A trip to St. Joe, site of the KC Chiefs 2013 training camp

The weather report: Rain!

Luckily it didn't last long. It was coming down on us around 11:30 on Sunday morning but passed quickly as we pulled into St. Joe.

We stopped at the gas station a few blocks from the Missouri Western State University campus. The woman at the counter didn't seem to care for my line of questioning regarding how much of a sales spike they'll see during Chiefs camp. She was either annoyed or confused or both. (My wife thinks I ask too many questions.)

We pulled into the school and around Blum Union, which is the picture above. If things are the same as in years past, the Chiefs will have some offices in that building. There's the cafeteria in there as well.

Thinking of sneaking into Blum Union and eating lunch with the Chiefs (and who hasn't)? You'll have to make it past security. Or, even worse, the Chiefs communications staff.

As you circle around campus there are Chiefs training camp flags on these poles. There are other signs throughout the community welcoming the Chiefs -- at restaurants, gas stations and other shops.

Mrs. Arrowhead Pride and I ate lunch at lunch at a restaurant in town and I asked the woman if she expected a lot of business during Chiefs camp. In the two years prior they had seen an uptick in business but she wasn't sure how things would be affected now that the Chiefs are going to the 8:15 a.m. practices. (See the full training camp schedule here.) Maybe they'd get the lunch crowd, she said.

This parking lot could start to fill up all the way on some of the bigger days of training camp like day one or Family Fun Day. There is no night practice this year and those were the ones that seemed to draw the most attendance last year.

The school will charge $5 to park. But admission is free outside of the first day, which costs $5.

This is the Spratt Stadium ticket box and it's also what you see when you walk up to the stadium. There are three fields -- one in the stadium and then the two practice fields.

This is the view of the complex from just left of the picture before this. The field in front is Spratt Stadium, the big field that I mentioned. In the distance -- you can kinda see the goal posts back there -- are the two practice fields. Those are the two fields that the Chiefs will be working on the most. There are bleachers set up on the right hand side of the fields. In the area closest to us (I think that's south?) the seating arrangement remains the same as last year.

The media are sitting in a tent, which is extremely key for me. I've got a bit of that Mellinger disease in that I will sweat like some sort of maniac. It's a curse. That means it's athletic shorts all the way for me.

There were two guys playing catch on this field. What's funny is that they were playing on this field, the nice one, after they were kicked off the Chiefs practice fields. The older guy, maybe in his 40s, said they made it about 20 minutes before getting the boot. They were still playing on the big field when I left.

The "Chiefs training camp" branding was up on all the railings.

The Arrowhead on that hill is a nice touch.

Here she is, folks. The field.

I thought about hopping on the field to get some more pictures but after the story from the guy playing catch with his buddy of getting the boot by security I figured I better play it safe.

Once again, I'm wondering how I can get the Chiefs field crew over to my house. The Arrowhead Pride world headquarters could use a lawn like this.

With Mrs. Arrowhead Pride making the trip with me, I couldn't stop everywhere I wanted to stop. She was a great navigator and promptly ... fell asleep. Seriously. It's not even an hour's drive!

So she's asleep and as I'm driving down the highway I remember a cool Chiefs sign I saw on the way in. I pulled off at what I thought was the right exit and because I always guess right it ended up being the correct exit.

Off the highway and down one of the side streets when you first enter St. Joe is the sign above.

You'll see it if you're driving to camp.

This wraps up my Sunday trip to St. Joe. We'll see you out there this week for the real thing!

More from Arrowhead Pride:

• This happy couple took their wedding pictures on the field at Arrowhead
• Kansas City Chiefs training camp 2013: everything we know
• First batch of KC Chiefs players arrive at training camp on Monday
• Lenny The Cool, DT and KC Chiefs at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs news 7/21