Eats, Writes, and Leaves

What could be a more perfect spot from which to base a humble transformation than a Motel 6?

Here’s the Boyfriend, whose head doesn’t quite hit the door frame of our handi-accessible bathroom in the Motel 6 Redding South. Our room is precisely what I expect from a $50/night motel experience: a small windowed box with industrial carpet, a hard bed, a small TV, and a serviceable bathroom. The inexpertly-spread polyester quilt in the (loud) signature Motel 6 print provides the only decorative touch in the room. No cheesy landscape prints or wallpaper borders. (Hey, budget travel does have advantages!) This is definitely a no-frills experience, “frills” meaning drawers, closets, clocks, and Kleenex.

The bathroom is bigger than I feared it might be, and has more towel racks than some add-a-zero-to-that-pricetag/night hotel rooms I have known.

Clearly, someone has put some work into the exterior of this particular Motel 6. It’s actually kind of pretty, with clean stucco archways, working lights, and a lack of that “I’m about to be attacked” feel I get in the parking lots of many cheap motels.

The pool (an important feature to any summertime Redding-bound traveler) is the showpiece. The clear water looks inviting, and most of the chaises have all their rubberized slats intact. Even the guests only key-entry gate works.

My check-in experience went bizarrely well. The Desk Guy had my reservation, added a day without complaint, and even had a few good recommendations for things to see and do.

So where does Desk Guy tell us to eat? Why, at The Lumberjacks, of course. To be continued…