No, it wasn't a flat tire, speeding ticket or any of the usual stuff; just garden variety road fatigue. About sixty or so miles into the push for Foley, Alabama by nightfall, I just couldn't drive anymore. The drivers are crrrrazy around here, the highway is one of the worst I've driven on (tons of debris, potholes, etc.) and after nearly being driven off the road by a big rig for the fourth time I said to myself "this is not going to happen. Find a hotel, crash for the rest of the day/night, watch the Oscars, get a good nights' sleep and finish up tomorrow."
So I stopped in Hogansville because there was a hotel with free wi-fi right off the exit, checked in, asked where to go to eat and was directed across the street. Settled into the room and walked across the street. It was a total freaky "Los Olivos moment" (the weird little ghost town north of Santa Barbara where you just know something really bad happened at some point, like a massacre or something, because there is NOTHING THERE anymore except for an awesome restaurant that people doing the wine country thing like to go to. All of the restaurants were not only not open but shuttered/boarded up and clearly abandoned. There were a couple Evil Truckers at the gas station but other than that, not a soul in sight. I was just starting to think "good job, Lauri, you've wandered into some creepy Children of The Corn place and you won't be leaving Georgia alive" when I walked around the corner to the blessed sight of a restaurant that was actually open and had other people in it.
So I walk in and ask to be seated on the side of the restaurant that has no other people in it because I do not feel like talking to other people. No problem. When I realize how truly exhausted I am I place my order and ask for it to go and pay right away so I can get back to my hotel and take a shower and crawl into bed ASAP. While I am waiting for my food, the hostess comes back and seats a couple at the table RIGHT NEXT TO ME when there are about a dozen other tables totally empty on that side.
I notice that the lady of the pair is wearing a Calvary Chapel tee-shirt which amuses me greatly because I'm like "they're everywhere! I can't escape!" and so I very discreetly take my phone out and take a picture. At that moment the waitress comes over to deliver their water and iced tea, swings by my table first to pick up the signed check, and proceeds to drop the tray with the drinks directly into my purse.
Two totally fortunate things: I had just taken the phone out so it didn't get wet, and the nice new leather wallet that Bo just gave me for Valentine's was still on the table and therefore escaped damage. The waitress starts freaking out and crying and apologizing and explaining that she's had a terrible week because her mom just moved in with her blah blah blah and I said something really stupid to the effect of "Dude, it's cool, stuff happens, no worries..."
And this gave them their opening. The lady says "What part of California are you from?" And I said "How'd you know I was from California?" And she said "You have a California accent!" To which I replied with a laugh because, come on, it's common knowledge that Californians don't HAVE an accent.
So I said I was from the Newport Beach/Costa Mesa area and then felt a compulsion to admit that I had only moments before taken her picture because I grew up in the Calvary Chapel culture, family very involved there, aunt that works there etc. So of course they ask my aunt's name which I provide and OF COURSE they know her because, you know, it's totally normal and not at all bizarre to run into people who know your family in the middle of nowhere a couple thousand miles away from home in a place you hadn't even planned on going.
I quickly fled the scene before they could ask me any more questions.
So I appear to be the only guest at this motel except for an... interesting pair that looked at me like I'd arrived from another planet when I was lugging my stuff into the room, but did not return my verbal greeting. Perhaps that is for the best.
I hope the rest of this day and night is super boring because I have had enough excitement for one day.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Crossroads
Not sure where to go next, north or south. Today is the first day that I feel very far from home. JD and Grady have made me feel very comfortable here - maybe too comfortable, since I don't seem to want to leave except for to visit Kari - but I am missing home. I miss my boy.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Well THAT Was a Fun Weekend!
I am here by myself (technically not true, there are a bunch of animals too) since my fantastic hosts have gone to school/work? Not sure, but it was a super fun weekend! We hung out here on Saturday and then got our nails done and then I made salmon and salad for dinner (actually JD ended up making the salad) and on Sunday we went to the city and had brunch with a bunch of Freethought Forum people and then JD and I and Milton went to the Atlanta aquarium which was really crowded but a really great aquarium!
Except for one glaring exception.... NOT A TURTLE TO BE FOUND. What's up with aquariums not having turtles that aren't in perpetual hiding?!
Anyway, not sure what time they get home so I'm just gonna chill here and read today and catch up on news, I haven't read the papers for a week which makes me feel totally out of touch. Something exciting could have happened and I'd have missed it!
I can't figure out how to upload the aquarium and brunch pix from this computer so it'll have to wait until Jen gets home.
Catch y'all later!
