Your Favorite Truck Stops

What are some of your favorites out here on the road? I'll list a few Russell's Truck & Travel Plaza, I 40 Exit 369, Endee, New Mexico. Talk about in the middle of nowhere, but this is a stop for me. Big parking, clean, nice store, good food, and an automobile museum with lots of great memorabilia. Petro, I 10 Exit 848, Beaumont, Texas. Only because my cousin lives nearby and he always comes to get me to go eat great seafood! London Travel Plaza. I 75, Exit 41, London, Kentucky, aka "Dog Patch". Another big lot and decent facilities but the draw here is the cafeteria-style restaurant with home cooked meals. TA Breezewood, I 76 (PA Turnpike), exit 161, Breezewood, PA. Great parking, good food, and beautiful views. Petro Joplin, I 44, exit 4, Joplin, Missouri. Carry your sunglasses inside due to the huge chrome shop. Also have 2 trucks INSIDE the showroom. Tiger Truck Stop, I 10, exit 139, Grosse Tete, Louisiana. Small stop but a must to see Tony, the live Bengal Tiger. Petro West Memphis, I 40, exit 280, West Memphis, Arkansas. This place used to be a bad place (some may say it still is) but I've never had a problem. Its a pay lot $10, but if you fuel 50 gallons or purchase $20 in store/restaurant its free, and the lot is fenced in. Best thing to do here is just sit back and listen to the CB chatter at night. Hilarious. Local law enforcement tries hard to get ya!

Just a few off the top of my head. What's yours?

Never been there myself but I've heard a lot of truckers mention the old truck stop Dysarts in Bangor Maine. I guess it's not the same anymore since the kids took over but I heard that it used to be great. Me personally I don't have any particular favorite. Since I don't park overnight and sleep in my truck I use mainly rest areas.

I'm still fairly new to the road, so my favorite truck stop is the one I have a free shower with that is close to where I want to shut down for 10 hours. I'm also generally happy to find a rest stop for the night with full facilities and pull through parking. Easy in and out with less time wasted during longer runs.

Gordy's Truck Stop, US 97, LA Pine, OR. AMAZING food, and never had trouble finding parking no matter what time of day or what the weather's doing.

Boise Stage Stop, I-84 exit 71, Boise, ID. Fantastic restaurant, huge parking lot.

Kwik Star/Pine Cone Restaurant, I-80 exit 201, Brooklyn, lA. I don't know how they do it and not go broke, but the restaurant has a daily rib eye special. 16 oz rib eye steak, plus rice, plus vegetable, plus your choice of potato, plus soup, plus salad, plus bread, all for $14.99. If you're still hungry after that, you got problems. It's too bad I'm doing western 11 now, I miss this place.

Iowa 80, I-80 exit 284, Walcott, IA. Biggest truck stop in the world, more than enough food choices to satisfy anybody, HUGE store full of shinies, and the truck museum is a can't-miss.

Bosselman's/Pilot, I-80 exit 312, Grand Island, NE. Huge parking lot, 20+ showers, and if you go in on a Saturday you can hit up the $16.99 all-you-can-eat prime rib buffet in Grandma Max's. Another place I miss.

If you hadn't noticed, I travel by my stomach. I didn't get to be a Fatsquatch by accident.

Joplin 44 Petro, its like a truckers mall. My fav though is Russell's I-40 TX/NM border. I love 50's culture and especially its cars. Russells has both in spades.

Whetherman, looks like we have the same taste in stops.

Whetherman, looks like we have the same taste in stops.

I love Russell's. People are so nice and the place is a step back in time. A second to the Iowa 80. That place is amazing. Forgot about the Bosselman's at Grand Island. Great food.

Also, the Little America Truck Stops, I 80, Exit 68 in Green River, Wyoming, and on I 40, exit 198, Flagstaff, Arizona are interesting places as well. The Flying J on I 40, exit 153 just west of Albuquerque, New Mexico I liked as well. Up on a hill looking down over the city.

Gordy's Truck Stop, US 97, LA Pine, OR. AMAZING food, and never had trouble finding parking no matter what time of day or what the weather's doing.

Have to agree with you about Gordy's. Good food, nice people, friendly drivers and plenty of parking. Was there a few weeks back and look who was taking a break in the driver's lounge....

Also, the Little America Truck Stops, I 80, Exit 68 in Green River, Wyoming, and on I 40, exit 198, Flagstaff, Arizona are interesting places as well. The Flying J on I 40, exit 153 just west of Albuquerque, New Mexico I liked as well. Up on a hill looking down over the city.

. . . just a note: after (how long?) forever, they closed the restaurant down at the Little America in Wyoming . . . fast food only . . . too bad, it was a nice place to sit down to a meal . . . I am so SICK of "Subway" which seems to be springing up EVERYWHERE!! A nice sit down once in a while . . . sorta like the old days, I guess . . .

Jopa