Recipe - Easy Sausage and Gravy Crepes

Ready in 20 minutes

Serves 4 people

High in calories 

Ingredients

• 1 pkg Instant Country Gravy Mix

• 2 oz sausage (or substitute 3 sausage links broken up while cooking)

• 1 cup any flavor pancake mix

• 2 whole eggs

• Butter

Preparation

• Cook sausage to desired doneness (I personally like mine heavily caramelized), then set aside

• Prepare pancake batter as directed on package, then add both eggs and mix well

• Using a whisk,  mix in tablespoons of milk or water until you reach a thin sauce like consistency

• Melt teaspoon of butter into pan (pan size doesn't matter), on medium heat

• Pour batter mix into heated pan, immediately tilting pan so batter can spread out thinly

• Allow to brown to desired color, then flip and brown the reverse side. approx 2-3 minutes on each side

• At this point you should begin preparing your gravy mix as directed on its pkg, adding the cooked sausage to it at any time

• Remove crepe from pan and immediately roll into a cigar shape or fold in half, whichever is your preference

• Repeat process for remaining crepe batter (6 inch pan will yield approx 6-8 crepes)

•  Once gravy is cooked, pour over crepes and serve

Tips

NOTE: To make this a sweet dish… omit the sausage and gravy. Substitute with strawberries, jams, whipped cream, chocolate sauce or whatever you can imagine

The Real Men in Black

 The mysterious Men in Black, stories, legends and movies have been made to try and explain these mysterious men who appeared whenever wherever a UFO sighting occurred during the 1940s to 1960s, in the United States.

However did you know they were also seen in other parts of the world. Reports of mysterious men wearing black suits have surfaced all over the world, during that time period. Ruling out the possibility that they were agents of the United States government.

The last reported meeting of a Man in Black was in the mid 1970’s in San Luis Obispo, California. 

So where did they go? Who were they really? And what was there nefarious mission?

1931 a young man, in Ventura California, sees a light in the sky, it hovers approx 80 yards from him, flashes a deep yellow then red and shoots straight up til it can no longer be seen. The young man searches the skies trying to see where the orb went. It was a cold night, he grabbed his dark colored long coat and walked the neighborhood, asking anyone he passed if they had seen the unusual sight. 

He became obsessed with finding out what the strange light had been, and in his search discovered a plethora of unexplained occurrences that ranged from UFO sightings, strange creatures and spectral phenomena.

He quickly found other like minded men who wanted answers to unexplained occurrences in their own lives. Together the group of men created a secret club of observers, self proclaimed researchers who were determined to discover the answer to a thousand unexplained mysteries. 

During World War II, each man had the opportunity to share their experiences with allies who also had strange stories to share. By the end of the war, the local club from Ventura California had become a worldwide organized group who would routinely report to each other unusual occurrences in their home areas. 

As with any organization, this one evolved. From being silent observers to active investigators. There scope of interest had also evolved to include numerous other types of paranormal activity. It was as if they had there eyes opened to a world that the rest of the world didn’t see, and they had a need to understand it. They had no affiliation with any government organization, no authority to question beyond that of any private citizen, yet they had to get information. So a conscious decision was made by the leadership of the group.

A man in a suit seemed more authoritative than a man in coveralls. Two men wearing the exact suit screamed authority, and in those days most men owned a black suit, for attending church or funerals. So the decision was made, none of the groups members would go around asking questions or investigating anything without a partner and both wearing black suits, driving black cars. The other reason for black, streetlights were rare, black cars and suits were camouflage during long nights of observing. 

Dark uniformity was not enough, they also needed to be unremarkable, even forgettable. But how? An ingenious plan was hatched, give no information, only take information. If a person asked who they were, respond with non committal answers such as, ‘who we are is not important’ or ‘I think you know the answer to that’. Letting people create their own narrative allowed them to always be viewed differently by each person they questioned, leaving only one commonality….. They were 2 men in black.

The group quickly discovered that the plan worked better than ever expected. Witnesses would pour out their guts with little to no effort. Soon finding they were not only retrieving knowledge, but also evidence. 

They needed to call themselves something, so they created a name that best described their mission. The Paranormal Sciences Research Group. Yet they never spoke that name to witnesses, police or any non group member.

By 1950 the organization was solid worldwide with investigators in all allied and some non allied countries. Though the headquarters of the organization are reported to have remained in California.

At some point in the 1960’s the group was renamed to the Paranormal Sciences Institute

As laws changed in the United States, particularly those regarding the perceived impersonation of government officials, the organization had to change its primary way of conducting investigations. No longer could they be the anonymous and mysterious men in black, or their investigators could face very real criminal charges if caught. It was January 1973 in San Luis Obispo, California, that the last investigative team donned the signature black suits. Although PSI investigators in many other countries continued to wear the black suits years after.

The Paranormal Sciences Institute still exists today, and is still a secretive organization of observers, investigators and researchers. Although it is only known to members high in the organization as to where evidence is permanently stored, there is a reported research facility in Nashville Tennessee. There is also a reported observation post located somewhere in the Black Rock Mountains of Nevada. 