Except for one glaring exception.... NOT A TURTLE TO BE FOUND. What's up with aquariums not having turtles that aren't in perpetual hiding?!
Anyway, not sure what time they get home so I'm just gonna chill here and read today and catch up on news, I haven't read the papers for a week which makes me feel totally out of touch. Something exciting could have happened and I'd have missed it!
I can't figure out how to upload the aquarium and brunch pix from this computer so it'll have to wait until Jen gets home.
Catch y'all later!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Atlanta Achieved!
Got here by way of Nashville, somehow... ah yes, I remember those hundreds of miles... barely. I was in the serious Driving Zone yesterday so it seemed that one minute I was pulling out of Nashville and the next I'd "passed over" the downtown Atlanta area and was barreling down a dark country highway toward my destination.
Backing up to Nashville: had a great visit with Sharon Dee, her adorable pooch, and met her high school friend Becky who came up the night after I arrived. Super fun ladies!
I'll post more when something has actually happened other than the fact that I got a GREAT nights' sleep, Jennifer and Grady have a really cool house with a yard that has creatures, and the chihuahua that hated me until I gave it a hot dog is now my new best friend :D
Backing up to Nashville: had a great visit with Sharon Dee, her adorable pooch, and met her high school friend Becky who came up the night after I arrived. Super fun ladies!
I'll post more when something has actually happened other than the fact that I got a GREAT nights' sleep, Jennifer and Grady have a really cool house with a yard that has creatures, and the chihuahua that hated me until I gave it a hot dog is now my new best friend :D
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Day #3: First 1200 Miles Down!
I trip my odometer every time I get gas on an empty tank to get an idea of my mileage estimates, but also keep a little scribble sheet of my total miles, and I passed the first 1200 mark after touching down here in Searcy, Arkansas and going out for dinner.
This "Excellent Adventure" has remained excellent for the third day. After a great nights' sleep (love those tempurpedic pillows!) at Warren and Gloria's in the Tulsa area, Warren made a yummy breakfast and after packing up we went to the Philbrook Museum downtown, which was having a couple of really cool exhibits - one of three generations of Wyeth paintings and a fascinating one called American Streamlined Design
After that they treated me to a nice lunch at a local place that had a great Reueben and served a humongous side salad, which came in handy because I ate the second half of the sandwich at a rest stop in Arkansas when I had to stop to check my car after a near-miss with a scary-big piece of shredded big rig tire (I did actually have to run over it, but that was preferable to it smashing into my windshield which is what is was airborne and about to do before deciding to fall to the road and go under the car at the last second.) It dragged underneath the car for a little and was kinda scary, so I stopped right away and then again when I could find a rest stop just to make sure nothing looked effed up, and apparently there's no damage, but I hope that doesn't happen again!
It was really awesome to meet Warren and Gloria. I met Warren on the now-morphed IIDB almost ten years ago, and despite the fact that this was our first "IRL" meeting, it sure didn't feel like it; I've had that experience many times over the years - something akin to "Oh, yes, of course it's you!" and it's a pleasure every time! I hadn't had nearly as much interaction with Gloria over the years but she was just as sweet as could be and it was a real treat to finally meet them both and spend some time together.
The final push to Searcy took me a little longer than usual because of the flying-tire-debris thing necessitating stops, and some road work, but it actually worked out well because I was caught still 45 minutes away from the destination in full dark, and I've been skittish up until now about night driving even though I have my night-driving-glasses. Anyway, I put them on and then remembered something I'd forgotten about (please feel free to mock my doofus-nish now, I felt pretty silly when I realized it - ) HIGH BEAMS! Once I turned those on (on a divided highway) it was like an epiphany of sorts. I no longer have to be afraid of the dark!
All in all, another satisfying day. The hotel I reserved is by far the nicest I've ever stayed in for $45 plus tax and there's a Waffle House about a quarter mile down the road, so seriously, how much better could life be for tonight?
Looking forward to heading to the Nashville area tomorrow for two nights, and will hopefully find lots of cool things to take pictures of (the scenery didn't get very interesting until a few hundred miles ago).
Catch you all on the flip side!
