My Lengthy 700+ Mile Road Trip From Pigeon Forge To Orlando - Rest Stops & Gas Stations Spring 2023
Road Trip Pigeon Forge To Orlando
Transcript
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today's adventure begins here along the
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little Pigeon River Pigeon Forge
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Tennessee
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as the recording of this Monday April 17
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2023 it's not even bright
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but it is early
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and I will be making a 700 plus mile
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commute
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from here
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Orlando Florida today
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checking out of my hotel now right here
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along the Waterway
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utilizing the lights off this delivery
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truck
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you can see the accommodations I stayed
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at the last couple nights
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I've been gone from Florida for about a
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week and a half
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last two days I've been here at the
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creek Stone Inn
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I'm heading out welcome everyone out of
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the Wu here it is 6 a.m it's probably
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going to take me 10 hours if I were to
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not stop on the way down there but
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knowing me it'll probably be 12
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13. they'll be taking most of the
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interstates and fast roads but I'll Veer
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off a little bit of inviting you to join
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me I'm here in this parking structure
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here this parking garage
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that's underneath
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the hotel
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it is early
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and I got a ways to go inviting you to
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join me
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coffee shall you starting off on the
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Parkway I'm also wearing a hoodie
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but once the sun comes up and the
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farther south I get that will probably
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be shedded as the temperature gets a
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little warmer
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I'm out of here the building is wild
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and on the way out
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I'll say goodbye to Dolly Parton
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over there
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didn't get time to go to Dollywood this
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trip that was a bath that just went by
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or maybe that was a bird
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yes in fact I did Dolly
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I did get a piping hot caffeinated
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beverage on the way out
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it's pretty obvious I'm going to spend a
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lot of time in the car today
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a lot of time on the car
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sun is starting to rise now over
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Knoxville
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decided to pass by the sun's fear
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we're talking about the Sun
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from the World's Fair the sun's fear is
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still here
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I went up in that thing years ago
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a little too early to go up there now
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plus probably I don't have the time
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with quite the view from up there
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maybe they're going up there really
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quite the landmark
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and at first look you would think this
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was like a little bridge that goes over
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to this hotel
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over here but it's not it's just like an
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awning
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quite awake yet but I thought it was a
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walkway but it's not still awning
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the thing that's neat about really tall
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you know buildings and objects like this
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not only are they landmarks
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very photogenic but you can also tell
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where you are in town
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at any point because near the sun sphere
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there's an elevator goes all the way up
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to the top
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oh Dad can we go up no
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that's Sunrise directly behind me
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okay
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what's happening time for a little pit
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stop here
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at the I-75 South rest area
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McMinn County m-c-m-i-n-n
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County I'm reading the side up there by
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the door no information placard here the
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road to Chattanooga of course I'll be
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passing through
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Chattanooga
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I always like when they have the you are
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here
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points on some of these guide Maps so
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I'm on 75
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heading Southbound
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we have 75 quite a bit today
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also if you have any pets
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it must be leashed
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look at that Sunburst nice dramatic
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effect wow should this even be the C
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would be an indicate
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does that even have to be stated
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you're not supposed to put human waste
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in a trash can
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I kind of feel like I should have a win
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in Rome moment I mean I had the coffee
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I don't drink as much Dew as I used to
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but this is It's a Tennessee original
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I'm not gonna be in Tennessee long
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maybe I'll get myself a I'll double up
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on the caffeine today
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also these chip machines
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and cola machines are not incarcerated
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like some places some some rest stops
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have a behind bars I remember bars
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being on these windows
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I know
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oh try another card
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sad shop though okay good to know that
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it was not my card I ended up using this
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machine
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impulse Buy
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it's kind of chilly out here I can't
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yeah this is cold but I'm actually
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seeing my breath right now
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you know when it's kind of colder
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outside you grab something cold it
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doesn't feel as cold as it really is
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it's quite but now now I can feel it in
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my hand it's cold
