Thank goodness it's Friday. But it's just like any other day for now. For tonight, I was staying at the Birchmont Motel at the eastern border of Marquette, Michigan (upper pennisula). The room has the beautiful view of Lake Superior from the front, and a hill covered with snow in the back. Highway 28 was busy with automobiles, and for one day, it was great to not be on the road.
Day 9 started with 53915 miles on the odometer, and I left at 6:30 am from Twin Lakes, Michigan after sleeping in front of a house last evening.
The day started pretty bad. I drove eastward towards the city of Houghton and saw a short beach, I pulled my car off onto the beach near Baraga, Michigan. Thinking I should take a quick nap, I attempted to position the pasenger side of the truck to the sun, and that's when the truck got stuck in the beach sand (pumpkin).
A state trooper stopped by and tried to help, but we couldn't get the truck loose. After he left, I tried futily to get the truck out, and then decided to call Ken's Service, a garage with wrecking truck. Now getting stuck in the sand wasn't what made me angry, it's what these wreckers charge for their services. He charged $50 to pull the truck out, but I only had $20 so I went to the ATM at a nearby casino to get the rest of the money. I had planned to stop at an ATM sooner or later. The casino tempted me to stay and try to win $50, but I passed.
He said that he's been cheated many times. That is, he provided service, but people didn't have the money to pay in full. If you're going to charge someone an outrageous price for service ($50 for 5 minutes of work) then I understood why people cheated him and other wreckers. Screw wreckers! (I had a bad experience before, but I was helping a neighbor's friend out.)
That's why I have no respect for lawyers, doctors, and wreckers (and many other professions) in our society. It wasn't I don't like what they do, it's that their service fee is so outrageously high. Well, what goes around comes around: Hope he has a gambling addiction and goes to that casino and loses the shirt off his back and the underwear off his butt. But you know what, I got over that $50 quickly because things might have been worst, and I was on the road again. This was just another learning experience.
(The trooper said that it was illegal to drive on the beaches in Michigan- possibly only in the upper pennisula.)
And as I continued the adventure, I noticed the landscape began to become more and more white. I loved the snow. If anyone was traveling with me, I would have been speechless. People up north must be tired of seeing it, but it made me feel like a kid again.
Then I came to the city of Ishpeming, Michigan, known for the Ski Hall of Fame. I didn't stop at the Hall of Fame, but did stop at a tourist attraction called Da Yoopers. The billboard promoting the place even suggested it was a tourist trap. I bought two items, but didn't want to bog down my journey with buying memorabilias.
As I drove out of the city of Marquette I checked my internet provider to see if they had a local access number for this area, and they did; therefore, I decided to stay at the Birchmont Motel. It's a fair price and very quiet. In fact, this was the only local area IBM.NET has for the upper Michigan pennisula.
I haven't showered in over 4 days, and been wearing the same clothes for a a few days. I took a bath and it felt all so good. And tomorrow I even get to take a shower before I check out- it makes me want to drool just thinking about it. You never know what you've got until it's gone. This is what life should be about- enjoying everything, even the things we do everyday. It'll be a while before I get a chance to sit in a warm room, relax, and just not have much on my mind. I was going to make this the best $35 I've ever spent!
And putting on clean clothes after the bath? Oh, it was like trying on new clothes at a store, and liking the fit, and buying it.
Then I watched The Saint on HBO...wow, TV...Other than the news, I never watched TV much, but this movie was enjoyable.
I've never really been the materialistic type, and I don't take having a shelter over my head for granted. It's just that being without a home now for over a week has made me appreciate every opportunity I have to feel like I was at home again. Tonight...well, tonight...there's no fear about where I may be sleeping.