Many of the positions within the Institute are unknown, yet 4 positions have been confirmed to exist. Director of Operations, Field Analyst, Specialist, Lab Tech. The specific duties of each position can only be speculated from the positions title. Although many women had joined the organization, it wasn’t until the late 80’s that any became investigators. This was only due to the organization’s discontinued use of the ‘men in black’ personas that had drived their investigators to a near legendary & mysterious status.

Although not confirmed, it has been suggested that the Paranormal Sciences Institute has members who are in high level positions throughout the world. Which would explain how the organization has gone so long without scrutiny.

There are those who have and still do try to profit on the Paranormal Sciences Institute anonymity in the form of books, research papers and even websites. These are not associated with the the real institute. Use caution when dealing with those entities.

For those of you who hope for neurolizers and ray guns, this is not a movie. The real Men in Black were and still are merely investigators with an organization in search of the truth that is so often dismissed or overlooked by mainstream science. 

Is Mercari Safe or a Scam

 Have you ever seen the TV ad for Mercari? Yet another new online marketplace trying to capture those people who have been discouraged by the Big Fish that sell on eBay. What makes Mercari different? What makes it the same? I signed up and bought a few items, then decided to try selling a few things. This is my review of Mercari.

Let’s first put it out here, Mercari is not a scam site. It is a completely legit online auction site. However you will find just like on any auction site, there are those scammers who do there best to steal your money, and that is likely the source of the many negative reviews you may find regarding Mercari.

Signing up is easy, if you plan on buying only then you will have to set a payment method. I was uncomfortable using my credit card or PayPal so I bought a Visa prepaid debit card. Entering the debit card in the credit card section worked seamlessly and I had no problems with purchases using it.

I made 3 small purchases, per Mercari rules the sellers had 3 business days to ship the items, and every package is required to have a tracking number. Each seller had my package in the mail with tracking within those 3 days. As each package arrived, I found the same thing, it was very reminesiant of eBay. All items were as described, and I was happy with the purchases. I went back to the website left positive feedback and decided I would try selling a few things.

Selling is just as easy as buying. Press the sell button, snap a photo and write a short description. Name your price, shipping, etc. Before listing your item, look at the section under stated price. A small area shows exactly how much you will receive from the sale and discloses what Mercari will keep for fees. 

The Mercari fees are basically 20% of the sale price. That’s high, BUT there are a few things to consider:

First once tracking shows your package as delivered, the buyer has 3 days to mark received and leave feedback. After the buyer marks the item received, the auction is over….. NO RETURNS or REFUNDS to worry about. This is very different from eBay which allows a buyer several months to report a problem and request a refund. Also in the event a buyer doesn’t mark the item received within that 3 days, Mercari automatically leaves you positive feedback and marks the auction complete. Again, no refunds or returns can be requested.

Secondly, Returns can be a pain in eBay, especially when starting out and the only money you have is the money earned from your first sale. eBay has so many return options, some require the seller to pay return shipping, others require the buyer to pay. Mercari has streamlined this, although there are many reasons a return is needed, Mercari pays for the return shipping using their labels. If you are a buyer who can’t use Mercari labels, then the buyer is responsible for paying the return shipping.

Something you should know about shipping, Mercari tries hard to get you to use their labels. Which is ok, they do offer a shipping discount. But if you don’t have a printer, you have an option. Just choose to ship the item yourself. This will remove the Mercari labels option and give you a confirmation box. Ship your item then press the confirm shipping box, a drop down allows you to enter a required tracking number, and choose your shipping provider… usps, fedex, ups, etc

My sales went out and only one of the buyers never marked it received. Though thanks to the Mercari rules, that auction automatically ended after 3 days and the funds were released to me. Cashing out was as easy as selling, though it does require a bank account. I would recommend opening an online fee free no minimum checking account at Capital One or Charles Schwab for use with this site. However if you are comfortable using your primary checking account, that’s up to you. You only have to enter your account number and routing number once into the site, they claim it is stored securely and I have no reason to doubt that.

When you want to cash out, you just transfer funds to your checking account via direct deposit. There is no minimum cash out, however direct deposit is fee free only if transferring over $10. Once your transfer request is made, they process the next business day, and depending on your bank you get the money a day or two after that. No PayPal middleman to deal with.

Their service fees are slightly higher than eBay/Paypal, yet the ease of cash outs, the return shipping policy, and the fact that after the item is marked received the funds are immediately released to you and no other dispute can be opened, making up for that higher service fee in my opinion.

As far as scammers, I’m sure they exist on Mercari the same as eBay and any other online marketplace. That’s just the chance you take when buying or selling online. 

One other thing I like about Mercari. As a seller if you have a bad feeling about someone that just bought one of your auctions, whether it seems like a bogus address or they asked suspicious questions, or you just changed your mind and now want to keep the item... YOU can cancel the sale without worrying about bad feedback.

As a buyer you can also request the seller cancel, but they are not obligated to. The seller can ignore the request and merely enter the tracking number thus marking the item shipped.

One other thing, Mercari has fairly good customer support. They may not give you the answer you want to hear, but they reply to support tickets within 24-48 hours. 

All in all I would recommend Mercari for the seller who is only planning the occasional sale or is looking for a more laid back option to eBay.

COVID-19 The New Strain & The Truth No One is Talking About

 Covid19 has spread through the United States like a runaway train. Not one corner of our country hasn’t been touched by the virus. We’ve shut down business, closed our schools, hid in our homes and watched helplessly as our family and friends have become infected and in many tragic cases died. 