Lauri
This "Excellent Adventure" has remained excellent for the third day. After a great nights' sleep (love those tempurpedic pillows!) at Warren and Gloria's in the Tulsa area, Warren made a yummy breakfast and after packing up we went to the Philbrook Museum downtown, which was having a couple of really cool exhibits - one of three generations of Wyeth paintings and a fascinating one called American Streamlined Design
After that they treated me to a nice lunch at a local place that had a great Reueben and served a humongous side salad, which came in handy because I ate the second half of the sandwich at a rest stop in Arkansas when I had to stop to check my car after a near-miss with a scary-big piece of shredded big rig tire (I did actually have to run over it, but that was preferable to it smashing into my windshield which is what is was airborne and about to do before deciding to fall to the road and go under the car at the last second.) It dragged underneath the car for a little and was kinda scary, so I stopped right away and then again when I could find a rest stop just to make sure nothing looked effed up, and apparently there's no damage, but I hope that doesn't happen again!
It was really awesome to meet Warren and Gloria. I met Warren on the now-morphed IIDB almost ten years ago, and despite the fact that this was our first "IRL" meeting, it sure didn't feel like it; I've had that experience many times over the years - something akin to "Oh, yes, of course it's you!" and it's a pleasure every time! I hadn't had nearly as much interaction with Gloria over the years but she was just as sweet as could be and it was a real treat to finally meet them both and spend some time together.
The final push to Searcy took me a little longer than usual because of the flying-tire-debris thing necessitating stops, and some road work, but it actually worked out well because I was caught still 45 minutes away from the destination in full dark, and I've been skittish up until now about night driving even though I have my night-driving-glasses. Anyway, I put them on and then remembered something I'd forgotten about (please feel free to mock my doofus-nish now, I felt pretty silly when I realized it - ) HIGH BEAMS! Once I turned those on (on a divided highway) it was like an epiphany of sorts. I no longer have to be afraid of the dark!
All in all, another satisfying day. The hotel I reserved is by far the nicest I've ever stayed in for $45 plus tax and there's a Waffle House about a quarter mile down the road, so seriously, how much better could life be for tonight?
Looking forward to heading to the Nashville area tomorrow for two nights, and will hopefully find lots of cool things to take pictures of (the scenery didn't get very interesting until a few hundred miles ago).
Catch you all on the flip side!
Lauri
Monday, February 14, 2011
Day #2: A Series of Fortuitous Events!
So, I was all proud of myself for getting a 5:45 a.m. wakeup call, in order to leave Tucumcari, NM by 7:30 and make a minor detour on the way to Tulsa to have a quick lunch with a friend before he had to go to work.
My self-back-patting did not last long, though, as I realized about 40 miles later while crossing into Texas that I had just entered the "Central Time Zone"... traveling one hour into THE FUTURE and completely screwing my finely-tuned travel plan.
:banghead:
Once I realized my error, I decided to stop in Amarillo, TX for breakfast since I hadn't eaten at the hotel, being all excited to get on the road. Upon spying the first Waffle House of my journey, I pulled off the highway, took a pic, posted it to Facebook and wandered inside; however, it was super crowded (waffle-loving Valentine's Day breakfasters? The usual crowd?) so I decided to head a few miles down to the Crack Barrel (yes, again. I'm going easy on the biscuits and cheesy hash browns so that I don't end up rolling home like a barrel).
Shortly after being seated and ordering my food, my cell phone pinged indicating that someone had responded to my post and lo and behold, my friends Diana and Michelle from Colorado Springs just HAPPENED TO have stayed overnight in Amarillo and were just a few miles away.
SERENDIPITY!
Long story short, through no planning whatsoever I got to spend an hour-ish hanging out with some great people I haven't seen in about four years, that I was planning to try and visit anyway at some point, and they just dropped right into my lap because I didn't think about time zones and my tummy was growling and I decided to post where I was online. Dog bless you, internets. :)
After this all-too-brief but pleasant interlude (except for the part where I left my phone at the Crack Barrel and had to turn around and get it, that was kind of a pain but only cost me 15 minutes) I made awesome time all the way to the Tulsa, OK, where I was greeted by Warren and had a great dinner with he and his daughter and daughter's friend. After that he drove us downtown and we looked around a bit - there's some pretty nifty art-deco era type architecture - and hung out for a little bit at a local watering hole.
Now back at Casa La Beason, I wasn't sure if I would have enough energy to write all this down tonight, but I don't want to get behind. I've been carrying a stash of index cards and a buttload of pens handy in the car to write down observations each day to put in this blog, and while the index card I have from today has a lot of cryptic scribblings, I'm too bushed now to elaborate on them so it will have to wait for another time. But I'll keep the index card handy and hope that I can remember what on earth I meant by "metal roof" and "no cops".
Hasta Manana!
My self-back-patting did not last long, though, as I realized about 40 miles later while crossing into Texas that I had just entered the "Central Time Zone"... traveling one hour into THE FUTURE and completely screwing my finely-tuned travel plan.
