Linda wrote a fun piece on “The Big Texan”, a steak house in Amarillo, TX, that welcomes truckers. At about the same time, I read a not so fun story about the Wal Mart store in Beaver Dam, WI that stopped allowing truck parking. The parking there was a good thing that had gotten too popular. At one
point the manager counted 27 trucks in the lot. Like many retail facilities this was not designed for trucks, let alone 27 of them. The trucks were damaging the lot. Eventually, they just had to ban truck parking. Sad, but I can't blame them.
That left no overnight parking along US 151 between Fond Du Lac and Columbus. Fond Du Lac
features the “Stretch” truck stop. It has been there so long that I don't remember it not being there. Kwik Trip and Loves have opened travel centers on I 41 near US 151. That has helped the parking situation on I 41. As a bonus they are both near the Wild Goose Trail. The Columbus West Travel Center in Columbus, WI is a good little place with a “C” store an Arby's and plenty of truck parking. The problem it is 45 miles between truck stops.
I regularly travel from Green Bay through Rockford, IL. I take I 41 to WI 26 to US 151. At the I41 – WI 26 interchange there is the Planeview Travel Center with plenty of truck parking. WI 26 takes you through Rosendale -remember don't speed near Rosendale. It is legendary for writing tickets. At the south end of Rosendale there is a nice little restaurant called Tabbert's. The restaurant has a large gravel lot where trucks are welcome. There have been many nights that I have slept in their lot and enjoyed breakfast there the next
morning. Rosendale has sidewalks. It is safe for truckers to take a nice walk there.
Taking the entire length of the IN tollway will cost you $41.00 if you pay in cash. Using your toll pass cuts the cost to $40.98. Maybe it is just my 2 cents worth, but I would rather take US 20 and eat at a nice Amish place. The 5 & 20 diner in Shipshewana has plenty of truck parking. The food is great and reasonably priced. About 5 miles east of IN 5 you will find the Sunrise Cafe, with parking for about half a dozen trucks. This is where I
discovered apple butter and perhaps the best bacon that I have ever tasted. I remember thinking that if was the best and freshest bacon that I had ever tasted, then I looked across the street and I could see bacon walking.
Finding a place to park a truck overnight can be a challenge. Henry has shared the old Jennie's Diner on US 30 near Lancaster PA. These places are treasures. Let's try keeping them in business. We can do that by patronizing them. We have shared a few of ours. Share a few that we missed.