Done are the days of blame! Where did it originate? Why didn’t the W.H.O. (World Health Organization) know more? Did President Trump do too little too late? Did  we as a society take this epidemic as seriously as we should have? At this point none of that matters…. except to politicians who will use this epidemic for many elections to come as ‘fodder’ to sling at the opposing side.

The truth and simple truth that NO ONE is telling you….. COVID 19 is here to stay.

Viruses are NOT eradicated, they are controlled to a point. The flu is a virus, we have a new vaccine every year to fight whatever new strain it has morphed into. This will be the future of COVID 19 as well, forever daunting us with a new strain every year. In less than a year COVID has evolved into a new strain, more contagious than the original…. it will mutate again… and again… that’s what viruses do. 

That makes the real question, what do we do next? 

Let’s put this in perspective, I’m in Sacramento County California. As of today the majority of this state is in a mandatory ‘business restrictions’ & ‘mask required outdoors’ order. These mandates are meant to keep the virus from being transmitted from person to person, good idea in theory.

Here’s were it gets stupid: 

Masks are required to be worn in public if you are going to be within 6 feet of others. Yet the Sacramento County Sheriff's office and Sacramento County Health Services have both stated they will not enforce that mandate, instead leaning to educate people of the dangers. The time for education is long over, now is the time to ‘put up or shut up’. 

Either enforce the mandates or stop making them! After a year it’s pretty clear that far too many people either don’t believe that COVID-19 is as severe as reported or they just don’t care about their health or yours. Fine, that’s democracy in action…. we all have our own ideas and beliefs and we are FREE to have them.

Well I believe that I should be able to drive 200 mph down Interstate 80, however I can’t because it would be endangering my life and the lives of those around me. So if I do it, law enforcement will take action… for my protection and yours. How is refusing to wear a mask, not maintain distance from others, and following other COVID-19 mandates any different. Rhetorical question…. there is no difference, just politics.

What does that mean? It means that without full public support, the government or specifically politicians don’t want to risk losing your support. It means creating guidelines so every store, shop, & business is required to police those mandates themselves, making you the bad guy. Yet if you are outside a business then you are on your own if someone approaches you without a mask.

Here’s something else that bothers me about our current COVID guidelines. Restaurants are not allowed to have indoor dining or are restricted in occupancy. So to save their buisnessesmany have resorted to outdoors dining, and due to the cold & wet weather have erected tents to places the customers under. In what universe does a virus transmit less effectively in an enclosed tent, than an enclosed building?

Every week small businesses statewide are given lockdown orders or unreasonable requirements that eventually run them out of business due to money constraints or sheer exhaustion from the changing rules each week.. While big box stores continue to operate seemingly unscathed. And yet the virus is still here, despite the lockdowns, stay at home orders and countless mandates.

The point I’m making is, nothing we do as a country is going to stop, slow or eradicate COVID 19. Like the cold, flu and dozens of other worldwide viruses, it’s here to stay. It’s time to learn to live with it rather than eradicate it. The plan of attack needs to change, unfortunately politicians want to keep you scared & off balanced, because scared & off balanced people vote for solutions… even if the solutions hurt them or don’t make real world sense. 

A prime example of a government solution that makes no sense… regulate small business to the point of going out of business, yet allow mass air travel worldwide.

I don’t know if Covid-19 is the killer it’s claimed to be. I do follow the guidelines, not so much because I’m convinced, yet rather for those around me… just in case. It’s unfortunate that not all people are as respectful of their fellow Californians. You know who you are…. 

Red Roof Inn Sacramento North - 4325 Watt Ave Sacramento California 95821

Red Roof Inns are a solid 2 star motel chain that have locations across the United States. So right off the bat you have to realize that these are considered budget lodgings, though on the higher end of room prices. Having been woefully disappointed by other budget lodgings in the area, I decided to give this Red Roof Inn at 4325 Watt Ave in Sacramento, California a try.

Well… just read the review, I guess,

This location is VERY conveniently located smack dab between Interstate 80 and Business 80. Giving you immediate freeway access to the downtown area, Cal Expo and Sacramento International Airport. The small patch of Watt Ave (a main through way that connects Interstate 80 on the north and Highway 50  on the south) where this inn sits is accompanied by a Chevron gas station, Phat Jerry's Phillies, Starbucks and Wendy's restaurant across the street

 A 2 minute walk to the north will take you to the SacRT light rail and bus station, giving you further economical access to the rest of the county. It should be noted that SacRT also has a dedicated shuttle service between downtown bus stops and the airport. A further 8 minute walk north will reveal a Super Walmart, KFC, Del Taco, Subway Sandwiches, Golden Corral Buffet, Carl's Jr, Waffle House and a Love Laundry laundromat.

The newly painted building is a rustic maroon and white. As I pulled onto the property, I passed a CHP (California Highway Patrol) vehicle, the officer stopping behind parked vehicles to look them over. This was not a good omen for this property. As I proceeded into the lobby, another guest came rushing out with a brass luggage cart full of suitcases and filled trash bags, cursing under their breath.

