Cook Out, Sinclair Gas, Mountain Dew Overdrive, Toasted Ravioli & Other Kansas Road Trip Anecdotes

Sometime in September I'll mention the other things I've done as of late (including my explanation of why unlike many, Alien: Romulus was a movie I did not like, and I love both Alien & Aliens) but there's plenty for me to say about how I took my first road trip in fifteen (!) years and drove a vehicle from Florida to Kansas then flew back home several days later. The reasons why aren't important—it's nothing for anyone to be concerned about. The long drive on my own wouldn't be a concern; sure, the only times that I'd been in a car on the way to Kansas as an adult was w/ someone driving but I've driven from Illinois to Florida on several occasions in the past. I had podcasts and music to listen to so that wasn't a concern.

I left on Sunday the 11^th and drove to Tupelo, Mississippi; America's Best Value Inn was just that. It wasn't fancy but at least I slept in a king bed, had a mini fridge/microwave and it was less than 100 bucks. First, food was at at a Cook Out restaurant, a popular Carolinas joint but they had one in Troy, Alabama. Their famed shakes were good but I hope their burgers aren't always burned like they were here. Dinner was at a Jack's... no, not Jack in the Box but an Alabama staple known as Jack's.

The chicken fingers were tasty; the service, rather horrible. It took me a half hour to get my food! They had an issue making food but of course it took me overhearing a conversation to know this instead of anyone informing me of that fact. Never stop at the Jack's in Parrish, Alabama. What I learned on this trip: the theory concerning how workers in certain occupations went to other jobs after COVID so at places like gas stations and restaurants in general, the average worker is not that great at their job, to say the least. I wasn't sure if it was just a Florida thing but it seems to be true nationwide.

Monday the 12^th I drove to the Wichita area of Kansas and oh boy, it left me frazzled. Not only was there busy traffic in Arkansas and Oklahoma, I was stunned by how many bad, erratic drives there were. No details but I was relieved to be at my final destination. It was at least amusing to get gas and then a quick bite to eat at a KUM & GO station (that name will soon be eradicated as they were bought out recently. Might as well, given that the food service & maintenance on their soft drink dispenser was only mediocre. It's always neat to stop at a Sinclair as hey, a dinosaur is their logo and dinos are cool.

Oh, and in Memphis a rest room stop was needed and as I literally drove by the giant pyramid that used to be an arena but now is a giant Bass Pro Shops, that's where I stopped then looked around for a short amount of time. They have a LOT in there, including a pond in the middle, restaurants and a museum. Believe it or not, me and two pals once went on Spring Break in Memphis 21 years ago and we saw the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Chicago Bulls in a game as tickets were only like 9 bucks each. The area looked great but otherwise was rather lousy. They were still building their current arena at the time. It sat abandoned for years until the bizarre idea happened for it to become a huge store. It was nice to visit there again, in other words.

I won't dwell on my time in Kansas, except that of course it was nice to hang out with family, and at one point babysit a toddler for a bit. Thankfully that turned out fine as he was usually preoccupied and otherwise didn't have any meltdowns. Nothing new was visited in Wichita yet that's OK. I did visit a Casey's in Oklahoma for a Monday evening meal the another afternoon in Kansas for a drink. I hadn't visited a Casey's General Store in many years. That's where I had Mountain Dew Overdrive (a punch) and Goji Citrus Strawberry. Both were good, as was me having LiveWire. They haven't sold LiveWire in Florida in years, sadly.

Friday the 16^th, it was time to fly home. Allegiant doesn't have direct flights to Orlando or the Tampa area so instead, it was Southwest for me. I'd never been on Southwest before; heck, I'd never been on a flight w/ a layover before either. The first flight was to St. Louis then a 2 hour wait until the flight to Orlando International. The first flight was bumpy but otherwise fine. In St. Louis it seemed a neat idea to try a local delicacy, which was sold in more than one restaurant. I had the toasted ravioli; interesting yet good.

The flight to Orlando was in the evening so was only 1/6 full. Pretty soon they'll end this practice but they still currently assign you a spot in line, where you then enter the plane and pick your own seat. Both times were aisle seats so it was much more comfortable than the typical Allegiant flight. The service on both legs was rather good; there was free (salty) pretzels and a beverage, my checked suitcase was free—so overall I was happy w/ Southwest. The airline has occasional hiccups due to their ancient computer system but don't worry, there was no issue on either Boeing 737 I was on, even the MAX that was the second leg. What a horrible past few years Boeing has had but that's another topic for another time.

Overall, even with the negatives, it was nice to see that I can still drive 20 some odd hours over the span of two days even as a middle-aged person, experience some new things, and spend time w/ family. Like I said, I'll see you in September.