Cracker Barrel, a Place to Eat, Shop, Relax, and Sleep

A reminder of the simple comforts of life

Brenda Mahler
Age of Empathy
Published in
4 min readOct 26, 2023

--

Image shared by author.

Fifty-six days on the road, yes 56! Each day planned out and a reservation waiting. Then we threw caution to the wind and drove thinking so far we have had no problem getting a site so let’s just wing it and see where we end up. Everyone loves an adventure, right?

Our back story holds little surprise. We had visited many attractions and the cooling temperatures were signaling that it was time to head home. Two weeks of travel were still required but our plan was to bite of a larger chunk in one day and then take a break to play some golf before hitting the road again. After hours of driving, I suggested we explore our options. Randy’s back bothers him if he sits in the driver’s seat too long and we were approaching too long.

There are definite signs that alert us to the need to find a place to spend the night. Randy begins to shift in his seat searching for comfort. My voice hits high notes making me sound like a broken violin whining for repair. The dogs pace in the small space available. We begin to snack and every restaurant sign seems to be waving us in.

Parked on the side of the road, I explored the map and apps that always revealed a comfortable place to spend the night. Every possible spot was full…

--

--

Brenda Mahler
Age of Empathy

Real life person sharing real life stories. Writing about travel, dogs, and healthy lifestyles.