When I was a kid, my family drove to South Carolina every summer for a week at the beach. I can imagine that it’s probably a massive challenge to minimize the whining and fighting between kids during a 12-hr car trip, but my mother is a master of the art of the bribe. My sister and I were each allowed some magazines and a new tape for our walkmen, and we couldn’t start using either until we got onto the highway. After that, once an hour, we were given a wrapped surprise — usually candy, a puzzle book, something like that. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I loved it when she surprised me by resurrecting this tradition when we drove from Albany to Maine in September 2009. :)
Now that I’m married, most of my roadtrips are with Mark. We usually just listen to NPR, but I always have crosswords or sudoku on hand in case I need emergency entertainment. And when we stop for a bathroom break, I’ll sometimes buy candy (admittedly, I always have seasonal candy in the house, but roadtrip candy tastes better!). Since we started visiting hill country regularly, we have found the ultimate rest stop.
Having spent many, many hours of my life on I-95, the NJ Turnpike, and the Garden State Parkway, I am familiar with a wide array of rest stops and convenience stores, and it is my expert opinion that Buc-ee’s is the Cadillac of convenience stores. It inspires well-earned, passionate praise. Do you know what you get on the NJ Turnpike? A dry, shriveled hotdog and a restroom that makes you want to take a shower. Do you know what you get at Buc-ee’s? Fresh kolaches and bathrooms that they brag about on billboards. The billboards, by the way, delight me because they remind me of all of the crazy South of the Border billboards that we kept track of on those childhood trips to SC. Except, when you finally get to Buc-ee’s, it’s not a creepy, cockroach-infested temple to food poisoning. Okay, maybe I never ate at South of the Border, but one detour through it was enough to persuade me that I didn’t need to.
Our usual Buc-ee’s picks are fresh jerky for Mark and fudge for me. It’s a beautiful thing when you enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
From left: peanut butter & chocolate (top) and butterfinger (bottom), dulce de leche (x2), cookies & cream (x2)
