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Adventure in the Daddy Zone – The drive back to California via Route 66 adjacent

by Mark Eades

For the trip home, we had three and a half days to get from Indiana to Southern California. There was not other way to do it: Get to St. Louis then hook up with the interstate highways that basically follow the path of Route 66, and go the maximum speed limit.

We always stayed in motels (I highly recommend the Holiday Inn Express!) that have a breakfast buffet so you can grab and go in the morning. We did that at all the inns we stayed at during the entire trip.

We left Indiana late Sunday afternoon, and got west of St. Louis and it was time to pull off the road to our first night at, yes, a Holiday Inn Express to bed down.

But, we found plenty of fast food places along the way including McDonald’s. Laugh all you want, but the Big Mac, fries and a Coca Cola were a staple on our drive many times. At this one, in southwest Missouri, they had a very unique mailbox out front. McMail anyone?

You’ve got McMail.

From Missouri, unless you want to take a long time, you pretty much have to take two of Oklahoma’s turnpikes: The Will Rogers Turnpike then the Turner Turnpike. Between the two of them the cost was a total of nearly $10.

This is a restaurant that crosses over the Will Rogers Turnpike. Don’t worry, you can get to it from the turnpike without having to pay an additional toll. We didn’t stop. We could go 75mph legally on the turnpike and I didn’t want to take my foot off the gas.

On the Will Rogers Turnpike.

From Oklahoma we kept motoring as I had one thing on my mind: A steak dinner at The Big Texan in Amarillo.

Steak!

This is the fourth time I’ve stopped and had a meal there – always dinner, never breakfast. I know how to time my cross-country drives!

I’ll take mine medium please.

As you might know, The Big Texan has been around for a long time. Part tourist trap, yet part restaurant. The place is a hoot.

Decor in the Big Texan is, well, touristy.

If you look around the walls in the restaurant you definitely know you’re in Texas, and not Kansas anymore.

Kind of reminds me of the Country Bear Jamboree at Disney.

This place is about one thing, beef.

Some longhorn long horns.

But The Big Texan is famous for something else, the possibility of getting a big meal for free!

Yep, 4.5 pounds of meat. It could cost you nothing if….

A free 72 ounce steak cooked to perfection? Wow, there’s got to be a catch.

He wishes he was young enough to try eating it.

Take a look at the size of that piece of beef.

Big beef, 72 ounces. It’s almost 2 inches thick.

The rules are that once you start eating it, with all the sides that come with it, you have 60 minutes and have to eat everything all gone – or it’s gonna cost you. More than $100!

And if you try, they put you on a raised platform where everyone in the restaurant can watch you eat.

Eating on stage. Check out the 60-minute timers.

You’ll want plenty of liquid to wash it down with.

Big beer at the Big Texan.

And if you finish, they weigh you and put your name and weight on the list of those who did it. Yes, your name, city and age too.

Big eaters get their name on the wall.

Dad can’t really eat steak any more, so he had some soup and some macaroni and cheese. I had a Rib-eye with a baked sweet potato and macaroni and cheese, along with some rolls. I washed it down with a glass of red wine.

In the evenings, there are people playing music roaming the restaurant floor. They’ll play a tune for you for tips.

Country and Western all the way inside The Big Texan.

Because of the season, they had definitely decked the halls with decorations.

Merry Christmas at The Big Texan.

Oh and if you’re staying in town at one of the motels, they’ll even come and get you and return you to the motel in one of these.

Okay, we got back on the road the next morning, and got to Flagstaff where we spent the night, then it was time for the final push to California and home. Interstate 40 in California is a very boring, long drive as the speed limit is more like 65mph or 70mph.

But when we got to Barstow, we need to stop and eat, and you know what that’s all about…In-N-Out.

You know you’re back in California when you find one of these near the interstate. Or can I call them freeways again?

Then it was time to get home, and we did in short order arriving at my sister’s house in Santa Ana where Dad resides at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon the day before Thanksgiving.

Home again, safe and sound.

We set out on this trip on October 29th, and got home on November 21st. The odometer on my car at the start read: 52,532. At the end it read: 59,696. That means the car traveled a total of 7,164 miles during that time.

Now that includes me driving from Madison, Indiana to Orlando, Florida and back so I could go to IAAPA, the theme park convention, and that was 1,904 of those miles – and without Dad. That was a five-day detour on my part.

But still, a lot of travel and a lot of things and a lot of fun time together.

Counting the states I went through to get to the convention, here are all the states traveled: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. Who wouldn’t want to go on a long, easy going (for the most part) trip with their parent or parents? You find out all kinds of stuff you might not have known about them when it’s just you and them in the car.

For now, it’s onto the next Adventure in the Daddy Zone!

Below here are links to all the previous posts about this adventure, in reverse order.

Click here to read about Columbus, Indiana.

A tour of Madison, Indiana – Dad’s hometown.

The Indiana Eades Thanksgiving Feast.

Arriving at Madison after I went to Orlando.

Attending my niece’s wedding in St. Louis with my Dad.

