Arrival in Ohio

I had a pleasant day driving here and all was well until I checked into the hotel. I requested the first floor, got the third floor, when I got off the elevator, I was assaulted by smoke smell (not a fire, but old musty smoking smoke)... went in the room, sat on the bed, turned on the TV, was feeling overheated and claustrophobic and felt a headache developing, kept sniffing the air, then I saw the dreaded ASHTRAY and knew I was in a smoking room on a smoking floor.

Called the front desk, who thought I wanted a smoking room, had reserved a smoking room (no on both counts) and he was really an idiot. You know how you wonder how it can take you so long to check someone in? Like what the hell was he doing? So he asked me to come down to the front desk. I said no, I wasn't going to troop down there to watch him stare blankly into his computer... ok, I didn't say the "stare blankly" part, but I did say I wasn't going to make the trip unless he had a room. He said he'd call me back, but in the meantime, I started packing up, thinking I can't stay here for three days. Then the phone rang, he had another room, a non-smoking one, on the first floor (this is after telling me there were no rooms available on the first floor), and I swear it is like a different world.

Yuk. I was thinking about the lack of smoke in my life. I can't think of anyone I know who smokes. NYC is so anti-smoking that I don't ever come in contact with it. You can't even smoke outside in NY. Where I typically rent a car -- Dollar -- all cars are no smoking and you have to sign something that you won't smoke. Where I sometimes stay here, a Marriott property, is also all no smoking.

It still sort of surprises me that me, a former smoker (even though it's been 25+ years) is bothered so much by the smell. It's just so stale and headache inducing.

Anyway, now I'm happy, and here are some photos from today:

Despite this McDonald's sign, there was only one car in front of me where the woman was having such a prolonged conversation that I eventually put the car in Park. I can't imagine what she was doing. This was not a friendly chit chat. It took a lot of restraint to not at least toot the car horn. And hey, who wouldn't want to start their Thanksgiving Day with a trip to McD's?

I saw these bushes a lot today, and they were quite pretty, deep red.

Traveling along in Pennsylvania.

Dramatic sky in Ohio.

I thought of Fran when I saw these trees, especially the big one. This is from when I got off the highway to get gas-- uh, for the car.

More sky drama as the sun sets.