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.

One Stop a Day?

We arrived at our La Quinta hotel in Birmingham, Alabama last night to discover that the hotel is under renovation and they did not have any rooms with a Queen or King bed. We contemplated changing hotels, but that would have necessitated driving across town and dealing with refunds and re-booking. So, we checked in and headed across the street to the SuperTarget for some midnight shopping therapy. Well, not exactly real shopping therapy as we actually just needed a charger for our iPhone (which we forgot we had placed in our camera bag) and as it was cold and damp, Target offered a convenient dry and warm place for an 11:30 PM walk.

Alas, our new iPhone charger did not work, which meant back to SuperTarget this morning after a quick breakfast in the hotel. We did not notice how pretty Birmingham was when we arrived last night. But this morning the sun was shining and it was warm enough to leave our jackets in the car. The grass was still somewhat green, there were flowers on some of the shrubs, the rolling hills were lush with vegetation and we remembered some of the things we missed about living in the South!

I picked up a black cashmere cardigan for $59, a black cotton skirt for $19, exchanged our iPhone charger, grabbed a bag of popchips, a couple of bottles of Vitamin Water and some clementines for a snack and we were back on the road.

I59 Alabama

We had never tried popchips before, and decided that if you have to eat potato chips, this is the way to go. They are popped and not fried. So the consistency is different, but at only 120 calories for 22 chips they are an alternative to regular high fat potato chips. The best part was that they did not leave any grease on your fingers! With the abundance of potato chips and other high fat salty snacks available at truck stops we thought we need to see if anyone is selling these?

I59 Alabama

As we had split the bag of chips and then ate a couple of oranges each, we were not ready to stop for lunch. So we continued along I59 through Alabama and into Mississippi. By the time we felt ready to stop for lunch, we were having a hard time locating truck stops until we had almost driven passed them, or we were in the wrong lane to safely exit. We decided to wait until we hit the Louisiana border and followed a couple of big rigs who were pulling into the TA / Country Pride in Slidell, Louisiana.

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

We were feeling optimistic when we spotted the Dine With Us! posters at the front entrance. The menu items on the Stay Fit with Flavor poster actually looked pretty good. I got out of the car intending to have another grilled chicken salad, but decided that this might just be the place to expand my truck stop dining horizons.

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

Before heading into the Country Pride Restaurant, we did a quick walk through the store. My attention was diverted from our subject of study to a display of alligator heads. We knew we were in Louisiana now. I wondered about the ethics surrounding killing what must be baby alligators to make tourist trinkets?

Alligator Head

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

In comparison to the first TA we stopped at in Michigan, this travel center was a bit older and slightly more dingy. We could not find any of the fresh fruit or packaged salads that we noticed at the other TA truck stop. They did have a cooler with milk, packaged sandwiches and burgers alongside a rack holding loaves of both wholewheat and white bread.

TA TravelCenters of America

Slidell, LA

The self-serve concession area was smallish featuring a limited selection of coffee and hot beverages, hot dogs, and snacks.

TA TravelCenters of America

Slidell, LA

This particular location was actually pretty heavy on the snacks both salty and sweet with an entire cooler dedicated to pint sized containers of Ben & Jerry's priced at 2 for $4, and the mega-sized packages of sale candy and giant cake pan sized RiceKrispies Treats. We had noticed these before at a few other truck stops and were still wondering how you deal with eating this on the road?

TA TravelCenters of America

Slidell, LA

Alongside the snacks was a selection of pre-packaged meals that could be heated up in the Stove to Go devices, or I suppose at those stops that had microwaves available for the drivers use. Although there was variety in terms of brand, they were primarily cream sauce based, or stew, chili or chunky soup.

TA TravelCenters of America

Slidell, LA

At $4.99 the Heater Meals come in at 320 calories per serving, 9 grams of fat and high in sodium. However, probably still a better cost effective and nutritious choice than some of the food available on the road.

