From the Arch to the Ozarks: Volunteering, Licensing and Life on the Road
We kicked off this adventure as a way to celebrate Karie’s sabbatical, but along the way I was meeting with clients, licensing partners, and manufacturing providers along our route. This landed us in Mark Twain National Forest.
Mark Twain National Forest has a wide range of popular recreation opportunities. With seven wilderness areas, the Ozark Trail, the Eleven Point Wild and Scenic River, many campgrounds and day-use areas, springs, and locations such as the Fuchs House at Markham Springs, you are sure to discover your place to unplug and make Mark Twain part of your story. (https://www.fs.usda.gov/)
As we got settled into the campground, we got our first taste of determining connectivity, supplies, and—for the first time—having items in our schedule that weren’t flexible. Karie was set to work with the Days for Girls team in Missouri, and I had to meet with a few companies, including a tool manufacturer, for a site visit. For those of you who don’t know us personally or haven’t met us yet on the road: Karie is the USA Special Project Coordinator for Days for Girls International, in addition to being a writer and an ordained pastor for PCUSA. She oversees the Pennsylvania Collection Point for the nonprofit.
As we settled into the site in Silver Mines, we noticed that our connectivity was questionable at best. To our surprise, that all changed once we plugged in our T-Mobile hotspot!
PHOTO CREDIT: OUR LIFE IN THE REAR VIEW
Silver Mines Campground was quiet. We spent the following afternoon walking the grounds and enjoying the lack of screen time. We’ve been plugged in perpetually since 2020, and Zoom meetings are now part of everyday life. We were navigating this new challenge of “aggressively enjoying” life while still taking care of our responsibilities. All that P knows is that there are more sniffs than before, and she now SLEEPS in the kitchen! This is very exciting for her. I like to imagine she is dreaming about snacks in the photo above.
In the evenings, I got to watch Campfire TV, make s’mores, and even enjoy the first cigar of the season. The walk along the St. Francis River was beautiful.
Gateway Arch National Park: National Park 2/63
Today was an adventure day. We loaded up the truck and drove to Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri. Karie drove for a while so I could get some work done. I stopped at my client’s manufacturing facility on the way to the park. They specialize in painting tools and hardware. I always schedule this time to do line reviews and find out how I can help them expand their current product lines with my clients’ solutions. More than 90% of my customers are independent inventors, and they are consistently bringing new and innovative solutions to our licensing partners.
We parked in the city on 4th & Olive. We took photos of the Arch, the Cathedral, and toured the museum, where I learned about the Louisiana Purchase for the first time. Yes, you read that correctly. Karie likes to lovingly refer to these stops as “field trips” for me. When I was young, we weren’t very well off, so when the schools took kids on trips like Washington, D.C., and Toronto to see plays and museums, I always stayed behind and helped the teachers organize their classrooms, or my dad would keep me home and take me fishing. In retrospect, as much as I was devastated at the time, I wouldn’t change a thing. There is no way I would have enjoyed a place like this as a school student.
Sure, I missed out on the social interaction and experience, but in turn I got one more afternoon on the riverbank with him.
That being said, I tend to really enjoy things like this—probably much more than the average adult. I am completely unafraid to act like a child if it means I'm experiencing the activity as it was meant to be enjoyed.
We had lunch at the café and bought stickers, a Christmas ornament, and a pin for Karie’s apron. We secured our National Park stamp and took a walk through the park on our way out. At the Visitor Center, I grabbed an accordion-style mini map that detailed the historic treasures of St. Louis. When we come back, it feels like a great place to start.
On our way back to camp, we stopped by the local Harley-Davidson dealer and picked up a pin and a T-shirt for Karie’s dad and stepmother. They are avid riders, and I like to think that if life wasn’t so busy, they would have been right there alongside us. They are suckers for a good road trip too.
When we got back to camp, we made dinner and started planning our next move. I made a reservation through Harvest Hosts at Seven Springs Winery.
Day 12 of our trip started with me knocking out a few hours of work. I made cinnamon roll pancakes and then took the dog for a walk. I wrote a checklist for Karie so that we had a visual representation of all the things that need to happen as we attach and unhook the trailer. This really made loading out much faster, and we were both more confident that everything was getting done. We were actually heading out a day earlier than expected because we wanted to experience some quirky roadside attractions.
First Up….URANUS!
We stopped and dumped our tanks at St. Joe’s state park. We filled up with fresh water and then made our way to Seven Springs Winery.
“We spent so much time visiting in Uranus that we were forced to drink our own wine tonight. They were closed when we arrived. We will grab a bottle on our way out tomorrow before hitting the Ozarks.” #HarvestHosts #sevenspringswinery #summertoremember #rvlife
We relaxed next to the vineyard and Karie was able to finish her blog entry for her recent trip to England with her pilgrimage group. I registered my team for Licensing Expo and spent some time entering our info into my hard copy travel journal.
The next morning… The Ozarks!
Franky & Louie’s
Our final destination of the day was Watkins Mill State Park. We picked this location because of its proximity to the Missouri Chapter of Days For Girls International. I managed to knock out some not so glamorous chores while Karie met up with her team to change the world, one little girl at a time.
DFG- MISSOURI
“This beautiful woman right here is my world We did so much work today that I felt we needed a little Date Night. Made a Reservation at Cooper’s Hawk in Kansas City!” #happysabbatical #summertoremember
As the sun dipped below the tree line at Silver Mines and the embers of our last campfire glowed low, we packed up with that familiar mix of satisfaction and anticipation. This stop was a reminder of how travel can reshape the ordinary—how a national park in the middle of a bustling city can feel like a field trip, how a quiet forest campground can serve as both workspace and sanctuary, and how the road somehow creates space for both purpose and play.
We came here juggling responsibilities, service, and work—yet somewhere between St. Francis River walks, museum discoveries, and unexpected pockets of quiet, we found a new rhythm. The road continues to soften the edges of our schedules and sharpen our appreciation for the small moments: the crackle of the fire, the dog dreaming of snacks, the joy of learning something new long after school days have passed, and the grounding reminder that life’s best lessons rarely fit neatly into a classroom.
With our checklist complete, our campground tidy, and our hearts a little fuller, it’s time to hitch up and roll on toward the next chapter of this adventure. And this time, the road leads somewhere delightfully unexpected—a place bursting with color, nostalgia, and a little bit of magic.