Hand dryers

Erika and I were exposed to many different forms of hand dryers throughout our trip. Some were definitely better than others. Here I will list all that we could remember and the positives and negatives:

- roll of paper sitting on counter (not the cleanliest, as they are damp and just sitting there...also not easy to use because they give no aid in tearing the towel)

- towel dispenser that looks like an upside down baby wipe container with the towel coming out of a small hole in the middle (not bad, wastes paper, but only need to touch the paper towel)

- towel dispenser with pre-cut towels, pull down on towels to retrieve (simlar as previous, except that these are sometimes difficult to pull, and don't give a lot of paper)

- folded paper towels in dispenser (sometimes hard to reach in to get, and I feel like it ends up being a waste of paper)

- Push down lever for towels with hand (can be gross because other people's wet hands have touched the lever too)

- Push down lever for towels with forearm (Erika kind of liked, but the men's bathroom one was gross, because it was wet, and I didn't want my forearm gross with other people's wetness)

- Automatic towel dispenser (two types)
1. Only dispenses a small amount of paper, and you have to wait a second to get another sheet, annoying and probably end up taking more than you need.
2. This one at the theater where we saw A Christmas Carol dispensed slightly longer sheets of paper, perfect amount for drying, definitely one of the best ones

- Classic blow dryer with push button (seems ineffective because it doesn't dry very well so probably a waste of energy, does not waste paper though...button is rusty sometimes though and wet)

- The best one we saw was in Water Tower Place in Chicago. It supposedly used less energy and was more efficient. Basically, you would lower your hands into a slot where there was air coming from both sides. As you pulled your hands out, they would dry so by the time you removed them completely, you were set to go! These were clearly a new invention, and seemed to be the best that we saw, of course, we only had that one opportunity to see them.

Are there other types of drying devices out there? Some of the bathrooms, it seemed better to just wash your hands and touch as little else as possible... I also wanted to add, that some urinals are now apprently water free. Sounds like it is better because there is no water waste, but come in, do those really work?

Signs of the recession

Erika commented on our drive from Atlanta to Florida, that she noticed there were far fewer billboards filled with ads. She figured, and I agreed, that businesses were probably holding back on buying ads.

Of course, what were the ads that Erika noticed were missing? The apparently well known "bare-all" clubs!

Road trip route

Google reports that this route is 2,959 miles and takes 1 day, 23 hours to drive. We pdrove a bit more here and there, and of course didn't go straight through, but pretty good nonetheless.

Longest drive: the first leg from DC to Kalamazoo - 614 miles and 10 hours 7 minutes.

Back in DC!

After around 3000 miles of driving and going from snow and cold to sunny and warm, we have arrived back in the District.

More debriefing to come in the next couple of days, including pictures that Erika took, which of course, are much better than mine.

Thanks to everyone for their generosity in housing, food, etc!

Erika drawing Marley

Notice she is orange and blue!

Beer sampler at charleston restaurant

Grave of john Rutledge, signer of the constitution