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so far so good on traffic
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smooth sailing so far but still a long
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way to go
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random unique water fountain another
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rest stop the thing I like about these
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rest stops
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also
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you're talking to me are you talking to
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me
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all right probably a Pantera reference
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to go
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as well as I thought it would be
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no skateboards here either and overnight
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parking is prohibited
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interesting now these little blocks
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leading up to the front the photo
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opportunity I'm now in Georgia
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and they are glad that Georgia is on my
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mind so I've been in another state
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also very interesting to me as well
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with the internet and smartphones and
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everything does anyone still use these
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coupon books anymore
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signs skate shoes prohibited in the
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building
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skate shoes prohibitors what are skate
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shoes
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I mean is that just normal tennis shoes
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that you skated
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roller skating Escape I'm confused
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kind of interesting little gazebo style
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rest stop
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that order
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out of order
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this whole rest area is out of order
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All Right Moving On
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well what I was saying I like about rest
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stops you got these easy on easy off
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when you're covering this many miles in
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a day you don't want to Veer off the
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interstates too long
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that'll just add hours onto your trip
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all right getting back on I-75
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southbound and so since I got a lot of
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time in the vehicle let's show what I
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listened to throughout the course of the
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trip well just some stuff not everything
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but
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I have cruising to Rancid
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self-humping gas nozzle
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stopping at the Calhoun
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Bucky's three dollars
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99 cents a gallon
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gotta love some buckies there's just an
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incredible amount of gas pumps here
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awesome I think I said 3.99 a gallon
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when in fact it's 309 a gallon here in
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Calhoun
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Georgia
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309 a gallon
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I'm starting to lose track of how many
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buckies I've been in you should just be
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a Texas thing then they started
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branching out
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one day they're going to be like at
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every state
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I mean just out of control how many
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buckies there are
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a lot of buckies around that
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become very popular since back in the
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day when I first stepped in
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with my flip-flops and one I don't even
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remember what buckys that was now that
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was a while back yeah I tried it through
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some some poo that was inside the
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Bucky's on the floor on my flip-flop
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true story now when you go inside you
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know each individual Bucky's
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has an assortment of specific items that
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you can get
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that have the the name of the area on it
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so this this broad Bucky stuff and then
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there's also Bucky stuff that is catered
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to the area per se like right now I'm in
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Georgia so there is some Georgia stuff
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also picked up another coffee with a
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medium mild roast this entire road trip
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will be brought to you by caffeine
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Gotta Stay caffeinated Bucky
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you want to sit
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your coffee drinker
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there you go
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take yourself a little sip gonna bring
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it up
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okay just lift up your hand there bring
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it up bring it up in here and then take
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yourself a little
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okay your arms wide open like cretees
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today oh I love this the back of this
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car is one of those like old-timey
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Garfield Klingon sticky things that's
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great there's two complete rows
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of gas pups I also thought by now I have
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the hoodie off but still kind of crisp
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and cool
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still got the hoodie on take a look at
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this there's a I-75 sign
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painted on the ground right there I was
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in the mood for a little dead milk man
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also I'm under 500 miles to the airport
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got to drop my rental car off at MCO
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Orlando International
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you're the Buc-ee's is a unpublicly
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traded company you cannot buy stock
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I looked into it a couple years ago and
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with as expected a little traffic
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through downtown Atlanta
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doesn't look too bad though it's moving
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pretty good view of the Olympic torch
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right there
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I am already looking to drag looking
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forward to DragonCon this year here's
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one I haven't listened to in a while set
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your goals by Civ singing from Gorilla
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Biscuits they played the second Warped
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Tour 95 I believe and either Melbourne
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or Palm Bay
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Florida we played right before Blink-182
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also blink-182's new album hasn't come
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out yet I don't know what's going on
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with that and another rest stop the wind
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blowing the flags up there
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this is rest stop number 22.
