I was so happy to get out of town. I will not bore you the details of the 48 hours leading up to it except to tell you that the pink BraMobile is in the shop and I am in a red rental car.
In fact, I was so happy to be alone and behind the wheel that I stopped for a Nation’s burger with Joe E of the Travel Gear Blog. I hadn’t eaten all day and Joe thought it was funny that I ordered both a cheeseburger AND a chili dog. Nope, I ain't not girly girl.
So, lets get to the gritty goss. I slept in my car the first night. Yes, I can say that because my most of my relatives and the extras that voluntarily parent me do not read this blog. I made it to Shasta around 11:30 ish and started taking every exit that had a lodging sign. The rates didn’t seem to get much below $50 and since I have a $75 per diem that includes meals, lodging, AND my time, I chose to skip it.
I was a little afraid to sleep at a rest stop what with all the truckers. No doubt my fear is based on media induced generaliztions, but I’ve just heard so many stories about them running on drugs, that I opted not to. So, where did I sleep?
At a motel called the Oak Tree. It was well lit and only had one occupant as far as I could see by the one pick up truck that was parked there. I got to them about midnight and would’ve been happy to ask them how much, but they were closed. Very closed, very dark in the office. The motel was a one level u-shaped string of rooms with a house next to it. Every room had a light on outside, so I just pulled up like I was going in one of the rooms. But instead locked my car door, tilted the seat back, had my phone in my hand and tried to get some shut eye.
I expected to have someone knock on the window in the middle of the night and tell me to get out of there, so I kept waking up every hour. No once came. I wanted to get outta there before they woke up and left at 4am. Then I drove to Medford and parked in another motel, a much bigger and brighter one, and took another nap.
Then it was smooth sailing to Eugene.
I love being behind the wheel. And cruise control is a very good thing. Yes, I used the word very like a bad little writer, but come on. It’s a treat. So is the power steering.
I’ve got pictures. I’ll try to get them loaded tonight.
Yeah, those intensifiers and double prepositions and all those other little things that cause grammatical frowns — they can really create endless worries. But for blogging and most other types of writing (outside of the formal crap), sometimes you need those things just to keep the rhythm smooth and ease the burden on a reader’s tongue muscles. No (real) worries. Eventually everything gets factored into ridiculousness.
Hey, Jen. Dropped by to see how you’re doing and now I’m about to sound like a mom, I think 😉 Pick up one of the lodging coupon books that can be found at fast food places. You’ll be able to get a decent, clean room for under $50., often in the $24. to $39. range. With a comp. breakfast included and snacks on the road, you can cover everything with your per diem amount. It’s worth it to get a good night’s rest. You’ll be safer on the road. As you know, I’m saying this after crossing the country by car nine times over the last four years 🙂 Stay safe 🙂 Hugs,