Go West Quest

My Last AirBnB Experience (Update):

During my recent stays, I have found many owners of AirBnB locations are not on the property. They are traveling or live near the house, but a traveler doesn't know that until they get there. While traveling in the Pacific Northwest, I stayed at an AirBnB home that was nice and clean. This particular home has an owner that lived somewhere else. She rents out two or three rooms. I had the upstairs to myself, and a male was staying downstairs. We were to share the common areas. My problem was that there wasn't a lock on the door. Sure, the owner knew who was staying in her home, but I did not.

Being from the East Coast, I was exhausted with jet lag, so I turned in extremely early. Plus, I planned to go hiking at daybreak. As I was washing up for the night, I heard a strange sound. I walked halfway down the stairs to figure out that snoring was coming from the other bedroom. The gentleman left the door open to his room, so the snoring could be heard throughout the house.

A few minutes later I fell asleep, but was awakened a few hours later by a loud voice talking about Medicare benefits that can be used in a physical therapy office. The volume was at full blast. It sounded like he was doing homework, so I tried to forget about it. It was ten o'clock in the evening, so it was one o'clock in the morning my time.

After the Medicare audio, the gentleman played a soothing instrument for a few minutes that actually helped me fall back to sleep. However, goosebumps formed on my skin as he started playing his instrument at four o'clock in the morning. I’m not sure why the music unnerved me, but I left the home soon after the music stopped. I never met the other guest, and maybe if I had, things would have turned out differently. I'm not even sure the gentleman staying there was an AirBnB guest; he could be the son or friend of the owner.

In the past, I have picked my AirBnBs based on the owners, which is wrong. In my experience, with half the places that I have stayed, the host isn't even there on the property. After this experience, I may just rent the whole house, so I know who is staying with me at the AirBnB. Safe Travels!

A deer eating leaves that I found while hiking near the AirBnB.

Traveling through the Midwest: 

In the end, I  stayed at five AirBnB, and overall it was a positive experience. Two places were exceptional, and I would go back and visit again. One home was very dirty and had a strong odor. The owner was out of town, so I'm not sure who cleaned the apartment. I was so disappointed with that particular AirBnB listing that I almost canceled the rest of my reservations with the website, but I didn't.

The key when booking an AirBnB room or home is to look at the response rate under host profile seen on website. If a person wasn't happy with the host or property, the hosts are going to have a less than 100% response rate. I didn't realize this at first, but the dirty listing had a 65% response rate. When considering a room or home, look over the reviews and try to read between the lines. It's really difficult to know if you are going to click with owner or feel completely out of place.

Meanwhile,my car handled well during the 3 thousand mile drive, and I enjoyed most of my solo drive. Here's more on traveling solo. I spent my time in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois, and I had the best experiences in Nebraska as I saw deer and wild turkeys,

If I could do it over, I would have spent more time taking pictures. I'm usually a planner, but this trip was more spur of the moment. I really didn't have any plans, and it still worked out great. I saw great friends from my past, and I made a few new friends that I won't ever forget.

Here's my travel journal:

June 11, 2016: After a long day of driving, I made it home Saturday night. I found that on the eastern side of the Mississippi had many more drivers staying in the left lane, and it caused many traffic issues.

Last night as I headed home, I stopped in Marion, Illinois, after driving all day. Illinois Interstate System seemed to be under construction every thirty miles, and I didn't get as far as I thought. I was hoping to make it to Kentucky, but with the road construction that didn't happen. I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express since I wasn't sure when I would stop for the night. The cost was twice a much as any AirBnB.

June 10, 2016:  Today I turned south towards home. I made a stop at the Lake of the Woods near Champaign, Illinois. They have a famous covered bridge and bell tower, and I had spent many holidays camping there while I was a child.

The famous covered bridge found in Lake of the Woods.

Last night we had ice cream in Belvidere, Illinois, and there were beautiful colors in the sky left over from the sunset.

Dusk falls on Belvidere, Illinois.

June 9, 2016:   I am staying in a small town near Rockford, Illinois.

We went to Woodstock, Illinois, to take pictures of the flowers, but it was raining. The little town square had many cute shops to browse. I picked up a few gifts and a new book to read. I like supporting independent bookstores since so many have gone out of business in Atlanta.

A peony flower growing on the square in Woodstock, Illinois.

Last night, I had a wonderful evening catching up with my cousin and best friend from high school.

June 8, 2016:  I am on my way to Northern Illinois to see a cousin of mine.

I have only spent a few hours on the Illinois highways system, and it has been horrible. I went down Interstate 88, and I couldn't go faster than 40 miles per hour due to construction. It's a toll road, and I had to pay over three dollars for a miserable driving experience. President Ronald Reagan was born off this interstate, but the exit was closed if you wanted to visit the home.

On my way to Illinois, I found Le Claire, Iowa, which sits on the Mississippi River. I found a wine shop and an olive oil shop to buy gifts.

My last night at the Ankeny AirBnB felt uncomfortable. My host and his girlfriend came back from dinner with a change in attitude. I'm not sure, but the couple seemed at odds. This morning I didn't see them nor did they say goodbye, which made me feel even more uncomfortable.

June 7, 2016: My fifth AirBnB is in Ankeny, Iowa. It's just north of Des Moines. The neighborhood is close to everything and has a walking path, so I went for a wonderful hike this morning. There were many rabbits along the path, so I tried to get a few pictures. Unfortunately, my camera battery died.

Flowers seen while walking in Des Moines, Iowa.

The home is very clean and super cozy, and the owner seems to be a pro at this AirBnB website and hosting. There was even mints on the pillows when I arrived. I was very tired and fell asleep soon after settling into the home.

