08/29/2026
🤠 WESTERN TRIP #8 — DAY 1 🌄
And just like that… Western Trip #8 is officially underway!
Day 1 started at 4:00 a.m. as I climbed into Carl’s Jr., my blue 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and began the long trek west. This was definitely a different kind of start compared to some of my previous Western Trips. No easing into it — just an early-morning departure and a LOT of highway ahead.
I made my way through the Ozarks and the sprawling countryside of Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, watching the landscape gradually transform as I continued farther west. There’s something special about those long stretches of road where civilization starts to thin out and the horizon seems to get bigger with every mile.
Eventually, I made it to Amarillo, Texas, tonight’s stop — but there was no way I was simply checking into the hotel and calling it a day. 😂
I had to make my way out to Palo Duro Canyon and catch a sunset. 🌅
After spending so many hours driving, standing there and taking in those massive canyon views was incredibly calming. The colors, the vastness, the quiet… it was the perfect way to finally slow down after a long day on the road.
And of course, you can’t start a Western Trip in Amarillo without paying a visit to the Big Texan Steak Ranch. 🥩🔥
A massive Texas dinner to cap off a massive first day.
Honestly, it couldn’t have been a more fitting beginning to another Western Trip. A long road, wide-open countryside, a spectacular sunset, good food, and that feeling that there’s still a whole lot more adventure waiting just over the horizon.
Every Western Trip seems to have its own personality.
And Western Trip #8 is already proving to be no different. 🤠
⸻
🚙 IF THIS CAR COULD TALK…
Imagine Carl’s Jr. suddenly sounding like Matthew McConaughey… 😂
“Alright, Q… so let me get this straight.
You woke me up at 4:00 in the damn morning…
Then we drove through Missouri…
Then Oklahoma…
Then Texas…
Then you took me out to Palo Duro Canyon to watch the sunset…
Then you fed yourself at the Big Texan…
And now you’re telling me we’re doing this again tomorrow?
Well… alright, alright, alright.” 😎
pauses
“But Q…
You better make sure I’ve got plenty of gas.”
😂😂😂
Day 1: DONE.
Western Trip #8: JUST GETTING STARTED. 🤠🌄
