Roadtrip! Yuma AZ to Lancaster PA

Buc-ee's: Supposedly, Wisconsin will be getting one, so I can check one out in person.

Culver's: You know which fast food is best. My favorites are the cod sandwich and mushroom Swiss Butterburger. When I first heard of this, I swore I'd never eat a Curderburger, but after trying one at another person's suggestion, I now anxiously await their short-term presence each year and get my one annual Curderburger. Hint: it's not overly cheesy. Oddly, I do prefer the always-available cod rather than the seasonal walleye.

When I worked for a Houston area company, Buc-ee's was always available. It's a great story where the son who took over the company from his dad, he wanted to expand. His mom was against the expansion. Obviously the son was right. So today we have massive, very clean restrooms, and 100+ gas pumps at a single stop. And, Beaver Nuggets!

I'll have to give the walleye a try, but only because the best walleye comes from Western Lake Erie. Maybe I can do a side-by-side taste test if I can get both at the same time.

Quite an operation. They actually have a cult following. There are several YouTuber’s that create content on Buc-ee’s stores. I have seen one on the construction of one north of Dayton, Ohio. I have seen another where they walk into Buc-ee’s and just comment on things that they see inside the store. But, I must say, they have the cleanest restrooms in the world. They employ restroom attendants whose only job is to clean the restroom. I walked into one and the attendant was washing down the walls. Everything in the men’s room is separated by walls and the toilet areas have doors that almost go down to the floor. The sinks are in the center of the restroom for convenience. Well thought out operation. We stopped at one in Florence, SC and there were women standing in line 20 feet outside the restroom. I thought to myself that I was going to be here a while since my wife was already in line. Surprisingly, the restroom attendant had already taken charge of the situation and was directing women to the next available stall. It was like she was directing an orchestra. Totally amazing!

They are building a new Bucee's in Phoenix now. Should be open this summer/fall. I-10 west of Phoenix in Goodyear AZ.

You can google it and find out that their restroom attendants are paid $20/hour, so it's no minimum wage pay. While I couldn't do the job, I certainly appreciate the folks who do and are paid for that important service. It was really the son's idea to have the cleanest restrooms as an incentive for travelers to stop in. The rest is just a bonus!

Hate to sound like a Buc-ee's fanboy (but maybe I am one), but since my wife and I are considering retiring in the Phoenix area, getting some of their "fresh brisket on the board" might be something in our future even when we don't need to fill up the car.

This is helpful information.

Buccees has the best clean and most private bathrooms on the road.

It's hard to beat Buccess. I tend to stop at loves just because its less crowded but Buccess is far clearer and has a better selection of everything.

With the road trip now in the rearview mirror, I thought I would mention some experiences along the way.

First, Buc-ee's was everything I said it was to my wife. We have now ended up with t-shirts from Amarillo, Springfield, nuts, a travel pillow, and the soft sided cooler which was really handy for storing the dog food and feeding paraphernalia. While the brisket sandwiches were great, I really found their fried chicken sandwich to be excellent too! Oh yeah, and my wife was duly impressed with the ladies room.

While I used the "BringFido" app, I found it less than advertised from a quality perspective. One recommendation I discovered was to NEVER stay at a Red Roof Inn, regardless of the pet cost add on. The one in Columbus Ohio was so bad that 15 minutes after I checked in there I immediately left and got a reservation at a Holiday Inn Express even though the pet fee was $75.

The pace of ~360-370 miles per day made for comfortable travel as the stops for the dog made total travel time around 7-8 hours per day.

BTW, we wanted to stop to see the big meteor hole and found that driving a few miles off the highway, discovered that no pets would be allowed. We did get our pictures taken while standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona though!

In a few months we expect to make the same trip backwards to return the dog, so this was a nice practice run.