Well, folks, Maggie and I have called it a day and are in the scenic berg of Beckley, West Virginia. Actually quite a nice town, I've been here several times before, and it's home to Tamarack, one of my very favorite places. Tamarack is sort of a difficult entity to describe - the state of WV at some point got the rather bright idea of building this lovely complex off the interstate to provide retail and work space for the state's artisans, handcrafters, small-lot food vendors, etc, etc. It's a very rich mixture of culture and art and craft and food and curious juxtapositions and it absolutely must be experienced if you're ever in the area. Must.
At the moment, though, we're hanging out and eating a gourmet dinner in our luxury hotel suite.
No, see, it's green, therefor, it's healthy.
It's actually Spinach Artichoke Dip from the nearby Ruby Tuesday's. I thought it was so-so. Needed a blender and something to bind it together a little bit, make it less runny. As it stands, it's just sort of wet spinach with artichoke bits.
Maggie, however, was somewhat more covetous of said dinner.
We're also in the stinkiest hotel room known to mankind. Apparently it's policy that dogs stay in smoking rooms. I tried to explain to the clerk at the front desk that she doesn't smoke, but to no avail (he thought I was serious. Seriously. I recognize that we're in black lung country, but how's she going to flick a lighter with no thumbs?). It's not quite as bad as the room that smelled like dead bodies and air freshener that I refused to stay in once in Greensboro, NC, but it's really awful in here, even for a smoking room. So, in vindictive scorn, I let Maggie drink out of the coffee pot.
Relax, they'll wash it. Plus, I offer this as proof that, despite what my dog would have you believe, I actually do feed her...
Anyhow, the drive was largely uneventful, save for the utter and total failure of my GPS navigation system (I'm blaming the mountains. I'm not sure it's their fault, because I have cell reception). Stupid Verizon.
This was at the McDonald's in Frankfort, IN, where you could rent DVDs from a machine outside by the drive thru. That's actually why I got my camera out, but there were just too many people around to take a picture of it.
I did get a picture of something else sort of curious, though. Apparently, if you bravely and nobly fight and/or die for your country and are from Pax, WV, it nets you this honor:
This was in the parking lot of what was essentially the local Eat, Gas, 'n' Go. Hey, it ain't a big obelisk with a reflecting pool, but, God Bless America.
4 comments:
Glad the first part of your drive was a safe one - even if the food was so-so and the room stinky..
Safe driving on the balance of your journey!
Wait, you mean, there was sort of a drive-thru DVD dispenser at the drive-thru (As an aside, is it a LAW that you can't spell "through" the right way if you're in fast food or banking?) at McDonald's??
Does anyone wonder why obesity is spiraling out of control in this country--hell, if you have the DVD player IN the car, you might never have to get out of it at all! Just pee in a cup, or do the astronaut Depends thing. Use your lap top with WIFI to work.
I think I just depressed the hell out of myself.
Funny, I just listened to that song this morning, and started plotting a road trip to come visit you.
Good luck with the rest of the movin!
The dogs in smoking hotel rooms is the most inane policy ever. I never slept when I traveled with my dogs because I felt like I was in an ashtray. Anyway, if you come across a La Quinta Inn they take dogs and they will put you in a non-smoking room.
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