Wednesday, April 3…The Waitress (Jonathan Byrd)

    Don’t know if we really slept in…awake around seven-thirty, Mountain Time. But since we need Kim to drive with both eyes open, I didn’t wake him as soon as I woke up. Sometimes, if it’s sunny and he hasn’t gotten enough sleep, his eyes water, causing one of them to shut. When that happens, I usually take over driving duties until his eyes adjust. However, I’ve never pulled the camper and, if I can help it, my first time will not be under duress.  So, I let him sleep a little longer, while I enjoyed the latest pop-up fad known as hurkle-durkling…staying in bed long after I should have gotten up.  Kim’s eyes were fine, and we were on the road by eight forty-five.

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   My debate with myself this morning was whether to wear jeans or shorts. The struggle was real. Really wanted to wear shorts for comfort while in the truck but remember from years past that as we head eastward the temperature drops and the wind increases So, it was comfort vs warm legs. I chose warm legs and mentally kicked myself every time I got out of the truck because the air was so silky warm today. 

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   It needs to be noted that we saw pronghorn today. Lots of them on US 54.  Just sayin’…

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   Didn’t eat breakfast in Carrizozo because we didn’t think of it. Carrizozo was the last town of any size on US 54, the route we took to Santa Rosa, where we got on I-40. There are clusters of buildings along the way which pass for little towns but none of the buildings house a café or diner. Or at least an open café or diner.   Wonder where the locals gather to talk about whatever it is that needs talking about. Anyway, we knew that Vaughn, NM, had a gas station/convenience store at the intersection of US 54 and US 60 which might have a donut we could pretend was brunch. Vaughn looks like it could have been something back in the day, but all the motels, cafés, hardware store, etc. are closed. Looks like a ghost town. 

   However, as we neared the gas station intersection, I happened to look out my window and saw a shiny Pullman car looking building with a ‘Penny’s Diner’ sign on it and another sign saying it was open 24 hours a day.  It was snugged up on a hill by a Travelodge. Yahoo! Actual food instead of a donut!  Turned around and went back. An apt description would be a Waffle House in a shiny train car.  The décor was classic 1950 era diner, complete with ‘50’s music.  The fun thing was that the walls were covered with white board…the menu and doodlings of customers were written in erasable marker. When the walls get filled, erase them, and let the customers fill them again. The bottom section had just been erased so I asked for a marker and left my mark. Kim told me that I got the U.P. wrong, but at least I included it.  😎

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   We got to talking with our waitress about how hard it was to find a diner, which led to discussing the condition of Vaughn, all the closed store fronts, etc. She was somewhat new to the area but had been there long enough to pick up on the small-town gossip; she told us the owner of the gas station across the road purchased the businesses and closed them down, so he’d be the only game in town. If that’s true, it sure is selfish and obviously does nothing to promote long-term viability of the town. Heck, there is no town at this point. Personally, it seems more like a rumor than truth when thought out logically but as someone who’s spent the sum total of an hour in Vaughn, who am I to say? 

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   I wanted to find out how long Penny’s Diner had been there, so I searched for it online and was surprised to find out that it’s a corporate-owned restaurant chain.  In 1994, Avantic Lodging Enterprises, based in Wichita, KS, began adding ‘50’s themed diners to its hotels. The company website boasts that their 45 hotels and 28 Penny’s Diners across the United States (15 states) provide construction, transportation, and resource sector employees with dark and quiet overnight stays. Another site stated that they were built in affiliation with railroad companies so railroad crews would be able to get a good meal whenever they pulled in since the diners were open 24 hours a day. The company website doesn’t say that specifically.  However, the diner we ate at had a distinct railroad feel about it.  

    I like this little blurb from the website pennysdiner.com: As the collection (of diners) expanded, unique local names became more challenging to come up with. As a grand romantic gesture, the president of the company decided to name all new and existing restaurants after his wife, Penny. A pony-tailed waitress in a poodle skirt log was designed and a brand was born.  Don’t know what I’d think about that.

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   Got a text from Callie today asking if I’d keep them informed of our progress because the kids wanted to track our travels home on the map.  Gave them the lowdown of where we spent the night and our planned route for today.  The next text read: Got your journey on the map and they went from excitement to disappointment because y’all are still so far out.  The reality of travel.

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   Stopped in Pratt, KS, for the night. Over 500 miles on the day.  Crossed into Central Time Zone today; yesterday we jumped ahead an hour and today we did it again. That messes with mealtimes, that’s for sure.  Body clock will take a hit eventually also. Been two and then three hours behind Michigan for over 45 days. But we’re only one time zone away from real time now.