United snacks of America: from crunchy cookie M&Ms to churro-flavoured KitKat

Flyover states, they say, nothing to see there. Some Americans living in big cities like LA, New York and Washington, DC, believing urban life to be the gold standard, refer to dozens of states in between the coasts as places you fly over on the way to somewhere more interesting.

I couldn't disagree more. Joining a 12-day Collette coach tour of US National Parks, I journey through four states and dozens of unforgettable places. From the red rocks of Bryce Canyon to the spouting geysers of Yellowstone, I am rendered speechless by the natural beauty.

I'm on the road again, going places that I've never been, seeing things that I may never see again. Add prickly pear candy, smoked elk jerky and huckleberry soft serve to that list of things. Ah, the bounty and diversity of the American truckstop snack selection.

Each time the coach stops for fuel or so we can use the facilities, I find myself staring at row upon row of snacks that could give Willy Wonka an inferiority complex.

M&Ms come in so many varieties - caramel cold brew, crunchy cookie, campfire s'mores, honey graham crackers - they almost need their own aisle.

Who knew I'd see more flavours of KitKat at a gas station by the side of the I-15 highway in Utah than in all of Japan? Churro flavour is just the right amount of cinnamon-sweet, while the birthday cake version is true to its name.

How do you take your sunflower seeds? In Arizona and South Dakota I spy them in flavours ranging from dill pickle to bacon ranch and Kansas City barbecue.

After 12 days, umpteen stops and more than my fair share of roadside burgers, I know where I draw the line. Pickled turkey gizzards, bottled and sold in Wyoming, will not be coming home with me. gocollette.co

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