Pit Stop in StL

The completion of our canoe trip on the Buffalo National River marked a huge milestone in the course of the road trip – day 70 and the end of the western loop. From Arkansas, we headed north to Missouri, and home to Saint Louis for a quick resupplying stop before heading east.

Of course Ryan and I couldn’t make a stop in Missouri without some time for play, so we made a point of staying a couple nights in Cuba, Missouri where Ryan’s family had a lakehouse for boating activities such as water skiing and tubing. Here’s some videos of that hilarity:

Tubing fun (if video does not load, click here)

 

Barrel Roll (Almost) (if video does not load, click here)

 

Once in the city though, it was time to scrub, vacuum, disinfect, and restock before setting out once more. Ryan and I have been pretty amazed overall with how easy it’s proven to live out of a car for the past couple months, both in terms of stuffing everything in the car and withstanding one another. 

As for the car, the key to living out of a vehicle include:

1.       A heavy duty cooler than can keep ice over the course of several days in a black car in Arizona2.       Storage containers that optimize the height of the vehicle are a must, particularly with drawers
3.       A top gear box to throw camping items, particularly wet items, seriously helps preserve the liveability of your vehicle
4.       A clothes rod installed across the roof of the vehicle to hang towels, trash bags, and additional storage is a must 
5.       Pack lots of different sized bags, organized according to city versus recreation use, to toss in the back to pull out when needed 
6.       Containers, containers, containers. Food in plastic boxes, detergent in shut storage bins, trash taken out regularly, this is the only way to avoid a mice/ant/don’t want to know what infestation
7.       Easy meals. We basically live off of Bear Creek instant meals with canned chicken and vegetables added. Only requires water to make and you’ve got a steaming, filling meal in 15 minutes!

We’re not saying we’re pros, but it’s almost scary how easy it’s become to make do with not much, though we’ll admit everything gets tougher in foul weather.

As for each other, we’ve managed to get along far better than we even dared to hope even though we’re rarely out of each other’s company. The key to that success we believe, is because we’re best friends first, and because everything is easier in English compared to our training grounds in Argentina.

Our pit stop in Saint Louis meant a nice clean car with nice clean gear and eyes set east for the second loop of the trip. We’ll be traveling all around the east coast with West Virginia first on the list. Another thirty days in the car? No problem!