Thursday, May 14, 2009

Road Trip!!!!

I love road trips. So when I found out that we had to travel to San Angelo for a deposition, I was so excited!! My trial partner, Christina, suggested that we fly but I just mocked her until I shamed her into not making such ridiculous suggestions. Apparently 6 hours on the open road is NOT her idea of a good time . . .

With each road trip I take, I'm developing a list of road trip truths and lies. Here is what I have so far.

Road Trip Truth 1: Inexpensive hotels are not always bad hotels. I've been very impressed with smaller, less expensive hotels. You know, your Comfort Inns, Holiday Inns, etc. Currently I'm sitting in my room at the Fairfield Inn in San Angelo and, I must say, it's quite nice. I'm enjoying the freezing air that comes loudly out of the window unit - I, of course, cranked it down the minute I walked into the room. Why do I do this to myself in hotel rooms?? It's like a ruthless game of Freeze Out against myself. Except with my shirt on. And I'm not hanging out the window of a car. Ok, it's nothing like that, I guess, but you get the point. The only negative thing I can say about the room is that the WiFi is broken so I'm having to plug into the desk for the internet and the desk chair sits about a foot off the floor. I can't figure out how to raise it. So I'm sitting with my arms at shoulder-level, typing, and freezing my buns off.

Road Trip Truth 2: Combos are always good road trip food. I opt for the cheese and cracker ones and they never disappoint. Christina spent a few minutes mocking me for eating them until she tried them. And then asked for seconds. See? They are ALWAYS a good choice.

Road Trip Truth 3: Texas is a beautiful place. It really is. The different types of terrain we saw in the 6 hours we were on the road were all beautiful. San Angelo, on the other hand? Not so much.

Road Trip Lie 1: San Angelo is a beautiful place. See above note . . .

Road Trip Lie 2: Dairy queen bathrooms are clean. No one wants to use the restroom at a gas station. This is a universally acknowledged truth. Some are more tolerant of the idea, but no one WANTS to. I move that we add Dairy Queen bathrooms to that list. Any seconds? I mean, it always sounds like a good idea to combine the bathroom stop with the Blizzard stop but have you ever been pleased with that decision? The bathrooms are always tightly squeezed into the back, left corner like an after-thought. I really think they're trying to discourage us from using their facilities. Today, we stopped at one in Killeen and it was like a closet that had been converted to a bathroom:
The picture really doesn't do it justice. It was REALLY small and I wasn't altogether convinced that my knees wouldn't hit the wall. Christina is MUCH taller than me so I'm not sure how she did it! And I have no idea what that is on the ground . . . I didn't notice it until just now, thank GOODNESS.

Road Trip Lie 3: Local restaurants are the way to go. Sometimes you should just go with your gut and go to Johnny Carino's. Tonight we ignored our guts and went to the local "steakhouse" which has apparently been a "Texas Tradition for 60 years." It wasn't great but we had a great waiter so that made up for it. And next time, perhaps we'll try the special . . .
Seriously, people. PROOFREAD. Unless the chef's name is "Tommow," this is unacceptable.

So that's my list so far. I do love a good road trip so I hope that I'll be discovering more truths and lies as I explore the roads around me. In the meantime, feel free to enlighten me with yours!!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am new to the "Chronicles",is it me or does Catherine seem to have a "toilet-centric" focus this week?

Emma said...

I second the Dairy Queen motion! Ugh, they are NASTY! And still laughing about the local eateries......I love road trips,too, and continue to fall for both of those Roat Trip Lies!

Joley said...

I truly desire going on a grammar road trip with you. We could travel the state of Texas and correct misspelled signs and add apostrophes where they belong. What do you think?

Catherine said...

Anonymous, you're cracking me up. But I think if you're going to give me a hard time, you should least IDENTIFY yourself! :) Joley, let's plan the trip. Can we add dangling prepositions to the wrongs that we'll right?? Tam, wanna go??

Emma said...

Sure! Always looking for a road trip.....I'm in

Unknown said...

Catherine, Apparently you have forgotten your mother's first Road Trip Truth: Always stop at a hotel/motel to use the bathroom in the lobby! They are always immaculate, there is never a line and your feet never stick to the floor!!!! l'm still laughing about Tommow's special.