ROAD TRIP - Part 2

By Request of the Wizard Osbasso...
my favorite HNT
HNT 13 - Harry Nugent Theater

Here I am with grandiose wishes of being the next 'Nuge' - or some close facsimile thereof.

Don't worry about the scowl... it's all theatrics.

Happy HNT peoples!! Go see the King of El Paso, Osbasso, the Masso of HNTasso...







ROAD TRIP - Part 2


So, we got a late start.

Actually, part of the reason it was a late start was the fact that I had to go pick up the rental car. Traffic didn't help. And then, on top of all this, we had to (get this) go pick up a puppy and take it with us. Puppy living in Richmond didn't really have a place to live. And, the graduates-to-be had some other family coming to the graduation. This puppy was going to live with them. Rather than ship the puppy off via UPS, we put him the back of the Liberty and gave him a first class ride to South Carolina. Puppy had most of the back to himself and he was surprisingly well-behaved. Slept most of the way there, excepting for a couple of pit stops for gas. Just goes to show that you can't just a book, or a dog even, by its cover.

Now then, this WOULD have been about a 6.5-7.5 hour drive, given the mostly light traffic... but we stopped at J&R Outlet center. They have a section of hardback books which all sell for 4-6 bucks each. Umm, yeah. And not just crap titles, either. I have a book addiction. I'll admit it. I picked up about 15 of these books just for me. Sad, yeah? Consider, however, the normal $15-25 cover price vs $4-6... Also scored some XMas gifts for people on my "nice" list.

. . . . . .

. . . . . .

They also have a Zippo kiosk. That's right, not just a little rotating display. I know that not all of you people out there smoke, but you could at least do me the favor of accepting the fact that some of these Zippo lighters are just plain cool-looking. And this entire kiosk with nothing but Zippo lighters and similar gear. I scored a limited edition ELVIS 50th Anniversary zippo lighter for my roommate - he loves the later "cheezy" Elvis. It was pretty sweet.

Of course, with all this looking and shopping, the next thing you know, over an hour has passed. Crap. So we get the puppy one more round and drive over the interstate to where the gas stations were...

dammit.

Bojangles.

Right next to the gas station.

I'll admit it. I have a weakness. Bojangles butter biscuits are one of THE finest tasting bread products on this (or any) planet. If you have never had one, take a road trip. If you think Hardees is good? You will learn otherwise. We used to have one right down the road from my office. I would stop by there from time to time and go through their drive thru just to score me a dozen biscuits. No, really. They are that damned good. And their dirty rice? Tasty, tasty.

This was years ago... and for some reason, they closed down. Yes, I was heartbroken. Some friends of mine said, "Well, you can always get biscuits at Hardees." Umm, no. You can't. Do you want me to eat mere human bread product after having had manna from heaven? Would you drink Franzia if you had grown accustomed to Dom Perignon? Would you enjoy driving a Ford Escort after a Porsche 911? Well? Would you?

Now, I remember that a few months after that Bojangles closed, I was driving down the road and saw lights on in the building. There were CUSTOMERS and EMPLOYEES there! Holy shit! I made a semi-legal u-turn at the next intersection and zipped back and right into the drive through. I was thrilled they came back. I pulled up to the window, ordered my dozen biscuits and a large dirty rice, threw money at the cashier and said, "Just get me ma damn biscuits! I'm in withdrawal!!" They boxed and bagged it up and handed it to me. I was into the box for a biscuit before I was even out of the drive thru.

Bite.

Something wasn't right.

This doesn't have that flaky moist sweet buttery goodness that I had missed so dearly. What the hell?

Took another bite.

Nope. Definitely not the same. Just as I was about to drive back to complain and asked what was up, I looked at my receipt.

Popeye's.

What in the hell??? I never did read the actual sign... but Popeyes had the same damned color scheme, the same font... the building hardly looked any different from when it had been a Bojangles!!

I never finished that box. The dirty rice was merely passable.

So, yes, I missed the Bo. And there one was, the tasty cajun scent wafting its evil way over to me as I pumped gas into the gas-guzzling mini-SUV.

So, yes, we stopped to eat before getting back on the road. And this time, I made sure it was REALLY a Bojangles before I ordered. The girl at the register looked at me like I was crazy, of course, but I didn't want to suffer that disappointment again. Once was enough for this lifetime.

And a mere 3 or 4 hours later, we pulled into the Parris Island area, delivered the puppy, and sacked out in preparation of the long day to come.... All in all, the simple 6.5-7 hour drive took 9 hours... c'mon, it was a BOJANGLES.

And, hey, on a positive side note? I learned that there IS a Bojangles a LOT closer to my home. Hell, it's even in my home state of Virginia, off exit 11 on I-95. Oh yeah. There is a road trip in my future.