#007: Onward to Another Adventure

Road Trip Kickoff

The road trip has officially begun, and we are fully loaded—literally. The back seat is packed with computers and rope access kits, and every square inch of the truck bed is filled with cots and camping gear. 🏕️

We made our first haul to St. Louis, grabbing a hotel just three blocks from the Gateway Arch and smack in the middle of downtown—perfectly placed for walking to our first National Park of the trip.

Tomorrow: The First of Many National Parks

We’ll kick off our National Parks adventure tomorrow morning at Gateway Arch National Park, and we’re excited to start collecting those stamps!

But today had its own highlights...

Today’s Highlights (and a Few Laughs)

Caitlin Discovers the Magic of Menards

Today, Caitlin learned what Menards is—and let’s just say, a field trip is officially on the itinerary for tomorrow. Home improvement? Sure. Seasonal inflatables? You bet. Bulk snacks and random treasures? Absolutely. 😂

A Crash Course in Sinkhole Plains

She also got a quick education on sinkhole plains from our resident geologist (thank you, Missouri geology), and had some strong feelings about it: "Eeek." 😶

Marc Learns the Legend of Lambert’s

Meanwhile, Marc got introduced to Lambert’s Café—home of the infamous "throwed rolls"—and now fully understands why it’s a true American institution. He’s already dreaming of visiting the Foley, Alabama location. Priorities.

Prepping for Bob Dylan (Emotionally and Mentally)

To prepare for tomorrow night’s Outlaw Music Festival, we watched A Complete Unknown, a recent Dylan biopic. Our takeaway?

Let’s just say Bob Dylan was... a lot. 💩

Here’s hoping he’s a little more audience-friendly tomorrow—but either way, we’re ready for the experience. 😅

Onward to Arches and Outlaws

Our journey is already off to a memorable start. Stay tuned—next stop: Gateway Arch and an evening of outlaw country under the stars.

UPDATE: We made it!