Ever try finishing it solo? I pushed through the last third of one by myself once, and it was still pretty satisfying to see the story wrap up.

What was the rush that caused it? Always hear about these things but never the full story.

Absolutely right, that's the kind of mistake you only make once. I had a similar thing happen years ago out west, got all the way to a trailhead only to find the whole area was closed for bear activity. Felt like such a waste of a drive. Now I'm a bit obsessive about checking those official pages, and even the recent hiker comments. A few minutes of research can save a whole day.

Honestly seems like you're letting one bad Taco Bell run the whole show. Their fish was never that good to begin with. A single stomach ache shouldn't write off every fish taco forever. Maybe just skip the highway spots and try a real place sometime.

My buddy Tom had the same thing with chicken strips. Three times ordering them, three times they came out dry as cardboard. He finally told the waiter "never again" last week.