A small refrigerated case at the back of the store contained oat bars, carrot cake squares, wrapped burgers, burritos and sandwiches on a bun which looked fresher and more appetizing than many of the packaged offerings we had seen elsewhere.

TA TravelCenters of America

Slidell, LA

Feeling we had checked out the store as much as we could we headed into the restaurant. Although it was dinner time, the dining room was relatively quiet with a few drivers eating alone and a couple of groups of locals. The waitress greeted us as we sat down. We asked what she recommended from the Stay Fit with Flavor menu and she suggested the Wild Pacific Salmon and the Grilled Chicken Dinner. So, I opted for the salmon and Phil decided on the chicken.

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

I was feeling more like a salad or a good stir-fry, but was a bit worried about getting some sort of tasteless stir-fry mystery sauce, so took the waitresses recommendation and ordered the salmon. As we waited for our food we overheard the truck driver sitting behind us telling the waitress that he had been looking forward to this meal all day as it was his first stop since early morning.

Stay Fit with Flavor Poster

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

The photo on the menu suggested a plump grilled chicken breast with a side of stir-fried red peppers, broccoli, and baby corn on a bed of wild rice. The description read: "Tastefully seasoned and grilled to perfection. Served alongside stir-fried vegetables and wild rice. Enjoy the soup and salad bar with your meal."

Salad from Salad Bar

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

The salad bar was fresh and offered romaine rather than iceberg lettuce and what we had come to expect, a variety of mystery condiments and sauces, cherry tomatoes, cottage cheese, jello, and canned fruit. The bread stick looked somewhat promising but was dense and bland. I took one bite and decided that it was not worth the empty calories.

Grilled Chicken Breast Dinner

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

Sadly, Phil's Grilled Chicken Breast Dinner looked nothing like the meal advertised on the posters, menu or menu card on the table. There was not a vegetable to be seen!

Menu card

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

My wild Pacific salmon was subject to an almost identical presentation except the salmon was artfully placed on a leaf of lettuce.

Wild Pacific Salmon Dinner

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

The salmon may have been of the wild Pacific variety, but certainly not a sockeye or coho. Probably a pink or chum and definitely overcooked. I ate it but left the rest.

Remainder of Wild Pacific Salmon Dinner

TA TravelCenters of America / Country Pride Restaurant

Slidell, LA

We left Country Pride wondering if we would have been better off sticking with a grilled chicken salad? We wandered back into the store in search for mints, gum, candy, anything. Something to get rid of the taste of dry overcooked food.

CORRECTION: In doing some further research we discovered that Heater Meals are actually designed as emergency rations and are self-heating. Therefore, not needing an external heating device. While this is probably handy for drivers that do not have any cooking devices in their trucks and want a hot meal while on the road, it does make us wonder why there are not more alternatives available for drivers who want to be able to heat up a prepared nutritious and tasty meal?

Truck Stop 101

Due to the heavy snow and the temporary closure of the 402 earlier this week, we had heard that trucks were being rerouted to the Windsor - Detroit border crossing from the Sarnia - Port Credit crossing. As it was already past 6 PM and we still hoped to make it to Cincinnati tonight we opted for the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel thinking it would be faster than the Ambassador Bridge.

We were in luck! We sailed through both the toll booth and U.S. Border Security with no wait at all. Instead of taking our usual route, we followed the instructions of our TomTom GPS taking us into deserted and unknown territory within inner city Detroit. Despite our temporary distrust, our TomTom navigator got us safely and efficiently onto I75 heading south out of Detroit.

Our first stop was at the TA TravelCenters of America in Monroe, MI. Although our stated task was to eat at truck stops, we were going to cheat this first time as we had packed a lunch (which we had not yet eaten) for the road. So, we filled the car with gas and as we both wanted to be wide awake for our remaining drive headed inside to pick up a Pepsi and coffee.

