California Cracker Barrel Road Trip

Posted on September 8, 2018 by vanbraman

Today I took a road trip to Sacramento along with some friends to eat at the new Cracker Barrel. This is something I have been looking forward to for a long time.

I remember back in the 90’s when a Cracker Barrel manager in Missouri told me that they would never open any restaurants in California. He was wrong 🙂

Sacramento Cracker Barrel, Long Wait, Road TripWe arrived a little before 11:00 and got our name on the waiting list. We were told it would be an hour or more before we would be seated.

California Items, California Cracker BarrelWe decided to check out the old country store while waiting. This was a bit interesting as there were a lot of Christmas items. You would have thought that it was already November instead of just September.

They did have a nice section of California items. They also had the typical Cracker Barrel offerings that you see in all stores like toys, clothing, books and food items.

One of the things that I also noticed was that the layout of Cracker Barrel has been changed. The checkout is now against the back wall and the restaurant section is divided into two instead of three sections. The manager told me that this is the design for all new locations.

Menu, Cracker Barrel, Sacramento, California Cracker BarrelWe were finally seated after waiting for about an hour and right at Noon. I glanced through the menu, but already knew what I was going to order. I have been thinking about my order for a very long time 🙂

Cracker Barrel Lunch, Road Trip, First California Cracker Barrel mealHere we are with our plates of food all ready for our first California Cracker Barrel meal.

Chicken Fried Chicken, Cracker Barrel, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, CornI have been looking forward to my Chicken Fried Chicken. It was really good, especially with the nice biscuits.

I did have a change to talk to the manager and we discussed the visit of my distant cousins Ray and Wilma Yoder. They came to the grand opening to keep their record of eating at every Cracker Barrel intact.

Wilma’s closest relationship to my Grandpa is a 3rd cousin and Ray’s is a 4th cousin.

Cracker Barrel, Food Wall, Soda's, Moon Pies, CandyAfter our delicious meal it was time to pay and get back on the road. We had to pass by the food wall, but since I had a full stomach I was able to resist the Moon-Pies, candy and wide selection of sodas.

Now to wait for another Northern California Cracker Barrel that will hopefully be closer 🙂

Steven

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Friday Night Football

Posted on September 7, 2018 by vanbraman

While out for a walk this evening I passed by a High School Football game that was in progress. This brought back a lot of memories.

Ashland, Kansas, Football Team, Football MemoriesSome of the memories took me back to Friday nights when I would be on the sidelines of the football field. I did not play football, but was the equipment manager. I am one of the few people in the picture above who is not in uniform 🙂

Football, High School Football, Friday Night FootballOne of the best places to watch the game is from the sideline as you are close to the action. Of course I had to pay close attention as I needed to be ready when equipment was needed or a timeout was called.

Football Stadium, Texas Football, High School FootballWhile I was in college in Texas I had some friends whose son played High School football. I would go to the games to watch. It was quite the experience as the crowds were always very large.

The game that I walked by tonight did not have a large attendance. Even the little town of 1,000 people where I went to High School had more people at games than were at this one.

Football field, Missouri, HouseThe last place where I lived is circled in the picture above. On Friday nights I could have watched from my front porch. However, I would always go and sit in the stands with people I knew. I would also go to some of the road games. Even in Missouri the crowds were larger than they are here.

Football Field View, Missouri Football, Friday Night LightsThis was the view from in front of my townhouse. This is about what it looked like then. However, the satellite picture shows that they have a new track. Of course, I was always there for track meets as well as I would volunteer and help with timing or recording events.

Currently I do not have any friends who live close that have kids that play football so it has been a long time since I have been to a Friday night game.

It is nice that football season is here though as it means cooler weather 🙂

Steven

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