Sunday, November 30, 2014
Run/ Walk/ Bike/ Elliptical (Today: 0.00 miles; Running Total: 53.55 miles)
Day 142 of *Another* 100 Days of Good Karma.
Over the holiday weekend Justin and I had the, um… unique … pleasure of a road trip with children.
Travelling with kids is hard enough. There are fights over who’s cheating at a game of I Spy and accusations of one looking at the other for too long.
When you add in bathroom stops, you have a whole new nightmare. I’ve written before about my aversion to public bathrooms here and here.
This is why we stop at Buc-ee’s.
Buc-ee’s isn’t your ordinary rest stop.
They have food and knick-knacks just like any other rest stop. They also have clothing for sale. No lie – along with beach towels and t-shirts, I also own a bathing suit purchased from a Buc-ee’s.
The food is gas station food, but slightly more upscale. More like a deli inside a grocery store. They have any snack you’d ever want for a road trip – Slurpee’s, candy, jerky, you name it.
But the reason to go to Buc-ee’s isn’t the food or the clothes.
It’s the bathrooms.
Buc-ee’s was made for anyone who hates truck stop bathrooms. Their whole business model revolves around one simple concept: “We have the cleanest restrooms in America.”
And they do.
Buc’ees has so many stalls that it’s rare to wait in line. Each stall has a red or a green light above it letting people on the outside know whether the stall is free (green) or occupied (red).
Each stall is pristine.
There are always people cleaning the bathrooms at Buc-ee’s. I’m not sure I’d apply for the job, but I’m grateful that someone is doing it. Thanks to these angels I have never walked into a dirty bathroom stall at a Buc-ee’s.
Never.
Take a second to think about that. To reflect on the most disgusting things you’ve ever seen in a public restroom.
I have never seen a fouled toilet bowl, or wads of wet toilet paper with questionable brown streaks sitting on the floor. I have never seen a poopy diaper discarded in a corner, or a used tampon lying beside the toilet. I have never walked into a stall at Buc-ees and immediately backed out because I’d rather hold it than sit down in there.
That’s a pretty big accomplishment for a public bathroom.
The floors are always clean and instead of seat covers each stall is equipped with seat sanitizer. It’s in a dispenser next to the toilet bowl. A couple of squirts of sanitizer on a wad of toilet paper, a quick wipe down, and voila! You have a clean seat!
There’s hand sanitizer on the outside of the stalls since you have to touch the door handles to open and close the door.
The whole hand washing process is set up so you never have to touch anything. The sinks, soap and paper towels are motion activated.
You don’t even have to touch a dirty handle to get out of the bathroom because there are no doors. The bathroom set down a long hallway that curves out of sight for privacy. Thus you leave the bathroom with genuinely clean hands.
Buc-ee’s is fully aware that their business is based on bodily functions. They even joke about it. More than 70 miles out, you’ll start seeing the first roadside billboards for Buc-ee’s. They say things like:
- Don’t worry “p” happy,
- Come flush with us, and
- Be a party pooper.
And this one takes potty humor to a whole new level of awesome.
You’ll run into everyone you ever knew at Buc-ee’s.
I ran into my gynecologist once. She was rushing into a stall when I caught her eye and waved. It was a little awkward. I mean, she’s not exactly the person you want to run into in public, but it’s nice to know Buc-ee’s is medically approved.
Today’s silver lining: Clean bathrooms at Buc-ee’s.
It makes travelling with kids just a little easier.
What’s your silver lining today? I love comments!
Don’t want to leave a comment, but have something you want to share? Send me an email at gettingthewordswrong(at)gmail(dot)com.
xoxo,
Meghan