The lobby was big, much bigger than most budget inns. At one corner was a small waiting area with leather-like cushioned chairs in front of a big screen TV. A large table took up most of the space, situated by a breakfast station. The reception desk was large, a mini version of what you’d expect to find at a Vegas resort hotel. All in all, it was a clean and nicely arranged lobby area, however it was ridiculously hot. Whether the air conditioning was broken or just off, I don’t know. I do know it made me not want to spend any more time there than I absolutely had too.

The desk clerk was a soft spoken woman who spoke in such a low voice I found myself having to ask her to repeat herself several times. This location has a $35 fee for early check in and a $60 refundable deposit requirement if paying with cash. Check in was reasonably quick. WiFi password was written on the key card sleeve. Was then informed of breakfast hours and check out time, yet not even an ‘enjoy your stay’, was spoken as I took my room key card and left.


Finding my room, I went in and found it looked and smelled clean. The fresh smell of a mopped floor is hard to mistake, yet when I looked down, there were still small pieces of paper and leaves on the floor.

The bed was nicely made, the sheets and cover blankets all appeared fresh. The room was equipped with a hair dryer, coffee maker, microwave and mini fridge, nice conveniences. Unfortunately when I inspected the inside of the fridge it appeared clean, yet smelled odd. The microwave was clean as well as the coffee maker.

The TV, remote control, lights and A/C all worked as they should, however the problems begin here. I don’t use ironing boards, but my room had a crunchy, stained, ripped ironing board hanging on the wall by the bathroom sink. Oddly though there was no iron, I suppose many people travel with their own iron.

There was a hair dryer attached to the wall, so just to test it… I plugged it in and turned it on. It immediately popped the red ‘fault’ button on the wall plug. So I reset the plug and tried again, only to have the same thing happen. So I reset the plug and put away the dryer. Can anybody say ‘fire hazard’?

The tub was a bit dirty and had some items left from the previous guest still sitting in the soap caddy.

The floor of the tub was visibly dirty, stained with crude from 100 guests before me. Have I ever mentioned that I also travel with flip flops just for showers like this one… yes people, athletes foot is a real thing, and I don’t want it.

The shower rod was practically falling down. Visibly broken and coming apart from the wall, I was very concerned that it would fall when I was taking a shower. Toilet was clean and flushed… what more could a man want from his toilet.


Sitting down at the desk I turned on the desk lamp that had a convenient yet not functional AC outlet at its base. Just as I turned on the light a nice inch long cockroach made his way nonchalantly across the desktop. I of course squished him with the hopes he doesn’t come back as a Rottweiler in its next life or I may be in trouble.

I found 3 other cockroaches during my stay, one climbing the wall and two in the bathroom. We all just left each other alone.

Housekeeping only came by once during my 3 day stay, and one of those days I had to go down to the housekeeping laundry room to get fresh towels. The one day the housekeeper did visit my room, it was well after 5pm and I’m guessing I was just an afterthought. One of the housekeepers has a mouth like a ‘sailor’ and was dropping the ‘f-bomb’ every few words. This wasn’t an isolated incident, every day I was there you could hear here voice echoing through the corridor, cursing about something or someone.

The noise level after 10pm is ludicrous to say the least. Most motels, even the really low class ones, are strict about being quiet after 10pm, not this establishment. Here it's pretty quiet up until 10pm, when it seems like the place gets pretty lively. People roaming the property, groups gathered in corner areas and everyone being loud. One of those nights the police arrived on the property for something, my only indication was due to my being woken by the sirens then the flashing red/blue lights outside my curtain.

Hmm, the curtains… I’ve been to a lot of hotels, and curtains are often problematic. Some hang too far from the window, others are thin and a breeze from the AC can move them and others are adequate yet don't block out the light very well. This Red Roof Inn location has the best curtains I’ve found. They’re thick, heavy and hang close to the window. So NO ONE is peeping in through thin curtains or around open creases at this motel. It's sad that the curtains are the BEST thing about this Red Roof Inn location.

Oh this was funny, my room was across from the ice machine. So I could hear day and night whenever someone was filling their ice bucket. Each day I was there at approx 7pm, a young man would come to the ice machine and start filling his ice bucket. However his ice bucket was a 20 gallon trash bag. The first time I heard the ice machine dispensing so much I thought it was broken and looked out the curtain to see. He was nice and when another guest came to the machine he’d step aside and let them fill their ice bucket, then go right back to filling his garbage bag. I’m guessing from the load he walked away with each night, he was walking away with about 10+ gallons of ice

I went to the provided breakfast one morning, but only once. I knew they served a ‘continental breakfast’ from their website, meaning light stuff. So I was having mixed expectations, since I had seen such a large dining table when I checked in. I wasn’t disappointed, it was a ‘continental breakfast’, with choices of cereal, fruit, coffee and juice. But I had hoped for so much more… seeing that dining table against the small offerings it now seemed out of place in the lobby.

Check out was just as easy as check in had been, yet again the desk clerk a different person, said very little. No ‘have a good day’ or ‘thank you for staying’.

The fact is this location was adequate for a one night stay over if going over or coming from the Sierras. I wouldn’t suggest staying more than a couple nights here, mainly due to:

the inefficiency of housekeeping - not coming to refresh my towels and coffee supplies daily is inexcusable. And my having to hunt them down myself to get towels is unprofessional.