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near Macon
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stretching the legs no solicitation here
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also it's interesting I was in Tennessee
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you had Pepsi and Mountain Dew
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traded in Tennessee but Georgia is known
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for their Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola
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machines here
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boss what the heck is this look at this
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skeleton of a payphone shell the pay
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phone itself and
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no pay phone on the end
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so safe to say that is not working who
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is the phone book still in here
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oh look at that
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and it looks as if well not only the
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restrooms are closed over here rest area
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number 22 Monroe County near Macon
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remember I was talking about
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incarcerated machines
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machines can be used when gates are
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locked see these Georgia they lock their
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snacks up
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Tennessee did not
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there's no more suggestion papers or
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pens
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can't leave a suggestion either
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like a beacon in the sky
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that beaver
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now it's interesting
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every Buckeyes will not allow trucks but
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they will allow buses
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good opportunity to stretch the legs
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they're all exact well the bigger ones
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there are some like regular sized gas
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station buckies in Texas that are kind
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of smaller but all the big
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I call you know it's almost like the
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theme park version of a convenience
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store the ones that are on the
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interstates are always you know just
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right off the exit so easy to kind of
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get off the excess this address is seven
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zero zero one and very clean bathrooms
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they always say the cleanest bathrooms
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you will ever find in fact
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they have
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one one kind of pet peeve I have about
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bathrooms is you'll have
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you know six stalls and two sinks here
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they have just as many sinks as they
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have
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stalls and places to use the facilities
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which is kind of nice and not only hand
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washing stations but also have hand
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sanitizer at every single
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little
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potty station which I like that
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I like that a lot Bucky
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and most of not everyone that I've seen
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also there's a car alarm going off
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has this Beacon Tower you can see from
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the freeway in the interstate
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or so miles to go one most of a lot of
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baseball podcasts one of those two a lot
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is locked on Rice I want to give a shout
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out to these guys
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this is our episode from today against
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the recording of this April 17th talking
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about yesterday's
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win against the Blue Jays
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even though the Blue Jays took the
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series but listen to these guys a lot
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there's a couple different baseball
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podcasts I listen to
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rest stop tour
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continues
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this is
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rest area number nine
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Turner County
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very interesting Planters here
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seats next to them
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also same state there's no bars
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covering the vending machines here who
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is there a UR here
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but I believe I am near Tifton I think
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I'm kind of in this general area here
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well there you go Turner between Turner
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and Tifton
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so I'm getting there
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slowly but surely yeah way over here on
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this other end
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talks about Georgia pollinators
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do not pick the flowers these flowers
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serve as a valuable habitat for our
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pollinators
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our pollinators see colors that human
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eyes can't see
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referring to these trees perhaps because
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talking about the pollinator's life
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cycle right here
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going from egg to larva to pupa
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up to adult and then back around
17:28
this is the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
17:35
things you learn that rest rest stop
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tour
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also breaking news took the hoodie off
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comfortable enough to not wear the
