Why: The road is long. This grill is hot. These restrooms are clean.
What: The now-sprawling Harris Ranch operation dates to the 1930s, but it didn't become relevant to us travelers until the 1970s. That when the management hit on the idea of opening a burger stand to capitalize on all the drivers passing by on the just-completed Interstate 5.
Then the burger stand became a steakhouse. And store. And hotel.
Now the Harris people have a cattle-based citadel on the roadside. The dining operations -- three restaurants, basically -- together seat up to 455 people at a time. The hotel has more than 150 rooms and an Olympic-style pool. The AC works. And they've added Tesla battery-charging stations to the parking lot.
Even if you're a vegetarian climate-change warrior, it may be tempting to stop.
Where: 24505 W. Dorris Ave., Coalinga, 205 miles northwest of downtown L.A.
How much: Ranch hand breakfast, $14.50 (in the Ranch Kitchen); 30-ounce bone-in, oak-smoked prime rib, $40 (in the Steakhouse). Also, there's no hotel tax in Fresno County, so if you book a $169 room at Harris Ranch, it will actually cost $169.
Info: Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant