Own the Road with Kelli and Bob

The Hoegemeyer farm operations in Herman, Nebraska represent a multi-generational legacy of heartland agriculture focused on large-scale corn, soybean, and livestock production. Through decades of hands-on farming, grain transport, and pioneer seed hybridization, the family has helped maximize crop yields and maintain efficient supply chains across the Midwest. Their work exemplifies the crucial role American family farms play in securing the national food supply, fueling the agricultural economy, and feeding millions across the country.

Thomas Edison was a true American powerhouse who essentially built the blueprint for modern life, giving us everything from practical electric light bulbs to sound recordings and early movies. His biggest game-changer was creating the world's very first industrial R&D lab in Menlo Park, which turned inventing from a solo hobby into an organized, team-driven machine. New Jersey was ground zero for all this magic, and his famous facilities in Menlo Park.

Tabor, South Dakota, is a tiny town of just over 400 people, but every summer it bursts into life as visitors pour in from all over to celebrate Czech Days. The entire community comes together to keep vibrant Czech traditions alive—from baking authentic kolaches to filling the streets with lively polka music and folk dancing. It’s a rare, incredible transformation where a small Great Plains town becomes a massive, living celebration of heritage and Heartland pride.

Cattle Auction - Joplin, MO Founded in 1931 during the Great Depression, the Joplin Regional Stockyards evolved from a humble railroad trading post into the largest cow-calf livestock auction in the world. By giving independent, small-scale ranchers direct access to nationwide buyers, this Ozark livestock hub revolutionized market price discovery and democratized the American beef industry. Today, with hundreds of thousands of cattle passing through its rings each year, Joplin stands as a critical economic engine powering the U.S. food supply and shaping heartland agricultural history. John Dickinson Plantation - Dover, Delaware John Dickinson earned the nickname "Penman of the Revolution" for his widely influential Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, which united colonial opposition against unfair British taxation. Although he famously refused to sign the Declaration of Independence out of a desire for reconciliation with Britain, he remained deeply loyal to the patriot cause, later serving as a brigadier general and governor of both Delaware and Pennsylvania. His pivotal leadership in drafting the Articles of Confederation and shaping the compromise at the 1787 Constitutional Convention cemented his role as one of America's most crucial Founding Fathers. Gilded Age - Ashville, NC During the late 19th century, Asheville, North Carolina, transformed into a premier Gilded Age retreat, culminating in George Washington Vanderbilt II building the Biltmore Estate, America’s largest private home. This era established the nation’s first school of forestry on estate grounds, laying the groundwork for modern American forest conservation and the creation of Pisgah National Forest. Today, Asheville’s preserved Gilded Age architecture drives a thriving regional tourism economy while serving as a living monument to environmental stewardship and American industrial wealth. Shopping Cart - Oklahoma City, OK In 1937, Oklahoma grocer Sylvan Goldman noticed customers stopped buying the moment their hand baskets got too heavy, leading him to invent a rolling frame that held two wire baskets. What started as a simple trick to keep shoppers browsing transformed retail forever, fueling the rise of the modern supermarket and big-box store. Today, the humble shopping cart remains a cornerstone of American consumer culture and a multi-billion dollar driver of the modern economy.

John Dickinson Plantation - Dover, Delaware John Dickinson earned the nickname "Penman of the Revolution" for his widely influential Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, which united colonial opposition against unfair British taxation. Although he famously refused to sign the Declaration of Independence out of a desire for reconciliation with Britain, he remained deeply loyal to the patriot cause, later serving as a brigadier general and governor of both Delaware and Pennsylvania. His pivotal leadership in drafting the Articles of Confederation and shaping the compromise at the 1787 Constitutional Convention cemented his role as one of America's most crucial Founding Fathers. Gilded Age - Ashville, NC. During the late 19th century, Asheville, North Carolina, transformed into a premier Gilded Age retreat, culminating in George Washington Vanderbilt II building the Biltmore Estate, America’s largest private home. This era established the nation’s first school of forestry on estate grounds, laying the groundwork for modern American forest conservation and the creation of Pisgah National Forest. Today, Asheville’s preserved Gilded Age architecture drives a thriving regional tourism economy while serving as a living monument to environmental stewardship and American industrial wealth. Shopping Cart - Oklahoma City, OK In 1937, Oklahoma grocer Sylvan Goldman noticed customers stopped buying the moment their hand baskets got too heavy, leading him to invent a rolling frame that held two wire baskets. What started as a simple trick to keep shoppers browsing transformed retail forever, fueling the rise of the modern supermarket and big-box store. Today, the humble shopping cart remains a cornerstone of American consumer culture and a multi-billion dollar driver of the modern economy. Statue of Liberty - New York City, NY Standing high above New York Harbor, torch raised toward the sky, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable landmarks on Earth. But how did a giant copper sculpture—conceived in France as a celebration of the abolition of slavery and the union victory in the Civil War—transform into the global symbol of American freedom, hope, and immigration?

Gilded Age architecture - Asheville, NC Shopping Cart - Oklahoma City, OK In 1937, Oklahoma grocer Sylvan Goldman noticed customers stopped buying the moment their hand baskets got too heavy, leading him to invent a rolling frame that held two wire baskets. What started as a simple trick to keep shoppers browsing transformed retail forever, fueling the rise of the modern supermarket and big-box store. Today, the humble shopping cart remains a cornerstone of American consumer culture and a multi-billion dollar driver of the modern economy. Statue of Liberty - New York City, NY Standing high above New York Harbor, torch raised toward the sky, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable landmarks on Earth. But how did a giant copper sculpture—conceived in France as a celebration of the abolition of slavery and the union victory in the Civil War—transform into the global symbol of American freedom, hope, and immigration? Coca Cola Museum - Cedartown, Georgia Housed inside a beautifully restored 1900 bottling plant, the Cedartown Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia showcases the spectacular evolution of an American cultural empire that was born in 1886 when an Atlanta Prohibition law forced a wounded Civil War pharmacist to remove wine from his medicinal tonic, resulting in the iconic, carbonated blend of coca leaves and kola nuts that permanently reshaped modern advertising.

Kelli & Bob check out buildings that date to the Gilded Age in Asheville, North Carolina, including the iconic Biltmore Estate.

Kelli & Bob visit the Coca Cola Museum in Georgia, the Statue of Liberty, and the Shopping Cart in Oklahoma City. Shopping Cart - Oklahoma City, OK In 1937, Oklahoma grocer Sylvan Goldman noticed customers stopped buying the moment their hand baskets got too heavy, leading him to invent a rolling frame that held two wire baskets. What started as a simple trick to keep shoppers browsing transformed retail forever, fueling the rise of the modern supermarket and big-box store. Today, the humble shopping cart remains a cornerstone of American consumer culture and a multi-billion dollar driver of the modern economy. Statue of Liberty - New York City, NY Standing high above New York Harbor, torch raised toward the sky, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable landmarks on Earth. But how did a giant copper sculpture—conceived in France as a celebration of the abolition of slavery and the union victory in the Civil War—transform into the global symbol of American freedom, hope, and immigration? Coca Cola Museum - Cedartown, Georgia Housed inside a beautifully restored 1900 bottling plant, the Cedartown Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia showcases the spectacular evolution of an American cultural empire that was born in 1886 when an Atlanta Prohibition law forced a wounded Civil War pharmacist to remove wine from his medicinal tonic, resulting in the iconic, carbonated blend of coca leaves and kola nuts that permanently reshaped modern advertising. Low Riders - Santa Fe, New Mexico More than just cars, lowriders are moving masterpieces of Mexican-American ingenuity and resilience that transformed custom automotive design into a powerful symbol of Chicano pride, cultural identity, and artistic rebellion on the streets of the Southwest.

Housed inside a beautifully restored 1900 bottling plant, the Cedartown Museum of Coca-Cola. Memorabilia showcases the spectacular evolution of an American cultural empire that was born in 1886 when an Atlanta Prohibition law forced a wounded Civil War pharmacist to remove wine from his medicinal tonic, resulting in the iconic, carbonated blend of coca leaves and kola nuts that permanently reshaped modern advertising.

In 1937, Oklahoma grocer Sylvan Goldman noticed customers stopped buying the moment their hand baskets got too heavy, leading him to invent a rolling frame that held two wire baskets. What started as a simple trick to keep shoppers browsing transformed retail forever, fueling the rise of the modern supermarket and big-box store. Today, the humble shopping cart remains a cornerstone of American consumer culture and a multi-billion dollar driver of the modern economy.