Wednesday, July 20, 2011

No vacancy in Altoona

We were going stir crazy.

Maria’s condition dictates that she cannot sit, only lie down, stand, or walk.

After spending the better part of the day in a horizontal position, staying inside in the air conditioning because the heat index was in triple digits, she was ready to get out and go somewhere, anywhere.

So we came in to town to Barnes & Noble where she can stand and peruse the quilting magazines and I can surf and blog.

I called Indianapolis BMW friend Rich Nathan’s cell phone as I drove and reached him as he was walking out of a Cracker Barrel in Altoona, Pa. If I had followed my original plan, I would have been riding with Rich when he rolled out of Indianapolis this morning.

It was 8:30 p.m. and getting dark and Rich and whoever he’s riding with were unable to find a motel room in Altoona. Consequently, they’re faced with the prospect of going ahead to the next town or back to the last one.

“Didn’t you learn anything when you rode with me?” I chided, jokingly.

When I travel, I nail down my lodging at lunch, estimating how far I want to ride in the afternoon. Then, secure in the knowledge that I have a room waiting for me at day’s end, I can ride without worry.

I think it’s a consequence of traveling with my parents when I was a kid and watching them go through the frustrating day’s end search for a “Vacancy” sign, not knowing how long the search would take or what the room would cost.

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