A few observations from my summer road trip

 

My wife and I recently returned from a short but much-appreciated vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. I enjoy traveling by car. I do my share of the driving, but I also enjoy recording notes on the many things I see while riding in the passenger seat. It helps pass the time, and I often learn a good deal along the way.

This trip could be titled the Zombie Operations tour. I came across a few businesses I thought had closed their doors years ago, yet still survive in a few locales. A good friend calls these places and things Zombie Operations, meaning they died long ago, but refuse to fade away. So here are a few things I saw and learned on the road during the summer of 2021:

• Those of a certain age will remember the days when the Ponderosa Steakhouse was a popular chain of buffet/steakhouse restaurants. There was a Ponderosa not far from my parents house in Arlington Heights. That was back in the 1970s. I thought the chain ceased operation years ago, but was pleasantly surprised to learn there is one still serving customers in New Salem, IN, one of two still doing business in the Hoosier state. 

• I also was surprised to learn a Big Boy Restaurant operates in Frankfurt, KY. Big Boy is another once widely popular chain of restaurants (known for its hamburgers) that I thought went defunct years ago. There was once one in Palatine, IL, not far from where I grew up. I last ate there in 1979. I haven't seen an open Big Boy in decades, yet there is one cooking up the Big Boy burger. Amazing.

• And finally on this tour of products considered long dead is Hamm's Beer. I saw a new billboard promoting a Hamm's Beer, a brew widely popular in the Midwest during the late 1960s. Hamm's used a black bear as its advertising mascot and boasted of being born "in the land of sky-blue waters." Its market share and sales declined in the 1970s and continued a long slide. But the beer also is supported by a core group of consumers, and some fans even operate a page on Facebook. I was never a fan of the beer, but I'm always impressed when a product can survive dark days and establish itself with a loyal base.

• Indiana's economy seems active and doing well in certain sectors, based on what I observed. We saw construction of several commercial buildings, mostly warehouses and distribution centers. I hope that continues for the Hoosiers.

• I was impressed with the number of private colleges and public universities we encountered on our journey to the national park. I had heard of most of the schools previously, the University of Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky University, for example. But two were new to me - Transylvania University in Lexington, KY, and Maryville College in Maryville, TN. I was particularly impressed with Maryville College.

• Those who travel by car are familiar with the state-operated "rest areas" along the interstates. Illinois has the worst, in my opinion. They are out of date and poorly maintained. They are not pleasant places to visit. I try to avoid them and stop at one only when no other option is immediately available. Sadly, Indiana's rest areas are little better than what Illinois offers. I was disappointed with Indiana's efforts. For my money, Texas offers the very best public-operated rest areas. And if you're looking for a clean privately owned location for a rest while on the road, try a Love's Travel Stop. We visted a few and each was clean and well maintained.  

 --Thank you for reading. Share a comment here, or email me at kbotterman@gmail.com.