About a year ago I had to go to Asheville NC to work.
Sandy and I had just been to Biltmore House a few weeks earlier to see
the Christmas decorations. We had stayed in a hotel very close to
Biltmore. Since it sort of a vacation we didn't mind paying a little
higher rate since we were so close. When I'm working, I tend to look for
cheaper rates on rooms. I decided to stay a few exits away from Biltmore
on this trip.
I arrived in Asheville well after dark but quickly saw
a sign for a new motel. It was not a chain that I was familiar
with but it was brand new. I was pleasantly surprised at the low
room rate and decided to stay the night. Brand new and cheap too!
My kinda place. I lay down on the bed to watch TV and was about
to doze off when all of a sudden I heard the loudest sound I ever heard
in my life and the room started to shake. This was it! I was
in an earthquake or at least a tornado was about to hit. My whole
life flashed before me. I didn't know what to do or where to go!
The end was near! I jumped out of bed and ran to the window to see if I
could tell what was going on. I opened the curtain and there fifteen feet
from my window was a freight train going a hundred miles an hour and blowing
it's whistle too. It was just a blur as it passed.
I had chosen a hotel perched on the side of a mountain.
The train echoed as it passed through the canyon created by the hotel and
mountainside. No wonder the room was so cheap. I’ll bet they only
paid six dollars for the property Once I realized that I was not
going to die, I ran to the phone to call the front desk. As I picked
up the phone I saw a three by five card on the nightstand. It had
a picture of a railroad crossing and it read. “YES WE KNOW ABOUT
THE TRAIN. WE HAVE ASKED THE RAILROAD TO HAVE THE TRAIN SLOW DOWN
AND NOT SOUND IT'S WHISTLE WHEN IT PASSES. SORRY IF THE TRAIN HAS
DISTURBED YOU. PLEASE ACCEPT THIS COMPLIMENTARY SET OF EAR PLUGS.
YOU ARE WELCOME TO TAKE THEM AS A GIFT EVEN IF YOU CHOSE NOT TO USE THEM”.
Next to the sign were the earplugs. All I could do was shake my head
and laugh. You generally get what you pay for. I've learned my lesson.
Choo Choo Carl