Travelogue ... a beginning?

I decided that today was the day to begin making reservations for hotels for our vacation.

We have planned to head south and pick up Historic Route 66 in Joplin, Missouri and drive as much of that as possible to Arizona.

So ... with my Skype headset on and the internet at my fingertips, along with some planning that I had put in several weeks ago, I began making phone calls to hotels.

You probably need to know that this vacation is an adventure for both Max and myself. We aren't intending to spend a lot of money on the hotels, in fact, we prefer the strip hotels that you see in small towns. We are also not the type of people that spend much time in a hotel, so why spend money for much more than a clean bed, right? Right.

First off: The Slumber Inn in Harrisonville, Missouri. I called. A young man answered. Obviously English is not his first language, but he was helpful, polite and I managed to make a reservation for Friday night. Cool. This is a good start.

Second night: I hope to stay in Elk City, Oklahoma. I don't want to stay in Oklahoma City, this doesn't get us far enough along the road, so ... let's see what options I have.

I had originally settled on a Ramada. It's not a great looking hotel, prices are reasonable and they take pets. Can I book this online? Hmmm, there are no rooms available. Weird. Ok. Keep looking. The Flamingo Hotel - right on Historic Route 66. A couple of reviews like it, but the latest wasn't too promising. I called Max. He agreed. It's more adventurous to try something a little weird. Go for it.

I called the hotel. A voice mail system with a decidedly southern drawl. Interesting. Press '0' for the operator. I pressed '0'. Nothing. The system returned after a few minutes. Press '0' for the operator. I pressed '0'. Nothing. I began to giggle. The system returned again. Press '0' for the operator. I pressed '0' and waited. Still giggling. A young woman came on the line and again, spoke very little English. I told her I wanted to make a reservation. She offered me a room with one bed. I told her I wanted two beds. She explained that I would have to take non-smoking, they were beginning to fill up. I explained to HER that I didn't want this room until October 18. She laughed. I hung up. That scared me a little more than I can explain.

I searched and searched. I can stay at the Holiday Inn for $115.00 - $140.00. Other hotels start at $95.00. In Elk City, Oklahoma? Really? We can do better than this.

So, off again to the internet. Hmmm. Red Carpet Inn. Part of their website tells me that they take pets, the next part says 'no pets.' Ok, you know what? I'm just going to call. No answer. No answer at all. It rang and rang and rang and was still ringing as I began this blog. I finally decided to give up. I'm back to the internet.

Actually, I think I will make the next two night's reservations. Those are going to be at places that should be much more interesting. The Blue Swallow Inn in Tucumcari, NM and the WigWam in Holbrook, AZ. Those are the historic Route 66 hotels we WANT to stay in. Oh, please let this be less painful!