The Lady Drove a Semi and Men Often Do Lunch

“Yep,” she said, “I’ve been all over the States, Canada, and Mexico too. Drove a semi for Swift Packing.”
2016, major birthday year for AJ. Wanted a signpost, big event to check off on the bucket list. Europe becoming ever dicier, decided this was a good time as ever to do a western loop back to Maine. VW “sportwagen” AJ’d purchased a few years ago was coming home to live and we’d begin flying to Florida on a regular basis. Through the spring we looked at maps, talked with good friends, then with three time Wilbur owner with Jack and Jackie Fiora who’d done the south-west section.

Great fun! Gathering maps from AAA, AJ planning where all the gear would live in the VW (amazing how the Germans designed the absolute use of space in this vehicle), then getting advice from friends up until the day before we left. One of the best was simply to have an overall idea of where we’d be going, leave the intinerary sitting on the table. Talk and ask questions of anyone we could. Bars, lunch waitresses, gas stations, museum directors, and of course local chambers of commerce were great sources. Times we’d stayover for an extra day, place would be so neat, others we might hit the highlights two in a day and keep on moving. 7300 miles in 30 days. “Wagen” never missed a beat. Filled the tank once a day. Except for Canada, last leg...10 gallons, seldom over $25.

Most days, order of battle was to grab “coffee to go” where we’d pillowed down with a muffin or roll for surface area then have a decent lunch wherever. That’s where we met the ex-semi driver, little one street Texas town. Asked a question of the waitress, few minutes later three tables around us were firing suggestions, where to stop up the road, places to eat, less traveled roads. This a bit amusing cause Texas highways never seemed to have but few and perhaps even fewer vehicles on those long sweeps than I’d ever imagined.

AJ, armed with cell phone cum computor cum GPS, and all info known to mankind, along with Apple IPad, and Magellan GPS, did a great job of not only navigating, but finding places. Several times she’d be juggling all three when the location was dicey nor well marked. Amazingly drove by a few several times before finding a well disguised notification. “It’s got to be here”, she’d say, “Maggie says so!!” “Maggie” the Magellan also talked to us.

The general “loop” we’d settled on was to head for San Antonio, Texas, then slightly northwest towards Yellowstone National Park from there easterly through the “Badlands” and Dakotas then the Upper Peninsula “Youpper” as the Michiganders fondly refer to it, down to Niagra On The Lake one of the neater towns we’ve ever visited, and of course, “Niagra Falls”. From there we tucked into Ontario, Canada for brief visits with AJ’s relatives and her son Tom, for the most direct route through Sherbrooke, Canada and Sugarloaf, Maine.

It was an amazing trip. We Americans, I’m guessing, really have no idea of the country we live in. It’s “Huge.” The scenery is more than gorgeous. We must have taken close to a thousand pictures between us. It’s “Breathtaking.” Our fellow citizens, our brethren, are more than friendly. Times I thought we might be adopted. “Can’t you stay another day or two? Y’all really should drahve on up to....and see thayat e its mahvalus.” We were totally unprepared for the “awesomeness” of San Antonio, the Western mountain ranges, “Big” country of Texas and Wyoming with virtually no speed limits (and seemingly no Highway Patrol), where one seldom has to turn the wheel, roads are so straight. The “awesome” first time view of Niagra Falls, the power of that water. The Badlands where you wonder how many different rock formations could possibly be enclosed in such a small area. The emotion of seeing our presidents carvings on Mt. Rushmore, different food, all tumbled together into an amazing, eyeopener 30 days....Do it if you have the opportunity. If not make the opportunity.

• R E C I P E •

After being in the restaurant business a couple of times and seeking out good food, I’ve developed an affinity for sauces. Especially if they add a different dimension to the entrée to be sauced.

Red Pepper Cream Sauce
Easy and delightful with multi uses
4T unsalted butter Large red pepper, seeded and diced
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion ¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ t salt
¼ t white pepper
1 ¾ cup milk
3 t fresh lemon juice
2T chopped chives
Melt butter in sauce pan on medium heat. Add peppers and green onion and sauté for 2 mins. Add the flour and saute 3 mins on low heat. Blend in the salt and pepper. Whisk in the lemon juice then same with the milk. Cook for 1 min. Pour sauce into a blender and purée it for 2 mins or until the peppers and onions are well blended.

Fair Winds and Good Roads
– Lee Wilbur