So, skipping ahead to a great experience.
Remember the previous post regarding (possibly) the worst motel in the U.S.? Well, the next nights were quiet.
Following the “Horror Hotel of Mobile” ($44.46), I completely raced away from the part of the U.S. and found myself staying 542 miles away in Sealy, TX at the Super 8 ($67.79 1st night $56.97 2nd night).
Room had free wifi that worked well, refrigerator, microwave, king bed, vanity and a great work desk. Great place, parked outside my room and settled in for two days as the following day was all rain. Went to the dollar store, bought a bunch of food I shouldn’t have and settled in. Spent the day mostly updating this site and doing some research to future stays and mapping research.
View from inside to the wet bike outside my door.
On trips with my bike, one of the most important aspects of acquiring a room is how close I can park to the room. This room was ideal.
Super 8 - Sealy TX
Rain kept me here for two days.
On Thursday morning, 1/23/20, the rain had stopped and by mid-morning the sun came out. I packed the bike up and started heading west towards San Antonio. Stopped at a BMW dealership north of San Antonio and then doubled back south towards Dilley to see if I could catch my mechanic, MotoHank. He was out of town I guess, so after a quick break, decided that I would continue west and get closer to Big Bend National Park.
I found myself that Thursday night (420 miles distance) just east of Houston at the Motel 6 in Del Rio, Texas ($36.79). Another great place for the money. Free wifi, refrigerator, microwave, king bed, desk to work, etc.; it was the standard fare and decent for the price. In keeping with the unhealthy eating that I do while staying in discount motels in the United States, dinner consisted of excessive amounts of Burger King.
mOtel 6 Del Rio, Texas. NOt a bad discount chain room.
My room often looks like a disaster when I first arrive and unpack everything. It doesn’t look like this before I go to sleep because I’ll have everything packed that can be packed so nothing will be missed in the morning. Here I have a change of clothes out on the bed and about to repack everything.
Next morning, Friday 1/24/20, I continued west with plans to enter Big Bend National Park for my first night camping on this trip. Left late that morning trying to fix my now, non-working low and high beam headlights.
I never made Big Bend National Park because apparently Texas is a freakin huge state. What I thought would take an hour took over 3 hours and that wasn’t even to the entrance to the park which was another hour south. I made it to Marathon, Texas after 3+ hours and with very limited motel options and no chance that I would make it into the park and into a campsite this late in the afternoon, I decided to continue another half hour west to Alpine, Texas.
Value Lodge - Alpine, TX. Had the place (almost) to myself. I think there was two other motorcyclists and a couple of cars. Quiet, reasonable and clean.
I researched and booked a room in Alpine remotely before leaving Marathon. I booked a room at the cheapest motel in town, the Value Lodge of Alpine, TX ($62.15). The motel was an older style, 1 story, drive right up to your room, throwback to the roadside motels of the 1950’s. It was well maintained and had pretty much the same modern amenities as your chain standard Motel 6 - free wifi, microwave, refrigerator, king bed, air conditioning, desk, flat screen tv, etc. I rode right up to my door and unloaded my bags. Easy. I left the following morning to (finally) head to Big Bend National Park.