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hoodie
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feeling pretty good I'm getting pretty
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close to the state line not Tifton isn't
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too far
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from the state line
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and I'm not really too sure probably I
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don't know why I did this
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but just to get more steps in it's all
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about getting steps in when you're in
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the car you're driving for a long period
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of time you want to walk so I parked all
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the way over here at the additional fire
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kick could have parked down there
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but I parked over here
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just walking around that's one thing
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that's good about driving versus a plane
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you can pull over every hour just walk
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around get out of the rental stretch the
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legs
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I was incorrect on how close I was in
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the state High passing these little
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markers on the side of the road I am 70
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miles from the state line they had the
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markers that go
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count down on the way there so 70 miles
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so many fuel stops and convenience
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stores
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when you're on the road being closed
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it's good to see that Stuckey's is
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making a comeback
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has stuckies for a while a lot of them
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were closed down and a lot of them had
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caught on fire but stuckies are back now
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this is not your textbook look for a
18:47
stuckies but definitely has like kind of
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that old-timey road trip vibe to it
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all right down here they do have check
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out they have the world famous candy
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stuckies pecan I don't think that would
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fit me but if I could find one that
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would fit me I could use another I used
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to have a Stucky shirt back in the day
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but I don't know what happened to it
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they did not have my size but they do
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have some stuckies good they're not for
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their original pecan log they also got
19:15
some newer items here
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I don't know I've been trying to eat a
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little bit better so I don't know if a
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pecan log is on my agenda but they do
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have the textbook Stucky stuff coming
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back in full fashion look at this I
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don't remember it ever coming in like a
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box like this has Cherry pieces also
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cinnamon pecan crumbles there
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things are so dang good very very
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tempting to get some of those but I'm
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not going to also fudge
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right down here in the
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something called a pecan gopher I love
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this old signage
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some no pets t-shirt required no shoes
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no shoot no shirt no shoes also look at
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this
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trash can thank you no dice
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pan which is kind of textbook for a lot
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of places restroom for customer
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this road trip fueled by caffeine
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going with the red Edition energy drink
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watermelon flavored pretty good just
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need a little more a little more
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caffeine
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keep this keep this keep this Trek going
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yeah as again it doesn't have the same
20:23
look as a normal stuckies but I am glad
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Stuckey's are back and I hope they
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continue to grow
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it's not about 40 miles from the state
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line and I got to save a little
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a little something in the old belly
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Wet My Whistle too much because when you
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get to the state line of Florida
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when you cross the state line there is a
21:03
Welcome Center another rest stop but
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it's more of a welcome center and has a
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welcome to Florida sign when you first
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come in
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pretty decent sized one
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which is located right over there in the
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corner since the last time I stopped
21:18
here looks like Publix which is a
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florida-based grocery store which is
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taking over
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uh the southern states the started in
21:26
Florida started in Lakeland they have
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put their their colors here
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across the front
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there is a
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dolphin here as well operating hours for
21:38
the visit Florida Welcome Center for
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nine or eight to five so should still be
21:43
open
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go inside and get some some Citrus
21:46
Citrus beverage
21:51
inside the welcome center it's always
21:51
good to be back in Florida
21:53
it's always good to be back it's nice to
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travel it's nice to get away
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as they say there's no place like um
