The drive home is always the hardest part. Not because of the miles or the time in the car, but because of what it means…
It means the trip is over. It means the beach days are behind you. It means you are heading straight back into real life, whether you are ready for it or not.
That is exactly where we found ourselves on Saturday morning, pulling out of Gulf Shores, Alabama, with a full car, a week of memories behind us, and a long drive back to Grand Rapids ahead.
We still had a day and a half together on the road. And like most of this trip, it ended up being more than just getting from point A to point B.
Leaving Gulf Shores and Not Quite Ready To
We checked out of our condo right at 10 am and got on the road almost immediately. There was not much lingering. We knew the drive ahead was long, and the sooner we got moving, the better.
Still, there is always that feeling when you leave a place like Gulf Shores. You take one last look around, knowing it will be a while before you are back, and it is hard not to think about how fast the week went.
All great vacations come to an end. Well, almost all of them…
As Christians, we hold onto the promise of something better – an eternity in paradise with Jesus Christ. The kind of “vacation” that never ends. That thought crossed my mind as we pulled away, a reminder that even though this trip was over, there is something far greater ahead.
But in the moment, we were just focused on getting home.
The Buc-ee’s Plan and a Fuel Decision
We knew one thing for sure. We were stopping at Buc-ee’s.
Ethan had spotted a camouflage cooler on the way down and decided to wait until the trip home to buy it. That gave us a built-in stop to look forward to, and honestly, nobody in our family complains about stopping at Buc-ee’s.
The question was whether we had enough fuel to comfortably make it to the next one. At one point, I was doing the math in my head—distance to empty versus miles to Buc-ee’s—and it was close. Close enough that I was not fully comfortable with it.
I even pulled up ChatGPT on my phone to double-check how much I could trust the distance-to-empty reading on my Expedition. The answer confirmed what I already suspected. It is a good estimate, until it is not.
Add in the hills on I-65, and that comfortable buffer starts to shrink quickly. After thinking it through, I made the call to pull off at a Love’s and get gas. It was not worth the risk.
Running out of fuel on the side of the interstate is one of those situations that goes from inconvenient to dangerous in a hurry. It has never happened to me, and it never will.
We filled up, skipped the restrooms, and got right back on the road, knowing Buc-ee’s was still coming soon.
Buc-ee’s Done the Right Way
About 45 minutes later, we made it to Buc-ee’s. This time, we were not pulling in on fumes or watching the dashboard. We were relaxed, which is exactly how a Buc-ee’s stop should be.
We went in, used the clean restrooms, very intentionally on my part, and grabbed some snacks and drinks for the road. Somehow, we only spent $24, which definitely is a record for our family (for the least amount spent at a Buc-ee’s).
It was a quick stop, but a good one. Then it was back to I-65, heading north.
Bowling Green, Kentucky, and a Waffle House Night
By the time we made it to Bowling Green, Kentucky, it was a little after 8:30 pm local time. We checked into a Fairfield Inn, brought our bags up to the room, and then headed back out to find food.
We had not really eaten a full meal all day, just snacks here and there while driving. Eli made the call. Waffle House.
We do not have Waffle House in Michigan, and it had been a few years since we had all been to one together. That was all the convincing we needed.
When we pulled into the parking lot, Ethan spotted something right away that stopped me in my tracks. A perfect-condition General Lee!
A 1969 Dodge Charger, painted exactly like the one from The Dukes of Hazzard, sitting up on a flatbed trailer. It looked like it had just been dropped into the Waffle House parking lot.
I was a huge fan of that show when I was a kid, and I do not think I have ever been that close to a real General Lee before. I had to get pictures.
I ended up taking a selfie with it, the car behind me, and the glowing Waffle House in the background. It turned into one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip.
After taking that in, I finally went inside and joined the family.
A Simple Meal and an Unexpected Vibe
We sat side-by-side at the counter around 9:30 pm and ordered our food. It showed up in less than ten minutes, which felt fast compared to some of the waits we had earlier in the week.
Waffle House food is exactly what you expect. Nothing fancy. Nothing over the top. But it gets the job done. And that night, it did.
The bill came out to $69 for all of us, including a generous tip, which felt like a win. But what stood out more than the food or the price was the atmosphere inside.
The staff was friendly and talkative, genuinely interested in where we were coming from. Other customers joined in as well. It turned into one of those places where conversations just happen naturally, like everyone is on the same wavelength for a little while. We left with full bellies and smiles on our faces.
Podcasts, Driving and an Unexpected Moment with Eli
I drove the entire way from Gulf Shores to Bowling Green. For most of that time, everyone else had headphones in, doing their own thing. I had podcasts playing almost the entire drive.
At some point, without me even realizing it at first, Eli had taken his headphones off and started listening along. A Dr. John Delony podcast caught his attention, and before long, he was asking questions about it.
Then it turned into Ramsey Show clips, more questions, more conversation. It was not planned. It just happened.
Those are the kinds of moments you do not forget, sitting in the driver’s seat somewhere on a long stretch of highway, having a real conversation you did not see coming.
Sunday Morning and the Final Stretch
Sunday morning, we hit the road again with just over seven hours left to go. Same setup. I was driving again, and we settled into the rhythm of the road quickly. We made a quick rest stop in the morning, then kept moving until it was time for fuel again.
I started looking for a Love’s, mostly because I knew exactly what I was getting there. Clean restrooms, a good setup, and an easy place to take a break.
When I pulled off the exit and into the parking lot, something looked familiar. It did not take long to realize this was the exact same Love’s we had stopped at on the way down. Totally unplanned. But it worked.
The Same Love’s and a Familiar Stop
It was right around noon, so we decided to fuel up and grab lunch at the Arby’s attached to the Love’s. We went inside and sat down, which was a nice break from the car. I ordered a classic – beef and cheddar, curly fries, and a jamocha shake. Exactly what I needed at that point in the trip.
Then one of those random moments happened when I went into the men’s room to drop a deuce.
I realized I was in the exact same restroom, and yes, the exact same stall, as nine days earlier on the way down. Same place. Same stop. Same scenario. I could not help but laugh. Sometimes road trips come full circle in the strangest ways.
The Final Miles and Letting Eli Drive
The rest of the drive was uneventful. Somewhere in Indiana, we made a quick stop for a bathroom break, and I grabbed a Black Rifle cold coffee with 200mg of caffeine to help push through the last stretch.
By the time we reached Michigan, you could feel that we were getting close. About an hour from home, Eli asked if he could drive. After everything up to that point, it felt right to let him take the last leg. So he did.
After nearly the entire trip home behind the wheel, I handed it over and let him bring us home.
Back Home and Back to Reality
We pulled into the driveway around 6 pm Sunday evening. Trip complete.
Susie never drove the entire trip. She did not even ride up front once, which is unusual because she had previously dealt with motion sickness in the back seat. This time, she had no issues at all. That alone was a small win.
We unpacked, settled back in, and started shifting mentally toward what was coming next… Work. School. Sports. Everything that fills up our normal days.
In less than 12 hours, we would be right back in it. But this time, we were rested.
We had a full week of memories behind us. Beach days, unexpected moments, long drives, and simple conversations that ended up meaning more than we expected.
And just like that, the trip was over.