Thank you so much for the kind words!
What's funny is originally I had completely missed the page count maximum rule and had well over 30 pages laid out, each room with its own 2-page-spread and s lot more detail. Then I (thankfully) went back and gave the Jam rules another read and found I was more than double the pages I was allowed and had to trim everything down in the final week. I think my bumbling ignorance to the rules and trimming worked in my favor, making me focus on getting the most important details associated with each room into a smaller space. Also, my wife, (who doesn't play TTRPGS yet!) was an amazing editor. I couldn't have finished this without her.
But I hear you about the lack of direction in most gonzo-style adventures. I always worry when I run a DCC one that the players will not be entirely sure which way is forward. My goal with Cave of Coagulation was to put a purpose to the wandering by finding the scroll pieces but also leaving it open enough that if the players wanted to just "steal cheese and vamoose" then they could. Definitely all boils down to the group at the table I guess!
Appreciate the time you spent on me! Really appreciate it! :D