Potato Salad and driving trees

JWatkins · 07-01-2010, 07:30 PM

The wife and I were traveling in Oregon a few months ago when we decided to stop and sample the local cuisine. We were headed toward Seattle on the 5 and were in central Oregon. It was heavily wooded on both sides of the road and we had no idea what was around the area. I chose an off ramp indicating a small town and took it.

We were on a two lane that paralleled the 5 for about 6 miles before we came to the town. As luck would have it, there wasn't any place to park our 38 foot rig, having gone through and turned around at the end of town after seeing one on the opposite side of the road. Of course, a smaller class C had beat us to it. We turned around again and decided to take pot luck in the next town some 20 miles farther along.

As we enter the "town" (about 100 yard long), we saw a cafe on the left side from us. We could find a parking area so we parked across the street and walked over. As we enter the establishment, it became obvious that we were the only ones there. Now, I don't know about you, but this always gives me pause! I noticed the waitress in the back washing dishes and smoking her cigarette, We took a table and she finally noticed we were there. She came out and asked what we wanted. We had looked over the limited menu and had decided on a burger and fries. She took our order and asked if we wanted the potato salad? I replied that we would like the fries. She said, "well, you can't have those since the fryer burned up last week and we can't afford to get another one, so potato salad is all we have. It's good. I made it myself this morning". I asked how is the potato salad and she stated "better than last time!". Alarm bells were ringing quite loudly by now...

My wife is particular about potato salad since she doesn't get along well with mustard. I asked, "how much mustard do you put in the potato salad?" She holds her hand up as if holding a squeeze bottle and exclaims loudly, while making a fart sound with her mouth and squeezing the make believe bottle, "about that much!"!!!!!

OK, folks, now I am brave when eating but my wife is pale by now. I decided to go boldly.. I ordered the salad for both of us, telling my wife that I would eat hers if she didn't like it.

Out came the best burger and absolutely the best potato salad that we have ever enjoyed in a cafe! While we were having that, the waitress was filling us in on the local color. Like the grocery store right next door with a very large tree protruding from its roof. The product of a bad windstorm about 6 months ago. As we were about to finish, we hear a weird honking sound and look out the window to see a tree driving down the road through town. The waitress said "Waive to Burt! He gets a kick out of it. We waived and I had to ask what Burt did for a living? She said "Nothing, he just drives that tree up and down the road all day!".

Folks, if you aren't RV'ing, you just don't have these types of experiences in your life.
Joe

REWahoo · 07-01-2010, 07:50 PM

<snort>

Seajay · 07-01-2010, 10:07 PM

Very good story guys. Yep, it is fun to ''taste the local'' in the small towns along your route. Willa and I became fond of Moose Burgers on a trip thru Canada one year and in Alaska we fell in love with Halibut.
We also loved the ''Buffalo Burgers'' out west and up in Alaska, I think it was in Fairbands, there is a road side vendor selling Raindeer sausage with ''jalapenos and spiced cheese mixed in for flavor. His stand is next to the stop where you get on or off the ''trolley'' that takes you on the city tour. Go ahead and order yourself an ''Alka-selser'' with your sausage cause you are gonna need it but it is worth the indigestion. Down in Mexico we ate ''Squab hen'' roasted on a stick and served the same way. That was really good but we didnt notice any pigeons flying around. (Hummmmm?).....
Tks again for the good story...
Seajay the sailor man

wa8yxm · 07-02-2010, 11:53 AM

You know... Sounds like a fun town.. Uh, you got the address for Ripley's?

TandW · 07-02-2010, 12:04 PM

"Monkey meat!! Three for one!!"

CorsairIIAT · 07-12-2010, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TandW

"Monkey meat!! Three for one!!"

Don't forget you have to have them with banana ketchup.

RedneckExpress · 08-06-2010, 03:06 PM

Where all is this? I think I missed it in my last several trips down I-5

.

JWatkins · 08-06-2010, 04:10 PM

I cannot tell you what town exactly since we were "winging" it. It was on the East side of I-5 somewhere around Mount St. Helens area.
Joe

RedneckExpress · 08-06-2010, 04:43 PM

Mt. St. Helens is in Washington, JWatkins

, not Oregon. Can ya stick a general idea of the area on a google map? It'll give me a list of cities to try and find.

JWatkins · 08-08-2010, 09:05 PM

Hey you got me there. I was "winging" since my memory isn't that good any more. Obviously I need to not do that!

I just plugged into my memory bank and she didn't remember either! Sorry.
Joe

RedneckExpress · 08-08-2010, 09:43 PM

Get on Google Maps and use the street view to re-drive the route, something should jog yer memory

. I've been hunting for Driving trees for a while now and not coming up with anything that might point me at a town!

Dragonrover · 08-24-2010, 02:59 PM

Haha!! That experience would make my day.

bdpreece · 08-24-2010, 09:37 PM

Central Oregon/I5, near mt St Helens (in Wash)??. Makes me wonder what kind of drinks they were serving. That moose milk will get you every time. After a drink or two of that you see large trees going down the main street a lot of times.