Yesterday ended with me checking into an any-port-in-a-storm Super 8 Motel at the edge of Centerville, Iowa, and very glad to have had that option. This morning I woke up to a steady rain with forecast for more. I didn’t want to spend the day riding in the rain or blogging in a Super 8.
Fortunately, via the internet, I found two attractive options: an old hotel in town on the square, and a homey-looking library, also in town. The hotel lady on the phone agreed to let me check in early, so I packed up and rode in the rain two miles to my new home for the day, the Continental Hotel. The day was spent alternately blogging in the hotel or wandering around the town square, depending on the rain. It was a good day.
Super 8, where the day started
The Continental Hotel
Around the Town Square
The Library
…and a church.
Mike, glad you were able to get to a warm dry spot for the night. What a beautiful old hotel you found! you have certainly had some great places to stay! Safe travels on the rest of your adventure! I’m checking on you daily.
Hi Mike,
It’s your neighbors Michelle and Frank from Dora Avenue! We have been enjoying following your blog as you travel across the country. As convenient as air travel may be, you do miss so much of this beautiful country when you are 45,000 feet above. You have captured so much in the photos you have taken.
They are fantastic! Your comments are so thoughtful and honest and we
appreciate the information and history you share about the places you have been. What an incredible journey. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.
Safe travels home!
Except for the modern cars, you would hardly know the photos of downtown weren’t from the 1920’s or -30’s small town America. Hope you get better weather, seems like you just had a couple good weeks of it so I was thinking you were about due for a hit of rain, especially this time of year. Maybe you’ll be going south soon, and maybe more favorable climate there.
In some of your pictures around the town square the trees are completely bare. I’m looking out my window and all of the trees have leaves, which are still mostly green. It is 80 degrees and sunny here in Sacramento. From where I sit it is hard to believe it is almost November.
That Centerville Iowa Continental Hotel looks pretty roomy. I decided you were having dinner, not breakfast, and that was a big bowl of soup. Hard for a Cinnamon Roll Chef to resist temptations of experiencing someone else’s C.R. when out on the road this long, tired & hungry. So rest up because travel may be challenging on way back. I preview weather forecasts for the areas you are travelling towards and it did seem the other day forecasters were saying clear – but then you had rain. Rain still shows up in Colorado forecasts today. Rain forecasts are starting to show up in SF Bay Area. Thanks – Good luck!
Looks like a cozy day. Good call on moving hotels…
Hi Mike. I’m really enjoying your blog since just finding out about it on Scooter in the Sticks. I also just subscribed to your email updates.
I’m planning on a trip on my Vespa 300 GTS next year from home in Southern California to Dad’s birth place in Washington, then to sisters in Wyoming and Colorado, then back home., and want to keep my family up to date on my progress with words and pictures. Your postings are so well done, I’d appreciate knowing what program/software you use. You mentioned you took some pictures with an iPad. What camera did you use also?
Thanks for any answers you can give me….when you get a chance on you busy travel schedule.
Continue safely on a wonderful journey.
Bill Hughes