Story by Chuck MacKarness

In the late 1980's my grandfather and I took a quick trip to southern California to help his Sister with something, now I don't remember what it was, but it is not as important as what I am Going to share with you here.

The trip down from Sacramento was not eventful, about a nine-hour drive from Sacramento to Barstow. It Was the trip returning that I cannot ever forget? We left Barstow early in the morning to get a jump on The trip home; I remember the air was clear and cold, even for a winter trip. As we entered the mountains Where the highway winding through is called the Grapevine, the air got heavy with fog, as we changed Highways to Interstate 5 north the fog was so thick we could not see ahead of the car hood, we were impacted! I was driving, and slowed down to a crawl, this is on a California freeway mind you, where in most weather Condition drivers zoom to get to their destination. So to avoid a rear-ending I pulled to the right until my Grandfather could see the white line on the road with his door open, looking down between the rocker panel And open door.

Grandfather guided me "left a little, right a little" until I could make out a street light in the Distance (about 20 feet). I followed his directions following the white line as if it was a monorail and I Was its train? The light was on the parking lot of a gas station, we ask if there was a place near that we could get some Breakfast and wait the fog out. The attendant pointed across the fog laden parking lot and said across the street was A restaurant, "a good one." So we crept in the direction he pointed until we found a sidewalk, we turned and followed it Until we met a driveway, turning in and parking was as much trouble as running blindly in the dark, while blindfolded!

We parked and went in the restaurant. Inside we were met by a joyful bubbly waitress waiting to seat us, there were a Couple customers eating and reading the news paper, nothing out of place. The décor was new and very clean, a country Style breakfast restaurant, like where truckers would like to stop. We sat down and ordered from the menu excellent Meals for just a couple buck each.

I went to the little boys room and noticed it had several showers setup for travelers, I thought how cool, an excellent Idea. When I returned to the table, I told my grandfather about it and he went to see. His feelings were the same as Mine, good idea. The fog lifted by the time we were done, we tipped big and were off to home.

Now, this is the odd part: I have made the trip to southern California at least 20 times since that trip, as has my Grandfather, but neither of us can find the restaurant that took us off that dangerous foggy road. We both have retraced Our route, the only route we could have taken, and yet there is no restaurant. I have ask Highway patrolmen in the area That has been patrolling there for many years; no restaurant like it, the showers is what they would have remembered, But "there has never been a place like that around here" one officer told me. Never that I can recall.

Was this a case of two men being off route due to the fog and thus cannot remember where this country cafe was located?? Or Is there something strange or even supernatural about the disappearance of this cafe??