Close Encounter (Kenly Kind)

Here’s the most interesting thing I saw on my recent drive from New York to Florida. It’s a wall of rear truck lights tucked into the back of a highway rest stop in Kenly, North Carolina. This wasn’t immediately discernible upon entering said rest stop—I was convinced all this glowing red stuff meant a little chicken broasting was going on back there. Hey, this place had showers and a gym, so why not a chicken broaster?

As I walked to the spot where I snapped this photo I most definitely felt like Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters, finally understanding what had been so confusing to me for what felt like a super long time (“Of course! If you’re a trucker and your rear lights go out!”). I’m sure I looked like every other automotively-challenged New Yorker who passes through. I hope no one saw me limp back to the Prius I was driving. I also spent way too much time gawking at a t-shirt that had a huge rendering of a ferret’s face on the front. The ferret was smiling. It was creepy.

Second most interesting thing spotted on my trip: the tight-ass “Simpsons” shirt seen below, just four fitty at a Georgia gas station near Savannah. I bought that shit faster than you can say “Brad Goodman.”