I looked to the side and noticed a casino-a Love’s sanctioned casino!-that was just beyond the glass door. As I pulled a large Styrofoam cup out for an unsweetened iced tea, I heard the sound of buzzers and bells over the canned music and uncontrollable hacking. The convenience store was generally hopping as many of these Love’s usually are a few customers coughed, wiping their noses on their sleeve as I walked past the sweaty roller-grill items and durable free toppings bar to the soda fountain. However, we got about as far as Newcastle when we decided to pull over at Exit 107 to hit the Love’s Travel Stop across from the Newcastle Casino for two fill-ups: one for the car and one for me. I grabbed my ladyfriend-or did she grab me?-and we headed down the once pastoral I-44 corridor with no particular place to go.
