Lets All Go to the Lobby

The motel lobby has become a congregating place as our adventure rolls forward. I am actually typing this in the lobby of the Marriot Fairfield Inn, in Provo, Utah. If you sit in the lobby for a while you get a great cross-section of the folks on this ride. As I sit here Tom, a quirky older guy, is taking his shirt off to go for a jog. Apparently the 68 mile ride today was not enough of a workout for him. As he adjust his ipod on his arm he walks by Jack and Sean who are having a glass of wine on the patio of the motel bar/cafe. Most likely Jack and Sean are figuring out what sights to see in the city. Across the lobby floor on the lobby couch is young Bob (not to be confused with old Bob, who is older than young Bob...we are a creative bunch) who is busily updating his blog and updating his hundreds of pictures from the days action onto his Apple computer.

Then we have the observers. The observers are the guys and gals who will have a conversation if they are obliged, but generally keep to themselves and take in the sights. We have a few different types of observers with us. There are the ones who look lost, the symptoms of which are: sketchy demeanor, constantly blinking, with a look of astonishment at every turn. Then you have the strong, silent types. You can spot these ones because they always have a hot beverage. Even in motels that don't have hot beverages anywhere in the town, they seem to have either found a hot beverage or are just blowing on the liquid in their irrespective of if the liquid is hot or cold while they eyeball the scene. The last type is what I like to call the butterfly. Butterflies walk around, some with beverage, some without, and smile as they pass, or wave, but they never sit down and chat, they are always on the move. Butterflies are like the kid in the school cafeteria on the first day of school who is not quite sure who he wants to sit next to because it will determine their rung on the social ladder.

I consider myself a busy bee with time for a chat. I say hello to all that pass and invite a conversation but if not engaged I busily tap away on my laptop. I am most definitely an observer as well. To get most anywhere in the motel you need to pass through the lobby, so it is a great place to get a pulse on the group. The lobby is one of my favorite places to people watch.