Monday, May 2, 2016

No More Road Trips.....For Awhile

So we decided to drive to a wedding in Illinois. (Yes, we hate to fly.)  It turned out to be a fourteen hour trip one way...or should have been.  On the way there, we passed a car burning alongside the road. Then we went a few miles further and came to a complete stop. There were about four cars, including us, in a stretch of semis that went further than the eye could see.  We moved two miles in two hours. We finally got through that and decided to stop for the night. The hotel had one room left, unfortunately their computer wouldn't let them use it so we ended up in handicap. A small pillow and a standard bed. Do you remember them? Somewhere between a twin and a queen. They did manage to dig up another pillow. The shower was set up for handicap but the head couldn't be raised up or lowered, it hit me about shoulder level. When I tried to wash my hair I jammed my eye on the soap dish. After that, we didn't even stick around for the complimentary breakfast just headed on out of there.

So we make it to the wedding, which was very nice, chatted with the relatives for a few minutes, then hopped in the car and headed back since the HH had to work Monday. This time we took a different route home. On the way back, I-65 was closed at the bridge. We were rerouted,onto I-64 on an old rickety double deck bridge at midnight, full to the gills with cars. We had been in Mothman territory on the trip to and this was much more woo-woo. We stopped at one a.m. and our luck changed. We pulled into a popular chain in Shelbyville, KY. All they had left was a suite and we gladly took it. I'm middle-America. When I hear suite, I think of a larger hotel room with a couch in it:) This really was a suite. Separate bedroom that was huge, a sitting room and a Jacuzzi.  Sweet:)
From that point, our trip home was uneventful.....

43 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Aaargh.
I am a really woeful traveller and probably would have been trying to convince myself I didn't need to go to the wedding. Well done you two. And the suite wouldn't have made up for the trip.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Shelbyville, KY?? I am from KY and have been to Shelbyville many times. Small world. And that definitely is a suite :)

Valerie-Jael said...

Well, your trip was surely not boring! Glad you at least go a great suite which didn't try to vandalize your health and safety on the trip home, looks great! Have a great May, hugs, Valerie

That's Purrfect said...

From one extreme to the other with your hotel stays! That suite looked pretty swanky!
That's Purrfect
Around My Kitchen Table

Anonymous said...

That was quite an effort for a wedding. At least it ended well with you nice looking accommodation. You could fit an extra person in that bed, not that you would countenance such a thing, I'm sure.

CJ Kennedy said...

Now, that room is fit for a Little Princess and the driving experience gave you some blog fodder. Always a silver lining. (-;

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, dear Sandra!

Mrs. Shady and I also prefer driving to flying. Two years ago, when we traveled from Florida to California to visit family, we divided the trip into reasonable chunks of flying and driving - plane trips lasting 2 hours or less and car trips of 8 hours or less. We very very lucky on that vacation because we didn't run into accidents or traffic jams. The worst of it was crowded airports and planes and heavy turbulence on one of the flights.

Your recent car trip to Illinois and back was nightmarish. Finding myself on "an old rickety double deck bridge at midnight, full to the gills with cars" wouldn't be my favorite thing. If there had been an accident on that bridge, you could have referred to it as "The Car Tangled Spanner." :)

Happy Monday, dear friend Sandra!

Jeanie said...

Hotels -- from the ridiculous to the sublime! What an ordeal. I don't know what Mothman is but it doesn't sound good. I think Rick and I would both have been cranky and fit to be tied by then. Sounds totally grim, Sandra, but I'm glad your last night was a little more luxurious and that maybe you were able to de-hype a bit after all the ordeal in that lovely room!

donna baker said...

My husband would have lost it in that traffic. I don't enjoy driving either, but flying. It has to be done, but mostly I stay home.

Sandra Cox said...

I hear ya, EC:) I'm more of a daytripper. I like places close to home. But that doesn't always work out for a wedding:)

Sandra Cox said...

How about that. I was born in KY:)

Yolanda Renée said...

