I’ve been driving on long-ish road trips for more than a decade, and I should know how to manage my bathroom habits by now. Alas, I insist on chugging water whilst driving, quickly filling up my thimble-sized bladder. That means I’ve got to pull over and find a place to empty it, not always easy if you’re trekking through a place unfamiliar.
On a recent road trip I took to instill trust in my new-to-me budget Fiat 500 Abarth, I took pictures of my car next to this abandoned motel after finding a place to whizz. (Did I pee in the parking lot? No comment.)
- Car: Fiat 500 Abarth
- Location: Fair Plain, Michigan
- Photog: Kevin Williams (IG + Twit @gaytona_usa)
- Camera: Canon Eos M50
Covid restrictions are starting to lift in much of the United States, I’m vaxxed, and I got a whole new sporty car that I purchased for virtually no money.
Time for a road trip, right?
All the hardpoints on the Fiat were done – save for the timing belt. The car’s check engine light had stayed off for more than 1,500 miles. I had new wheels, tires, and brakes. I’ve got a good sound system, cold air conditioning. I figured it was now or never, it’s time for the $1,500 Abarth to sink or swim. I planned a semi-easy, but still kind of far 1,000ish-mile trip. The first leg would be from Columbus to Detroit, around 200 miles or so, or roughly three hours of driving. Then, from Detroit to Chicago, 300 miles, and then finally from Chicago back home.
Because of the pandemic, I haven’t seen family for close to a year and a half. Not wanting to risk each others health, we opted to wait until we were all vaccinated before I came to visit.
Detroit’s lovely, but these photos aren’t from Detroit, this is an abandoned hotel in a small town somewhere between Kalamazoo, MI, and Chicago.
The Fiat’s been flawless, knock on wood. Hopefully, it stays that way.