Spending some time in St. Louis with my Dad, including a visit to a bridge bearing a similar name to his.

Day 11, all about trains in St. Louis.

Day 10, from Kansas City to Marceline to Hannibal Missouri.

Day 9, we visit a cousin in Kansas City, and see Harry Truman’s place.

Day 8, from Dodge City to Eisenhower’s home to a Kansas City cousin and great barbecue.

Day 7, from Las Vegas, New Mexico to Dodge City.

Part 2 of Day 6, from Chama, New Mexico to the Rio Grande gorge.

Part 1 of Day 6, from Utah to the Continental Divide.

Day 5, driving through eastern Utah.

Day 4, and evening at Evermore Park in Utah.

Day 3, going from Las Vegas to Utah.

Day 2, Las Vegas with a side trip to Hoover Dam.

Day 1, The adventure starts with a visit to Eddie World and getting to Las Vegas.

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agingDaddy Zonefatherhoodhomeparentingparents

Adventure in the Daddy Zone – The Eades Thanksgiving Feast

by Mark Eades

Well I went down to Orlando and then back to Madison, Indiana so that I could be a part of the annual Eades Thanksgiving Feast that takes place every year in the old Eades Antique Shop building.

The Eades Antique Shop building, site of the annual Eades Thanksgiving Feast.

My cousin Carla and her husband Joe own the building and host the feast every year.

Part of the spread for the annual Eades Thanksgiving Feast in Madison, Indiana.

It usually takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but because I, my Dad and my sister Cindy were in town, they decided to hold it the Saturday before Thanksgiving – giving us a chance to see and chat with the larger Eades family in one place on one day.

Part of the crowd of 51 people chowing down at the Eades Thanksgiving Feast.

On the menu was turkey, ham, pulled pork, mashed potatoes, gravy, several different yam dishes, salads, green beans, corn, fruit salads, iced tea and other non-alcoholic beverages and more.

Joe Krebs, one of our hosts, gets his plate ready to chow down at the Eades Thanksgiving Feast.

I won’t remember all the names, but they were all related somehow.

The crowd at the Eades Thanksgiving Feast.

Let me in Dad!

I’m admitted to the Eades Thanksgiving Feast.

My Uncle Phil’s kids, along with his wife Judy (behind him. The kids are (l-r) Janeen, Beth, Scott and Carla.

My sister Cindy with my Dad, Aunt and Uncles.

That’s me with my Aunt and Uncles and my Dad.

My Dad’s other brother, Uncle Keith!

My second cousin Marvin Eades, also one with a camera!

My Dad and his sister, my Aunt Jackie!

Some folks raided the dessert table.

The guy with the bib is my Uncle Phil, one of my Dad’s brothers.

My sister Cindy visiting some relatives at one of the tables.

The norm is to take all the food you want, but always clean your plate – especially if your an Eades.

My distant cousin Mark Taylor having some fun.

My Dad visiting with some relatives.

So great to be back in the old Eades Antique Shop. The floors still creak just like they used to do.

That’s my cousin Carla on the left, next to her is her sister and another cousin Janeen. And many more.

More of the Eades clan.

Dad decides to get hip with his hat.

More of the Eades relatives.

The three Marks at the Eades Thanksgiving Feast.

Aunt Jackie looking sweet.

Aunt Jackie mugging for the camera.

There were games too. Yes, that’s an old working pinball machine. I played it a bit too.

Me and Mark Taylor. By the way, it turns out we both have the same middle name.

Cindy having a laugh with some other members of the Eades family.

Visiting with a relative.

Cindy and I, that’s Judy, Phil’s wife Cindy is hugging. Seated are (l-r) Phil, Keith, Jim and Jackie Eades. All siblings.

Uncle Keith has a laugh at the expense of my Dad and his new “look.”

Two of my nieces Danielle (left) and Candice the newlywed with the Eades’ siblings.

Finally, a photo of all who were there – I think. Taken on the stairs of the old Eades Antique Shop. There really were 51 people there, but not sure if all are in this photo.

The big crowd at the Eades Thanksgiving Feast.

Many thanks to Marvin C. Eades, who supplied some of these photos, and Linda Daubenspeck who also supplied a few – along with the ones I took.

It was a wonderful occasion and great to see them all there.

Here is a link to the previous post about getting to Madison.

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agingDaddy Zonefatherhoodhomeparentingparents

An Adventure in the Daddy Zone – Return to Madison

by Mark Eades

Well we made it to Madison, Indiana. Birthplace of yours truly, and of my father. This was our stopping point for this part of the trip. I was going to drop dad off to visit with his siblings while I went on to the IAAPA convention (theme parks) in Orlando. But I would be back by the end of the week.

Now when you get to Madison, before going anywhere else, you must stop at the most important place there to eat: Hinkle’s. The place was established the year Dad was born. Great sliders, shakes and much more. There is a sit-down service side to the diner – but those in the know, or who have been around awhile, know to sit on the side with the counter service.

Hinkle’s – a place to eat great sliders, hash browns, milk shakes and more. It’s a diner.

