You’re on the 405. It’s after noon and your tank and stomach are running on empty.

You exit on Atlantic in Signal Hill, head north a couple blocks until you see the 76 station on your right.

You start filling up on gas and then you stroll a few steps south to the tiny red and white shack in the corner of the parking lot: Dave’s Burgers. But you’re not feeling a burger, so you order the grilled dog.

Tiffany will remind you that it’s served on a hamburger bun, then she splits two Farmer John beef hot dogs, grills them up on a flat-top to a tasty char, and lays them atop a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, and long, sweet strips of  grilled onions.

You grab an icy Coke from the cooler and you finish it and the dog a few minutes after your tank is filled. You’re back on the road dreaming of summer and backyard BBQs.

A perfect pit stop.