Learning as We Travel – The Idea that Lunch on the Road for Us in this Big Rig with Jeep in Tow Is Simple Has Been Forever Dispelled – Two Hours Spent Undoing Our Lunch Plan Gone Wrong –

I am absent from this photo because I snapped it myself. This is Steve and I at the end of a trip day that took two hours longer than planned. We spent the night in this New Mexico campground. It was adequate. And look at that nice picnic table! We couldn’t resist watching TV outside. I made sandwiches, sliced a tomato, and hauled out the cheese balls.

Here is what happened when we exited I-10 to have our lunch. Cracker Barrel was waiting for us, we thought, but it didn’t happen even though we gave it our best shot. All parking lots, including Cracker Barrel’s, were filled up. There were no HUGE spaces for us to get into and get out of without the necessity of backing up, which is not an option while towing a vehicle. EVER. I guess the tow bar will disintegrate or something. Who knows? We spotted a large area that wasn’t paved, but there were two big semi rigs parked in it. It even had a place to exit on the other side so we wouldn’t have to back up. Steve pulled the rig down the little road leading to this vast open area. When we got closer, we noticed that there were many potholes that were more like moon craters! We could envision the rest of the day involving a tow truck to get us out of there. There was now no way to get to that other exit? We needed to back up to get out of there!

We did not back up. Steve disconnected the Jeep from the coach, drove it to Cracker Barrel, and walked back, while I waited for him holding Chelsea, our pet Bichon Frise, on her leash. The coach was blocking the entrance to a restaurant. This was not pleasant. Small cars sneaked by us to get into the parking lot. I watched them and tried to look innocent. It could have been much worse.

Steve returned and backed the coach into the restaurant and out again, facing the road, with the aid of a sweet elderly lady who simply offered her services with a smile. She directed him from the rear with hand signals. Maybe she was an angel. I should have asked her if she had been a truck driver or an RV enthusiast, but my distress had taken over my brain. Next, Steve drove to Cracker Barrel and parked our motorhome on the street. He retrieved the Jeep, pulled it up behind the coach, and hooked it up again. Steve’s the man! He was not distressed.

It seemed that we weren’t bothering anyone parked on the side of the road, so we made ourselves lunch meat sandwiches, devoured them quickly, and shared them with Chelsea. All is well that ends well.

We intend to explore the use of truck stops for lunch today. It works for truckers. I hope it will work for us.