this is for the old timer's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes sir, that it ..that was a great truck stop

 

I was there the day that they closed the restaurant. In fact, I was one of a few people who had the last meal served. It was breakfast. They locked the doors right after I left. The fuel had been closed for a while. I hated to see them close. It was a very unique building. You are right. The food was good and very reasonable.

 

And their was another truck stop/motel in vidor,LA right on the Texas state line if you bought a 100 gal of fuel you got a free t-bone steak diner..and it was a pretty good steak as i recall..

 

The White Elephant and the Trolly were Texas icons
for decades.The SmokeStack is still open but has suffered
old time quality issues

 

Anyone know if the Talent Truck stop on I5 in Oregon is still open? It was across the street from the Walmart and the Senior Retirement Center. Had the best food and a very large gravel parking lot. Always stopped there after entering Oregon

 

I'll go WAY back. How about the Midway Sub in Albert Lea, Mn. on US 16 back in the early 50's ? Two diesel pumps ($.18 per gal.), great 24/7 restaurant, tire repair, full service.

 

And how about he "66" at Eagleville, Mo. on I-35 just so. of Ia/Mo state line where all the freight haulers stopped during the night in the 60's and 70's and gathered at the "round table" for BS sessions and great meals & coffee. Those were the days when drivers actually stopped for hot meals and comraderie. It may sound corny now, but in those days we were refered to as "knights of the road", because of the common courtesy shown to all. Not so any more !!

 

Then there was the Boondocks on the jct. of "old US20" and I-35 at Williams, Ia. at the so. end of the detour via US 69 before I-35 was complete. Clear Lake, Ia. was at the no. end with the "Hog Pen" truck stop there. Then there was the "Big Chief" Skelly truck stop at Black River Falls, Wis. and Jermoo's at Mauston, Wis. and Sparky's at Eau Claire, Wis. and of course the old Stockyards at So. St. Paul, Mn (many hangovers created there with the bars within walking distance). A couple of the best places I can remember were the Dickey's Prairie Home restaurants/truck stops (one in Packwood, Ia. and the other on I-80 east of Des Moines near Tama, I think)

 

Oh boy...where do I begin. Spent the first 10 years driving the Rust Belt, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania, lots of great truck stops have gone by the way. Anyone remember the Hi-De-Ho on us 30 in Indiana? I saw last year that the Buckeye Lake truck stop was shut down. I used to love stopping by the Stoney Ridge Inn, north or south for the night. Is Truck City in Dearborn, MI still open? not a great place but the Wyoming lunch across the street had really good food.

I guess all the old truck stops will go by the wayside because no one fuels at them anymore. Selling food just doesn't do enough to keep these classic places open. I can't stand Pilot, I used to like the Williams truck stop chain pretty well before Pilot bought them out. Pilot ruins everything they buy.....Flying J will never be the same, mark my words on that!

 

Pilot has a new program where they will give $10.00/month to drivers loyalty cards if you buy at least 500 gallons of fuel at Pilot or Flying J. Perhaps business is off. Pilot doesn't give away much. For them to offer to give anything shows me that their business may be off.