The bad? Many TransAmer's from yesteryear will remember the now defunct "motel" at Jeffrey City WY. I had stayed there twice previously leading ACA groups and tried to prepare the 2009 group as to what to expect. The reality did not sink in until they arrived. Aided by a tailwind we all got there early. Four of the group continued on another 60 miles to Lander rather than staying in a room with "mushrooms growing from the carpet". From our group blogger at...
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/...id=116215&v=9J
"We arrived in Jeffrey City -population 106.....Most of the city is empty. The houses, stores, buildings are mostly derelict. We rode by the first Motel we passed looking for the Motel we were staying in tonight.....We rode the 100 yards or so out of town and noticed that there wasn't another Motel. So we returned to the first one we had come to which we thought was derelict. No one answered our knock. The place was falling apart. Doors were open, displaying junk inside, doors were kicked in, weeds and junk covered the ground. Then Rusty appeared from Room 7. 'I went up to the bar and the woman gave me a key. I told her you two guys would be here shortly, you're in 8. I don't have any hot water or air-condition; you have hot water.' We opened the door to Room 8. The first thing I noticed was the carpet - it was stained with god knows what, dead bugs were on my bed cover, and on my sheets. The TV was covered in fluff, the bath was layered with dirt, the furniture was falling to pieces, the trash hadn't been emptied and there was a hole in the ceiling". -Bill Maxwell
The good? The same year our group pulled into the Hotel Ordway in CO expecting to find a hostel like facility with rustic bunkrooms. It had recently been been remodeled into a tasteful, high end B&B complete with restaurant!
"The Ordway Hotel, where we are staying, is 105 years old and run by Carol and her husband Tom. Carol is a red-headed lady of Irish origins. The Hotel is wonderful. The best place we've stayed thus far. I told Carol that and we were rewarded with the best room in the place!" -Bill Maxwell