So Little Time, So Many Truck Stops

We are trying to make it home to Toronto before the "BIG" Christmas blizzard they have been predicting all week hits. Our goal is to make it somewhere between Cincinnati and Detroit tonight, however, if the forecast is correct we should hit snow flurries around Cincinnati. The weather reports on the news this morning claimed it is already snowing in Chicago and it was much colder when we left Birmingham this morning than when we passed through a week ago. So our dilemma of the day is how do we make good time and still take time to check out truck stops?

Shady Lawn Truck Stop

Elkton, TN

I65

There are no shortage of truck stops on I65, however, we decided that today we were going to keep driving until we a) needed gas, or b) needed to eat. So we passed by Exit 6 - TN and did not check out either the Shady Lawn Truck Stop or Big Jim's Boobie Bungalow which advertised both truck parking and daily food specials. Big Jim's obviously finds that billboard marketing pays off, as this was not the only Big Jim's sign we spotted, however, it was the only one that shared air space with a billboard that read "Righeousness Exaultheth A Nation: But Sin Is A Reproach To Any People THE BLOOD OF JESUS .... CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN" Is it just pure coincidence that these two billboards were placed together?

Big Jim's Boobie Bungalow

Elkton, TN

I65

The truck stops on this stretch of I65 through Tennessee appear to specialize in Home Cookin' and Country Stores. However, after our Magnolia Restaurant experience last night, we were not yet ready for any Southern "home cooking" so early in the day.

TA Billboard

Franklin, TN

Exit 61 - I65

We passed by this TA at Exit 61 near Franklin, TN advertising the Fork in the Road Restaurant, as we had already tried one of the TravelCenters of America restaurants in Louisiana. Instead we decided that if we were going to stop at a corporate truck stop it had to be a Love's, Pilot or Flying J. Three of the corporate truck stop chains we had not yet visited.

Pilot / Wendy's

Franklin, KY

Exit 6 - I65

As it approached lunch-time we decided we were going to stop at the first Pilot we came across. The clear skies we had left in Birmingham that morning had now turned to heavy clouds and there was a definite chill and the odd snow flurry in the air. We decided to follow the trucks pulling off I65 at Exit 6 in Franklin, KY and discovered not one, but two Pilot stations across the road from one another. The majority of trucks were headed to the Pilot with the attached Wendy's Restaurant, so we followed their lead ignoring the Pilot / Subway across the street.

Truck Parking

Pilot / Wendy's

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

In comparing the facilities of the two Pilot Truck Stops, our guess is that it is the facilities provided that influence choice of stop as much or more than the food choices. This Pilot / Wendy's stop had 80 truck parking spaces, 9 showers, laundry facilities, a truck wash, game room, 10 diesel lanes, 2 ATM's, check cashing, P.O Boxes, and miscellaneous other services. The Pilot / Subway across the street had more parking spaces, but fewer showers, no laundry or truck wash, fewer diesel lanes, no postal boxes and fewer other services.

Pilot Convenience Store

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

Inside, the Pilot Convenience Store was clean, bright and well-organized. The coffee bar and take-out food section had in addition to the typical hotdogs and packaged sandwiches, a selection of fresh baked goods, fresh fruit and yogurt parfaits....

Pilot Convenience Store

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

a self-serve milkshake stand, ....

Pilot Convenience Store

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

and a selection of teas, extensive gourmet coffee and oatmeal.

Pilot Convenience Store

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

Unlike many of the truck stops which promoted their high fat and calorie rich snacks, the November / December Specials posters featured competitively priced Vitamin Water, and 49 cent bottled water with any coffee purchase.

Pilot Convenience Store

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

The truck accessories area contained a good selection of truck cab coffee makers, sandwich grills, toaster ovens, crock pots and other cooking devices.

Pilot Convenience Store

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

The drivers lounge and game room was dark and felt somewhat depressing with dated arcade games, however, a large Affordable Health Benefits poster hung from the ceiling.

Pilot Convenience Store

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

Wanting lunch, we headed into the on-site Wendy's to see how fast food restaurants compare to the dining rooms found at the majority of the truck stops we had visited. One of my pet peeves when it comes to fast food is that the healthy options are almost always more expensive than when compared to ordering one of the value meals. So, we were pleasantly surprised to see this large banner prominently displayed. A complete salad meal for $4.99. Granted it was their mid-sized salad, not the large dinner salad, but it was a step in the right direction, and we both decided to give it a try.

Wendy's / Pilot

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

Wanting to order different salads and combinations, Phil opted for the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad with a small Chili. He requested a low or fat-free salad dressing and while there was no low-fat Caesar, he was offered a Pomegranate Vinaigrette. At 60 calories for a generous serving and 3 grams of fat, it did not claim to be a low fat dressing, but was still a better option than a creamy Caesar or other high fat dressing.