:banghead:
Once I realized my error, I decided to stop in Amarillo, TX for breakfast since I hadn't eaten at the hotel, being all excited to get on the road. Upon spying the first Waffle House of my journey, I pulled off the highway, took a pic, posted it to Facebook and wandered inside; however, it was super crowded (waffle-loving Valentine's Day breakfasters? The usual crowd?) so I decided to head a few miles down to the Crack Barrel (yes, again. I'm going easy on the biscuits and cheesy hash browns so that I don't end up rolling home like a barrel).
Shortly after being seated and ordering my food, my cell phone pinged indicating that someone had responded to my post and lo and behold, my friends Diana and Michelle from Colorado Springs just HAPPENED TO have stayed overnight in Amarillo and were just a few miles away.
SERENDIPITY!
Long story short, through no planning whatsoever I got to spend an hour-ish hanging out with some great people I haven't seen in about four years, that I was planning to try and visit anyway at some point, and they just dropped right into my lap because I didn't think about time zones and my tummy was growling and I decided to post where I was online. Dog bless you, internets. :)
After this all-too-brief but pleasant interlude (except for the part where I left my phone at the Crack Barrel and had to turn around and get it, that was kind of a pain but only cost me 15 minutes) I made awesome time all the way to the Tulsa, OK, where I was greeted by Warren and had a great dinner with he and his daughter and daughter's friend. After that he drove us downtown and we looked around a bit - there's some pretty nifty art-deco era type architecture - and hung out for a little bit at a local watering hole.
Now back at Casa La Beason, I wasn't sure if I would have enough energy to write all this down tonight, but I don't want to get behind. I've been carrying a stash of index cards and a buttload of pens handy in the car to write down observations each day to put in this blog, and while the index card I have from today has a lot of cryptic scribblings, I'm too bushed now to elaborate on them so it will have to wait for another time. But I'll keep the index card handy and hope that I can remember what on earth I meant by "metal roof" and "no cops".
Hasta Manana!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
One Day Down; 27 (or more) To Go!
Well, I'll see how this works.
No 'round the world odyssey, this, but for the next 3 1/2 - 4 weeks (plans subject to change without notice, as we all know if we've traveled more than 200 miles outside our front doors) I will be visiting several states I've never been to before, visiting many far-flung friends I haven't seen in too many years, and meeting a few in person for the first time! I'm going the Southern route: Oklahoma to Tennessee to Atlanta to Alabama to Texas and back to Colorado. If the first day is any indication this is gonna be easy-peasy (yeah I know - knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder, etc.)
Day One: pretty freakin' boring but easy driving and who can complain about that?! Four hours to Albequerque and the required Cracker Barrel stop for a proper meal, another two and a half to Tucumcari, New Mexico. No scenery or photo-worthy sights except for a brightly lit place in the middle of nowhere called "Bad Ass Coffee" but I blew by it too fast. Man, my car gets awesome gas mileage. I logged 425 miles before I got here and the empty light hadn't gone on yet but I gassed up before checking into hotel anyway, so I don't have to worry about it (read: forget about it) in the early a.m.
The hotel (a Days Inn) is exactly what I would expect and require for 50 clams a night - clean, nice bed, right next to the highway, free wi-fi, fridge and microwave. It amuses me to no end that sometimes the cheaper the accommodation, the more free amenities are offered that are actually useful to a traveling person. I.E.: I have free internet, fridge, microwave here; at a swanky hotel in Vegas all of it is extra. Although the Vegas hotels do have superior free toiletries.
There was a couple checking in to the hotel at the same time as me and a bit later, when I moseyed across the street to "B-Bob's Steakhouse" for dinner, they were seated at the banquette next to me and the lady asked me if I would like to join them instead of eating alone. Now see, I have no problem eating alone, but A) it would be totally rude to say no! and B) The lady's regional accent was intriguing.
Turns out they are turkey farmers from somewhere north of Fargo, Minnesota (I couldn't figure out the name of the town, just that it's 10 miles from the Canadian border) who are celebrating their 40th anniversary by taking a waaaay overdue honeymoon to Sin City (aka Las Vegas, NV) for a week.
They were very interesting and very cute (neither of them look like they are old enough to have been married that long and have 9 grandchildren but perhaps the Minnesota air is rarefied?) They were very excited to hear that I've been to Vegas more-times-than-I-can-count and wanted to know where the best places to go are. This gave me a bit of pause because who knows what they are interested in? I ended up telling them that if they wanted to lose all their vacation money they could go and gamble just about anywhere, but if they want to see cool hotels and have some good buffets, go to (A B & C).