The noise level after 10pm. Even at 3am, people were still roaming around being loud, and the echoe effect in the corridors doesn't help

The roaches - Roaches are common in motels, but when one crawls across your path at a snail's pace when you turn the light on, the cockroach is basically telling YOU who’s in charge.

Broken shower rod - This motel has you sign a document making you liable for damages in your room. This is not uncommon, many motels have a separate form like this, or a similar statement on the room contract you sign. However unless you have hotel staff walk through the room with you upon arrival, maintenance concerns like that nearly broken shower rod could become YOUR responsibility if they choose not to acknowledge it was previously damaged. And there is not a doubt in my mind that housekeeping knew of the shower rod being damaged…. It was too obvious

Maintenance issues - a faulty bathroom plug or faulty hairdryer are fire hazards, additionally the inoperable AC outlet plug on the desk lamp, and the nearly broken shower rod


I’ve returned to this motel twice now and it still suffers from the same problems as before. Though on my last visit, the tub had been painted white... a very poor paint job too.

However when I have a craving for a great Philly Cheese-steak, I would stay at this motel JUST so I can go across the street to Phat Jerry's Phillies. So to the franchise owner of the Red Roof Inn location, you owe Phat Jerry's a big THANK YOU. Those sandwiches are the ONLY reason I would return to this location.

Motel 6 Review - 7850 College Town Drive, Sacramento, California 95826

The Motel 6 at 7850 College Town Drive Sacramento, California 95826 is a budget lodging, currently a franchise owned location.

Motel 6 is one of the few budget motel chains that keeps a tight rein on their properties both corporate and franchised, to ensure a consistent experience for guests no matter what Motel 6 you choose to visit.

This location is no different, a well run motel with professional front office staff and friendly housekeepers.

The rooms are exactly what you’d expect if you’ve been to any other Motel 6 in the United States. Clean beds, tidy floors/counters and acceptably clean bath/shower. I didn't include photos of the room just because I was so tired on arrival, I just unpacked, showered and went to bed... basically messing up any nice room photo I could of taken.

The exterior of the property is basic but clean, There is a pool, in the center of the property next to the ice machines.

During my stay I found this location to be up to par with other Motel 6 locations, having its maintenance related issues, but nothing so drastic that I would include it in a review.

** Note for long term guests: unlike most Motel 6 locations, this one WILL NOT allow you to stay longer than 14 days.

This location does shine in one area, that other Motel 6 locations in the area seem to falter, customer service.

I refer specifically to the office staff, who are of course friendly and professional, Yet are also quite accommodating.

Here’s an example, when I checked into my room, I noticed that the desk chair was wobbly. Who cares right, I didn’t but it was an opportunity to see if the staff would do anything if I brought it to their attention. So I called the front desk and told them my desk chair was very wobbly….. I was immediately told that a new chair would be brought to me. Within 10 minutes, a friendly housekeeper knocked and exchanged my chair with a better one.

Later that day I went to the office to ask where the snack machine was, and was informed there wasn’t one. Yet without being asked, the courteous desk clerk told me about the multiple places to eat or purchase snacks. Denny's next door, Chevron, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Mountain Mikes Pizza, 7-11 and a sandwich shop across the street.

The young man did add that they would be getting snack and soda machines soon, and would be in place within a month.

The next day housekeeping arrived in the mid morning and asked if I needed anything. It was going to be a rainy week and I was sure to be tracking in dirt, mud and water, so I asked if I could have FULL SERVICE daily.

Now most Motel 6 locations will change your sheets daily on request, but the more common routine is every other day. Of the 5 days I was here, I was out 3 of them, when housekeeping came. And as promised, each day my room was cleaned top to bottom, towels, soaps, ice bucket bags, trash and sheets changed when I returned in the afternoon. I even noticed that housekeeping had polished the chrome and cleaned the shower and toilet daily.

I did find the parking here to be challenging. There are plenty of parking spaces all the way around the property, but due to the layout of the buildings, you may not be able to get a parking space near your room.

There was one special surprise at this location that you wouldn't expect to find at a location in a major city.

Wild turkeys roam the property. I was told by a housekeeper that the wild turkeys have been there as long as she could remember. They are NOT pets or mascots, (DO NOT attempt to touch or feed them) but rather the occasional guest from the nearby American River Parkway.

These turkeys or maybe others, were also seen outside McDonalds as I enjoyed a Big Mac Meal. Then the next day at the 7-11 down the street.

The short version of this review is, it's a Motel 6 with all of the chain's pros and cons. However if you want to stay in a Motel 6 where the staff are very nice and helpful, this is the location to stay in while in Sacramento.

Motel 6 - 5110 Interstate Ave Sacramento California Review

My work takes me all over the country, however a few places I visit on a regular basis. One of the places I frequently find myself is Sacramento, California, a perfect jumping point to other cities and locals in the Western United States.  An International airport, an Amtrak Station and a central hub for Greyhound Bus Lines. So I know many of the local eateries, motels and entertainment. Motel 6 is a National Brand budget motel located at 5110 Interstate Ave in the North Highlands area of Sacramento, California.

This Motel 6 is conveniently located on Interstate 80, and a convenient stop for those who will be going over or have come from the Sierras. I’ve occasionally made this my rest stop and have always found the rooms to be adequate. Having its problems but never so much so that it wasn’t worth the money to stay.

