Back in the late 60’s, the area along 29 north of the Hydraulic Intersection was largely rural. There was a cattle farm behind what was once K-Mart and hayfields extended north. Then, 29 began to develop. I can recall – the early 70’s as I remember – when the Caravan Restaurant opened beside what was the R.M. Davis car lot.
There weren’t that many fast-food joints back then – we didn’t even have a McDonald’s, but the Caravan – Home of the Humpburger – was terrific. They also offered a piled High Ham Sandwich and Fried Chicken, but the thinly sliced roast beef Humpburgers were extra special. You could order a single, double, or even a triple and it was like eating a side of beef. The horseradish sauce they made in house was the best I have ever eaten – before or since. With a couple Humpburgers, a stack of French Fries and a large Pepsi and you could dine in style.
The Humpburgers were 49c in the early days, no small sum considering you could buy hamburgers for a quarter and ‘dogs at 15c each.
We often visited the Caravan after Church and took our meal home, hoping to see the Redskins win a football game.
I don’t know when Caravan went out of business or why. They simply had the best sandwiches anywhere. Today, we have Arby’s, and they make a mean roast beef sandwich, but not the equal of a Humpburger at the Caravan.