Tag Road Trips

I got artichoked up about it.

If you’ve ever driven along the California coast anywhere between the Bay Area and Monterey, you’ve likely seen the fruit and vegetable stands scattered along the highway. “Sweet Cherries!” “Sour Cherries!” “Avocados 5 for $1!” Signs lining the road encouraging you to stop in for some cheap produce. If you’ve never stopped in at one, (I get it, it’s not your standard Trader Joe’s) you should.

These places have some of the best (and biggest) produce I’ve ever seen. This past weekend, I found artichokes the size of my head and strawberries almost as big as my fist. The best part about these stands is they are going to have local produce.

Given that California grows “over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts“, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that these stands sell the best. I won’t forego my next Trader Joe’s run, but if I’m already driving along Highway 1, I almost always stop at a stand for a car snack or veggies to cook for dinner.

In Season Produce

Of course, the majority of what the stands will be selling will be in season. However, if you want to be extra certain or if you’re on the hunt for the best produce at your local supermarket, check out what’s in season!

In Season Early May

In California, we’re lucky to have a lot of growing time. Especially in May. Some highlights include: apricots, blueberries, cherries, and artichokes.

For the whole list and to find out what’s in season any time of the year or any location in the US, check out this seasonal food guide.

The driving force of a good car journey.

“Are we there yet?” Let’s be honest — after 5 hours in a car, is there anyone not thinking that? Whether I’m the driver or a passenger, there’s always a point when I just want to get out of the car. Add in never being able to fall asleep in a car, and I’m always thinking of new ways to make car trips more productive, entertaining, or just bearable. During my recent road trip, these were the main reasons I didn’t drive myself (completely) insane. Pun intended.

Podcasts

My favorite podcast to listen to in the car has most recently been the BBC 2 Confessions podcast. Listeners write in their confessions and the hosts read them out then decide whether to “forgive” or not. One of my favorite confessions is a woman’s story from when she was a kid: she and her sister burn everything in her mother’s closet except a ball gown to keep a bonfire going for as long as possible.

The podcast ended in December, but there are tons of past available episodes to play. I have also heard that the show will be starting up again on Scala radio and they say they’ll be starting up a podcast soon. Right now, they are only on Youtube.

If confessions aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other options for podcasts or audio books. Whether you want to learn something new, have a good laugh, catch up on current events, or get into politics there’s probably at least a dozen different podcasts to choose from. Here are a few ideas from Afar Magazine to get you started.

Music

Okay, this is a given. It’s the classic road tripping tool. Blast your favorite genre and sing along. If you use Spotify, they have some excellent already built playlists. This one was my favorite for this past road trip.

Games

If you’re driving with people, playing games is a great option. I’ve grown especially attached to a game based on license plates. Take the letters from a license plate and try to think of a phrase with those letters as the first of each word. For example, the letters STW might turn into “Snakes Take Weapons” or “Speak Truthful Wisdom”. Try to think of the wackiest phrase and everyone in the car will end up laughing.

If that game isn’t your cup of tea, you can look here for a few other game options.

Have any other ideas? Share your road trip tricks in the comments!