The next hour on the road was pretty calm, and I soon found myself on IL-84 cruising next to the Mississippi River. As I drove through Clinton, where a large number of Drag Weekers were already in their motels, and where John and Opal would be stopping, I shook my head. I have this innate skill or just dumb luck, that I always end up booking our rooms on the opposite side of the track from the way we are approaching, so we were going to drive past the track by fifteen or so miles, to LeClaire Iowa on I-80.

I entered the motel parking lot at around 2:30AM, and found myself confused by the Comfort Inn sign, when I was booked at Super 8 under the same address. I finally figured out that the entities actually shared the same building, With Comfort Inn in the main building, and the Super 8 was an adjoining building at a right angle to the first.

I walked up to the clerk behind the desk, and explained, "I have two rooms."
I was expecting her to ask for my name, but in a gruff voice she replied, "Ha, you want two rooms, not likely tonight".
I looked at her sternly, allowing her time to meet my gaze. She was a squat, round, frumpy woman with natural grey hair combed straight down, parted in the middle. I was taken aback when I realized that while her hair was far more salt, than pepper, the sparse mustache hairs scattered across her wrinkled upper lip, retained all of their youthful dark color.
"I HAVE two rooms! Prepaid." I emphasized.
"Uh, OK, let me look that up for you!" She sprang into action, and in a short time handed me two cards, and the room numbers. While not exactly personable, she certainly wasn't incompetent.

I walked down the hall a short distance, sat my bag down and stuck the card in the first door. It beeped, the light went green. I opened the door about halfway, and was one step in, reaching for the light when I noticed a large pair of bare feet sticking out of the covers on the bed nearest the door. The next sight was a tall redhead in his forties sitting up in bed, looking at the open door and managing a startled, "Hey"!
"Sorry Man, they gave me the wrong room", I uttered as I took a step back, and shut the door.
The next room was indeed empty, so I dropped my stuff inside, washed my face, and walked back down the hall to confront the clerk. I handed her the key, and explained the situation.
"Dang idiots at central booking! Can't do anything right! That room was supposed to be empty!" I was beginning to figure out that her gruff, direct dialogue was merely a self defense mechanism, but I was undeterred.
"I still need a second room", I pressed.
"Well at least we got you one", she kept her attention on the monitor in front of her.
"That's not going to make the other seven people in my party very happy, I can assure you!"
She looked up, almost startled, "Why would you put eight people in one room?"
"I wouldn't! That's why I PREPAID for two rooms!"