McDonalds Madness

This part of our drive to and from Dallas deserves it's own entry.

The plan for meals, both there and back, was this: donuts in the car while driving, a quick stop for sandwiches for lunch, then a longer stop at McDonalds for dinner. We started our trip at 4 am and wouldn't get to our destination till 11 pm. After all that driving, we figured the kids would need a good, long break to stretch their legs and get some exercise.

So all day, the kids were looking forward to their McDonalds stop. For about 100-200 miles, we had been seeing the town of Abilene, TX on the highway signs, listing how many miles to that town. We figured it'd be a big town, and seeing that we'd get there about 7 pm AZ time, it'd be the perfect place to stop for dinner. (The longer days of summer tend to push our dinners later.)

About 5 miles before hitting Abilene proper, we see along the highway a big, shiny McDonalds with a play area outside. "McDonalds! McDonalds!" the kids all shout.

"Once we're in Abilene," we say. "Almost there."

A few minutes later, we enter Abilene. We start watching for a McDonalds.

And watching.

The town (which wasn't that big, it turns out) quickly slips by. Soon it becomes apparent we're starting to leave town, and we haven't seen any McDonalds. Brian and I look at each other with a look that says Uh-oh.

We pull over at a gas station to find out where the nearest McDonald's is. "Fifteen minutes back that a'way," the lady says, pointing toward the direction we'd just come (and presumably the McDonald's we had passed), "or forty-five minutes that a'way," now pointing in the direction we're heading.

By now it's 7:15 AZ time, so the kids are ready to eat. But no way are we doubling back. We decide they can wait a few minutes more. We go on.

Ten minutes later we realize we're really on Texas time now, which makes it well after 9 pm. Now we're worried the play area will close before we get there. Brian pulls up the phone number on his GPS and calls to see when the play area closes.

They don't have a play area, the manager says. It's a franchise and he took it out for liability reasons.

Say WHAT???

We ask the guy if there's another McDonalds with a play area nearby, and he says no. A check on the GPS and a few phone calls confirms this. Oh man.

The kids were so disappointed. But they handled it well, and when we got to this McDonalds we let them run around in the outdoor dining area (home of the former play area) all they wanted.

That was the drive there.

This is the drive back:

Same plan for food, only this time, we made SURE there was going to be a McDonald's wherever we'd be around dinner time. We find one on the GPS, and I think it was only 6 o'clock or so when we'd make town (Thatcher, I believe).

We pull up and this is what we see:

Oh glory be!! A play area! "Yay! Yay! Yay!" The kids all shout. I think I may have been shouting too. We go inside. Brian heads to the counter to order and the kids and I head to the door leading to the play area, where we see this:

"You've got to be kidding!" I say right outloud. A couple people looked at me like I'm some sort of impatient you-know-what, but I didn't care. These poor kids!

Well, we got their food, except for Ben who was still feeling sick. We learned there was another McDonalds in Globe so we decided to let the kids eat in the car and then we'd stop at the McDonald's there for them to play. We also told Ben we'd get him a Happy Meal there, even if he didn't feel like eating it, so he could at least have it the next day (McDonalds is such a rare treat for us, and we felt bad he was missing it).

We get to Globe. The play area is there and it's open and so the kids finally get to play. Seeing we were so close to home, I could only handle a short 30 minute stop. I was really ready to just be home. But we let the kids play. Ben laid down on the hard, marble bench and put his head in my lap and barely moved a muscle the entire time.

Right before we left, Brian asked Ben which of the Speedracer happy meal toys he already had. Brian said he'd try to get him a different kind if they were available.

As it turns out, they did not have a different kind. In fact, they didn't even have the boy kind. They were all out until their truck got in the next morning. Can you believe that? So Ben walked out of there with a pink, girl toy and the promise that we'd trade it in for a different one at a McDonalds the next day.

I tell you, it was madness. Pure madness.