Current temp was zero with a wind chill of negative 18, and I was officially done with winter—so we kicked off our 8-day Texas road trip to get somewhere warm. We left St. Louis around noon on Christmas Day and pushed to Ardmore, Oklahoma, grabbing a pull-thru at Lake Murray State Park. Since we got in late (on Christmas night), the pull-thru was the perfect move—we stayed hooked up to the truck, slept that way, and were able to roll out first thing in the morning without messing with a full setup. On day two we made our way toward Waco, and you KNOW we had to stop at Buc-ee’s. We ended up with about a hundred dollars worth of snacks and BBQ—beaver nuggets (surprise: caramel, not cheese), chips, brisket, pulled pork, and a strawberry cream cheese kolache. From there we headed to Waco Mammoth National Monument, and it was honestly way cooler than I expected. The dig shelter is $6 per person (even with an America the Beautiful Pass), and it’s worth it to see real Columbian mammoth fossils still in place and learn how the excavation works. It’s a quick stop—about an hour to an hour and a half—but a solid family-friendly detour if you’re passing through Waco.