Sleeping on the Road

Like true rambling souls, we took a major “detour” in order to take Hamlet to Cortland, OH (where he was manufactured in 1957) so we could take a picture of him in front of the “Welcome to Cortland” chamber of commerce sign.  As Shari stood in the street ready to shoot, Hutch slowly maneuvered the camper into the shot.  Once, twice, three times around the block, we finally got the shot we were after…or at least close enough.  We are certain that many passersby’s wondered what the heck we were up to at 10pm on a Thursday night, but Shari jumped back in and we drove away before anyone asked.  Next time we head through northeastern Ohio, we’d like to stop at a diner and ask some local old timers if they know anything about the Sportcraft Camper Manufacturing Company that was in operation from 1955-1959.

Instead of staying at the nearby Mosquito Lake State Park (we wonder if you get a complimentary bottle of deet when you check in?), we pushed on toward Cleveland and eventually onto the good ol’ Ohio Turnpike -- where every turnoff looks identical to the next, the gas prices are at least 20 cents higher than elsewhere, and 2000+ semi-trucks carrying goods to and from their destinations roar down the highway as if they own the place.  If this isn’t an unfortunate representation of American capitalism, we don’t know what is?

After reaching a point of road weariness, we pulled off into one of those “convenient” by-products of American capitalism (aka travel centers), where we thought we’d get some sleep.  We have all seen this before, late at night, the sleeping guardians of commerce pull into their designated slots at rest areas to give their drivers some sleep.  We’ve often contemplated this option in rather romantic terms.  Wouldn’t it be nice to just pull off the highway, crawl into the camper, and start counting sheep.  No need to make small talk at 1am with the motel clerk sporting more tattoos than we could count, no schlepping luggage up the stairs to the 3^rd floor of a non-smoking room which reeks of the air freshener attempting to cover up the lingering smell of the last “non-smoker” who slept there, no fussing with the A/C unit to find the sweet spot where the fan rattles at a rhythm which we could tolerate for the next 8 hours.  Not this trip, none of that will be necessary.  We’ll just curl up in our own bed, in our own camper, with our own stuff and fall sound asleep. 

At about 3am, that romantic notion was completely shattered.  After two hours of listening to the cacophony of idling semi-trucks, jake braking trucks rambling by on the nearby highway, and diesel engines starting up, we realized that this will be the last time we make use of one of these “convenient” travel centers.  We’d rather find a quiet back road somewhere and get a few hours of sleep.