this is for the old timer's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, that's what it was....old exit 10 for the Santa Rosa Truckstop. I don't remember the one at exit 14 but a mile north on US 331 now will put you at the Walmart. I'm not saying the truckstop didn't exist, I'm only saying I don't remember it. Heck, when I got that close, I had one thing on my mind and that was making it to Bonifay so I could go home.

Finally, I do remember the bar that was within walking distance of Cigar City. I never visited it, but it seems like you would pass it before you got to the truckstop.

Speaking of Tampa, early on in my driving career, I always heard about the bikini-clad hotdog vendors in Tampa. I never saw one as my adventures in Tampa didn't take me too far from the truckstop (Montgomery Wards DC and a few other places just off of US 301 and FL 60). Did you ever see the hotdog girls?

 

To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a "Rolling Thunder" truckstop in Bonifay, although that name does sound vaguely familiar. I grew up in the sprawling metropolis of Bonifay, left for about 3 years to go to college, then it was back to the old home place until I left for good 15 years ago. I'm gonna have to ask my dad about that name. Maybe he can remember it and where it was.


edited to add the following:

A quick google search turned up the Rolling Thunder in Milton. That's where I remember the name from. Milton is at exit 31, old exit 10 where the Santa Rosa Truckstop and Ray's CB Shop were. The Rolling Thunder was at that same exit, I believe it may have been the name of the Santa Rosa at the end of its existence.

 

I asked my dad about any older truckstops in Bonifay,FL. He talked about the ones I mentioned (the "old" Rich's, the "new" Rich's, and Simbo's) but he also mentioned the old Spur Truckstop on US 90 going towards Chipley, directly across from the Farmer's Market/County Fairgrounds. I didn't know that place was ever a truckstop. My earliest memories of that location was it being a Bridgestone/Firestone Tire Store.

I told him why I asked about it. I said there were some driver's reminiscing about old truckstops and he said, "man I would love to get on there and talk about all of the old truckstops I know about". He will be 70 this year and has been at the wheel for almost 50 years, so yep, I'm sure he could tell some tales.

He wanted me to throw this one out to see if anyone remembers it:

On the outskirts of Bristol, FL, on FL Hwy 20, there was one called "The D*mn Yankee Truckstop". He and my grandfather worked for the same LTL company running the Florida Panhandle and inevitably, they would meet at that truckstop, one going East, the other already on his way back West. He said those old Macks with the duplex, triplex, and quadraplex transmissions would be flying, doing all of 55 MPH, when they crossed the Apalachicola River bridge.

That's something I had never thought about until just now. My grandfather and my dad worked for the same company (Ryder Truck Lines/P.I.E.) all of those years ago and my dad and I have been working for the same company for the past 8 years, not the long-sense-forgotten Ryder/PIE, but a completely different company. Interesting tidbit nonetheless.