Sunday, June 24, 2012

Oversharing in the Midwest

Yesterday we traveled across the fascinating states of Nebraska and Iowa. Oh the corn fields sure are...corny this time of year. That's a lie, really. They just look green, you can't see the corn yet.



As boring as 1,000 miles of cornfields can be, it was a pretty drive because it had my favorite kind of sky all day: stormy-blue and cloudy, a great contrast to all those dark green corn stalks.


Along with the good sky, Nebraska also has a yummy $5 coffee shack that is truck accessible.

It seems that independent $5 coffee shacks are few and far between in the east, but they are everywhere from Nebraska west. In our little town of 5,000 people we have two drive-up places plus one in the hospital, and one in a book store.

Later in the day we had the excitement of getting the steer tires rotated in Walcott, Iowa: The home of the World's Largest Truck Stop. I know, right? The fun never stops.


Yeah, it's as exciting as it looks, which is not at all, but do you know what they do have at the World's Largest Truck Stop? Travel John disposable urinals.


They're marketed to men and women, but let's face it, men can pee anywhere without much hassle and the plastic top is made just for the ladies. These are nice to have as a backup for those #1 emergencies, because sometimes you gotta go when there's nowhere to go.

Since you're probably already cringing at the fact that I have overshared bodily function information, I might as well show you our other emergency set-up:




A fold-up potty chair, tall kitchen garbage bags, and kitty litter. This little set-up is worth its weight in gold and it has saved us more times than I can count. It's a life saver when it comes to big jobs (as my FIL says) and also for #1. I use it every morning; there's no way I would make it across the parking lot otherwise.

Himself uses a bottle, which he discreetly disposes in the truck stop toilet, but that just doesn't work for the female body. And that's all I have to say about that.

It's less complicated for Jas.

Anyway! How about those Mets?! I hear they are gonna win the Superbowl this year for sure!!








16 comments:

  1. You guys are like astronauts! Minus the whole outer-space part.

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    1. Ha! I'm glad there's gravity in the truck; all that kitty litter floating around could get messy.

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  2. You and my cat use the same brand of litter. For real.

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    1. You just made me spit coffee out of my nose!

      That kind is the best because it's not dusty or heavy. And it smells pretty good too. I would invite your cat over but I'm afraid Jas would try to eat him/her.

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  3. I use those just for fun!

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  4. You passed within 30 miles of my home -- yesterday was a great day in Iowa, huh? I have never thought to look for Travel Johns at the Walcott stop, though I somehow get pulled into that place every time I'm traveling that way. It is magnetic...

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    1. I should have honked! ;)

      I know! It's so big and shiny and they have a Caribou Coffee, mmmmm.

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  5. yeah, i can agree with you that bottles don't work for us...but i have used paper or plastic cups. plastic coffee containers work good too, that's what i use when we're out on the lake fishing. i know, too much information!

    LOVE the picture on the Travel John box!! haha!

    the first thing that came to mind when i saw your pic of the cornfields...was stephen king's Children of the Corn. i wouldn't want to run out of gas or whatever...right next to a cornfield...especially at night...

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    1. Ooh, that would be scary. Sometimes we play hide and seek in a cornfield with Jas and I freak myself out if I get too deep into the corn. It's dark in there even in the daytime!

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  6. I love the little stick figures on the Travel-John package, but they really made me need to go. I wish I had one of those right now... But I am within arm's reach of some diapers. Hmm...

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  7. I so want to come up with a witty response but I must say I'm at a loss for words. Wait, I have a few words. Do they sell the Travel John (I think that's what it was called) at all truckstops or just the one with the good coffee. They would be useful in a boat with no potty.

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    1. I don't blame you, there really isn't a good comeback to someone who pees on cat litter! ;)

      I've never seen the Travel John anywhere else, although you can get them online, I think.

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  8. OK, lets be honest. Where else can one get (and share!) this type of information? I mean, really... What I want to know is, are the Travel Johns easy to use, do they work (leakproof?) and do they seal well? I'm with Laura, I like the good ol' coffee cans - especially now that they're plastic with snap-on lids. I think I got that from my childhood days. When we used to travel, my mom said I went through a stage where I wanted to stop all the time (boredom) so would always say I "needed to go." Her solution was to haul out the coffee can, set it by the side of the car by the open door, and say "OK - GO!" She says that seemed to do it, I no longer asked to stop so often. (Little butts can get stuck in those things...)

    Speaking of coffee shacks, come to WA state - they are EVERYWHERE. My theory is it's the cold, wet climate and the resulting common depression that folks fight. A tall, triple shot to go is bound to keep the spirits up, right?

    Oh and by the way, is there any place on the planet that DOESN'T have the world's largest something or other? That's right up there with the "Mint Bar" and "Voted Best", isn't it?

    Thanks for making my day, Tumbleweed!

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    1. The Travel Johns do work well, that plastic lip around the top is a great design. It has some kind of gel stuff in it that turns the pee solid, which is good since there is no lid!

      You made me laugh out loud at the little butt getting stuck in a coffee can!

      Good point about Washington, nothing like a shot to get rid of the drearies.

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