Dennys, Jack in the Box, Starbucks, Chevron and a Scandia Miniature Golf Course are all 50 yards away. If you’re like me and enjoy a brisk walk, then a stroll down Madison Ave will find a slew of shopping and fast food. Target, GameStop, 7-11, Burger King, McDonalds, Wienerschnitzel, Panda Express, El Pollo Loco, 99 cent only, IHOP, Chik fil A, In and Out Burger, Staples, a Family Fitness Center and a bowling alley all within a mile.

This area has a moderate homeless population, and as you turn onto Interstate Ave, it is not unusual to see several homeless people sitting on the grass by Jack in the Box or lying on the sidewalk in front of the Dennys or Starbucks. Around dusk you can often see several homeless people congregating behind the Denny's near their garbage bin.

However, I have NEVER had any problems with the homeless population, rarely in fact do they even ask for money. They keep to themselves and may say hi as you pass by, making them friendlier than most people I’ve met in this area.

Check in at this Motel 6 location, is 3:00pm OR later. Not 2:00pm, 2:30pm or even 2:56pm. In the past I was able to check in immediately anytime after 2:00pm as long as they had a clean room. No longer do they extend that courtesy, as evidenced when not even calling the housekeeper on her walkie talkie, the desk clerk claimed that housekeeping had not yet cleaned the room assigned to my reservation.

This is of course a lie, since at exactly 3:00pm, as I stood there at the front desk, the desk clerk said, ‘oh its 3 o’clock, your room is ready”.

Was this desk clerk physic? Did she somehow ‘astral-project’ to my room and see that housekeeping had just finished cleaning my room… of course not. She was just stalling until their strict 3:00pm check in time. Let me be clear, I knew check in was at 3:00pm, only arriving early due to past visits letting me check in early.

Now all the desk clerk had to say was, ‘we now  have a policy that restricts us from checking in guests before 3:00pm’. Had I been told that, I would not be including the above interaction in this review. Lying to me, stalling me, may be easier, BUT it's bad business. Had I been immediately told about a firm policy, I would have walked next door to Dennys for lunch, rather than waiting in the tiny lobby for my room to be cleaned. By the way, that same ‘room not clean yet’ excuse was used on two other guests while I was waiting in the lobby.

This Motel 6 has a main section AND what they call an Annex Building that sits approx 150 yards away from the main building complex, on the northernmost corner of the property. If you’re lucky enough (I say sarcastically) to get a room in the Annex building, you’ll immediately feel as if you’re being punished for something.

The Annex area is well lit at night, however due to its distance from the main buildings, if something were to happen out there… well, as my neighbor in the next room told me (a young woman who was traveling alone), she just didn’t feel safe being so far from help if needed.

She added that even if she screamed for help, it was likely no one would hear her due to the noise from the adjacent Interstate.

The rooms are clean and maintained with a few exceptions. The sheets smelled fresh but as with most budget motels, fleece blankets and top cover blankets ARE NOT washed after each ‘check out’ and that is noticeable. Although when asked, housekeeping will happily supply you with a fresh cleaned fleece blanket.

Oh a Tip for my Fellow Travelers: How to tell if bed sheets have been freshly changed
Pull the blankets back and just look at the sheets. Both the top and fitted sheet WILL HAVE fold creases in them. Now at a budget motel the fold creases may not be as noticeable since they don’t fold them as tightly as a 4 star hotel would. However the folds will still be there. If you don’t see the creases made from the sheets being folded, than it's VERY possible those sheets are NOT fresh. I wouldn’t worry about that here, as I said the housekeeping staff is quite efficient.

The TV and remote worked, which is nice, unfortunately the WiFi was seriously lacking. Plenty of signal strength, even able to connect to the router, but NO internet. Just a constant RESOLVING HOST problem. I called the front desk to inquire about the WiFi and was told, ‘yeah sometimes it works good out there, sometimes it doesn’t, nothing we can really do about it from here’.  Oh well… what 1 or 2 star motel anywhere has reliable WiFi service. On other visits here the internet worked well, so this may have been an isolated incident.

 The Air Conditioning worked, though even on HIGH, the A/C doesn’t really cool the room effectively on a +98F degree day. On top of that, if you decide to go out to the State Fair or other day trip, decide to leave the A/C on to keep the room cool for your return….. Well you’re in for a harsh return.

When housekeeping comes by, they enter the room to make beds,  refill the necessities AND turn that A/C up to 75+ degrees. If you leave a note on the bed saying to leave the A/C where it is, they will.

The bathroom is adequate but you'll feel the need to get a can of anti fungal foot spray after using the shower. Its filthy, and NOT from lack of cleaning. Its old, stained, cracking and just generally ugly looking. I recommend wearing flip flops while in the shower, which is good advise for any lodging 1 star or 5 star, you just never know whats lurking on the shower floor.

The toilet is a toilet, really what more can you say about it. It flushes.... however, why can't they tighten the toilet seat. The toilet seat was so loose that I was sure I'd slide right off the bowl. I mean tightening the plastic nuts that hold it on is a simple thing to do Maintenance or housekeeping could do it in 3 minutes, literally, yet no one does. Are they waiting for the seat to completely fall off and hurt a guest??

