Settling In to the Hotel
Sep. 18th, 2023 06:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerWest Virginia Travelog #6
Beckley, WV - Sat, 16 Sep 2023. 9:30pm
After a long day of adventures— and it really is a long day, basically one that started yesterday at 6:30am Pacific time with more of a 3 hour nap than a night's sleep on the red-eye flight to the east coast— we are settled in for the night.
After visiting Grandview and hiking the Castle Rock trail we drove straight to our hotel in town. We had tried checking in around lunch time. Usually hotels has a room or two ready early, and with my elite status they'll let me in well before check-in time. No dice this time. Probably they're full up for the weekend.
The benefits of elite status came through, though, this evening. The hotel gave us a small but meaningful room upgrade to a mini suite. It's maybe 25% larger than a regular room and has a door that can close off the bedroom from the living room area that has a small sofa and a large TV. That will be helpful later this trip if one of us is having trouble getting to sleep or wants to do a bit of work without disturbing (or being disturbed by) the other.
The elite status this trip is Hawk's, BTW. These three nights are on points from her account and her Platinum status. She has both basically the same way I get them nowadays— from a credit card.
We didn't spend long in the suite before heading back out for dinner. We found a promising looking Mexican restaurant a few blocks away. Yes, Mexican food in West Virginia. There's actually a choice of a few Mexican restaurants nearby, The food had on the bland side, likely accounting for local tastes, but it more than got the job done.
Now we're back at the hotel. I just got back from taking a dip in the hot tub. And then a relaxing shower to clean off. I'm ready to hit the hay now. It's been a long day: a red-eye flight this morning, then driving 324 miles today, and doing two hikes. I plan to get a full night's sleep tonight.
Beckley, WV - Sat, 16 Sep 2023. 9:30pm
After a long day of adventures— and it really is a long day, basically one that started yesterday at 6:30am Pacific time with more of a 3 hour nap than a night's sleep on the red-eye flight to the east coast— we are settled in for the night.
After visiting Grandview and hiking the Castle Rock trail we drove straight to our hotel in town. We had tried checking in around lunch time. Usually hotels has a room or two ready early, and with my elite status they'll let me in well before check-in time. No dice this time. Probably they're full up for the weekend.
The benefits of elite status came through, though, this evening. The hotel gave us a small but meaningful room upgrade to a mini suite. It's maybe 25% larger than a regular room and has a door that can close off the bedroom from the living room area that has a small sofa and a large TV. That will be helpful later this trip if one of us is having trouble getting to sleep or wants to do a bit of work without disturbing (or being disturbed by) the other.
The elite status this trip is Hawk's, BTW. These three nights are on points from her account and her Platinum status. She has both basically the same way I get them nowadays— from a credit card.
We didn't spend long in the suite before heading back out for dinner. We found a promising looking Mexican restaurant a few blocks away. Yes, Mexican food in West Virginia. There's actually a choice of a few Mexican restaurants nearby, The food had on the bland side, likely accounting for local tastes, but it more than got the job done.
Now we're back at the hotel. I just got back from taking a dip in the hot tub. And then a relaxing shower to clean off. I'm ready to hit the hay now. It's been a long day: a red-eye flight this morning, then driving 324 miles today, and doing two hikes. I plan to get a full night's sleep tonight.
