More signs

Just some random signs that I found either amusing, depressing, or that I documented as an inside joke for family......

Isn't this a bit of an oxymoron?  I mean, how can the fabrics be both "designer" (implying high fashion) and "bargain" (meaning cheap)?  Guess it depends a bit on how old the fabric is........

No offense, but I like my bed to be more comfortable than a bunch of logs.

Up until not too long ago, this business was doing quite well.  The little town it's in doesn't have a lot of industry, so to lose this business was probably something of a blow to the town.  The header on the sign - "Career Opportunities Available" - made me especially sad.

Being familiar with Chicago, when you hear "Palmer House Hotel", you tend to think of the grand hotel downtown in the Hilton brand of that name.  Not a 3-story brick-clad building in a small town.  Do you think they're maybe trying to use the name to their advantage?

These last two are for family and friends.........

Rural America

I was recently on several trips through the Midwest, and snapped some everyday pictures of "stuff" I found interesting.

As backstory to these first couple - I ran into some construction (in summertime - shocking!!), but decided I didn't want to follow the marked detour.  I have a GPS, so I can just follow my nose (with its added guidance) and get where I'm going.  Well, that was fine and dandy until the only available road had the following sign:

Now, I've been on worse roads, and I've been on better roads.  But this was little more than an area that didn't have any grass growing on it:

(Yes, one of those sets of tracks are MY tire tracks).

A short time later, I spied these guys hanging out at the side of the road.  Who's checking who out?

This last one for this series will date me.  However, I remember traveling quite a lot as a kid as my parents both liked to vacation away from home, and we didn't always take the "beaten path", which is probably - in part - why I happened to be in this place.  In those days, the railroad and electrical line right-of-ways often paralleled each other.  While this picture doesn't really do it justice, this was one of the most intact examples of that which I have seen in a long time:

The basic crossbuck-style sign, the poles complete with glass insulators and line still strung, and the warm summer breeze just took me back to those trips.

June 2012 mileage summary

Monthly summary – June 2012

Driving miles – 4683

Flying miles - 0

Nights in a hotel – 9

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 11

States visited (unique to 2012) – 0

Canadian provinces visited (unique to 2012) - 0

Year to date summary (thru 6/30/12)

Driving miles – 17828

Flying miles - 2110

Nights in a hotel – 44

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 43

States visited (unique to 2012) -14

Canadian provinces visited (unique to 2012) - 1

Room Oddities

The last in this series about hotel rooms and loyalty rewards is ending with a couple of oddities that I have spotted the I have not been able to fully identify the function for, or even the identity.  Here they are, for your consideration and comment:

This work of art was left on my bed, fashioned out of two towels.  Based on the up-curl of what might be the trunk, I kind of assumed this was an elephant.  (Sorry - didn't take a profile picture).  If this were an elephant, however, the curled parts at the top look more like ram's horns, so maybe it a ram with a congenital nose defect.  What do you think?

In another hotel, I was going around the room checking the setup, and when I got in the bathroom I found a glass-enclosed walk-in shower, complete with showerhead, soap dish, and controls - just as you would expect.

Then I looked down and found this - a tub spout not 4" off the floor of the shower, complete with its own soap dish.  In a walk-in shower with the typical low-lip edge to hold the water.

Frankly, I am at a complete loss on this one.  Any ideas?

Room Upgrades

However, of all the benefits that come with being a frequent guest at certain hotel chains, the complimentary room upgrade has to be the best.

Your typical hotel room has 1 king- or two queen-sized bed(s), a dresser/TV stand combo (which may also include a microwave and/or small fridge), a chair or pull-out couch, a work station, a closet, and a bathroom.  If you are lucky enough to be chosen to be the one to stay in one of the unused higher-end suites as a function of your chain loyalty, you will receive a suite with several rooms, more overall space and amenities, and which is usually set away from stairways, elevators, vending machines, and entrances.  This enhances the experience by being much quieter than other rooms.

Sometimes, these suites are intended to be used for meetings or business entertaining - a conference table and chairs, larger wet bar and food serving areas, and separate bathrooms for the "business" side of the suite and the bedroom attached.  Not much fun, but you do get a lot more space and can work on larger projects - if you have the time, energy, and project to work on.

Other times, you get a suite that looks something like this:

Entering the suite through the large double doors, you have a coat rack and mirror table on the left, wet bar with fridge below to the right, two chairs in a small sitting area, and a glass-topped table and 4 cafe chairs out by the window.

