Road trippin’ is something that has become an American tradition, and by the looks of the highways, it’s in full swing this summer. It seems that Cavin and I have been doing a lot of road trippin’ ourselves lately! We’ve been traveling all over the Southeast this summer. We’ve been to Atlanta, New Orleans, Birmingham, Nashville, Pensacola, Mobile and all spots in between. You know…. sometimes it’s not just about where you are going, but the places in between. It’s easy to hop in the car and only focus on what you are going to do when you get there, but in doing so, you miss those places in between.
On a six-hour road trip, it’s important that you enjoy the person you are traveling with. On these extended trips, it’s a good time to talk about the things that really matter. There’s some good quality time to talk while you are in between where you came from and where you are going. Some of the important questions that Cavin and I discussed on our most recent trip, “what is your favorite…. QT or Buc-ee’s?… What do you hope to accomplish before you die?… If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Life is super busy, so it’s good to have a chance to not be in such a hurry. On our most recent trip, we traveled through the whole state of Alabama. Good ole I-65 starts in Mobile, Alabama and runs all the way to Gary, Indiana, just southeast of Chicago connecting several major metropolitan areas in the Midwest and Southern US. We didn’t make it to the end of I-65. Our destination this time was White House, Tennessee just north of Nashville.
Since we got a late afternoon start, our first stop was Prattville, Alabama where we visited our tried and true favorite – Chick Fil A. You just can’t go wrong with Tuett Cathey’s chicken sandwich and there’s plenty of dipping sauce to make it just the way you like it. Our first in between stop proved to be a good one, and we even got a great parking spot at the front door. Life really is about appreciating the little things!
Our next stop in between Brewton and Nashville, was in Calera at Quik Trip, better known as QT! Don’t underestimate what you might think of as just another gas station. The truth is, it’s anything but “just another gas station”. There are more drink options than you can count, whether it’s a fountain drink, coffee, bottled beverage or your favorite slush drink, which they call a “smoothie”. I love their blue raspberry flavor! Not only did we fill up our gas tank, but we both got a smoothie for the road. You guessed it…. It was blue raspberry for me, and Cavin chose a cappuccino flavor. Just think cool and refreshing! We were both happy as we sipped our slushie smoothies on I-65 headed north.
The further north we traveled, the more we saw the prominent signs along the interstate with Buc-ee Beaver reminding us that there was a Buc-ee’s ahead. Their signs let us know that we could “hold it”. They emphasized that their restrooms “make a mother smile”! My first experience visiting a Buc-ees was a few years ago just outside of Dallas. It was my first time in one of these oversized gas stations and I understood what they mean when they say, “it’s bigger in Texas”. The Buc-ee’s we visited on this particular road trippin’ adventure is located about halfway in between Birmingham and Nashville near Athens, Alabama. It was really big, but I actually don’t think it was quite big enough. The reason I say this is because there were so many people, you couldn’t shake ‘em with a stick! Let’s just say… if you are worried about Covid, I wouldn’t recommend stopping there. Nevertheless, Buc-ee’s has a little bit of everything. We stopped long enough to use the clean restrooms they advertise, get gas at one of the 100 gas pumps, and I just had to try a blue raspberry icee. We didn’t take time to try a brisket sandwich, beef jerky or a banana nut muffin. We’ll have to save that for next time!
Throughout the journey, it was impossible to miss Alex Shunnarah’s smiling face. This infamous personal injury lawyer has about 2500 billboards throughout the South with his face plastered on each one. These billboards are hard to ignore during any road trip through Alabama, but I hope I never have to respond to his beckoning, “Call me, Alabama!”
Late that night, we finally arrived in Tennessee. It had been a rewarding road trip thus far, and the next day, we were excited to meet up with family living in Tennessee and others who had traveled to celebrate a very special birthday. But first, it was time to get some rest in Franklin, Tennessee – just South of Nashville.
The following day was packed with food, fun, and lots of laughter. When our family gets together, there’s never a shortage of these ingredients! Since we only had a little over 24 hours to spend together, it was important to start early and make the most of every minute. I could try to describe the day, but the photos below will do a better job!
Before we knew it, it was time to bid farewell and for everyone to return to their respective homes. The roads leading from Tennessee to Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, and Pennsylvania and places in between were full of family members heading home with full hearts – not to mention full bellies!
As we headed back toward South Alabama, Cavin and I had time for one more meal stop. One thing we had not eaten over the weekend was barbecue, so we began to scope out barbecue spots along our route. With so many great barbecue spots throughout Alabama, it was hard to choose. Some of the great ones are Big Bob Gibson’s barbecue in Decatur, Jim N Nick’s in Birmingham, and the original Moe’s Barbecue in Tuscaloosa.
In the end, we landed on Full Moon barbecue, specifically the Alabaster location, just south of Birmingham. It had just the vibe we were looking for. The aroma of barbecue filled the air as we drove into the parking lot, and were greeted at the door by a smiling employee. The sports themed décor showcased college sports and the friendly – or not so friendly – rivalry between Auburn and Alabama. They have a full menu, but their style is to order at the counter and have the food delivered to your table. I already knew I wanted a barbecue sandwich and when Cavin saw the barbecue baked potato on the menu, he didn’t think twice. Both of our selections lived up to our expectations. After all, they are ranked number 3 in the state of Alabama for best barbecue. It was a fantastic meal to conclude our road trip and bring us home.
Our road trippin’ weekend was coming to an end. We had discovered a few things along the way. We had debated QT vs Buc-ee’s, and had come to the conclusion that QT’s smoothies won out over Buc-ee’s icees, but Buc-ee’s clearly has the cleanest restrooms and cheapest gas. As we turned toward home, we knew that there are still a lot of things we want to do before we die, but road trippin’, spending time with family and enjoying life are at the top of our list. I hope we still have a lot of time in between the dash of when life starts and ends. We’ve lived in a lot of places and have traveled many miles, but I know the Lord knew what he was doing when he made our small town our home base. We will go anywhere He leads, but it is always nice to come home.
Sampling the South… one road trip at a time! Come on… let’s go!
