Skip to main content

Second thoughts on Buc-ee's

The Highland County Press - Staff Photo - Create Article
https://buc-ees.com/
Mugshot
Rory Ryan
By
Rory Ryan

For starters, I try to avoid crowds. I've been to more than enough NFL games, Major League Baseball games, NBA games, hockey games, sold-out college sporting events and standing-room-only concerts. Those are all in the past – where they shall remain.

Today, I prefer to watch a Bengals game or a Reds game on TV rather than drive to Cincinnati, find a parking spot and grab a warm beer for 10 bucks.

Thus, it was with apprehension last week that I succumbed to my better half's wishes and pulled into the grandiose gas station know as Buc-ee's in Athens, Alabama. There are 120 gas pumps at the Athens Buc-ee's. The majority were in use. Also, there was not a single squeegee for cleaning windshields at any of the pumps. I'm sure that must be by design, as the Buc-ee's car wash is "opening soon."

Inside the roadside conglomerate, there must have been 1,000 people – maybe more. This place was Wall Drug (in Wall, South Dakota) on steroids. I was ready to exit without an obligatory walk-through. But, alas, Buc-ee's claims to be "home of the world's cleanest bathrooms, freshest food and friendliest beaver," and I needed to make an evacuation after hours on I-65. (Hint: If you are fortunate enough to occupy a stall at a busy Buc-ee's, be sure to twist the door lock that informs the next guy in line that this unit is in use. Otherwise, you may hear some grumpy old man yell, "Shut the damned door, you dumb sonnawitch.")

Located at the intersection of I-65 and Huntsville Brownsferry Road, Buc-ee's Athens is the first Buc-ee's location in north Alabama and the third location in the state. A fourth Buc-ee's will be located in Auburn, Ala. The travel center covers 53,470 square feet.

Buc-ee's favorites include Texas barbecue, homemade fudge, kolaches (whatever they are), Beaver Nuggets, tacos, jerky, fresh pastries and various and sundry souvenirs. During our walkabout at the Athens behemoth, pulled pork and brisket sandwiches looked good and were selling fast.

Always in a hurry, I asked my better half if we needed anything. No? Good. Let's go. She did pause outside for a photo with an inanimate Buc-ee.

Why do you want to take a photo with that squirrel or groundhog? I asked.

With some indignation, the better half informed me that it was a beaver. Who knew?

Founder Arch "Beaver" Aplin opened his first store in Clute, Texas in 1982. Aplin formed the name Buc-ee's by combining his childhood nickname, the name of his Labrador retriever, Buck, as well as the appeal of Ipana toothpaste's animated mascot, Bucky the Beaver.

After filling the gas tank, I was happy to get back on I-65 south and away from the throng of beavers. Or is it a colony of beavers?

But as we drove toward the Gulf of Mexico, I had an epiphany, of sorts. Maybe I don't dislike Buc-ee's, after all. Its owners obviously are counting on sales of gasoline for a large percentage of the overall revenues. To their credit, they clearly are not AOC Green New Deal nut-jobs even though they may have an EV charging station or two. (I did not see any.)

The owner supported Greg Abbott for governor of Texas. Abbott's been doing a yeoman's service to the Lone Star State as it tries to do what the Biden administration refuses to do on the southern border.

Buc-ee's are located in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee, with new locations planned for Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

There's land available for development along the Appalachian Highway (Route 32) in Ohio. Who knows? Maybe the Buckeye State is in Buc-ee's future. Just south of Beaver in Pike County would seem appropriate. One can hope.

For more about Buc-ee's, visit https://buc-ees.com/.

Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press, Highland County's only locally owned and operated newspaper.

Add new comment

This is not for publication.
This is not for publication.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
Article comments are not posted immediately to the Web site. Each submission must be approved by the Web site editor, who may edit content for appropriateness. There may be a delay of 24-48 hours for any submission while the web site editor reviews and approves it. Note: All information on this form is required. Your telephone number and email address is for our use only, and will not be attached to your comment.