A gas station that merits its own post? Well, almost. (02/12-13/22)

We had a day between Universal and leaving Orlando. On that day, we were all pretty wrecked. I laid down at one point between the twins to help them fall asleep for their naps, and this is what happened:

Waffle House

On the morning we left Orlando, we got out of the house early. And so, breakfast was in order. We decided on Waffle House. It is pretty much a southeastern institution (seriously, they are everywhere. On this very road trip, we saw two of them located within about 2 blocks of each other).

And with good reason, the food was delicious. And the waffles were most excellent.

The twins (who have not had naps, structure, discipline, or vegetables lately) threw tantrums. We pulled out our old mantra from when we were in the Philippines: “We will never see these people again” and we got through it.

I am very hopeful that once we get back into our routine that the tantrums will slow down. It has been a little unreal lately. They seem to have two personalities right now: either manic, giggly, and bouncing off the walls or they are throwing a tantrum. Both personalities are rather exhausting. For different reasons.

Goodbye Florida, Hello Georgia

Bucc-ees (a slightly hysterical account)

Our next stop was Bucc-ees. It is a chain of gas stations. But they are not just any gas stations. Each Bucc-ees is an experience!

They are notable enough that we had heard about them from a couple of different sources. Most recently, from our new Miramar Beach friends (Hi Aubrey!). So, before we left Orlando I made sure that we would be able to experience at least one before our nomad year was complete. And, to put it mildly, I was pumped (😏😏 see what I did there!? Heh!) to see that there was one directly on our route from Orlando to Atlanta.

Take the most awesome gas station/convenience store you’ve ever been to. And multiply it by 10. That’s Bucc-ees. One of the most obvious things about the place is that there were more than 75 pumps (I didn’t actually count them all). (Please note that most of the spaces are occupied.)

And then you go inside! And you find sparklingly clean bathrooms, and the most unusual (and most beautiful) assortment of items you can imagine.

They have a legit toy section with unique toys and books that you won’t find just anywhere. We have Jonas here to demonstrate the cork gun:

There’s a home decor section with some very kitschy things as well as some surprisingly tasteful stuff, like you might find in a boutique. Then of course, there was the adventuring section with gear for swimming, snorkeling, camping, birdwatching, fishing, etc, etc.

There is also tons of beaver merch. Clara and I got matching ‘sweet as a Georgia peach featuring Bucc-ee.’ t-shirts:

But, let’s be honest, the real star of the show at Bucc-ees is the FOOD!

They have all the obvious stuff you’d find at a gas station such as chips and trail mix. But the food prepared on sight is the real winner: fudge, cookie dough, cinnamon sugared nuts, and Texas BBQ.

After we’d wandered the other sections, we each selected our lunch from the myriad of options available.

So. I have now been to Bucc-ees. I can now go back to being a normal person who gets excited about normal things.

Bucc-ees Picnic

There was nowhere to eat at Bucc-ees (it’s one failing), so we found a park nearby and we drove there to eat our food.

We ended up at North Peach Park (oh, Georgia! I just love you already). We ate lunch, and played on the playground for a while and then we continued on our way.

We made it!

Eventually we made it to our AirBnB. And we unloaded. Every time we load or unload the car, I am amazed that it all managed to fit. It is literally miraculous every time.

Sunday (02/13/22)

We went to church. It feels like it has been a while between travel and our covid quarantine.

After church and naps, we decided to go on a drive around the downtown area to get a feel for it.

Here are a few highlights: