To Gallipolis, OH

I didn't really sleep that night. Perhaps something I ate. I understand that I will be predictably served mediocre food at a Franchise but the gamble that I might be unpredictably sick makes the venture even more exciting. OK, so it is likely something I ate. Anyhow I was still exhausted in the morning and the huge amount of coffee I drank at the breakfast joint didn't help much, neither did the greasy eggs.

Sleep deprivation is not fun. I dutifully hit the road and churned my way out of Charleston, puddling along on Highway 62 It was overcast and drizzly, perfect for the mood I was in. I glowered along the river the road paralleled. I passed the nuclear power plant, wondering how many degrees it raised the water downstream. One? Two? There is a nuke off the Californian coast. After many years of operation it had raised the temperature of the ocean in the surrounding area enough to change the ecosystem in the vicinity. Nukes need a source of water to use for cooling. In California they used the ocean, in West Virginia, they used the river.

I didn't drive too far. I crossed the Ohio River into Ohio and a thunderstorm burst forth. The rain was so heavy I had to pull over until I could see again. When the rain let up I looked around and discovered I was in Gallipolis, Ohio.

Gallipolis, Ohio was a city "Founded by the Gauls." I am supposing they left, I found no local restaurants in which to delight--just one Bar-B-Que place and I don't think BBQ is very French. What Gallipolis certainly has is a lovely set of large brick buildings in the downtown that are well maintained and just waiting for a set of innovative entrepreneurs and City Council members that could stir the place up and bring in some tourist dollars. It is a lovely section of the Ohio River and a pretty town. All they need is a few more things to do and places to eat for the visitors.

In Gallipolis I stayed at the Blue Fountain Motel. A place that is, perhaps, past it's prime, but nicely maintained. You know how I am about Franchises, I try to avoid them. The same goes with hotels. I like locally owned , non-franchise hotels/motels. You are certainly in for more surprises. Each one will be different. I'm not big into bed & breakfast places--they tend to hover overmuch. Some of the hotels I have stayed at are not the, um, most fashionable, so I travel with a special stick that I can lodge between the doorknob and the floor in case the door doesn't have a deadbolt. Heh, ok, once in a while some of these places can be a little weird, Bates Hotel not withstanding.

But the Blue Fountain was wonderful! A little threadbare, but clean. I like a clean hotel room! It is owned and operated by an extended family. When I drove up they were all out in front eating their lunch under the huge roofed over section of the parking lot where you are supposed to stop your car when you register.

"Y'all have to come back later, we're eating lunch," they joked at me.

I played them right back, "No problem, I'll be back in an hour." I sat back down in my truck and started up the engine.

"No, no, no, no, no. We was just fooling!" One came running up to my truck.

I turned off my engine. "So was I," I winked back.

The check in procedure was fun, I was not feeling quite so sick by then and our initial repartee set a good mood.

"Did anybody ever tell you, you look like Gene Wilder? The young one."

I was grateful they designated the younger version, Gene Wilder has a few years on me.

"No, you are the first."

"When I first saw you I thought 'that man takes a likin' to Gene Wilder.'"

"Well Ma'am, You are the first and I will to accept that as a compliment, Thank You."

From there the conversation moved into quotes from "Young Frankenstein" and "Blazing Saddles"... "But I shoot with this hand." It was fun.

If you are crossing the Ohio River on Highway 35; if it is of a time of day where, what the heck, let's pull over and stop for the day. Stop at Gallipolis, Ohio and take a room at the Blue Fountain Motel. It's not the fanciest digs, but it is fitting for the dollar. Tell them the guy who stopped by on August 19th, 2006, that they thought looked like Gene Wilder referred you. Or tell them anything, they are fun people, they can use the business and they have no idea I have written about them on the internet.