Night One: Springfield, USA!

I had hoped to reach Tulsa by the end of my first day but my body just wasn't cooperating. I was awake and alert but my whole right leg ached and I didn't want to wear myself out so much that I wouldn't be able to drive a good distance--or at all-- the next day. I contacted my remote navigation lieutenant who assisted me in finding this weary traveler an inn for the night. I made it as far as Springfield, Missouri (the second Springfield I had been in that day. I am starting to understand why Matt Groening picked it.) I've been a Motel Sixer my whole life and I couldn't beat the $34.99 price, but come morning I felt the effects of the too-hard bed and the too-thin pillows. And so the next night I decided to cough up a little more cash so that I could sleep in comfort and soak in a nice bathtub.

That said, the night clerk at Motel 6 couldn't have been nicer,  the room was clean, and the TV worked. Also, thankfully, the lobby vending machine had all the essentials.

Another reason I decided not to continue staying at motels was that I did feel vulnerable that my room faced the parking lot and there was only my door and my window between myself and any would-be attackers. Even though I had a very believable decoy boyfriend in the front seat of my car (a Chicago friend graciously loaned me her late father's jacket and pair of her own flip-flops which could pass as men's. I asked her, "Who wears flip-flops with a khaki rain jacket with a plaid lining?" She replied "my dad." Touche.) I didn't want anyone (fellow hotel guests, random people at rest stops who might be casing the joint) to realize I was traveling alone. So in addition to the coat and shoes, I kept the passenger side clear and kept a drink in each cup-holder. I don't know if I fooled anyone, but then again, I am alive so I am just going to assume that it worked.