People have different things on their bucket lists. An elderly couple was no exception. Ray and Wilma Yoder, both 81, had a unique desire to travel across the entire United States and eat at every Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.

Over more than 40 years, the Goshen, Indiana couple (who have been married for 60 years) completed their goal on Monday, August 28, 2017. The last restaurant on their list was in Tualatin, Oregon. They had eaten at all 645 Cracker Barrel locations in 44 states and had traveled over 5 million miles.

How it all started

It didn't start out being a goal for the Yoders to eat at all the Cracker Barrels.

It sort of happened by accident. Ray, who is now retired, used to work delivering RVs across the country to dealers or buyers. While on the road, he needed a convenient place to eat. His first Cracker Barrel was in Nashville at the Opryland Hotel.

Yoder admits that he wasn't impressed at first, but he kept finding the restaurant while he was on the road. He found the service to be friendly, and he felt comfortable there. Then his wife joined him on the road, and she fell in love with the country store. After Yoder retired, he and his wife decided to travel to all the restaurants in the country. Once their four adult children realized what their parents were doing, they helped them track new store openings so they wouldn't miss any of them.

By 2015, they had visited more than 600 Cracker Barrels when Wilma had a brain aneurysm and collapsed while she was driving. She was rushed to Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida. For more than a year, the Yoders didn’t visit any Cracker Barrels, and they didn't know if they would complete their mission.

After that, Ray did all the driving in his Mercury Marquis or the Ford Fusion instead of the RV he started out driving when he was working.

Along the way, they visited places such as the Grand Canyon, the Opryland Hotel and the Statue of Liberty.

Cracker Barrel, based in Lebanon, Tennessee, picked up the tab for their final location in Oregon. The company flew them from their home in Indiana and gave them the royal treatment as they completed their goal. The Yoders said since they have accomplished what they set out to do they will not be traveling to Cracker Barrel unless a new store opens.

What they ate

For breakfast, Ray often ordered the potato casserole, one pancake with blueberry syrup and extra butter with a couple of bacon slices or a sausage patty. Wilma favored the blueberry pancakes. For lunch, they would order the meatloaf and grilled chicken sandwich. They asked for the cider float because it is not listed on the menu. On each visit, they would sit in the iconic rockers on the porch and play the peg game.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED