Honeymoon-day 12, August 5, 2023

Honeymoon-day 13, August 6, 2023

“It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau

Day 12 was primarily driving. We stopped for a picnic to reheat our Chinese leftovers at a roadside park and took a break from the car. We wanted to drive hard to make it to St. Louis and enjoy exploring Sunday before heading home. We did stop for a fun Indian meal before we arrived in St. Louis.

Day 13, we took a riverboat cruise in front of St. Louis Arch before making our journey on home. While we enjoyed St. Louis, we both realized how much we enjoyed the natural attractions on our trip a bit more than the city.

Recap of the trip in its entirety:

13 days, 12 nights, five hotels, six camp nights (two free), one tipi night.

Miles Driven, approximately 5,000

15 states traveled and explored, 30% of states

National Parks-At least nine. We lost count and didn’t get stamps for all of them. Google maps says 18 parks including National and State.

Countless language heard over the course of the trip.

20+ verbal congratulations from strangers. 30+ honks/thumbs-ups while driving down the road because of our “Just Married” sign.

Meals-Chinese 3x, Turkish, Mexican, Indian, In & Out, lots of packaged rice over propane and peanut butter.

Numerous examples of the warmth and kindness of strangers.

Three fights putting up the tent. Two make-up hugs, one starlit dance. 😂

No injuries other than mosquito bites, a few mild headaches, and one blister.

We are still best friends as we finish this remarkable trip. We are looking forward to moving into our new home, renovation adventures, and our life journey together.