I’ve gotten several derogatory comments about my planning and organizing.  There are those, who shall remain nameless, that think the ideal is to just wander willy-nilly along the road and let every thing be spontaneous.

My reply is, “I’m sorry, but I need to know where I’m going to sleep every night.”  I’ve experienced pulling off the interstate with 500 miles or so behind me and finding an AARP convention has filled every available motel room at that exit.  I want the security of reservations.  We do have a timeline to follow.  While an endless road trip might appeal to our nomadic souls, this one is only a loop with a deadline at the end.  Jim does have to return to work on October 10th.

He also has a commitment for the Combat Camera reunion in Albuquerque from the 22nd through the 25th and wants to spend at least a couple of days each at three other locations along the way.  The timeline requires making an average number of miles each day.

One of my “no room at the inn” experiences involved a blizzard that left me stranded in the mountains.  The people at the local La Quinta Inn were considerate enough to allow those of us who couldn’t get rooms to sleep in their lobby and, not only provide us with pillows and blankets, but breakfast the next morning.  All at no charge.  I have tried to reward them when traveling by using their chain whenever possible.  I find most of their hotels to be clean, comfortable, and inexpensive with all the amenities I require.  Because I was planning ahead, we were able to make La Quinta Inn accommodations for most of the trip.  It has also cut our expected hotel expenses by nearly half.

It has been more nearly 40 years since I drove across country.  The last time, the Interstate Highway system was just beginning to replace Route 66.  Since that time, the venerable old road has nearly gone the way of the Oregon Trail.  One of the things we want to do is trace what’s left of the old road, where practical.  My research indicates some of it is only accessible by bike or on foot, but what’s still paved and in use is being restored in may areas.  We will not be going out of our way for it, there is that timeline we need to follow.  Where we can do, so we’ll be looking at museums, restorations and ruins of the old road along the way.  In fact, one of our non-La Quinta stops is a restored Route 66 location in Tucumcari, NM called The Blue Swallow Motel.

Our itinerary will include several hours a day for side trips and photo shoots.  When you have a reservation and let the motel know ahead of time that you will be late getting there, they don’t require an exact check-in time.  Jim refuses to camp in a tent anymore.  He says he got his fill of that in the military.  I refuse to wander from exit to exit along the interstate looking for a clean, reasonably priced (preferably with free wifi and breakfast) place to sleep.