It was the best of naps, it was the worst of naps. You can never tell if a car nap is going to be a glorious one, in which you wake up refreshed hours later in a different state with gorgeous vistas to enjoy while you rub the remainders of sleep from your eyes, or a terrible nap, in which bits of radio commercials creep into weird dreams as you nod uncontrollably like a kid being offered a giant ice cream cone. Well abreast of the odds, I always make sure to take multiple naps to ensure I can get in at least one good nap.
After waking up at 4:45am to take in the sweet sounds of a prairie creature symphony, we watched the sun rise over the Badlands. As soon as I settled into the passenger seat, I started nap number one. After a few of the more violent nods, I looked up to catch some views of deer and the awesome terrain of the big Badlands.
Before I knew it, I woke up as we were parking in front of Wall Drug. After a quick round of tchotchke shopping and with bellies full of homemade donuts and 5-cent coffee, we headed out on the interstate again.
Several mini naps later, I woke up on Main Street in Deadwood, SD. After a snack and some more tchotchke browsing, we returned to the car. This time, I dozed off without even realizing it and awoke to Joe shaking me vigorously to ask for directions out of the tourist trap town.
We’re currently headed toward Big Horn, WY, for some higher altitude camping tonight, but not before I get in another few winks. Sweet dreams, everyone!