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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The No-Tell Motel

Let me begin this funny story with, “Buddy made all of the plans! He assured me he knew what he was doing :-)” The race was way out in the country, and he told me there were no motels anywhere around it. Being that this was his third trip to that neck of the woods and he had stayed here in the past,  I took him at his word. He assured me the motel was great hiker accommodations  (I should have been immediately suspicious) and at a great price - $50.00 a night  (that, too, should have been a signal) - and the only one for miles. OK...I bit, and then about 8:00 at night we drove up after a LONG and tiring drive. 

Click and click again to enlarge if you feel the urge to get a closer look at the No-Tell Motel.


Here is what I named the No-Tell Motel signage.  The first thing I saw driving up was the vintage half-working neon sign. As you can see, Bud went in, paid the bill, and walked out. I wondered where the key thingies were but didn’t say anything. He is always wearing yellow for safety!!! The picture of the sign when it was off was taken about 5:30 in the morning as we were leaving for the big race.


The photo on the left is the front, the middle one shows the “funeral home” metal awning connecting the room building with the office section,  and the one on the right was the back where we had to enter our room.The catch was we were NOT to enter from the front. Only people on the second floor used those doors. We had to drive around back and use that door. Our room was the one in the middle without an outdoor light. The bottom shot is the one pretty thing about the area....the gorgeous view with the rain and fog. There was only one car there when we drove up that night. The next day the place was filled with hunters in all of their garb.



As you can see, my question about the key thingy was answered when we got to the room....an old fashioned key hanging in the door plus the signs for NO SMOKING and NO PETS. The threshold was in disrepair, and when we got inside there were cigarette burns on the rug. Fortunately, the room did not smell of smoke...just HOT. I called the lady at the desk asking if it really was a non-smoking room, and she was put out with me that I was even asking the question. Of course, it was NOT SMOKING. COULD I NOT READ THE SIGN??? Then I noticed much to my dismay that there were no chain locks on either of the doors...just those push-in thingies like on a bathroom in your house. UGH!!! My daddy was a safety engineer who checked everything for safety, so I immediately freaked out. I was beside myself...but there was no where else to go at that point. I shoved Bud’s pack onto a chair which I wedged under the door handle of the door we were told to enter from, but when I went to the other door, the handle was too high for the chair to work. UGH, AGAIN!!! To add fuel to the fire, I could not understand why I was burning up...like menopause at 74. I turned on the AC, but it didn’t help. Then, Bud looked up and discovered something sticking out on the wall. It was the ****heat control halfway up to the ceiling. Fortunately, I knew to take my own sheets, blankets and pillows, and I took 2 bottles of sanitizer. Trust me, I sanitized that room from top to bottom before we brought in anything and made up our beds with OUR stuff. I am on high alert for bed bugs whenever we go on a trip. Actually, the beds were firm and the bathroom and bedroom were nice and clean.There was an old TV and a working phone. No more hiker motels for this gal. The ultimatum has been given.  I want a place with inside entries and what I call proper door locking machinery. Hey, it was cheap, and we did sleep well for two nights. I wasn’t about to drive another 50-100 miles in rainy fog around the WV curvy mountains to go try to find a better place. Next year I will stay at home, and Bud can make his return trip for the big run #2.


The FIRE alarm was located right outside our door...that was nice...note the cigarette on top. I neglected to photograph the butts on the concrete. Sorry about that.


As we were leaving town Sunday morning, we passed this little restaurant. I spotted the sign and just had to stop and take pictures. MOE FATZ...interesting name.

This happy/silly post is linked with Lesley’s Signs2.

17 comments:

  1. Definitely sounds like an adventure! And yes good thing to bring lots of sanitiser! Here from the signs meme :)

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  2. Hey, those No-Tell Motel folks have to make a living I guess... funny post about your adventure at Bud's expense. :)

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  3. i have stayed in one nasty motel in san antonio where i feared for my life. not something i want to repeat. :)

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  4. Sounds like the last chance motel that people that don't know are stuck with - YIKES - I would have freaked out upon arriving there and probably slept in the car. Sorry, but rund down places just scare me with the possibilities you can run into. No lock - no Lilly.
    I would do same as you and we always carry cleaning products and clean everything before even coming in and check for bugs too?? Pretty sad today that you have to do this, even in top notch places, but you gotta do it.

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  5. Oh my Lord Genie! What a funny (in retrospect) story and scary.... the cigarette on top of the fire ext. is priceless. How awful!

    we just came across the country in a car (different kind of roadtrip for us) and of course staying in motels all the way...they were a step up from yours, but I was still nervous and careful.

    There used to be a notorious motel in Eugene Oregon actually called the "NoTel MoTel" (they rented rooms by the hour until the police finally were able to shut them down). I was afraid you were going to say this one was like that!

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  6. Genie,
    Life is full of interesting adventures. Especially when the men pick out a hotel. I have had 2 no-tell motel experiences. They are a little more than character building. lol!

    Thank You for visiting and commenting at my blog today. Hope to see you again.

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  7. I like the neon signs, they give a sort of nostalgic feeling.

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  8. I hate experiences like that. Not sure I would have stayed the second night. We had an awful room two years ago going to Hilton Head. It was at a Hyatt. And it was $100. You were smart to bring the sanitizer and your own linens. Glad you could laugh about it.

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  9. I would have freaked too! I always check for bedbugs these days. At least the bathroom looked clean.

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  10. That was about the most amusing post I have read in a long time. Well done Genie. Seeing places like that makes me wonder what has gone on inside those four walls all of those years. I wouldn't want to know. This is why I like my little RV when I travel. I'd rather sleep in my own filth than that of strangers. My wife, well the entire family for that matter, doesn't get it and think I am nutz. I think you should give Buddy another chance, only you be responsible for making the arrangements for accommodations. If you don't go next time, we all will miss out on these wonderful posts you've been supplying us with.

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  11. Sounds like you have a very good future plan.... hope you checked for bedbugs. My daughter travels alot and is always in very pricey places... guess what you can even find in those places. She practically tears a bed apart before she gets in. Hope your husband enjoyed his race!

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  12. I think I might have preferred a tent. (and I hate camping!)

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  13. Well, you obtained plenty of signage for the meme linkup today!

    Glad you were able to sleep well considering the hindrances. ;-)

    ~Lindy

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  14. Some discomfort happening at the time but what a great story. Must admit, I do like the fog all round. That's a lovely scene.

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  15. I'm with you on this one. The days of staying in those kind of places has long since passed.

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  16. I used to frequent places like this when I would travel long distances on my motorcycle. I rationalized it by telling myself it was easier than putting up a tent.

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  17. Oh my gosh- this takes me back in time to a motel that we stayed in, oh gosh it was twenty years ago. The Bill Will Motel. I will never forget the name and we joke about it to this day. I slept with my clothes on- on top of the covers Actually I didn't sleep..

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