Cracker Barrel, Corbin, KY

 

Some Cracker Barrels this is what you see as you pull into the Parking Lot...the back of the store.  This store is very well kept, although I can tell it is not one of the newer Cracker Barrels.  I did a search and found out it is Cracker Barrel #8, opened in 1971, in Corbin KY.  Today we must have seen a dozen Cracker Barrels along our route.  Lebanon TN, the headquarters for Cracker Barrel, is around 100 to 150 miles from any spot we were driving along I-75 today.  This corridor is one of the first areas they focused on as they started opening new stores after the first one opened in 1969.

 

We faced a good amount of traffic today, but the traffic was much heavier headed south.  We had just a couple of minor construction areas, and for the most part the drivers all acted reasonable today.

As spring nears, some of the Redbud or Dogwood trees are starting to bloom.  Don't know which one it is, don't care to know...I just know they look nice.  Another couple of weeks and this area is going to look very pretty.

 

Tomorrow...off to another Cracker Barrel, this one will be close to Cincinnati, where my youngest lives with his family.

 

Florida to California With No Commercial RV Parks

Cracker Barrel was another good dinner Thursday night, and not very many RVs stayed the night.  Other than a couple of ambulance sirens going down the road, it was a quiet night.  Without looking back on our blog, I think this was the fifth Cracker Barrel out of seven nights being on the road.  Back home we have a Cracker Barrel down the street about 4.3 miles from the condo...but we rarely have eaten there.  We save our Cracker Barrel visits for trips.

(Click Logo for Website)

Friday mid-morning we met Laurie at a GOOD restaurant (not that Cracker Barrel is bad...just a good change of pace) called U.S. Egg.  There are five locations in the general Phoenix area, but one was damaged by a fire.  They are owned by these Armenian Brothers, and this is the second time we ate there.  The food is good, portions are large, and staff are GREAT!  After a few hours of visiting, off we went towards California.

In Quartzsite Arizona we stopped for the last of our "less expensive" gas...$3.049 at the Pilot/Flying J.  I expect to pay around $4.50 - $5.00 for gas in California.  We continued on to Chiriaco Summit (General Patton Museum area) and we dry camping at the free campground there.  By-the-way, still a good number of RVs around the Quartzsite area...perhaps 35-40% of normal Wintertime camping.

Saturday we 550 miles to my sister's house (Sandy and Arny), and we plan to leave very early to try and beat any L.A. traffic as we continue along I-10 to highway 57, to I-210 to I-5, which will take us up and into Sacramento.  We have about 200 miles from here to where we no longer have to worry about L.A. traffic...figure if we hit the road by 6:30, we should avoid most traffic problems.  I have driven in L.A. many times, and pretty much refuse to drive it during morning or evening traffic jams...jams which can last ALL DAY.  Thank goodness it is Saturday, or we would be going another way (Sunday would be fine too).

Finally, this is our first trip from Florida to California without staying at a RV Campground.  With our other RVs, I don't think it would be as easy as it is with the Camper Van.  Also, we typically drove 62 mph with the larger motorhomes because the HHR is not suppose to be towed at speeds above 65 mph for prolong periods of time.  With the Van, when it says 80 mph, we can drive 80...although high winds make me bring it down to around 70.  Today is our 8th day on the road...had we not stopped to visit anyone, we could make it from our place to my sisters in 6 to 7 days.