Taking A Walk

by Dwayne Phillips

It was a Friday. I had walked (and ridden the bicycle) 18 miles in the heat. It was 80 degrees at 6 AM and 95 at 3 PM when I stopped a few miles outside of Meridian, Mississippi. I had gone through the last few miles of Western Alabama and entered Mississippi. Needless to say, I was soaked with perspiration all day. I wrote in the daily blog what I drank that day – a lot!

Despite the heat, the one thing I remember about the weather was the wind in the afternoon. A cool breeze would be nice, but that wasn’t what I had. It was a hot, stiff wind that didn’t dry my soaked shirt any. It only made walking and riding a bike more difficult.

I stopped walking about 3 PM and drove into Meridian. My motel was on Route 11 at the northern edge of the city. That was a welcome relief. I just wanted to take off my wet clothes, shower, dry, cool, and raise my feet.

During the first hour or so at the motel, a weather front moved through quickly. It brought a little thunder and lightning and much hard rain.

At 5 PM, I exited my motel room to find a place to eat dinner. The weather front had dropped the temperature 20 degrees. That felt soooooo good.

My motel was near the Interstate as it passes through the edge of Meridian. Every fast food chain in America has at least one franchise on this stretch of road. Most “sit down” restaurant chains are also represented here. I chose to eat at Ryan’s.

Ryan’s is an all-you-can-eat buffet place. The have a large salad bar, fried chicken and other relatively inexpensive meats, pasta, taco bar, lots of vegetables and potatoes, and of course a desert bar. Ryan’s is the classic southern buffet. Nothing is outstanding, but you can eat all you want for as long as you want for $6 or $8. I chose Ryan’s because they have vegetables and I was feeling a little guilty for not eating many vegetables lately. Hamburgers and fries can quietly dominate your diet when on the road. Every few days you have to intentionally go to a place with something else.

I loved my dinner that evening at Ryan’s. I think they had a few extras on the buffet because it was Friday. I recall eating steak on the buffet. That had to be unusual. The rest of the dinner was the usual Ryan’s. I skipped the potatoes, ate three or four vegetables, and of course a little desert (cake and ice cream).

This dinner was special not because of the food, but because of the people and the circumstances. This day had been difficult (see the weather above). The late afternoon change of weather was refreshing and helped me to feel much better – much more like eating and enjoying what I was eating.

Ryan’s gave me the opportunity to watch people – something I enjoy and one of the main reasons I loved taking a walk. This was a Friday, and that is a day that people eat out. For many Americans, the treat of the week is to eat at a restaurant once. Friday is a good day for that once-a-week treat. I saw young people, old people, families, bikers, truckers, farmers, mixed groups, people who hopped off the interstate for a meal, locals, and everyone in between.

My waitress was wonderful – keeping me supplied with hot rolls and fresh coffee. There is something great about a waitress who tells you, “I am brewing fresh coffee so it will take a minute.” She could have served burned coffee, but she wouldn’t do that.

I sat in Ryan’s for an hour. I ate slowly, wrote in my notebooks, watched the remnant of the weather front pass, and enjoyed the rest. A great meal.