For us, it started before we left home. The night before departure, we had to cook up a mess o' fried chicken. You had to lay each piece out on the stack of paper towels to cool. You couldn't pack them before they were cold or they'd sweat and all that lovely crispiness would be ruined. We also had to individually wrap a pile of canned sodas and stack them in the freezer.

Before going to bed that night – before the sun was even down – chicken would be packed in the Tupperware® square tub with the attachable handle that latched across the lid. The next "morning" around 3am, the sodas got packed in the ice chest. Coffee was made and poured in the Thermos® with the insulating glass bottle for dad, and everything was loaded in the car. Off we'd go by 4am.

Gotta make time!

We kids were be dosed Dramamine and all pile into the back of the station wagon. We'd be asleep in short order and stay that way for the next handful of hours. We'd be woken when the parents stopped for gas. That would mean we'd be pulling over in the next rest stop after the gas station.

THEN! Then we'd feast! LOL – No joke, though. Cold fried chicken and half-icy Mountain Dew… that's the ticket!