we’re off for…ummm…… somewhere

First we were going to Lexington VA, with side trips to points in West Virginia. NO, no, first we were going to Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky. Baker B has for some reason decided he wants to go to Mammoth Cave, so to begin with we were going there over the long weekend. ("Long" in the sense that I’m taking extra days off to MAKE it long, as the Fourth falls very inconveniently on a Tuesday this year). That did sound like fun, being the Biggest Tourable Cave In The World. Until we also realized it’s also one of the Biggest Tourist Attractions In The World – or at least the eastern US – so of course it’s going to be very very crowded over a holiday weekend. Duh. Their website suggests you buy tickets ahead of time. Lines will be long. Lots of irritable screaming children and testy tired parents. Ewwww. Okay, we’ll go there some less touristy, non-holiday time.

So then we decide we’ll go to Charleston. We always go to Charleston, but we LOVE Charleston. There’s tons to do, it’s gorgeous, and I could seriously live there. It’s also a place where Baker B, aka Captain Neurotic: Terrible Traveler! is comfortable and happy.  So I make reservations for Charleston at the lovely Red Roof Inn. (Which actually IS amazingly nice for a cheap low-budget motel). For a few days that’s the plan – we’re going to Charleston. That was last weekend. I think. I’ve kind of lost track of time. Then, early this week,  Baker B decides he REALLY wants to go to Lexington instead.  Which is fine, it’s okay,  we haven’t been there in ages. Because we always go to Charleston. And it’s beautiful and scenic and has lots of history and we always enjoy going. And it will be great fun to go somewhere I haven’t yet been with the digital camera. And there are lots of side trips to take from there, including the very odd and beautiful Cass, West Virginia. We went to Cass a few years ago and have been dying to go back. So fine, I make reservations for the Lexington Econo Lodge. But I don’t cancel the Charleston ones yet, because Baker B is just a tad indecisive. Just in case  that’s not glaringly obvious.

So a couple of days ago Baker B checks the weather for West Virginia and discovers that it’s supposed to be rainy. Uh oh.  You don’t want to be driving around Weird West Virginia in the rain, believe me. We’ve done that. Not fun. Narrow windy poorly kept roads through steep mountains, creepy little coal-mining towns, nowhere to escape the weather. You can’t just pop into a Starbucks for a few hours and have a latte when you’re in the wilds of West Virginia. I’ve been laughed at for asking what kind of imported beer an ABC store carried in West Virginia.(Heineken. And Corona. That was it. And Samuel Adams, which the beer store guy considered an import.)  

So Baker B changes his mind once again and  wants to go to Charleston. Again. Still fine with me. I did look forward to a trip to Coal Country and Lexington – but I’ll never turn down a trip to the beach, believe me. I think this was maybe Tuesday. That left us with two sets of reservations for several days, because Baker B likes keeping his options open! And I didn’t want to end up reservationless over the Fourth. Yesterday I decide it’s safe to cancel Lexington, though, so I call and cancel. Because I’m really afraid we’re going to forget and wait till it’s too late and get charged for two motel rooms in two different cities. "We" meaning "me" since of course that’s who is doing all the reserving and cancelling and reserving and cancelling.

I’m sure you can imagine where this is going. Today at around noon, Baker B calls me. He’s looked at the weather again. Now it’s going to be nice in Lexington and not quite as nice in Charleston! Hey, why don’t we just go to Lexington instead!  

AAAGGHHH!!!!!!

Hey, why don’t we just set out first thing tomorrow morning and head one direction and then we’ll turn around and head the other direction and then we’ll rethink that and turn around again and head the FIRST direction, and THEN…..

I said, "Okay, FINE, if YOU want to do this next round of reservations and cancellations yourself that’s fine but some of us HAVE WAY TOO MUCH WORK TO DO AND CAN’T SPEND ALL OUR TIME RESERVING AND CANCELLING AND RESERVING AND CANCELLING MOTEL ROOMS!!!!"

And he actually did. Well, he DIDN’T, really, ("But I don’t know hooooowwwww to reserve a room!") but he did call Charleston to see how late we can cancel without getting charged, and he did call Lexington to see what their room situation was. And even called the Cass Train Station to see if by chance any of their little company railroad cabins had opened up, since we REALLY want to stay in one of those but they were all booked up. Nope, but the Lexington situation was excellent, as it turns out. Lexington isn’t a prime Fourth of July Vacation Hotbed, evidently.  And after I got over being peeved I went to the AAA site for the 324,927th time and rebooked our Lexington room. AGAIN. And gave Baker B a few hours to change his mind, but finally cancelled Charleston before leaving work.

So, we’re going to… uh…. well, we’re going SOMEWHERE first thing in the morning, and if anyone has been able to keep track of this, you get a gold star because I’m not too sure myself!

And now I HAVE to go to bed, since we are – hahahahahaha!!!! – getting up as if we’re going to work in the morning so we’ll get an early start. Yeah, I’m sure that’s going to happen. But still, I should make an effort and it’s already 12:30. I hope to return with a zillion photos of Lexington, and a zillion of Weird Somewhat Creepy But Always Fascinating West Virginia.

And I’ll leave with a picture from this morning that I’ve actually uploaded already, shockingly – this is a pasture I drive by daily – the road goes in a big U around it, although you can’ t tell it here. Every summer someone puts a couple of horses in this pasture, but this summer I’d really started to worry – no horses, no horses, no horses, and several times I saw people messing around in the barn. I was very afraid the pasture had been sold – I think the person who owned it died recently – and McMansions were due to spring up any moment. But then a few days ago, the horses appeared! And not just the two usual horses – this time they have two colts!  Of course you really can’t tell that here, but I took it as I was waiting for the road construction guys – they’re widening the road, since it is, seriously, crumbling at the edges down the cliff. Which IS there, I used the zoom here so you can’t tell you’re way up on the edge of a high cliff with the bank crumbling under your tires. Usually I hate construction, but I have to admit this is a good thing. ANYHOW, I had to stop this morning so took the chance to take a picture. The power line is unfortunate, but oh, well.