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad & Chili

Wendy's / Pilot

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

I ordered the Spicy Crispy Chicken Caesar with lemon wedges instead of dressing and was thrilled when I received a small drink cup with four large juicy lemon wedges. The salads were fresh, crisp, and tasty with fresh cherry tomatoes and mozzarella strips. While more than adequate for our lunch needs, it would probably fall short for someone interested in a large filling meal. It was difficult to admit, but this was probably the best salad we had tried so far.

Spicy Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad with Lemon Wedges

Wendy's / Pilot

Exit 6 - I65

Franklin, KY

Rather than having their own restaurant dining room, Pilot has moved towards partnering with affiliate chains. While their website claims that this is to offer a a variety of dining options to suit most everyone's appetite, it is also a decision that no doubt makes financial sense. Pilot affiliates include: Arby's, Chester's Chicken, Dairy Queen LTD, Denny's, KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway, Taco Bell, TJ Cinnamons and Wendy's.

Having observed the interactions and habits of drivers during our trip we questioned whether this move towards fast food affiliates adequately serves the needs of truck drivers? Truck stops seem to be more than a place to fill your gas tank and stomach, wash your clothes and truck and stock up on supplies, as the Pilot website suggests and we witnessed to some extent, a truck stop is a drivers' "home away from home." The variety of fast food restaurants provides drivers with a number of different options, but what is lacking is the comfort, friendliness and personal interaction that they get in the "Mom and Pop" restaurants, or even the truck stop dining rooms.

Eating Our Way Back Home: First Stop Huddle House

Lin Emery, Wave, 1988

American, born 1928

Gift of Frederick Weisman Company

New Orleans Museum of Art

New Orleans, LA

We decided to head home today as we wanted to beat the snow storms that they have been predicting all week. We have been watching the weather carefully along our route over the past few days, as we are not quite ready to leave New Orleans, but also do not want to get caught somewhere on I65 or I75 in the snow.

Wanting to still make the most of our day we decided to head to the The Sydney and Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art before heading out of town. The Sculpture Garden which houses more than fifty major works of twentieth century sculpture is free and open seven days a week. Unfortunately and understandably the garden is not dog friendly, so we had to take turns walking through this well-designed and beautiful space.

Rene Magritte, Labors of Alexander, 1967, Cast bronze

Belgian, 1898-1096

Gift of Muriel Bultman Francis

Sydney & Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden

New Orleans, LA

The 5 acre garden immediately adjacent to the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park is an impressive collaborative effort between the Bestoff's, The City Park Improvement Association and the New Orleans Museum of Art and its many donors. The collection contains works by such internationally recognized artists such as Henry Moore, Rene Magritte, Auguste Rodin, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Barbara Hepworth, Aristide Maillol, Isamu Noguchi, Lynn Chadwick, George Segal, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Indiana and Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen.

Robert Indiana, LOVE, Red Blue, 1966-67, Aluminum and acrylic polyurethane enamel

American, born 1928

Gift of Sydney & Walda Bestoff

Sydney & Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden

New Orleans, LA

The work of more contemporary sculptors such as Linda Howard, Leslie Dill, Rona Pondick, Jesus Bautista Moroles, Deborah Butterfield, Jaume Plensa, Alison Saar, and Leandro Erlich are also well represented.

Jaume Plensa, Overflow, 2005, Stainless Steel

Spanish, born 1955

Gift of Sydney & Walda Bestoff

Sydney & Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden

New Orleans, LA

I first became aware of Jaume Plensa's work at the Vancouver Sculpture Biennale last year and was pleased to see him represented here.

Spanish Moss covered tree

Sydney & Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden

New Orleans, LA

Walking through the grounds of the Sculpture Garden and driving through City Park reminded us of the giant oak tree on our front lawn and the trees dripping with Spanish moss that lined the streets of our neighbourhood when we lived in Albany, GA.

Truck

Northbound I10

As we headed out of town on I10 towards I59 we noticed this flatbed with its load of recycled cardboard. Not once did we see a recycling bin or any acknowledgment of recycling as we walked around New Orleans.

Truck

Kangaroo Express / Huddle House

Laurel, MS

Recognizing that we had not been particularly diligent about stopping at truck stops as often as we could on our trip south, we vowed to try harder heading north. As we did not stop for lunch before heading out of New Orleans, we decided to look for somewhere where we could have an early dinner. We noticed a couple of trucks exiting I59 at Laurel, MS so decided to follow them.

Kangaroo Express / Huddle House

Laurel, MS

This particular exit had a Kangaroo Express with a Subway, Bean Street Coffee Company, and adjacent Huddle House Restaurant. Across the street was a Texaco, however, the Kangaroo / Huddle House combo seemed to be the stop of choice.

Kangaroo Express

Laurel, MS

Immediately upon entering the store we were greeted by the Roo For the Road signage offering four choices of high calorie snack combos for $2.50.