Reversing that shot, you can now see the TV in the sitting area, and the arrangement of the table more clearly.

Panning slightly left from the last shot, you can now see the double door entrance to the bedroom area.

From the other side of the bedroom, you can now see the king-sized bed, chair, workstation, and part of the dresser (with TV atop)at the left.

As you turn around where I was standing to take the picture of the bedroom above, you find a whirlpool tub, separate room with the toilet, and a large shower.

All for the price of a standard king-bed room - and being away from home an awful lot.

Local Benefits

Another favorite benefit of the frequent hotel premiums are the benefits the local hotel puts together for you.  Sometimes it's cash benefits - discounts on meals or beverages, free breakfast, or even reduced admission pricing to some local attraction or health club.

Other times, it's giveaways - free popcorn, granola or candy bar, bottle of soda or water, such as below:

That kind of stuff is pretty standard and have been given away for years.  Recently, I received an interesting twist on the "giveaway" theme"

That's right, at a hotel I recently visited, I got a sample package of Cold-Eeze, a package of Breathe Right nasal strips, and Dijon mustard.  OK, I might give you the Cold-Eeze as their way to promote healthy habits.

But I don't use mustard or ketchup at all on my food, and there's no way to just snack on it before bed.  So what's the point?  And I bring my own remedy for my snoring problem, so the Breathe Right strips are useless for me.

Hope somebody gets some use out of these.......

Welcome Letter

As any frequent traveler, I am signed up to virtually every hotel points program on the planet.  While I generally try to remain loyal to 2 main hotels chains, there are times when you need to stay at a chain I don't normally bed down with.

However, certain benefits accrue while remaining loyal to one or two programs.  Free room upgrades, local benefits from the local franchisee, and other types of benefits.  In the next several posts, I will share some of my favorite benefits, and odd twists I have seen on those benefits.

One of my favorite benefits is a personalized letter in my room upon arrival, and other personalized touches in the room.  The guest programs track the tendencies and preferences of their most loyal customers, and that information is available to individual hotels - but it is up to them to use that information to improve your stay.  So when I see a personalized letter, I know that someone took a few extra minutes to look that information up and I am much more likely to return to that hotel on future stays.

However, in most cases, you receive either a generic welcoming letter, or no letter at all.  While that's doesn't automatically translate to a bad stay, a personalized letter almost certain guarantees good customer service and a good experience.

Within the past couple of weeks I ran across the welcoming letter when I checked into a hotel I had not visited before:

While this message was laminated and therefore technically, a "generic" letter, I found it at least as gratifying as any personalized letter I'd ever received.  I have never seen anything like this in my years on the road, and I doubt I will again.  At least at a chain hotel.  Unfortunately.

Various Lumberjacks

                                                            Guessing he's on break......

Random Road Pics

                              Most towns paint their name on the water tower.  Not this one!

                                                         An Original Carnegie Library

                                                                     Beaver Lodge

Guess this is one option for post-law enforcement

Motorcycle safety?

Saw this guy in traffic on the road this week, and just hadda snap a pic and comment on it.  It was such an odd mix of safety gear, that I laughed out loud.  From top to bottom:

• Helmet - no.  Protective eyewear - yes.  I guess when he wrecks, he'll make a good retina donor.
• Long-sleeve shirt/leather jacket - no; driving gloves - yup.  Road rash apparently is not a concern, but blisters on your hands from riding are.......
• Jeans and/or chaps - nope, just shorts.  And fairly short shorts, at that.
• Protective footwear - yup; cowboy boots with high black socks.  

Can't decide if this guy is brave or clueless.......

"Back" at it

After months of dealing with a medical problem, having surgery to fix it, and working through the initial physical therapy, I am back on the road.  I had been off the road for over 7 weeks around the surgery - the longest stretch in many years.

Having driven over 3000 miles over the last two weeks, I have had a lot of "windshield time" to reflect on what I've missed and what I haven't about traveling all the time:

Things I've missed:

• Being on the road - I know that sounds a little redundant, but traveling is in my genes, and not having been on the road has been hard.  Being out seeing summer come on into full bloom and the endless fields of corn and soybeans just beginning to mature was soothing and had a great restorative power in my soul.  This period has just confirmed that a desk job is not for me.
• The kindness of some folks - I had a very interesting convo with a check-out clerk at a little local pharmacy, who blessed me as I left and said she'd be thinking about me and praying for my safe return home this week.  
• Sunny cool mornings, perfect for driving - and some of the more pleasant sensory experiences of the road; freshly cut grass, the smell of grain elevators emptying their contents into trucks for transport to a processing plant, and the warmth of the sun on your skin as you are putting some miles behind you.