June 6, 2016: At 4:30 in the morning, coyotes wailed near the cabin where I was sleeping. By the howling, I could tell their was about 3 to 5 coyotes. I worried that the barn cats that I photographed were okay.  I was a bit afraid of the coyotes and stayed inside the cabin. I learned later I could have yelled at them, and the coyotes may have run off.

I had a wonderful time on the farm, and I'm headed east on Interstate 80 to Des Moines, Iowa.

June 5, 2016: My fourth AirBnB is on a cattle ranch near Gothenburg, Nebraska. Yesterday I was able to take pictures of the cows and farm animals. Pictures of the barn cats are here.

The owners of the ranch were very friendly and made me feel like part of the family. I got to ride out to see the cows on the farm. We saw deer, wild turkeys and numerous types of birds. We went hiking into a canyon, and I got to learn about animal tracks. We saw tracks that was thought to be a bobcat.

A deer found near Gothenburg, Nebraska.

The owners also invited me to their church, which I enjoyed. I love it when God answers your prayers. I couldn't of had a better experience with AirBnB.

June 4, 2016: I woke up at 4:30 this morning. Before falling to sleep, I opened the window and heard two men talking about my car being from Georgia, which seemed to be a big deal to them. A person shouldn't judge another by their car or by their license plate. I could be driving a rental car for all they know.

June 3, 2016: I arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska. My third AirBnB was very clean and reminded me of my childhood home. It was a small, cute apartment, which was hot when I first arrived, so I had the air conditioning blasting cool air into the apartment. When I pictured Nebraska, I thought of cooler temperatures, but it has been in the high 80s and very humid. The problem that I had with this AirBnB was the neighborhood.Due to the nice weather, there were lots of people lingering and loitering while I was trying to unpack my car, so I felt a little uncomfortable. After my mother yelled at me for taking my safety seriously, I was contemplating on moving to a hotel.

The Nebraska state capital building located in Lincoln.

For dinner, I had a delicious meal at Billy's Restaurant on H Street. Afterwards when I arrived back at the apartment, a summer shower cooled off the city.

Riley, Kansas

Earlier, I stopped in Riley, Kansas, to take pictures of the small town and cemetery since it is my married name.

Kansas has these wildlife area, so I thought I would find beautiful wild animals. Nope. These areas are made for hunters looking for a trophy. I could hear shooting in the distance even though it's off season for hunting.

June 2, 2016: I stayed in Manhattan, Kansas, which is located in Riley County.

My second AirBnB had a code to unlock the front door, but I wasn't able to turn the knob to get the door open. It turned out that someone had left the deadbolt locked, so there was no way I was getting in that way. Luckily, my host was able to help me. The house is an 1950's style home, and my host is a musician on the road. At first the place seemed cute, but it was quite dirty. The bedroom was clean but the kitchen and bathroom was in desperate need of some TLC.

Kansas was beautiful with its rolling hills and green landscapes. I saw plenty of wheat fields and cattle ranches. I wanted to stop every few miles to get more pictures.

My drive started with being pulled over by the sheriff department in Missouri, and I received a warning for speeding six miles over the speed limit. In Atlanta, the police would even looked my way unless I drove twenty miles over the limit, which is a big difference. Afterwards, I missed a turn, which caused me to be delayed due to road construction. For next my five hours, I didn't go over the speed limit for one minute on my drive through Kansas.

A barn and farm equipment
located in Pleasant View, Kansas.

June 1, 2016: The drive to Joplin, Missouri was over nine hours long. I tried to make through Memphis before morning rush hour, and I was almost successful. The first seven hours of the drive was uneventful. I found Fayetteville, Arkansas, the most beautiful part of my drive. About twenty miles from Joplin, I got stuck in a downpour. The storm clouds were very intimidating.

Storm clouds looming over the
road south of Joplin, Missouri.

I checked into my first AirBnB room, and it's quite nice. It's very comfortable, and the host has been wonderful. I have been trying to make my second reservation for tomorrow night, but it keeps asking me to verify my ID. The problem is that I have already sent it three times. In the end, I wasn't able to make the reservation on my phone, but once I got my laptop computer functional, it was fine.

My first AirBnB location had a beautiful garden.

Many of us remember Joplin, Missouri, for the 2011 EF5 rated tornado. After five years, I'm not seeing much damage, but I have only seen a small part of the city.

In Diamond, Missouri, is location of the George Washington Carver National Monument. Thanks to George Washington Carver, we have peanut butter, peanuts, and sweet potatoes to eat. Thinking of my pantry at home, he was a brilliant agricultural scientist.

May 31, 2016: I made it to Florence, Alabama, in great time. I passed Jesse Owens Memorial Park and Museum in Danville, Alabama. Tuscumbia is the home of Helen Keller, and Florence is the birthplace of W.C. Handy, who is consider the Father of the Blues.

For dinner, I met friends at 2nd and 13 Sports Bar in Sheffield. The hamburgers were incredible.

Sheffield Hardware Store has a beautiful facade.

May 30, 2016: I leave tomorrow for the Midwest. My sister is not coming with me, so it's a solo trip. I figure I would head towards Kansas and Nebraska. When I get tired of driving, I will head home. I am also trying AirBnB website for the first time, so I'm looking forward to that experience.

My first stop is Florence, Alabama. The Quad-Cities are located in the Northwest corner of the state, and it includes Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. The Tennessee River runs between Florence and Sheffield.


May 22, 2016: My dream of traveling out west may be coming true. Right now, I have ten days to drive to Montana and back. Is it even possible? I'm not sure. I invited my sister, who loves to travel as much as I do. Plus, she's also a better driver than me. I doubt that she would be able to go since she has many responsibilities. The funniest thing is she asked where Glacier National Park was located. She must have read my mind since that was the one place I wanted to visit. Anyway, I will keep my fingers crossed that everything works out for the best.

Glacier National Park Website