot dog pieces, next time I’ll snuggle in my own weenies, pocket weenies for the baby alligators 😆

Alligator nap pool one ☝️

Still nappy alligator pool 2 ☝️

Bahahaha will you look at that shit grin? 😏

Lol or this one! They were cheesing at me 🤣

Behold . . . Merman!

Hillbilly bubble bath - beans in a bag.

And not a typo, I laughed so hard and had to turn around to take a picture. Who chose this as the best option? Speed hump? I have got so many questions 😆

I have jaywalked in every state . . .

#BorderlineBadass

😎