Things I've not missed:

• Crappy hotels - only had one of these over the last two weeks, but it was an older hotel of the chain I frequent that had not been updated recently.  Nor were the hotel staff particularly pleasant or helpful.  I'm not asking for 5 star hospitality for the price I can pay for my stays, but can we at least be kind to one another.
• The odor of factory animal farms  - don't get me wrong, I love a good steak, pork chop, or chicken sandwich, but being downwind of these factory animal farms can be quite unpleasant.
• Folks who are distracted and not using cruise control - FYI - if you are driving and cannot take a phone call or type a text (which we all shouldn't be doing anyway) without slowing down, at least figure out how to do it while using cruise control.  Hopscotch is a playground game for elementary school students, not a game for folks driving down the interstate.

Looking forward to again sharing some of the sights and sounds of the road.

Updated summary from my prior post to 5/31

Monthly summary (thru 5/31/12)

Driving miles – 5831

Flying miles - 0

Nights in a hotel – 13

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 10

States visited (unique to 2012) – 1

Canadian provinces visited (unique to 2012) - 1

Year to date summary (thru 5/31/12)

Driving miles – 13145

Flying miles - 2110

Nights in a hotel – 35

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 32

States visited (unique to 2012) -14

Canadian provinces visited (unique to 2012) - 1

February Summary

Monthly summary

Driving miles – 1984

Flying miles - 2110
Total miles - 4094

Nights in a hotel – 6

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 5

States visited (unique to 2012) - 2

Year to date summary

Driving miles – 7314

Flying miles - 2110

Total Miles - 9440
Nights in a hotel – 22

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 22

States visited (unique to 2012) - 13

*  Unfortunately, I got the nasty flu that was going around, and spent 3-4 days in bed and was not in shape to travel for several more days.  Most of this travel was done over the final 3 weeks of the month.

What a single overnight can do

While I usually try to make it to my hotel before nightfall, sometimes that doesn't work out.  So sometimes you get treated to an awesome sunset:

I particularly liked this shot because it shows both nature's beauty, and out attempts at harnessing nature to create energy for our needs.  Wind-, solar-, and other energy technologies that don't burn something and create by-products that are released into the atmosphere are the best chance at leaving a world that's livable for future generations.

But that old adage - "Red at night, sailor's delight" - didn't apply.  After this sunset, winter weather moved in overnight and left behind a whole different world the next morning:

I can't make this stuff up

When checking into my hotel recently, I felt like I had taken on the role of Dr. Phil or something.

The conversation started normally enough.  She says "We have your [frequent stay] club number on file, and thanks for being a [member at the highest level]".  To which my standard response is - "Well, it just means I'm away from home a lot".  "Yeah, my dad's a trucker, so I know how that is".

And then it got weird.

She tells me how her dad divorced her mom after 20 years of marriage and after having three children.  Said I was sorry to hear that, thinking that was it.  Well, he divorced her mom to marry her mom's sister.  So now, she has a mom, and an aunt/step-mom which, as you can imagine, created a certain amount of family tension for quite a while.  And they all lived in the same town of fewer than 15,000 people.

Aunt/step-mom and dad also have a child between them.  After 10 years of marriage, they split up.

And he quickly marries a third woman - a cousin.  And they move out of town and all but disappear.

No, I did not hear "Deliverance" banjo music, but I may be rethinking staying at this particular hotel in the future.......

Interesting Song Titles

As I travel, I listen to a variety of CDs, recorded books, and Sirius XM Radio channels to pass the time (I cannot use my cell phone while driving owing to a company policy).  Sometimes, due to limitation of the radio, the song titles and artists produce some interesting mashups.  When I can do so, I try to document them, and will share them periodically here:

Is that otherwise known as pimping?

I think it's time to remodel your bathroom............

A little hard to read  (sorry, still fine-tuning my photographic techniques) - "You make me Simply Red".  It may must be me, but I don't think this relationship will work out.

From what I know of Ms Benatar, I hardly think this is true.  There was this guy Pat I once worked for years ago, though.............