Housekeeping Service here is REQUIRED if staying for more than a few days. I was informed that if staying more than 3 days, you could only refuse Housekeeping Service once. This is actually a good policy, allowing the rooms to be properly maintained, yet can be inconvenient since there is no schedule as to when they will be knocking on your door.

On a side note, I felt so bad when I saw one of the housekeepers pushing their FULL OVERFLOWING laundry cart 150+ yards in 103F+ degree weather to and from the Annex Section to the main Motel complex. Someone BUY housekeeping a golf cart to make that trip easier!

Oh if you stay for more than a day, expect to walk up to the office every single day to have your room key card reprogrammed. The majority of lodgings in America and the rest of the world, including other Motel 6 locations, program your key card to work for the duration of your stay. NOT HERE! Even when I specifically ask the desk clerk to program my key card for my full stay.. They seldom do.

There is a small area for pets to do their ‘business’, provided in the wide open space between the Main buildings and the Annex buildings, along with small dispenser w/ poop bags.

This location is NO LONGER corporate owned, it is a franchise location as of late 2019. You will not find a General Manager on the property if you run into problems. Although I have not met the owner, I have been told that he is immediately available to guests should a problem arise.

There is a separate review of this Motel regarding Reservations… if you plan on coming here you’ll want to read this or risk NOT getting the room you reserved.

Motel 6 Reservation Guarantee - Read the invisible print

The majority of motels and hotels in the United States, including Motel 6 adhere to an unofficial industry standard policy called ‘the walk policy’.

Basically this policy says that if you make a guaranteed reservation (and in some instances a non-guaranteed reservation), and you arrive at your motel to find they CAN’T accommodate your reservation for whatever reason, they WILL get you into a room that night EVEN if it means making arrangements at another hotel, paying for your first night at that alternate hotel and provide or pay for transportation if necessary.

Now first you have to ask yourself why wouldn’t your hotel of choice be able to accommodate your reservation. There’s actually many reasons, such as over booking, rooms being taken out of service due to maintenance issues, computer errors, employee error, etc. This isn’t really about the many reasons it COULD happen, but rather what Motel 6 did to me when it DID happen…. On two separate occasions.

These occurred at the same Motel 6 location at 5110 Interstate Ave, Sacramento, CA 95842. (Update: At the time I wrote this, this Motel 6 location was corporate owned. As of Late 2019, this location is now franchise owned)

Unlike most travelers, I read the fine print. And one of the reasons I don’t use third party companies to book rooms is because most of them won’t or can’t guarantee your reservation. So with most stays, I book directly on the hotels website, to ensure I get that guarantee from their property. As I did with Motel 6, like a dozen times before.

The first time it happened at this location, I had reserved a 2 bed room, yet when I checked in I was told there computer only showed me as booking a 1 bed room. The desk clerk, Stephanie, was non-apologetic saying she had no idea why my reservation was different on her computer. I began searching my emails from my phone to produce my Motel 6 email confirmation, when she stated matter of factly, “it doesn’t matter what confirmation you show me..”, informing me that the 2 bed rooms were not only fully booked but also fully occupied.

Stephanie was polite, while trying to think of an option, then offered to put me in a 1 bed room that night and would have a 2 bed room cleaned as soon as one of the current occupants checked out in the morning. No discount was offered in fact she was going to charge me the same rate as if it were a 2 bed room, so I asked for a discount on the 1 bed room I'd have to stay in that night.

Inconvenient yes, but she was at least attempting to make the situation right, I appreciated that. So I took the discounted 1 bed room, allowing my travel companion to have the bed and me huddled in a corner on the floor with a spare blanket provided by housekeeping.  The next morning I went to the office at 11am and she indeed had a housekeeper cleaning a room for me. By the time I was finished exchanging key cards and re-checking in, the housekeeper called on the walkie talkie to say the room was ready. Problem solved, guest happy and life goes on…..

Later in the year this same situation arises again. My reservation for a 2 bed room was now appearing as a 1 bed room reservation on the motels computer. This time the desk clerk (a new desk clerk, this location has a high turnover. Every time I come here there are different desk clerks) was of no help and had no idea how to handle the situation. Also he was surprisingly uneducated in policies, he was polite but obviously disinterested and unsympathetic.  But when he saw that I was frustrated, he kept his cool and did the only thing he was obviously trained to do… read the computer screen and call someone else.

I produced my confirmation email, and unphased by the error, the desk clerk kept telling me, ‘I don’t know what to tell you, my computer says 1 bedroom’.

Not wanting to sleep on the floor again, I asked to speak with a manger, but there was none on site… at 3pm during the rush of check-ins. He called his manager and left a message on voicemail, time went by and no return call from the manager. I told the desk clerk I would like to use the Guaranteed Reservation option, and be sent to another Motel 6 property.

The desk clerk had NO IDEA what I was talking about, he even said that reservations aren’t guaranteed. Seeing I was getting upset, he called someone he claims was in Guest Services, and told them about my claim that reservations were guaranteed. I showed him on the Motel 6 website, the guarantee that says my reservation would be honored, even if it meant going to another hotel at their expense.

        ‘YOU NEED TO KNOW’ this, if staying at a Motel 6.