Hubby loves road trips and he would have mapped it out and had us in nowhere land. I hate to fly too, but that's one long trip for a wedding you couldn't stay to enjoy! Mothman country. :)

Sandra Cox said...

Thanks, Val. Hope your May is great too!
Hugs

Annalisa Crawford said...

At least the second hotel was better. I love the look of that bath. I don't blame you for wanting to stay at home for a while, talk about bad luck!

Sandra Cox said...

It was nicer than what we usually stay in, that's for sure:)

Sandra Cox said...

We were so tired by the time we crashed we probably wouldn't have noticed if anyone else was in the bed or not:)

Sandra Cox said...

CJ, you're entirely too perky for a Monday. Grin.

Sandra Cox said...

Huh, I wouldn't have thought of splitting it up like that. Good idea.
Glad there wasn't any Car Tangled Spanners:)

Sandra Cox said...

Hi Jeanie,
Back in the 60's there were 'Mothman' sightings just before a bridge collapsed in West Virginia.

nashvillecats2 said...

Sorry about your experoence's , the journey going and the hotel. Come home for a rest have you?
Yvonne.

cleemckenzie said...

Road trips can be "interesting." AT least you made it there an back safely and it sounds like even if the visit was short at the wedding, you're glad you went.

Sandra Cox said...

I know, Donna. There's no perfect solution when it comes to traveling.

Sandra Cox said...

Mae Sinclair just wrote a romantic thriller based on the Mothman legend.

Sandra Cox said...

Thanks, Annalisa. Since we arrived at home safe and sound, I shouldn't complain.

da tabbies o trout towne said...

we came bye ta ask if ewe hada grate week oh end......

we will just stix ta sayin... HI....inn sted ~~~ ☺☺☺♥♥♥

Heather R. Holden said...

Yikes! Sorry so many headachy things happened during your trip. Glad things finally started settling down for you on the way home. That second hotel definitely sounds better than the first!

Sandra Cox said...

So true. I really have no reason to whine, we made the trip safely:)

Sandra Cox said...

Lol. Hi:)

Sandra Cox said...

Hi Heather, Oh yes, much! And at least we weren't a car on the side of the road.

Chrys Fey said...

Sometimes road trips can be a pain, especially if you're going somewhere for an event. If always wanted to take a road trip to see other states though.

DMS said...

Glad you ended the trip in style. :) Sometimes traveling can be full of surprises! You never know what you will see or experience. Glad things got better as your trip went on.
~Jess

Adam said...

I'd prefer to drive on long road trips if the interstates weren't filled with fools. Georgia is the worst.

Birgit said...

I love trips on older roads except not a place that you stayed in....I like a little more comfort....a basic holiday inn is fine. Sounds like you had a great tie and that's nice to hear

Magic Love Crow said...

So happy you got the suite on the way home! Gorgeous! You deserved it! My mom doesn't like to fly either, so it's a lot of driving or taking the train. When we get home, I need another vacation from going! LOL!

Sandra Cox said...

If you aren't on a time schedule they can be fun. I'd like to take a train to New England in the fall.

Sandra Cox said...

That a great way of putting it, Jess...full of surprises:)

Sandra Cox said...

Yes, the interstate does seem to have a surplus;)

shortybear said...

totally understand

Sandra Cox said...

Holiday Inn's are good. The one that we had problems with was a good chain. sigh. Ya never know.

Sandra Cox said...

Thanks, Magic:)
I know what you mean:)

Sandra Cox said...

Sounds like the voice of experience:)

Trudy said...

That was a sweet suite!

I recently went on a cross-country road trip with my adult son. The first couple nights we shared a room but my son had difficulty sleeping because someone (ahem) kept snoring. So then we tried finding a suite with a separate bedroom so I could be closed off and he could have the sofa bed. No such luck. The "suites" in the hotels where we stayed were simply two beds and a couch.

Sandra Cox said...

That's exactly what we are used to! I was stunned when we ended up with a separate bedroom.
He probably just imagined the snoring. grin.