I found it funny that they were really surprised that I was going out on the road for a relatively extended period of time by myself and staying alone in some places. It doesn't feel that particularly abnormal or unduly scary to me - naturally traveling with a companion is my first choice but going it solo is nothing to be afraid of per se - and she told me a funny story about how when they first got into this town (Tucumcari) there were some "strange" looking neighborhoods, and when they got to (this) hotel, she asked the desk manager if it was "safe" here and the desk manager sort of stifled a laugh at her.
I explained that a lot of desert type 'hoods can look a little sketchy but what you really have to watch for is if there are bars on the windows. She seemed somewhat reassured by this. (It's a totally cookie-cutter travel-stop type place, kinda BFE but not dangerous in any way).
That's it for day one. I hope my fleeting dinner-friends have fun in Vegas and make it back to the turkey farm safely and with a little money left! Tomorrow is onward to the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. I hope the scenery gets more interesting so I can take some pics!
Lauri
No 'round the world odyssey, this, but for the next 3 1/2 - 4 weeks (plans subject to change without notice, as we all know if we've traveled more than 200 miles outside our front doors) I will be visiting several states I've never been to before, visiting many far-flung friends I haven't seen in too many years, and meeting a few in person for the first time! I'm going the Southern route: Oklahoma to Tennessee to Atlanta to Alabama to Texas and back to Colorado. If the first day is any indication this is gonna be easy-peasy (yeah I know - knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder, etc.)
Day One: pretty freakin' boring but easy driving and who can complain about that?! Four hours to Albequerque and the required Cracker Barrel stop for a proper meal, another two and a half to Tucumcari, New Mexico. No scenery or photo-worthy sights except for a brightly lit place in the middle of nowhere called "Bad Ass Coffee" but I blew by it too fast. Man, my car gets awesome gas mileage. I logged 425 miles before I got here and the empty light hadn't gone on yet but I gassed up before checking into hotel anyway, so I don't have to worry about it (read: forget about it) in the early a.m.
The hotel (a Days Inn) is exactly what I would expect and require for 50 clams a night - clean, nice bed, right next to the highway, free wi-fi, fridge and microwave. It amuses me to no end that sometimes the cheaper the accommodation, the more free amenities are offered that are actually useful to a traveling person. I.E.: I have free internet, fridge, microwave here; at a swanky hotel in Vegas all of it is extra. Although the Vegas hotels do have superior free toiletries.
There was a couple checking in to the hotel at the same time as me and a bit later, when I moseyed across the street to "B-Bob's Steakhouse" for dinner, they were seated at the banquette next to me and the lady asked me if I would like to join them instead of eating alone. Now see, I have no problem eating alone, but A) it would be totally rude to say no! and B) The lady's regional accent was intriguing.
Turns out they are turkey farmers from somewhere north of Fargo, Minnesota (I couldn't figure out the name of the town, just that it's 10 miles from the Canadian border) who are celebrating their 40th anniversary by taking a waaaay overdue honeymoon to Sin City (aka Las Vegas, NV) for a week.
They were very interesting and very cute (neither of them look like they are old enough to have been married that long and have 9 grandchildren but perhaps the Minnesota air is rarefied?) They were very excited to hear that I've been to Vegas more-times-than-I-can-count and wanted to know where the best places to go are. This gave me a bit of pause because who knows what they are interested in? I ended up telling them that if they wanted to lose all their vacation money they could go and gamble just about anywhere, but if they want to see cool hotels and have some good buffets, go to (A B & C).
I found it funny that they were really surprised that I was going out on the road for a relatively extended period of time by myself and staying alone in some places. It doesn't feel that particularly abnormal or unduly scary to me - naturally traveling with a companion is my first choice but going it solo is nothing to be afraid of per se - and she told me a funny story about how when they first got into this town (Tucumcari) there were some "strange" looking neighborhoods, and when they got to (this) hotel, she asked the desk manager if it was "safe" here and the desk manager sort of stifled a laugh at her.
I explained that a lot of desert type 'hoods can look a little sketchy but what you really have to watch for is if there are bars on the windows. She seemed somewhat reassured by this. (It's a totally cookie-cutter travel-stop type place, kinda BFE but not dangerous in any way).
That's it for day one. I hope my fleeting dinner-friends have fun in Vegas and make it back to the turkey farm safely and with a little money left! Tomorrow is onward to the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. I hope the scenery gets more interesting so I can take some pics!
Lauri
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