Bobert, in April of '11 we went to Death Valley. The route I laid out put us in Shoshone, CA., one night. Calling Shoshone a town is kind of a stretch. One motel. The bed was ok, it wasn't really dirty, and I didn't see any personal safety issues. But. It allegedly had a kitchinette: The outer shells of some cabinets were hanging there sagged out of shape, and I would never have considered trying to light that stove top. The bathroom floor looked like someone had spread black adhesive and dropped vinyl tiles on it; trust me, I have a photo. Bobert, that place made the motel last night look like the Ritz Carlton.

And maybe sometime I'll tell you about when a Navy buddy and I stayed at the Hotel Marion in Chicago 47 years ago.