Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A Peek into Truck Stop Showers



Big Cabin, OK 


OK, first things first, yes I am dressed. For heaven's sake my mother reads this what kind of person do you think I am??

Truck stop showers are not exciting places but they can vary greatly from truck stop to truck stop.

We have had showers with no hot water, we have had showers with only hot water (didn't think that was possible) we have had showers that had pulsating jets of water from all angles and a TV in the mirror, we have had showers in closets, in the men's room and one time I had a shower in a room that someone used the trash can as a toilet. For #2.

Last night's shower was in one of the nicer places in Big Cabin, Oklahoma. Lots of room, clean and plenty of towels.

We have a book that lists all the truck stops in 48 states and what kind of facilities they have. This book is not always correct and more than once we have been robbed of showers and or meals at the end of the day when Himself is out of hours and we have no choice but stay where we are and eat microwave burritos and take a cat bath in the sink of the bathroom. This is not a fun way to end the day and I don't recommend it.

Having a shower at the end of the day is such a pleasure, right up there with sleeping on clean sheets and you can't really do one without the other.

In most truck tops the showers are in their own hallways and they are individual and lock from the inside. Some have a key-pad thingy outside the door that have a code to punch in to gain access. Once you pay the cashier, usually $10 unless you have bought fuel there recently, you get the code for your shower and you can take as long as you want.

Himself and I usually use the same shower room and we have the procedure down to a science. It's a small space so it's really a ballet of movement, one takes a shower, the other brushes teeth, the steps are coordinated and economical.

That's when those key-pad thingys are tricky because it knows when the door opens, that signals that it's empty and in turn signals the janitor to come in and clean. He punches  in the master code which overrides our code.

Himself usually leaves first so I can have more time and I have been walked in on once this way by the janitor and I screamed nakedly at him and then felt bad because he was old and probably more embarrassed then I was, the way he was apologizing and backing out the door.  He's probably blind now.

Some days there is a screaming need (mine usually) for separate showers and we'll get two, but  99% of the time it's both of us in one and we are in and out in under 30 minutes. And Himself isn't blind yet!

6 comments:

  1. I just have to tell you how much I'm enjoying your blog. I have a daughter and son-in-law who mirror your lifestyles and reading your posts gives me a special insight into their daily lives. You have a true gift for turning the mundane into truly interesting events. You mentioned your mother reads this and I'd be willing to bet she's very proud of you.

    In Admiration, Mona

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  2. What a nice thing to say, you made my day! Thank you!

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  3. I hope PB is reading this... To see how great her daughter is at writing.. I have actually sat here and read your whole month of JULY 2010 without getting up.. Your no DEMO Dick Marcinko but I do enjoy reading this..

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  4. Aww. I was getting all warm and fuzzy until you mentioned DICK!

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  5. Truck stop showers are not exciting places but they can vary greatly from truck stop to truck stop. That is an understatement to say the least. Hope you post more insights.

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