Bob, someone has to ask. This place, this room, photo was taken from INSIDE the room. Umm, any story there?
I do have a story on that. It's long. This goes down as Hijak thread drift. Skip over it, sorry.
It's a motorcycle touring story.
A year ago maybe even today, after a fun weekend, I stepped in my boat that was rocking at the dock where I just dropped off a friend.,I missed the step, hit the one below it and severed my achilles tendon on my left leg . It was repaired 11 days later after 4 doctors had seen it and not worried too much about it's condition, as some Canadian hospitals don't even have an ultra sound to have a look. The second doctor could only get an ultra sound in 8 days! in Toronto, but said "Hey, you want an X Ray, we have one of those. The third got me an Ultra Sound the next day, but the surgeon he sent me to as well (1st smart dr..plus the surgeon), said there was nothing to see in the cloudy Ultra sound, so get an MRI. He arranged it next day, called me 12 hours later very early in the morning and said , you should come in here for surgery in two hours. it will never heal without surgery at this point as it is an inch apart. . I fortunately I felt no pain on waking up, nor ever after the operation, but was immobile for the first time in my life really. Ordered an Iwalk Free peg leg on day two from Amazon and got decent at using it and didn't stay home. . It is now late Sept so and I am stuck in a plastic cast with wedges in my boot and am using foldable hand crutches with a bit of weight on it.
I figured I could also ride my Motorcycle if I modified the cast to shift gears with an adapter I made out of aluminum, as a small load on the cast in a straight line would be acceptable... to me. Chancey and perhaps very dumb. (Not suggested by surgeon). That led to making a rain cover for the cast that came out very well. It was also a wind cover as I was ready for cold too. (Almost Oct)
So where to go? I figured North in Ontario would be the route. It as an amazing ride on empty and great highways through lakes , trees and small towns. One I had been in when I had a summer job in Elliot Lake , Ontario before moving to Toronto as a student.(1978). (Was once a Uranium mining town, now marketed to retirees)
Since the mishap, my bike had been stranded in Bracebridge, Ontario near where it happened. So day one, I head to Elliot Lake as my first target. Should be manageable. Very nice ride up that way on a beautiful day. I always use Expedia to book rooms last minute and mostly wander on Motorcycle tours. Well, Elliot Lake has some pricey corporate Hotels for more than I wanted to pay.....but I see this motel in Spanish for a bargain. Spanish is pretty close to Elliot Lake. All set to ride the the location now, I get calls from the owner...can't really hear him well, but he asks what time I am arriving? I think I arrived around 7. Meet him in his unit. He had been away working with Ontario Hydro I think and had huge steel toe work boots by the door. "Got no key for number 9 he says, so don't lock it" . OK...I check in. Egads!!
The door is what everything looks like!! Now, very hungry, I unload the bike and wonder where can I eat? A couple of small places are closed. There are ATVs in front of the convenience store. I leave my stuff in the unlocked room (No Peba key) Dinner is Beef Jerky and peanuts. That is the best they had. Here are some shots:
For some reason I kept passing Motels that had burnt down? Lot's of them. Here's 1. A nice typical view and the room and warm feeling outside my door. After that I head through Elliot Lake next day...Sault St Marie, around part of Lake Superior, up to Wawa, across to Chapleau (CP rail town) I had visited and met a girl on in 1976, then Timmins (Home of the Shania Twain Museum (now closed sadly) and a Gold mine with 107 years of production. , then passed Sudbury, then back to Bracebridge. Magnificent open country, no cars, the odd truck, empty lakes on both sides.Really did me good. I was also wearing one of 45 pairs of inflatable air bag jeans (Mo Cycle) I got in a crowd fund program. Since then have invested in them!
And that is the story of my stay in room 9 in Spanish with no key.
Hopefully someone has a key swapping story next!
Sorry about your accident Bob, but it has produced one of the better adventure stories I have read in a long time! I know a bit about travelling Northern Ontario. When driving from West Coast, there was always some significance to getting past Wawa without accident or breakdown. But such beautiful country. I can imagine that it really did help in your recuperation. Get well soon! Mike