We left Start Skydiving at around 3:00 PM. Even though we were both kinda tired, it felt good to be in the car heading to Michigan. Matt worked on his computer and I focused on driving. The drop zone in Tecumseh, Michigan was only 211 miles from Start Skydiving which made the drive just over three hours. We knew that Thursday evening would be the only time that we weren’t in a rush. It was a nice feeling. On the way to Michigan, we called the DZ to see what time they would be starting in the morning. Billie answered the phone and told us that she thought load 1 would be in the air around 10:30 or 11:00. We really wanted to make it onto the first load so we could head skydive in Indiana on Friday. As we approached Michigan, we started to discuss our dinner options. This prompted a second call to the DZ to ask for recommendations for a place to eat and sleep. Billie said there weren’t many places to stay in Tecumseh, but she said the Tecumseh Inn although old and run down gave a skydiver discount and was clean. It was the only place close to the drop zone – just six minutes away. She also made some dinner suggestions.
It was early in the day and we weren’t in a rush to make a hotel commitment - we figured that we’d make that decision later. Just before we left Ohio, we stopped at a travel store and bought a key chain and a state spoon. I’ve been collecting key chains for a long time, but now they have a new meaning. A key chain for every state we’ve completed. Matt’s mother collects miniature spoons so we buy those as well. Someday, the spoons will be his.
When we were 30 miles out from the DZ, we drove through a town called Dundee. We decided to stop at the Lone Star Steakhouse for dinner. While we were eating, we used Matt’s phone to check out the local hotels. There were some nice hotels in Dundee, but in the end we decided that it would be better to stay closer to the DZ. We didn’t want to risk not being on the first load of the day. After dinner, we drove to the Tecumseh Inn. It was $69.95 including tax. Matt asked for a room on the second floor so we wouldn’t be subjected to a bunch of noise. It turns out that the hotel had very few guests because it was a Thursday night. The hotel manager gave us a room key and followed us to our room to make sure it met our needs.
When we opened the door, the smell of stale warm air came wafting out. The room was spacious and clean, but it was old and outdated. At this point in our trip, we were happy to be in Michigan. The room was reasonably priced and we weren’t going to drive out to Dundee to pay extra for luxury. This room would do just fine. We turned on the air conditioner and walked over to the grocery store to buy some supplies. We got a small candle to help with the stale air smell, a bottle of wine for me, some dessert and milk for Matt. When we got back to the room and settled in, Matt asked me if I knew what time it was. It was very light outside, so I was surprised to discover it was 8:44! Our evening was relaxing. We had some wine, some dessert, and watched the end of “The Sitter” with Jonah Hill. Let me clarify…Jonah Hill was not in the room with us – he was in the tv - a very tiny Jonah Hill.
It took a long time for the room to cool down. As usual, I got up three or four times and had a very hard time settling my mind for sleep. I suffer from busy brain which is entirely no fun at bed time. I wish there was an off switch! “Hey Brain, Cut it out. I’m done with you for the day. Stop bothering me.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