Next stop, the old homestead – or house, or at one time a saloon and a grocery store.

The old Eades house in Madison.

This is the house I remember where my grandfather and grandmother lived. My Dad and his siblings grew up in this place. It was, at various times, a saloon and grocery store and has been around since at least the mid-1800s as far as we know. The white portion was “the porch” but also served as a family room. The bedrooms were upstairs. The bottom portion of the blue section was where my grandpa originally sold antiques, but I remember it as an area he stored a bunch of antiques.


Though we entered the “house” from the porch, it actually had doors to the south, and that’s where the mail was delivered. Those doors are actually blocked off now. The “house” is in the process of being converted into two apartments – but the place needs a bit of work.

We got a chance to tour the place, thanks to a realtor friend as the place is for sale.

The old saloon and grocery store section.

Inside the old saloon and grocery store section of the first floor was still a mess as the contractors were not done yet.

The cellar of the old house.

We decided to visit the cellar of the old house. And it is a cellar, complete with dirt floor. Very dark and dank. I don’t think this will get fixed up. But it sure needs work.

Birthplace

Why is my Dad standing in front of this small house (with a new front porch)? Because this is the house he was born in, on the kitchen table he says. It is just a few doors down from the house I remember and played in many a time.

Eades Antique Shop

This held Eades Antique Shop for many, many years. My grandfather, his siblings, and some help from my Dad, built the place. Two stories plus a basement. After Grandpa died, it was was turned into a place to restore classic cars and also a photography studio. Finally, my cousin Carla bought it. On the second floor there are two bedrooms and a full bathroom. The first floor has a living space, and a floor to hold big get togethers, including a big Thanksgiving feast. The basement is cool too.

My dad and his siblings.

One of the big reasons to take Dad to Madison was to give him a chance to visit with his siblings. They are (left to right) Phil, Keith, Dad and Jackie. They had another brother, Leonard Junior, but he died before I was born. He was the oldest, Dad is number two, Phil is third, Jackie fourth and Keith the youngest.

More later on the visit to Madison in another installment. I went on to IAAPA from here.

Click here to read the story about going to my niece’s wedding.

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Disneyhometheme parks

Look out world, here I come

by Mark Eades
This is where I started my first real job with Disney.

This is where I started my first real job with Disney.

I’ve had two careers, first with Disney then others in the theme park world. That included 11 years with Walt Disney Imagineering. Then my second career was journalism in television with the Orange County Newschannel and newspapers with the Orange County Register.
In September 2017 I stepped away from working as a full time journalist. So now I’m embarking on my third career. What will it be? Well, that’s what I’m looking at discovering, and planning to have some fun at it. I like to enjoy my work.
I think of myself primarily as a writer, a storyteller in any medium. I’ve had the good fortune to tell stories in the theme park world and in news, and get paid for it. I am going to look for a full time job, but it’s tough out there so I’m going to pursue some other things while looking.
Whatever my third career is, it will still be as a storyteller.
I will continue to write about, take photos of, and shoot video about the theme parks. Right now, I’m going to tell those stories for insidethemagic.net, and will post links to those stories here. Some will be about the new things at the Southern California theme parks, while others will be stories about my times helping to create some of the attractions.
On the fun side, I’m going to tell some stories about being the father of five children. Yes, that’s right, five children. We’ve had a lot of adventures over the years with them since my first was born in 1982, so look forward to some of those tales. But those tales will be told with a twinkle in the eye and a smile on my face, and after putting enough of those tales together, maybe a book.
On both a comical and somewhat serious side, I plan to write about the topic of aging.
Finally, totally on the fun side, I will also post stories, photos and occasional videos about trains, model trains, full-sized ones and more. Yes, it’s a passion of mine. I don’t have a model railroad (I hope to sometime as space and money becomes available) but love trains, particularly those with steam-powered engines.
There are some other ideas I’m pursuing. After all, all it takes is sitting down and writing them out – I love starting out with a blank page and filling it up with words. Oh sure, money helps, and my belief is that it will come. But the blank page doesn’t scare me like it does some people. All you have to do is put words on it.
So anyone out there with ideas needing a good storyteller, in theme parks, news, television or other, give me a call.
Look out world, here I come again for career #3.

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Welcome to Mark Eades Enterprises

by Admin

Welcome to my website. I’ve worked as a writer, filmmaker, producer and creative consultant in the theme park and themed entertainment business, including and 11-year stint at Walt Disney Imagineering, along with projects for Universal Studios, MGM Grand and Warner Bros.

I changed careers to journalism in 1997 to stay closer to home and around my children. During that time I worked at the Orange County Newschannel and the Orange County Register. While on staff at the Register, I was its first multi-media journalist, telling stories online with photos, video and text.

In September 2017, I retired as a full-time journalist and am now working as a freelance writer and producer.

I am also on the Board of Directors for the Disneyland Alumni Club, a non-profit made up of former Disneyland, Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Studios Cast Members and employees.

You want someone who can come up with ideas and produce them, then give me a call.

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