South Whitley

The first week of fall. It's still hot — hotter than it's been all summer, actually — but the colder days won't stay away for long, and there are some things you just can't do in winter. So, Deborah and I rode down to one of our favorite getaway diners while we still could, this time to Carol's Corner down in South Whitley. We had to get this one in now, since next week it closes until Spring.

Carol's Corner is at the stoplight in South Whitley. This isn't an ambiguous direction — here's only one stoplight there. And once you get there, it's pretty obvious where you'd go to get a burger or a shake.

The fare is largely either fried or frozen, and reasonably good, but the attraction for us is that it's fun — fun to get there (Rt. 5 has nice twisty bits); fun to look at the license plates and other memorabilia tacked up...

It wasn't until I looked at this picture later that I realized that all the people inside the shack were looking out at me. I guess only the girls get to go outside!

Bed racing? Our waitress says it's an annual event. I must investigate...

...fun to check out the fake foot on the Burger Bug; it's fun to figure out how fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, and breaded mac & cheese belong in the "veggie basket." It's a date. What can I say?

South Whitley itself was decked out in the clothes of archetypal small town America, with classic cars parked along the street, and flags every few yard, flapping in the golden hour light of late evening.

Farewell until Spring, then, South Whitley.

Or, at least, until whenever that bed race is...