Road Ragin' Truckers

OK - if you've ever driven in a hilly area or in the mountains, you've run into this situation - you're on a long uphill climb, and you pass a slower-moving semi.  (An aside - I set my cruise 3-mph over the speed limit as a rule, knowing that a cop will never pull me over for that, but I feel like I'm getting away with something.  I know - pretty juvenile).  Anyway, you crest the hill and, as you continue to travel at your consistent speed, the truck you just passed picks up speed and repasses you.

The next uphill, you pass him.  The next downhill, he passes you.  Ad nauseum and usually just annoying.

However, while on the road this week, I passed an asshat on an uphill, pulled back in, and it so happened that a long line of traffic had caught up with us as we crested the hill.  So when he wanted to play catchup on his average speed, there was no room to for him to pull out and pass me.  So he pulls right up on my bumper - so close that all I can see is grill and headlight; I can't even see his front bumper.  Then he turns on his high beams. Then he hits me with a horn blast.  To which I reset my cruise to 1 mph BELOW the speed limit.

Then we hit the next uphill and he drops off as usual.  Having proven my point, I got off at the next exit for a bio-break and recaffeinate.......

(As an aside for all you truckers out there - don't be sold on just horsepower.  Make sure your transmission creates proper torque and is geared properly, and you won't have to worry about playing this game.  You can set your cruise control and never have to shift on anything but the most mountainous terrain.  This is a fact, and saves fuel - which puts more money in your pocket).

Thinking he was long gone and I was good to go, I pulled back onto the highway.  A different 18-wheeler is nice enough to pull into the left lane to allow me to get onto the highway.  I pull on and end up near his rear trailer axle.  He is doing a few MPH under the speed limit, and I am still coming up to speed.  Almost immediately, he turns on his turn signal to move back over, I think expecting that I should slow to allow that.  Well, no, I continue to my normal 3 MPH over the limit, and ultimately pass him.  As soon as I do, HE lets out a blast with his horn.

Which earned him a return honk, and the proper salute and I went on my way.

Proper road etiquette allows my doing just that, and he was out of line.  Jerkweed.

When I put that sign in my window that says "Blow Me", it doesn't mean to honk..............

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs.....

I have NO idea what they are trying to say here..............

The just-legible yellow sign above their heads says "No Loitering".  They stood there for several minutes.....

As seen in Texas.......

I understand the sentiment here - if you drive into dense smoke, you may run off the road or run into other cars.  It has happened and people have been killed.  But "Park on Right Shoulder"?

No offense, but if there's fire and smoke in the area, I am (illegally) crossing over the center median, driving the other direction, and getting the hell away..................

Chicago from the air

Spent about half the week where something resembling the rodent on this shirt resides at a trade show and visiting a customer:

(Sorry - couldn't resist.  This has been in the archives a while, but this seemed like a good time to use it).

Decent day to fly yesterday, and had the opportunity to snap a couple of shots of downtown Chicago while we were on final approach:

Not the clearest of days, but I always like this approach to O'hare.  When you are downtown, particularly at the base of either the Sears Tower or John Hancock Building looking up, there's quite a sense of vertigo while you try to get your mind around the size of the structure.

Then you see them (and the rest of downtown) from this perspective, and their apparent significance changes somewhat dramatically.

Safety Moment

The picture above is the result of a fire caused by a defective iPod charger plugged into a vehicle.  The iPod was not attached - the charger was simply plugged into the dash and overheated, causing the fire.  The vehicle was parked in an attached garage, but was found by the owner prior to any smoke or heat detectors being activated, and extinguished without any further property loss than the vehicle or any any personal injury.

The vehicle has been totaled out - too much damage to repair.

Take away - please unplug ANY electrical charging device from your vehicle when you leave it for any length of time.  Or you may come back to find something very different from what you left.

January Summary

*Going to try to do this right about the end of every month.  Have been battling the flu since last weekend, so I am behind on posting these numbers.

Monthly summary

Driving miles – 5330

Flying miles - 0

Nights in a hotel – 16

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 17

States visited (unique to 2012) - 11

Year to date summary

Driving miles – 5330

Flying miles - 0

Nights in a hotel – 16

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 17

States visited (unique to 2012) - 11

Full disclosure – I spent one weekend this month away from home with my bride.  She was attending a conference during the day, but we got to spend time together in the evenings, and visited with family in the area.  So it wasn’t ALL work and no play.  Just mostly…………..

Does the building really matter?

These two buildings are about 30 miles apart.  I found them within hours of one another.

Does one represent more faithfulness than the other?  I'll let you decide.

Really?

Would be able to believe this sign a little more if there was actually a sidewalk there..........