Dear Reader,

For this latest installment of Animated Meat, I feel the need to provide a warning to travelers whose wanderings may take them through the heart of the Mojave Desert. This entry will not serve as a reminder to prepare for the obvious threats one may encounter in a harsh and unforgiving environment. Readers of this fair periodical are a cerebral bunch, so it’s safe to assume they have the wisdom to pack plenty of sunblock and extra water. Nor will this be an attempt to caution you about the poisonous snakes who call the burning wasteland home. You already know that critters such as the Western Diamond Rattlesnake just want to be left alone. No, this dispatch is to let you know about something entirely different that has grown out a wide open stretch between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Hugging the shoulder of Interstate 15 sits EddieWorld, an unbelievably well appointed gas station that has something for everyone. And if you’re not careful, it may become your family’s next great travel tradition, just as it is now ours.

Plenty of light and space. And candy. Plenty of that, too.

EddieWorld proudly distinguishes itself from the barren landscape it inhabits with a six-story ice cream hugging the side of Interstate 15. Who wouldn’t be tempted to satisfy a sense of curiosity by using a need to refill as an excuse? The good lord knows that I did. Billing itself as California’s largest gas station, EddieWorld offers up twenty-six fueling islands, assuring as little delay as possible to those itching to get back on the road. However, the minds behind EddieWorld do not hang their ambitions on gasoline sales alone. With a nod to the future, they also offer up eighteen electric vehicle charging stations. With the most affordable fuel on the trip to Las Vegas, they have all but guaranteed I won’t stop in Barstow anymore. But the attraction does not end there.

I make it a habit not to take pictures in a restroom. Trust me. They’re worth the stop.

Inside, EddieWorld offers up the pinnacle of what public restrooms should be and serves as an example of how a business should treat customers. Forget about the horrors you have experienced looking for relief at a ramshackle gas station. Never is there a line for one shabby toilet, nor is there ever a mess to be found. With Las Vegas as the final destination for many, there must be thousands of visitors a day looking for relief. However, these spotless restrooms belie their persistent use. Aside from being clean, an added feature I never knew that I wanted until I arrived here are the floor-to-ceiling partitions on the stalls.

Funko Pops would not have the empire they do without impulse buys.

Affordable gasoline and spotless facilities are only the beginning of EddieWorld’s attraction. The variety of dining options may well be the thing that calls to your soul. If you’re looking for something made to order, they have you covered. As one familiar with interstate highway travel would expect, burgers and chicken tenders are available. However, the menu is staggeringly expansive and offers everything from pizza and salads, to sushi rolls . If the siren’s song of Sin City is too strong for you to stay and eat, plan on finding something resembling sustenance in the rows of candy and jerky before you get back on the road.

However, what draws us here time and again is the well-stocked selection of Beanie Boos. If you’re uninitiated, Beanie Boos are wide eyed collectible plushies that are convenient souvenirs both in their size and their price. At about six dollars each, a couple of these always manage to join our caravan before we head back out on the road. Thankfully, our adventures rarely draw us north on the 15. Considering all that EddieWorld has to offer those who frequent Las Vegas or points northward, this could get to be an expensive proposition.

EddieWorld

36017 Calico Road

Yermo, California 92398

760 441-7993

Looking for some other unique roadside attractions? Next time you’re in Oregon, head to Prehistoric Gardens. In California, take a look at Bunnyhenge.

This post is based on a visit made on July 11, 2021

One more reason to stop - Laker memorabilia

I’m not entirely certain which of the nine muses is in charge of travel writing, but in my time on the gig, I have become painfully aware of her demands. For the most part, she is benevolent and offers up tiny specks of inspiration that require hours and hours of work to flesh out into something worth distributing for free on the internet. While she is generous, she is also jealous when a creator puts his attention elsewhere. Specifically, she gets particularly demanding when a day job gets in the way of creative pursuits. Burning for attention, she poisons the mind with a special kind of resentment that makes one feel trapped by the commitments that require leaving the house and working for someone else. If a correction isn’t made, it becomes an ugly, downward spiral where a writer will end up blaming everyone and everything around him for his inability to set aside time to do the work that he loves. Sometimes, seeing how someone else balances creative pursuits and a job is just the kind of inspiration an artist needs in order to course correct. If a day job is getting in the way of you and your muse’s partnership, I would suggest taking a drive out to Tio’s Tacos in Riverside, California.

It is entirely possible that Tio’s exists because of the banality of a day job. Despite what the Food Network has led us to believe, working in a professional kitchen is a rote and repetition occupation. The lunchtime crowd isn’t looking for surprises. They want the same taco, made the same way as the one they had last time. Shoving a creative type like owner Martin Sanchez behind the counter had to have given flight to this place. He opened a business in order to provide for his family. However, he also has a spirit of an artist that clearly could not be contained as evidenced by his creations that eclipse his restaurant.

Instead of decorating a landfill with the cast-offs from his kitchen, he chose to turn his taco stand into his canvas. Everything left over from the kitchen is put to good use in his art. From oyster shells and flattened out tin cans, to beer bottles and caps, he finds a way to repurpose things that most of us would throw away. He even goes as far as using empty propane bottles and flat top grills to fill out the body of one of his creatures. A walk through the courtyard is a departure the mundane world and an entrance into the mind of an artist. From the peak of the roof, down to the cement underfoot, each and every corner of Tio’s bears his mark. Tio’s Tacos is a monument to all of us create, but also have to grind it out on the clock for someone else. Sanchez provides the evidence you can take care of your commitments and still give life to a vision, as long as you’re willing to set aside the time.