I have a week's vacation coming to me in two weeks, so I'm going to hit the road for another one of my road trips.

The first leg of the trip will be through Maryland to Pennsylvania, via the PA Turnpike. I'll stop in the Pittsburgh area, and then again in the Canton/Akron area, to meet up with some friends. I'll hit Cost Plus while I'm there.

Then it's on to Shawn's and Jungle Jim's, then I'll head south to Middlesboro, Kentucky.

From there, either the Nashville, TN area, or Cleveland, TN, to meet with other friends.

Time permitting, I may venture into Georgia and the Carolinas, or I may just wimp out and head back through Virginia on my way back to Delaware.. where I will be sure to stop in Staunton and check for the presence of 8oz Temple Dr Pepper.

Any beverage hot spots I should be aware of? I'd like to find some Mello Yello Melon, some Ale-8-1, and anything that's out of the ordinary. From the description of Middlesboro on another thread, I think that part of the journey will be very, very interesting.

I'll be passing thru Staunton, Va tommorrow. I plan on stopping to check for DP although I believe someone posted here that they did not find any. Then I will be heading to the Charlotte area and then on down to Key West. Did this last year except for Charlotte and found some stuff but not a lot. Hoping the trip to Charlotte will find Cheerwine in glass and other glass that is supposed to be further west than the route I took last year.

[ 06-09-2003, 10:20 PM: Message edited by: dr pepperman ]

Good spots to check, if you want Mello Melon try Elizabethtown, KY. They had it in cans and bottles last time I went. They are serviced out of Huntsville, AL.

I know a place 30 min from stauton that stills sells Surge....

But I will be going on a...er...'Plane' Trip to europe. I am going to pick of every foreign beverage I see and stuff my suit case with them...

You will not find glass Cheerwine in Charlotte, you will have to go east, west or south.

Columbia South Carolina now has new RC people would have.

Pittsburgh area still has Citra as of early April in 12 packs from CCE Eastern Great Lakes, plus a ton of Dr Pepper by Coke. Otherwise, there's nothing special in Pittsburgh. Surge vanished up there, and Mello Yello is a myth. If you're referring to a Cost Plus in Pittsburgh, I can tell you there are none that direction. I am very familiar with all the Pittsburgh shopping areas, and there are no markets up there except for Giant Eagle and Shop N Save, other than some Foodlands and Kuhn's stores in older more rundown areas, filling old Thorofares and Krogers.

Staunton is an interesting place, and you will find Cheerwine there, but in 12 packs and 2L's, not glass. What's interesting there is Dr Pepper controls Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, A&W, Sunkist, and Canada Dry only. Pepsi Shenandoah Valley has Pepsi stuff, along with 7Up still, and Sun Drop and NuGrape. Central is the Coke bottler, and the RC bottler has Cheerwine. I looked for glass Dr Pepper there, and didn't see any when I looked at the Super Wal-Mart and Kroger there in town.

You might see the first signs of Mello Yello Afterglow, bring back some pictures if you can of it, I know I won't see it here, but starting in the Roanoke area pretty much the rest of the way I think you'll see it.

I'd say you might find Mello Yello Melon around the Knoxville area from CCE. I know they sell a lot of citrus, and used to heavily push Mello Yello, and then switched to Surge. I figure they probably switched back. They also have Dr Pepper, Red Flash, Schweppes to go for interesting stuff I'm certain about. I haven't been there since 1999 myself, so I figure a lot has changed.

I don't know around Staunton would have still sold Surge, unless it was very VERY outdated. Central Coke dropped Surge for Mello Yello 2 years ago or so, and dropped Citra at the fridge pack inception (only made in 12 packs here from Hamburg). Consolidated has always heavily pushed Mello Yello.

No, the Cost Plus is in North Canton.

Dr Pepperman, I found the Temple DP at the Super Wally in Staunton. From 81, take US 250 West towards the city, and the Super Wally is on the left. There is a Sheetz in front of it that sells 20oz CF Dr Pepper, which I found interesting.

My sister stopped in that area for me to get some glass DP, but she actually brought back a longneck from West Jeff, not a Temple 8ozer. Oh well.

I know where to find Cheerwine in glass in the northeastern part of Gerogia.

No Temple Dr Pepper in Staunton.

Crap, I was hoping I'd find some Temple DP.. oh well. Maybe I'll find Fridge Pack Northern Neck.. A few guys at work really want me to bring some back.

I'm off for my road trip right after work tomorrow. I'll report back in with what I find in my travels.