Today was another day of slow driving. Last night I finally pulled off the road because I felt like the car was having trouble. Now that it is daylight I can see that what I was feeling in the car was the strong winds that blow across the prairie. I still kept the car at about 55 for this long day of driving. I switched audio books and started The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It was much easier to hear and didn't require as much focus.

I stopped for a little excursion along the drive today. I kept seeing signs for "The World's Largest Prairie Dog," so I figured Prairie Dog Town would be a good place to get out and stretch my legs. Prairie Dog Town is in Oakley, KS on I-70. It's a little family-run menagerie. I don't remember how much I paid to get in, but this blog I found says they usually charge the cost for three gallons of gas.

The first animals I saw were a lot of rattlesnakes. There were at least 20 of them in a large container that you had to climb steps to peer into. Once you looked in several of them started shaking their rattles. From there you proceed out the back door to when the majority of the animals are. There are lots of prairie dog holes, so you have to watch your step. Several prairie dogs popped out to see me and give some warning calls. My zoom doesn't work consistenly, so I didn't get a picture of them. They had lots of other animals including several species of pig, foxes, geese, bobcats, buffalo, steer, several beautiful pheasant species, fancy chickens, and of course, Roscoe the miniature donkey. They also have a cow with 5 legs! The giant prairie dogs are statues blocked from interstate view by a wall. It was really hot out, so I didn't stay long.

At some point after Prairie Dog Town my check engine light turned off and never came back on. There was a cute town called Burlington in Colorado near the border. Right next to the Colorado Welcome Center was the cute Old Town Museum. I was disappointed to not get to explore here, but they were about to close and I needed to get to Denver before it was too late in the evening. I really want to come back the next time I drive through.

I arrived in Denver around 7:00 or so. My neighbors, Heidi and Rachel, stopped by to introduce themselves. Rachel let me borrow her air mattress and Heidi gave me directions to Target and the grocery store. I have orientation tomorrow morning and classes start on Monday. There is so much I need to do!