TA TravelCenter of America

1255 N. Dixie Hwy

Monroe, MI

We did not yet have an established protocol for our truck stop visits. So we entered the TA with an open mind and a digital camera. The store was bright, clean and well-organized. Our recollections from previous road-trips were of stores filled with junk food and bad coffee.

Fruit & Water Case

TA TravelCenter of America

Monroe, MI

So, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed when we were greeted by this cooler near the front entrance with wrapped sandwiches, bottled water, miscellaneous wrapped deli items and a sign stating Fresh Fruit Bowls for $2.49! There were no fruit bowls to be seen, but it was almost 8 PM and we were going to assume that they were sold out.

Fresh fruit stand

TA TravelCenter of America

Monroe, MI

A nearby end-cap display contained baskets of fresh fruit (bananas, apples and oranges) and PowerBars were on sale in the self-serve concession area for 2 for $1. Offering a somewhat healthier alternative to the hotdogs and nachos.

PowerBar Sale

TA TravelCenter of America

Monroe, MI

We also discovered a refrigerator case near the cold drink section with a selection of wrapped sandwiches, beef and chicken burgers, green and fruit salads.

Burgers, sandwiches and salads

TA TravelCenter of America

Monroe, MI

The specials listed at the entrance of the Country Pride Restaurant advertised Ribeye & Eggs with hashbrowns and toast for $9.99, Ribeye Dinner with potatoes and salad bar for $10.99 and a Rueben Sandwich with fries for $7.99. There were at least a dozen lone truckers eating in the restaurant. Some eating alone, a few checking email or updating their Facebook status and others reading the paper. The salad bar looked fresh with ample garnishes and dressings, however, the simple romaine lettuce did not entice us.

As we walked back towards the self-serve concession area, we noticed one truck driver with his soft-sided personal cooler opening a can of stew and heating his dinner in the microwave oven provided, but also noticed what appeared to be a lack of seating for individuals who wanted to stop and eat, but not order from the restaurant.

Burton Stove to Go

TA TravelCenter of America

Monroe, MI

What really caught our attention was the selection of personal cooking devices available. As I was taking this shot Rochester (not his real name) approached us saying "Those cookers work real good." He told us that he had both models of the 12 V Burton Stove to Go as well as the coffee maker. He was particularly impressed with the new digital model which had a temperature setting allowing him to cook and heat up pretty much anything he wanted. He noticed us trying to set up our shot of the Burton Cookin' on the Go cookbook stating that he really needs something like this to provide ideas and recipes for options of what to cook and eat on the road.

Burton Stove to Go and Cookin' to Go

TA TravelCenter of America

Monroe, MI

Rochester seemed eager to chat with us and share his experiences. We were shocked to hear that as an owner operator he just picked up a job to take a load from Northern Michigan to California for $3800, keeping him from his family for Christmas. Not knowing exactly how much it costs to operate a truck, but considering fuel costs, truck leasing costs, incidental maintenance or repair on the road and personal expenses on the road, we did not figure there would be much left for him to take home! He told us that it is easy to spend most of your money on food if you are not careful. He was quite proud of the fact that he has rarely eaten out in the past year, crediting his Burton stove and a little pre-planning.

Grocery aisle

TA TravelCenter of America

Monroe, MI

Chatting with Rochester made us wonder where drivers can get alternative food options if they wanted to cook their own meals on the road? We wished Rochester Happy Holidays and took another walk through the food aisles. While the majority of the shelf space was dedicated to snacks, chips, and candy there was one aisle that had a small selection of canned and packaged foods and soups that could be used in the Burton stove.

Big bags of candy

TA TravelCenter of America

Monroe, MI

As we returned to our car to eat our picnic dinner of grilled salmon and the lemon squares we picked up from our favorite local Toronto bakery Sweet Bliss we discussed the challenges that these long-haul drivers that move our goods across the country face. The tight margins they work with, how lonely it must be at times and how restricted they are with their food choices. However, we were also pleasantly surprised that you could get fresh looking fruit salads, fresh fruit and an array of 12v cooking devices.