Taking the Easy Way Out

I drove from Fernley to Dobbins today to deal with some legal paperwork with my mother. Working around the mobile notary's schedule, it turned out to be nearly dark by the time I left my mom's place. When I got to Grass Valley, I decided that I did not want to risk the drive up CA-20 tonight. I dislike driving that road at night in good conditions, but on the way down in daylight, I was worried about the wet places where it had snowed the previous night, and I'm even more concerned by hitting black ice and putting a permanent end to all of my worries. Having packed a bag in case it came to this, I stopped at the Coach N 4 Motel in Grass Valley. This is an older motel off the main path, and it's not a luxury place, but the former Holiday Inn Express is not part of IHG anymore, so I had little incentive to spend the extra money. They gave me the $70 rate advertised online, which is good enough for what I'm getting: a bed and bathroom. There's also a mini-fridge and a TV that works, and for a change there's something I want to watch (the Australian Open coverage). There was even a mini-market down the street where I picked up a snack that will do for dinner. I wasn't very hungry, having had a huge beef pasty from Cousin Jack's Pasties in Grass Valley on my way down this afternoon, so I didn't bother to get a full dinner anywhere.

I called Lisa (who spent the day unloading the firewood from the utility trailer), praised her for doing all of the wood toting, and told her that I'll come home tomorrow without rushing.