From Wisconsin to North Carolina

With the NUTmobile fresh off an inspection, the only goal was for us to make it to North Carolina safely so we could drop it off at the Spevco for its repainting appointment.

Forge ahead!

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Indianapolis to Lexington

Miles to cover: 190mi

Once we got on the road, my Google Maps routed us off the highway and had us drive on city roads most of the way - which was annoying to say the least, but did lead to some silly moments.

As we pulled up to a stop light, there's a guy driving in front of us in a VW with big RV mirrors. From our angle, we can perfectly see his face framed in the mirror, and he's looking at us... with what I can only describe as... disgust (???). I like to call these folks the, "Allergic To Peanuts" types. He was young tho, if I had to guess, and so I said to Katie, "What do you think this guy's problem is?"

We kept driving, and at each red light, the guy would look back at us and give us a face. I don't think he realized we could see him, so I gave him a little wave from the driver's seat, and he quickly turned his gaze away.

Katie and I laughed, thinking that was the end of it.

Then, at the next red light, a guy sitting in the back of the VW turns around to look out the rear window, facing us directly - and this guy is smiling wide. Out of nowhere, he pulls out and holds up a Barty Bottle of Planters Peanuts. One of these, if you're not familiar:

Katie and I both screamed/laughed and then Katie started talking to them through our intercom. We followed behind them for a few more lights before they caught a yellow light before us and we lost them.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, and we made it to Lexington safely! We only got one night in Kentucky, so we hit up a local chain called Joella’s and they had a vegan chicken patty which was extra special because I was fully expecting southern states to shame me at the door just for smelling like a vegetarian.

So that was a welcome surprise, and it helped that it also tasted DELISH.

Lexington to Asheville

Miles to cover: 283mi

We started the day walking around the University of Kentucky's campus and all I remember was that it was so hot and I was so tired. Ryan and Katie snapped this picture of me catching my breath in the UK library.

Since we started our journey, Katie (who has lived in Texas for the past 5 years) has talked about Buc-ee's almost every day. If you don't know what Buc-ee's is - it's a gas station/rest-stop/convenience store known for its extensive gas pumps and the cleanest restrooms in America. The fan base behind this chain is CRAZY - it is essentially the Disneyland of Gas Stations. As we get closer to the south, the signs for Buc-ee's start getting closer and closer, and finally, we see one right along our route.

I have heard about Buc-ee's from my friend Halli as well, and the build-up from Katie and my friends made me pretty excited to experience it myself.

My review:

• Truly the cleanest bathrooms

• Hilarious shirts - I got mine in an 3XL for maximum sleep-shirt comfort and I am wearing it as I type this

• Chaotic vibes, why is everyone in this place running

• Hard to be a vegetarian in Buc-ee's, but not impossible

• NO POSTCARDS???!?!?

• Overall score of this particular Buc's: 7/10

We arrived in Asheville fairly unscathed - though I do not recommend driving a 2017 Iszuzu Custom Made 26-foot Long Peanut through the mountains. Just avoid that if you can!

With our events canceled, we had all weekend to make our own game plan. Corporate wanted us to create content for a new product coming out soon, so we prepped for that shoot in Asheville the next day.