Glazed Donuts and Dipped Skittles

This week I have big news to share. Dates have not been confirmed just yet, but soon a new character will be added to the stories told here. That's right - Son is betrothed and we are eager to introduce Daughter-in-law!

That's kind of a long name, so we may go with DIL, or something else fun. I'll keep you informed.

In the meantime, despite the crazy things happening in our world right now, Son is scheduled to graduate this spring. Then he's supposed to be working at a camp this summer, and continuing on to grad school in the fall. Those words “scheduled to” and “supposed to” hold a different nuance of meaning than they did just a few weeks ago. A few weeks ago he wasn't engaged, either. But no matter what, things are about to change. Our relationship will transition, as it should. Thus our ability to take father-son road trips will also change. With that in mind, we hit the road.

First, the backstory. One of the things we've really enjoyed doing this year is podcasting. (Brace yourselves: shameless self-promotion ahead.) I've been co-hosting another podcast (Guys of a Certain Age) for over a year now, and last fall Son said, “We should do our own podcast, too.” So we did, and Vittles and Vitals recently published our 12th episode. Alongside that, Son has introduced me to some of his favorite podcasts, and vice versa. On another road trip this past spring we binge-listened to a history-focused story that he'd come across, and that podcast planned a live event for their final episode. Son said, “We should go.” I agreed, and we decided to be spontaneous. We bought our tickets, reserved the cool Airbnb, and cleared a weekend for a trip to Atlanta.

Another thing we've had fun learning about over the past year is coffee. Videos, gadgets, techniques, etc. Anything that has to do with coffee. Coffee shops played a large role in his proposal to DIL, but that's his story to tell. Meanwhile, one of the things he wanted to do on this trip was explore coffee shops along the way, and it didn't take much arm twisting to convince me. Coffee shops nowadays usually have some pretty good breakfast foods as well, and you know how I like breakfast. So we got up early on departure day, headed east, and made our first stop in Tuscaloosa.

Mile 85.9. Turbo Coffee, Tuscaloosa. Son got a pour-over, which is essentially a technique that produces a cup of black coffee by hand pouring the water over the grounds, versus making a whole pot by the old-fashioned drip method. He suggested I try a Cortado, which is a small-ish coffee drink with equal parts espresso and steamed milk. It's very similar to a Gibraltar, which differs mainly in what sort of glass it is served. Not fancy, but it's a ratio I've come to appreciate.

On the food side, we started off with a couple of vegan, gluten-free donuts. That was not our goal - we would have been happy with whatever the opposite of that might be, but sometimes you have to dance - or eat - with who brung you. One was a vanilla donut with blueberry glaze; the other, a vanilla with matcha glaze. The matcha version, given that matcha is powdered green tea, was a bit earthy in flavor, but tasty nonetheless. We enjoyed the blueberry even more. Both had a heavy, dense texture, which I'm sure had something to do with the gluten-free flour blend, but they were very sweet and I would willingly choose one again.

For the “main meal” I chose a BST: bacon, spinach and tomato version of avocado toast - basically a toasted avocado sandwich with mayo. It was good, but Son's breakfast bagel was even better. It was quite simple: bagel, bacon, egg, and garlic herb cream cheese. The bagel itself had a nice, crisp outer layer and something of a buttery note. The cream cheese was spread in such a way that some bites had just a hint, while others sang of garlic. Some bites had yolk, others just white. It was definitely a sandwich made for someone who delights in bite variety.

Mile 173.8. I'm going to reveal a secret here. After I share this secret, please don't hoard like you did the toilet paper and bottled water. Moderation is key. Here it is: Dollar General has great candy. When I say great candy, I'm not necessarily talking about fancy Belgian chocolates, or handmade truffles. I just mean that DG often has special edition flavors of common commercially made candies that other stores don't have. With that in mind, I went to DG to prepare for the trip.

I came away with a bounty. Some were familiar to me: orange vanilla cream M&M'S, Hersheys Gold Kisses (with the caramel cream and the pretzel bits), white Reese's cups studded with Reese's Pieces, and a pack of toilet paper. (We were actually running low.) I also found a pack of Skittles Dips, with the Creamy Yogurt Flavored Coating. I knew we were headed for a late lunch and early dinner, but I needed something to nibble on while driving, and the Skittles fit the bill. I have two thoughts, maybe three. One: they could have said white chocolate flavored coating and I don't think they would have had to change much. Two: the words “flavored coating” are not words I really want to read on a candy package. Three: I suppose I shouldn't worry about “flavored coatings” considering all the artificial inside. Okay, Four: you can't really see what fruit flavor is inside, which reminds me of the Harry Potter-inspired jelly bean game, except that none of the Skittles taste like ear wax.

Rant over, but the trip has just begun…