I was always under the impression that if you made a guaranteed reservation on their website, you would always get the room TYPE reserved OR the ‘the walk policy’ would go into effect. It’s what it says on their website…. Or does it??? Below is the Motel 6 Guaranteed Reservation policy portion in regards to not honoring your reservation, copy/pasted from the FAQ page of their website, motel6.com on Oct 2019:

If guaranteed with your credit card, your reservation will be held all night for your arrival. If you are unable to guarantee your reservation, your room will be held until 6:00PM (at most locations).

 In the unlikely event that we cannot honor your guaranteed reservation, we will reimburse you for the first night's lodging at a comparable motel, transportation to that establishment (if needed) and a telephone call to your home or office to notify others of your new location.

To me that says, if I can’t get my 2 bed room as reserved, then Motel 6 will get me to a motel/hotel that does have 2 bed room… right??? WRONG!!!!

First off the Guest Service person had no idea what I was talking about and had never heard of a ‘guaranteed reservation’ policy. Then adding that all they could do was give me the 1 bed room or switch me to a 2 bed room the following day IF AVAILABLE, which it wasn’t.  She also explained that my reservation was downgraded to a 1 bed room by a KNOWN glitch in the on-site reservation system.

She had just admitted it was their systems fault so I reasserted myself, “If you know the downgrade was your reservation systems fault, why are you NOT trying to make this right by….. “

I never got to finish my sentence, she interrupted and said, “Oh no, it's not our fault, it's the reservation systems fault…. We have NO CONTROL over the reservation system.”

That's when I realized I wasn’t talking to anyone in Guest relations but rather another desk clerk, likely from a different shift or another area Motel 6 property. I suggested that at the very least I should be comp’d a second 1 bed room for the night so I wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor, NOPE!

NO discount for the foul up and NO upgrade to a different type 2 bed room either… which I later found out they did have a 2 bed room with a fridge available. I was done, this was ridiculous, so I said fine and gave him back the phone.

At this point I just wanted to wash 200 miles of Greyhound off so I asked him to call one of the other properties to see if they had a 2 bed room available, there wasn’t. So broken and defeated I bowed to the absurdness of the situation and the inevitability of my sleeping on the floor for the next 3 nights.  ‘We’ll check into the 1 bed room’, I told him.

Then as a final metaphorical slap in my face… the downgraded 1 bed room cost 6 cents MORE than what my 2 bed room email confirmation stated…. ‘Really, how can it cost more?’, I asked him.

He replied, ‘I don’t know, that's what it shows on my computer’.

So just fed up, I paid then went to my room and spent the next 30 minutes on the phone with a real Guest Relations who claimed she would file a report and send it off to the District and General Managers… I won’t hold my breath. I was also told these things by her:

The Guaranteed RESERVATION Policy  is not completely spelled out on the website. The actual guarantee is, they will get me a room, any room of their choice at their property. IF they are completely FULL and absolutely NO ROOMS are available, they will then and ONLY then begin the process of first contacting other area Motel 6 properties, then as a LAST resort will implement ‘the walk policy’, of paying your first night and transportation to another hotel chain.

So the room TYPE (1 bed, 2 bed, a suite, with or w/o a fridge, whatever) IS NOT guaranteed, the guarantee is that they will get a roof over your head. However let me point out… that neither desk clerks  that I spoke with had ANY idea about this policy, or they would have been able to correct me on the spot by explaining the policy to me…. They couldn’t, didn’t and probably wouldn’t have even if they did know the policy

The Guest Relations Dept also told me that after checking my reservation, they confirmed it was for a 2 bed room and someone at the property location downgraded it to a 1 bed room. Why someone at this property would downgrade my reservation she didn’t know. Perhaps this is the ‘Known Glitch’ I was informed of.

JUST FYI - this location has a 14 day stay policy. Meaning that you can stay 14 days, but you must not return to the property for 30 days. The guest services rep informed me this is in violation of Motel 6 policy. According to her, Motel 6 policy states you may stay 28 consecutive days then you must leave the property for 2 days before returning.

This policy is even reflected in their online reservation system which allows you to make a reservation of up to 28 days. (UPDATE: online reservation system at Motel 6.com no longer allows you to make a reservation at this location for longer than 14 consecutive days).

This guaranteed reservation policy is not a law, unlike airlines that have legal obligations to get you to where you’re going, the motel industry has no government oversight in this area. It was the motel and hotel industry that created and defined ‘the walk policy’ as a courtesy to guests. Each motel, hotel, inn, etc may interpret ‘the walk policy’ differently, based on any number of conditions there particular company chooses.

Now maybe the wording of this Motel 6 reservation guarantee is misleading, perhaps I’m reading too much into it, I don’t know. I do know that to ME, when it says your ‘reservations will be honored or they will get you a room at a comparable motel’, that means the reservation (number of beds) I MADE will be honored or I’ll get a 2 bed room somewhere else at Motel 6 expense (the first night). NOT my reservation will be honored with a 1 bed room, and I will just have to share with my travel companion.

What if I needed this 2 bed room because I was traveling with a female co-worker or platonic female friend. Would they still expect us to share a bed just because of a reservation error that MOTEL 6 admitted to making? Or what if the 2 bed room was for a pair of couples, would one couple then have to sleep on the floor? I can’t be the only one this has happened to, feel free to comment below about your Motel 6 experiences. Perhaps its time to hold the motel industry accountable the way we hold the airline industry accountable.