Driving to Washington DC - Day 1

Early on Friday the 17th, we loaded up the minivan and began our trip to Washington DC.  We met at one of the couples home at 7:30 AM and decided to get some breakfast before starting the long drive north. After a somewhat uneventful 8 hours or so of driving, we stopped for the night in Columbia, South Carolina.  We inspected two or three motels, before selecting one to spend the night.

At one of the motels, Americas Best Value Inn, we asked to see a room, and they gave us a key to check the room.  We open the door and found that the room had luggage inside and the television was on.  We quickly closed the door and went back to the desk where we were given another key. Again, when we opened the door, we found the room occupied, this time the occupants were there, and after we had closed the door, they opened the door and questioned us. 

 

We explained that the front desk had given us a key to check out the room, thinking it was available. After the embarrassment, we returned to the front desk and again we returned the key.  The desk attendent told that they were having a computer problem and really had no idea which rooms were rented and which were not.  So we left, and now, tired and more desperate for a place to get some rest, settled for rooms in an older national chain, without Internet access.