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it really isn't and you know I love
22:02
Central Florida I still got a ways to go
22:03
before I get home so I got quite a few
22:05
ways there's still nowhere in here oh
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Florida is a long long state
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it's very it's kind of like California
22:12
very very spread out
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are very very lengthy from one end of
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the state to the other I'm only in the
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midwest or only in the middle of the
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state and it's like three more hours at
22:21
least three more hours from here and it
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just makes sense to drink my orange
22:24
juice next to this Orange
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decorated dolphin
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cheers dolphin cheers weren't you glad I
22:36
got this instead of the grapefruit juice
22:42
orangey glad
22:42
it's definitely warmed up quite a bit
22:51
refresh
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Sports too I don't know if they freshly
22:52
squeezed it but squeezed by something
22:54
well I guess it would be freshly
22:55
squeezed maybe buy a machine though
22:57
either way
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good to be back and forth now like three
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more hours till I get home also this is
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the Joseph oh
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official Florida Welcome Center and
23:07
recognition commit was the four tourism
23:09
industry in support of Welcome centers
23:11
for more than 30 years dedicated to
23:13
Joseph ostriska still 203 miles to the
23:17
airport where my car is where I flew out
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of MCO 10 or 11 days ago
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say two hours and 47 minutes
23:25
it's going to turn into the turnpike 75
23:27
into the turnpike and then over to the
23:29
airport
23:29
so ways ago Florida is long about 125
23:33
miles from the airport where my car is
23:36
parked
23:37
and I'm gonna have to fill up two more
23:40
times
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once now because I'm on E
23:44
but then again
23:46
later when I fill up before I drop the
23:48
rental car off and the reason for that
23:51
is because I got to fill up before I
23:53
return my rental car to the airport they
23:54
got to top it off
24:00
so I went ahead and filled up this would
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be the last this will be the last rest
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stop
24:04
before getting my car turning the rental
24:06
in
24:08
I am ready to be home I have been on the
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road
24:12
a long time today
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pretty exhausted sometimes just keeping
24:16
your eye on the road
24:19
driving
24:20
pulling over you know trying to film a
24:22
video
24:23
not the most exciting thing in the world
24:25
you know just kind of pulling over at
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the exits called the rest stop tour
24:29
going over 700 miles today I only have
24:33
80 miles 79 miles 80 miles
24:36
to the Orlando International Airport
24:38
where I park my car flew one way to DC
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then from DC I went to Philly back to DC
24:44
and then went over to a bunch of other
24:45
states and they kind of drove down
24:47
and now I'm heading back down I rented a
24:49
car one way
24:50
so I have to go back to my personal
24:52
vehicle and grab it so this will be the
24:55
last stop before getting gas to top it
24:57
off even though I just got gas up to way
24:59
a bit
25:00
get a few gallons of gas to polish off
25:03
top off the tank and then get my own car
25:07
and then another 30 45 minutes depending
25:10
on traffic
25:11
to get to my house Homestead back in
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Celebration Florida
25:15
I am ready to be home this is 700 miles
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in one day it's pretty it's pretty long
25:20
drive
25:22
get going
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last rest stop thank you take a good
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look this is the last rest stop we're
25:26
getting fuel getting my car and heading
25:29
out these rest stops today have been
25:30
good too myself and my shadow that I'm
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waving out here
25:35
since I showed some of the other ones
25:36
share some of the free Publications
25:39
they have here at this last Florida rest
25:41
stop that I'm going to be
25:43
partaking of today look at this guide
25:45
map
25:46
the free guide map there find the fun
25:49
there's Mickey on there wearing his
25:52
wearing his uh Dapper 50th the 50th over
26:00
here's some homes
26:00
but there's nothing in oh yeah there are
26:02
look at this
26:04
there we go
26:05
there's some magazines in there
26:08
so these are kept up that's Camp Florida
26:10
all right
26:12
evidently yeah
26:14
all right see you later last rest stop
26:16
before I head home
26:18
back in my car
26:20
continuing South
26:21
it's a couple minutes to 7 P.M but
26:23
listen to the Rays in Cincinnati game
26:25
now just going into the second inning
26:27
almost to the airport
26:29
also as of this moment razor 14-2
26:32
interested to see how
26:35
Series in Cincinnati goes
26:40
best record in baseball at the moment
26:40
all right third gas pump of the day 379
26:45
just because I'm right on the outscores
26:47
kurts of the airport on Cimarron also
26:51
it's funny on this last trip I was in
26:53
Philly where Wawa started now there's a
26:54
lot here
27:00
Airport's right over there
27:00
I know I never have anything to worry
27:02
about
27:04
these little Spike things always freak
27:07
me out
27:23
actually the rental car was due back at
27:23
10 so to pay an additional 74 dollars
27:25
because I did not get here at 10 A.M
27:28
but that's fine
27:31
just hold it anything after three hours
27:33
this whole thing is all dried up it's a
27:35
little retention
27:37
called decorative little water area
27:40
so yeah anything after three hours after
27:42
your allotted prepaid time drop off
27:44
which mine was ten it's considered the
27:46
next day
27:50
you always pay
27:50
my rental cars in advance so they'll
27:52
just build my car that they have on file
27:55
all right gotta remember where I parked
27:57
my car all right that water effect is
27:59
working
28:11
wait
28:11
I want to tell you my way oh here to
28:13
greet me is this live Raptor
28:15
stand clear
28:18
I will Raptor I will a week and a half
28:20
ago 10 11 12 days I don't know I lost
28:22
track of time
28:24
flew out
28:25
but I stayed up the night before I
28:27
stayed in the hotel right up there got
28:30
up really early and then left town
28:34
One Way rid of the car drove back
28:37
so I got to get to the second level and
28:38
my car should be parked
28:41
somewhere
28:42
up on that second level out to the
28:45
parking area I think
28:48
here's the fountain and I am glad I am
28:51
not flying out 7 P.M right now
28:55
Yep this looks familiar the car's right
28:57
out here
28:59
assuming it's still there
29:09
and Sean Clark and I studied
29:09
the day after the opening day of Tron
29:12
he flew out elsewhere
29:14
I flew to DC
29:20
it's like seems like it seems like a
29:20
month ago I was only like 10 or 11 days
29:21
just inside just in time for the sun to
29:23
start setting going down it's always
29:25
weird when you get back in your car
29:27
after having a rental for as long as I
29:29
have it kind of feels weird for the
29:31
first few minutes you're like oh are the
29:32
seat's different the way it handles is
29:34
different how did you get used to it in
29:36
about 20 seconds all right parking has
29:38
been paid
29:40
19 a night and now I am heading out of
29:44
the airport heading back home it is 8
29:46
P.M
29:48
long day very long day
29:51
very long I have successfully made it
29:53
back home
29:54
it's 8 30 p.m by my math
29:56
what's 12 and a half hours leaving at 6
29:59
a.m from pitcher Force 12 and a half
30:01
hours on the road today
30:03
but I made it we'll see in the next
30:05
video of the Vlog
30:07
is up that's 192 over there and those
30:08
are trees Vlog is over