Scenes from the Road

On my drives to and from Chicago, I have generally preferred the less-traveled roads. I try to avoid interstates as much as possible. But having to deal with picking up and returning my sister to TX during the last trip, it was much easier to stay on the interstates. I made an observation about the current condition of traveling down the interstates. It seems there has been an explosion of higher-end motels in secondary markets. It was common to see Motel 6 and Super 8's at smaller towns/cities along the freeways. But now there is much more variety with upscale places like Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inns, and all sorts of "lower end" offerings from the Hilton and Hyatt brands. I guess they are catering to travelers like me who don't mind forking over a little more money for slightly better conditions and perhaps a nice breakfast. Sure, 30-40 years ago I wouldn't think twice about staying at a Motel 6. But now when I hear about all of the shootings that take place at our local ones as well as hearing that bums are given vouchers to stay at them, I avoid them like the plague. I graduated to Super 8, but they started turning pretty ghetto as well. I still might do a Days Inn, but they can be hit or miss. We stayed at one in Tulsa, and it was fine; nice and modern. Last year I stayed at one in Wichita that was pretty sketchy with a bum sleeping on the grass. So now I would rather stay in a more "fancy" place, even if it is only for a few hours. Yeah, I would much rather spend the money on places where I tend to be there for awhile (like visiting Mom), but I can afford it. Better safe than sorry.