Monday was another long driving day, starting in Decatur, Alabama, through Tennessee, part of Kentucky and almost the entire length of Illinois to Rockford. As we approached Nashville, I kept seeing a very catchy sign: Practice Safe Text. Don't Do It While Driving. Turns out the electronic billboard must have been the winner in a contest: great idea and even better message. In the morning, we entered our home central time zone and thereby gave ourselves another hour on the road.
During the long drive through Illinois, as the weather changed from spring in the south to near winter in the north, I thought about the strain of political campaigning in a large state like this one. The culture changes from southern to midwestern in only a few hours, and it must be difficult to spin an honest, effective message on the campaign trail.
We were both quite "shredded" by the time the day ended at about 6:30 p.m. An error in judgment led us to another Comfort Inn, lodging that must be the absolute worst in that hotel row just off I39. The full dumpster behind the hotel gave me a bad feeling, as did the old carpeting and decades old furniture. I was surprised that the WiFi worked quite well and TV wasn't bad either. Nevertheless, I felt we -- or at least I -- deserved better and immediately decided that I would splurge on my hair as soon as we got home.
Bob correctly noted that it was clean and the bed was very comfortable. He also liked the smell of cleaning products in the hallways and the fact that the desk clerk walked around the breakfast room with a disinfectant bottle, cleaning tables with what looked like a clean rag.
I couldn't wait to leave Rockford on Tuesday morning.
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