Stop for nostalgia and beef along Freeway 5

Zipping along the monotonous drive between Los Angeles and the Bay Area on Interstate 5 are two places to make a stop, one loaded with nostalgic lunchboxes and one with mouthwatering-quality beef helping to ease this notorious long drive.

Old Childhood Lunchboxes

When it was time to stretch my legs, I spotted the Apricot Tree Restaurant, in the Central Valley. I expected to find apricot pie but instead found a treasure trove of old and classic lunchboxes.

Disney, westerns, lots of movies, sports and popular characters on metal lunchboxes are displayed in categories throughout the dining room. The oldest lunch box is a Hopalong Cassidy and the most current is Rambo. If you had a favorite lunch box from your youth, it might be in this very large vintage collection.

A classic lunch box brings back sentimental memories more than a zippered container with compartments for prepackaged foods and no latches to open. The sound of the latches snapped open on a square box with action figure heroes and princesses was our comfort during a long school day. I walked slowly through the restaurant looking at hundreds of retro boxes and Thermoses that told stories of a bygone era from 1950-1983. It wasn’t hard to imagine sitting with classmates in the schoolyard and admiring each other’s lunch box.

I bought a piece of the homemade apricot pie, which was chock full of big apricot halves, and talked with the owner, Carlos Delgado. He told me his lunchbox collection is one of the largest in the country and people come from all over to experience a taste of yesteryear.

Other Lunchbox Collections

I had recently visited the retro lunchboxes exhibit at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum with Gunsmoke, the Jetsons, Kung Fu, Sleeping Beauty and many more characters on the shelves outside the museum’s cafeteria. However, the lunchbox hall of fame is found on the lonely stretch of Panoche Road right off Interstate 5 in Firebaugh.

Beef at Harris Ranch

Continuing 45 miles south on I-5 is Harris Ranch Inn, and it will be evident when you are close from the distinct smell of cattle feed yards drifting in the air. Thousands of prime cattle graze near the Coalinga home of Harris Ranch where travelers can enjoy a beefy meal, a meat counter and nice gift shop. It’s a straight shot from the turnoff of Highway 198 and I-5 to the hacienda-style facility.

After enjoying a tender steak dinner, the Olympic-style pool helped me burn off those delicious calories and the country-style hotel room was a perfect ending to a long day on the road. I couldn’t head for home without perusing the butcher shop and loading up on steaks, all vacuum sealed with ice packs for the long drive.

These side excursions on the long road of freeway 5 add a new experience to asphalt and billboards.

Please note- The Apricot Tree is permanently closed.  This article was revised from the original article.