Buc-ee's

At Wilderness RV Park, Robertsdale, AL

We arrived at the Wilderness RV Park around 4 pm on Sunday.  I did not have any veggies since I knew we would be having a number of Cracker Barrel dinners as we started out on our trip.  Looking at a map, I took off to a Piggly Wiggly about 12 miles away…and instead of getting lost, I turned onto a road which said it led to I-10, and when I got to the Interstate I passed Buc-ee’s.  I knew I had seen one or two of these before, but could not remember where.  I just “HAD” to go inside, and did that on my way back from Piggly Wiggly (since I only had a 1/2 tank, I filled up).  WOW!  It is like a WaWa gas station on steroids, along with being like the old Stuckey’s but also on steroids, along with being like a Harry and David, etc. 

I got back and told Marcia about it…it was hard to describe.  “Probably 80 or more pumps!”, I said.  Well, I went back yesterday on my tour back into Florida along the coast and had my camera this time, and inside I took some cell phone pictures…also found that I underestimated the number of pumps.

  

  

Buc-ee’s was started in 1982 in Lake Jackson, Texas, a small, 8 pump gas station convenience store.  In 2001 they opened their first travel center in Luling, Texas, a 48 pump location.  In 2012 they opened the largest convenience store ever, with 120 gas pumps, a 67,000 sq ft building with 83 restroom stalls, 31 checkstands, and 1000 parking spaces.  This Buc-ee’s in Robertsdale, Alabama is the first Buc-ee’s outside of Texas (for now…they have three in construction mode in Florida right now), and it also has 120 pumps.  In the restrooms, there are more facilities than many stadiums have…and there are sanitary hand dispensers next to each and every toilet, along with sinks with soap and paper towels so there are no excuses!  As more and more of these travel centers open up, I am sure you will come across one…step and in and try and keep your eyes off the Fudge Center, the Jerky wall, the massive amounts of clothing and other ‘stuff’…it can’t be done.

Don’t know what got into me, but I decided to go back into Florida along the Interstate, head over to the Gulf and drive along highway 292 and then highway 182 before heading back to Wilderness RV Park.  Marcia was the smart one…she stayed in the motorhome resting.  There were lots of large Hotel/Resorts like this, some large condos, many homes on stilts, and lots and lots of spring breakers.  Very few views of the Gulf, and I just had to wonder WHY anyone would want to come here for a vacation.  Nearly 3 hours later, I arrived back.

Wilderness RV Park has been a good little find for us.  It is a Passport America member, which means it is half price.  (Membership is only $44 per year, so we nearly saved that amount just on this one visit.)  The good thing, you can get the discounted price for a full week.  However, if you want to be here for a month, it is less than $400 as of 2019…that’s not bad at all. 

  

All 64 sites are pull-thru with full Hook-ups.  No cable TV, but there are many over-the-air TV stations.  Sites are close, but not too close.  We really lucked out with an end site…our door opens up to the roadway and the bathrooms are just across the road.  Since there are no tents allowed, there is little use at the bathrooms…which include two washers and two dryers laundry facility. 

The camp surrounds this large fishing pond…good place for a walk with the dogs (as long as you clean up behind them…)  We liked it so much, we decided to stay three days instead of two.  After all…the nights were still a bit cold up in Arkansas, but by the time we get there it should be just fine.

NOTE:  As I was writing the blog, Marcia was taking her near daily nap...she gets up and says, "Um...what is this water in here?"  Well, our shower is backed up nearly an inch with water.  Hmmmm...I KNOW I had the grey tank knob open.  Go outside and look, and yep, it is open.  I get down to look and that is when I realized I have the BLACK TANK open, and the GREY TANK closed.  What a rookie mistake!  That's what I get for not using the motorhome for six months!