Kangaroo Express

Laurel, MS

This store was much smaller than many of the truck stops we had visited so far, and therefore the available grocery shelving areas were more limited. Despite this limitation, the selection of canned food items was an improvement over many we had seen. In addition to the SPAM, which appeared to be a truck stop staple, this Kangaroo Express also had tuna, a couple of varieties of Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers, sardines, and a variety of canned and packaged soups and chili.

Kangaroo Express / Subway

Laurel, MS

The onsite Subway offered their usual menu, plus pizza with their typical selection of fresh baked breads, vegetables and sliced cheese and meat.

Kangaroo Express

Laurel, MS

We had not really noticed this was absent from most of the other truck stops until we saw it here. Cases of beer and advertised beer specials! This was also the first time we saw a truck driver with any alcohol. Not once had we seen anyone order a beer with dinner, or purchase beer to take to their truck. I actually noticed a driver carrying a case of beer out to his truck here, before realizing that indeed this stop had cold beer to go.

Kangaroo Express / Subway

Laurel, MS

While we had not noticed cold beer at any of the other stops we had visited so far, we had noticed that there appeared to be a lack of seating for drivers who wanted to get out of their cab to eat their own meals, take a break, or sit down after they picked up a coffee or snack inside the store. The restaurants had abundant seating, but if you did not want to actually sit down and order food from the restaurant, there was really nowhere to go. I don't know if it was because of the Subway, or just a feature of this particular Kangaroo, but they did have what appeared to be a rather drab and depressing seating area at this location. We wondered how hard would it be to have a couple of tables and comfortable chairs where drivers could eat, relax, read the paper, do some paperwork, or maybe check their email.

Kangaroo Express / Huddle House

Laurel, MS

I have to admit that it was the 2 Cheeseburgers for $6.99 sign that caught my attention together with the large Country Fried Steak Breakfast Platter poster in the window. So, we decided to venture across the parking lot to see how Huddle House fared against our truck stop dining experiences so far.

Kangaroo Express / Huddle House

Laurel, MS

The menu was extensive, although the Country Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy for $6.99 seemed to be the most heavily promoted item together with their New Breakfast Melts - Philly Cheese Steak for $5.99, Smoked Pork Sausage for $5.49 and Bacon and Egg for $4.99. We were impressed that while they did not advertise any healthy choice items with their own symbols they do offer a number of more healthy options including: cholesterol free egg substitute on request, a golden waffle instead of biscuits and gravy, a choice between regular and sweet potato fries, or on their sandwich combos you can substitute the fries for a slight extra charge with a bowl of chili ($1.39), a bowl of soup ($.99) or a side salad ($.89). While you could add a side salad to any meal for $1.99, you could double your fries for only $.69.

Ribeye steak was once again on the menu as it had been in each of the truck stops we had visited. A 10 oz cut with Texas toast and two sides with a choice of baked potato, mashed potato, french fries, sweet potato fries, vegetable of the day, side salad or hash browns was $11.99, with the smaller 6 oz portion for $8.99. Other dinner options included Country Fried Steak for $6.99, Butterfly Shrimp for $7.49, Chicken Tenders, Chopped Steak a PorterHouse Pork Chop and Grilled Chicken Dinner all priced under $7.50 with Texas toast and two sides.

Grilled Chicken Salad

Kangaroo Express / Huddle House

Laurel, MS

We both opted for salad and had a choice of a Crispy Chicken Salad for $5.99, a Grilled Chicken Salad for $5.99, a Large Tossed Salad for $3.99, a Side Tossed Salad for $1.99 and a Ham Salad for $5.99. As one of our rules was that we were never going to order the same thing, Phil ordered the Grilled Chicken Salad, which left me with the Crispy Chicken Salad as I wanted some protein and don't typically eat ham.

Crispy Chicken Salad

Kangaroo Express / Huddle House

Laurel, MS

I requested lemon wedges instead of dressing and was provided with a small bowl filled with fresh juicy lemon wedges. Phil was not so fortunate in his request for low-fat salad dressing. Our waitress looked stunned as if she had never been asked for this before. Salad dressing choices were somewhat limited, so Phil opted for the Thousand Island which weighed in at 21 grams of fat, 20 mg of cholesterol, 350 mg of sodium and 190 calories.

Crackers and Salad Dressing

Kangaroo Express / Huddle House

Laurel, MS

Fortunately Phil did not use both packages of the salad dressing as that would have been 64% of his recommended daily fat allowance, and we left the eight packages of crackers alone.

Truck

Kangaroo Express / Huddle House

Laurel, MS

While these were not the most exotic chicken salads we had ever had, they were fresh, tasty and for $5.99 good value for the money. We left ready to tackle the next stage of our trip, but realizing we would not make it to Birmingham before dark.