West Side Drive In
Abby waits patiently while Sandy gets our food
I'm a big fan of eating out. Sandy and I usually go out for dinner several times a week. Besides that, I go out for lunch most days. My standard is to go to Idaho Pizza Company and have their lunch special - salad bar and a mini cheese pizza. They know be by name at just about every IPC in the valley.
Well that all changed this spring when the pandemic hit. Since Sandy and I are in a "high risk age group" (that's a polite way of saying that we are old farts), we have self quarantined and tried to minimize going out. That means meals changed. Instead of eating out all the time, we go to the grocery store once, maybe twice a week and eat all our meals at home. It's not a big deal, but after six months both Sandy and I admit that we do miss a few of our favorite eat out places and foods.
One of our traditions was to combine hiking with eating out. It can be really motivating late in the day when you are doing the last mile or two back to the trailhead, to think about a hamburger or pizza and a cold drink waiting for you after the hike. We even know places that we can go when we have Abby with us. After a hike in the Sawtooths, we always have a pizza on the patio at Papa Brunee's in Stanley. And after hiking around Bogus Basin, it's time to stop at West Side Drive In for a hamburger and french fries. They have some tables outside in the lot next door to the drive in, so we can even take Abby with us. It's definitely one of her favorite places too.
Sharing a burger and fries
As we were driving back to town after our hike to Stack Rock, I suggested to Sandy that we might check out West Side Drive In for lunch. It was the middle of the afternoon and I thought it might not be crowded. The eating area was outside and the few tables they had were all spread out. Sandy wasn't a tough sell - she jumped at the idea.
When we got there, the place was busy even though it was about two in the afternoon. But everyone seemed to be doing take out. The parking lot and drive through were full, but there was no one at the outside tables. Abby and I grabbed a table while Sandy went and ordered our food.
I like hamburgers but they're not my favorite. I'm a pizza and pasta guy at heart. But I looked almost like Abby the way I gulped down my burger (Abby would have said "wolfed" down). Sandy enjoyed hers as well. And as usual, Abby helped us with both the burgers and the fries. I have to admit that after not eating out for six whole months, it was quite a treat. It will be nice when the world is back to normal again.
