St. Louis and Kansas City

 While St. Louis isn’t exactly “on the way” from Michigan to Yellowstone, we chose this route to begin our journey at the Gateway to the West. We had planned a picnic under the Arch, but rain called for a change of plans. Instead, we ate at the museum café—which may have worked out for the best. Faith discovered toasted ravioli, a St. Louis classic, and it was a hit.

None of us had been to the Arch before. It's a unique national park, and the museum beneath it is packed with great exhibits about the city’s history, westward expansion, Lewis & Clark, the Mormon Trail, and more.

With the rain still coming down, we hit the road early for Kansas City—a 3.5-hour drive. It turned out to be a great call. We arrived with time to explore downtown, ride the streetcar to the Freight House District, and enjoy some excellent BBQ at Jack Stack’s on the patio. The restaurant sits in a restored freight depot, and we had dinner while watching trains roll by—Marley was thrilled.

This time, we stayed downtown at the historic Phillips Hilton. It's within walking distance of Main Street, the trolley line, shops, restaurants, and even a grocery store. Parking was a bit of an adventure—the valet didn’t bother with the garage and just left our Subaru out front the whole stay. But that made for a fast getaway in the morning, which we needed. Our longest travel day was still ahead.

Chicago

While we didn’t have much time before heading to our next stop, we were still able to enjoy a quick visit to the Windy City. We chose to stay outside of Chicago to avoid traffic and the hassle of parking with our car-top carrier—our vehicle is often too tall for standard parking garages.

Our first stop was Navy Pier. Lainey and I had visited Chicago a few months earlier, but the pier was closed that day due to high winds. Lainey found it ironic—Navy Pier, in the windiest part of the Windy City, shut down because of wind! But this time, we lucked out. The weather was perfect, and the breeze was just right. We rode the Ferris wheel, Tower Drop, swings, and a few other rides before heading to the Ice Cream Museum.

Lainey and I had been to the museum before, but the rest of the family had no idea what kind of fun was in store. Once inside, they took the “train” to the museum, explored all the colorful exhibits, and ate so much ice cream that Marley actually said he didn’t want any more—a rare moment for a four-year-old! Even Annie and I overindulged and went to bed with mild tummy aches.

By late afternoon, we were back on the road—heading toward St. Louis to officially kick off our epic adventure westward.

Setting Out

After a long day of preparations, we finally set out on our epic trip out West. We had planned for a late departure—Annie had work, the kids had school, and packing took longer than expected. Still, we left even later than planned. We thought we’d hit the road around 4 or 5, but it was nearly 7 before we pulled out of the driveway—and almost 8 by the time we circled back to grab the things we forgot.

As a result, it was nearly 11:30 p.m. (12:30 Eastern Time) when we pulled into our hotel in Burr Ridge, just outside Chicago. But no one seemed to mind. The adults hadn’t planned anything for the night, and the kids were excited to be on the road—with their own space, seat-back organizers, and iPads. The real adventure would begin tomorrow.

41 year old birthday boy goes to Chuck E Cheese

Craigan wedding

 

Faith's First Trip to Cedar Point

 

Written by: Dan

What a memorable fist trip.  We stayed in a tiny house on the Cedar Point campus.  This allowed us to get in early.  From there we hit the Maginum.  Might have been much for a first coaster.  Faith admitted she was "terrified."  But by the end of the day she had gone another 2 or 3 times.  

Where we really found our home was the Gemmini.  We rode 20+ times.  Because of the fastpass we were able to get on about each 3rd or 4th ride.  Faith and I ran from the end of the ride to the start in a mad sprint each time.  We had a blast.

Other notable events:

- Faith hit the mega jackpot at the archade and won about 1,400 tickets!

- My phone fell off the Gemini!  I was able to use apple "find my phone" to locate it after the park closed.

- We were one of the first people in the part, and one of the last to leave.  

- We talked about the trip for days, non-stop. 

Our Cabin.  Right behind the Meanstreak.  We went to sleep hearing the screams of the riders.  

Scariest ride in the park.  The cable car.

First car of the Gemini.  Right before I lost my phone.

Faith's first drive.  Cadillac car.  I was told to sit in the back seat.

Faith before going on the Maginum

4th of July