The 8:00 Rule. Why One of Our Favorite Vacation Memories is From Cracker Barrel

            We once thought we could make it from Redding, CA to San Diego, CA by dinner time.  We were wrong, very wrong!  When we arrived at our RV site in San Diego, there were fireworks going off from Sea World, which meant it was 9:00 p.m.  We had not eaten dinner.  We had not set up the trailer.  We were tired. We were grumpy and very road weary. 

Setting up the trailer that night wasn’t our best family togetherness moment.  We were snapping at each other.  I was trying to hurry the process verbally, which is the opposite of helpful.  Then, we had to make dinner.  By the time dinner hit the table, it was pushing 10:00 p.m.  And that’s when we made up the 8:00 rule.  The rule states that if we can’t be set up with dinner on the table by 8:00 p.m., we must stop for dinner.  Anyone in the family is allowed to invoke this rule.

            It was years later and we were on a fabulous road trip.  We were doing a loop that included Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce National Parks.  It also included Durango, CO and a ride on the Silverton Train.  We had car trouble before we got anywhere.  The fuel pump on our Suburban was on it’s way out.  We had to keep pulling over and let it rest.  It was super fun the time it made us rest on the way to a lunch stop (not!).  We could see McDonalds, but couldn’t get there!   This was getting annoying!  My husband made some calls and found a Chevy dealer in Kingman, AZ that could get the part and get us fixed up.  GREAT!  We were stuck in Kingman, AZ without a car for a couple of days, but we survived.  As it turns out, lots of Chevys have their fuel pumps go out on that stretch of road and the dealership regularly takes families and tows their trailers to the KOA in Kingman.  Which, brings us to another rule:  Always rent a car if your car is going to be in the shop for more than 24 hours.  We could’ve seen some cool ghost towns and had some fun.  Instead, we watched movies on a tiny TV really loud so we could run the air conditioner.  It wasn’t really fun.

            The part took longer to get to the dealership than expected.  They fixed it as fast as they could to get us on the road, but it was later than we should have been leaving.  Of course, our goal was to make it in time to be set up and make dinner.  We were driving through all of the beautiful canyons looking at the red rocks.  Or, I should say, my husband and I were looking at the beautiful red rocks.  The kids had seen enough rocks out the car window and were staring at the clock on the dash of the car with updates as to what time it was ever ten minutes or so.  And, you guessed it!  They invoked the 8:00 rule.  They were delighted!  Not only did they get to “boss” the parents, but they got a break from Mom’s cooking.

            We found a Cracker Barrel in George, UT not all that far from the RV park we were aiming for.  When we drove up, the grown-ups were really happy to find RV parking.  When we got inside, there was no waiting (a bonus when it’s 8:00 p.m.) and our kids got their first look ever at a Cracker Barrel menu.  They weren’t really used to that many choices – especially where starch is concerned.  They were thrilled!  They also loved the table games.  I can’t say Cracker Barrel is my favorite restaurant, but we really had a great time there that night.  

            We arrived at the RV Park much later than expected and someone on the staff had to wait for us to arrive.  We felt bad about that, but he was nice about it.  He helped us find our spot and our set up in the dark using our quiet voices went really well.  There was no grumping at each other.  Once we got the trailer set up and got inside, we were relaxed, satisfied and ready for bed.  It got our next leg of the trip off to a great start.

            We still invoke the 8:00 rule on each other – even at home.   It has turned out to be one of our family’s favorite rules.  

            I tell you this story not because we are some perfect family that can write a book about how to be a family.  We really can’t!  This just happens to be one successful thing that we came up with as a family.   I hope it’s gotten you thinking about what might help your family.  What kind of power can you give your family members to help keep the peace and make your trips more enjoyable? 

Next Trailer Girl Blog Post: Backing the Trailer at The Canadian Border Our “Doomed” Canadian Adventure