"America's Creepiest Motel!" A couple years ago, this motel came up on a list of haunted and unusual hotels. I laughed, shared it with Don and announced, "We need to put that on our list!" When planning our recent road trip from Texas to California, we decided to slip in a stop at the Tonopah motel. And yes, I did read reviews and articles. All seemed to claim Clown Motel as "America's Creepiest Motel". Don and I were not afraid. February Day Flurries were swirling when we pulled into the big lot off Highway 95, about halfway between Reno and Vegas. The blue and white motel with clown sign, looked just as worn and curious as the photos I'd seen on the internet. I was surprised to see the dramatic mountain in the background and all the vehicles in the lot. At least the motel had some business. Welcome! We headed towards the office and opened the door to a blast of warmth and clown-color. Big yellow Ronald was the first to greet us, then my eyes went directly to the walls behind, filled with clowns. A woman at the desk paused on the phone to say hello. She seemed annoyed with the person on the phone, but was perfectly pleasant with us. Mr. Perchetti Then the owner Bob Perchetti, entered and gave us a warm welcome. He'd been expecting us. I'd called a month before and requested a room with lots of clown decor. He'd been very chatty on the phone and said he would book us for the Clown Suite. Business Corner The walls behind Bob's desk were covered in sticky notes and paper work, but framed clowns shared some of the space. Acrobatic clowns and a parachuting clown, hung from the ceiling. Working Clowns I peeked around as Don checked us in. It was clear that most of the clowns were for pure decoration, but a few had real jobs, like holding books. Bob Relaxes Bob finished dealing with a few staff members. One was holding a snow shovel and another held a stack of linens. Then the office was quiet. Bob had lots of time to talk. He was happy to answer questions about the motel. Bob wasn't the original owner who collected the clowns. But, when he bought the business 23+ years ago, adopting the clowns was part of the deal. Bob will be turning 80 years old soon and he's ready to sell the business. But he also needs to find someone willing to take over the clowns, as he did. Bob laughed about all the attention the motel has gotten from being on a few TV shows, about haunted hotels. He casually brought up the fact that someone had recently died in the motel. I tried to unhear that bit of news, since we were staying over. But now I wish I'd asked. I can't find anything on the internet about it. Photo Time Bob is used to cameras in his motel. I'm pretty sure more people stop to take photos, than stop to spend the night. I asked if he'd be in a photo with me. He thought we should pose near the human sized clown, seated in the corner. I guess I could have joined the smaller clowns and sat in Big Clown's lap. But I was trying to keep things non-creepy, at the Creepy Clown Motel. Bob and Me So we posed near the cluster of clowns. I took off my jacket so my very fine t-shirt, (from Angie's Circus Diner in Hugo, OK) could be seen! Then we chatted some more. Actually Bob's stories of small town, Tonopah were more interesting than the Clown Motel history. He loved growing up in the once mining town, just a couple doors down from his Serbian grandmother. I loved hearing Bob talk about his grandmother first coming to Tonopah, as a mail order bride. And I had to laugh to hear that Bob was named after his Uncle Bob, who happened to go by the nickname, Bozo. Bob and His Mom There was a photo of Bob and his mom on a bulletin board. He said at 97, she still lives in the house where he grew up. Every morning Bob eats breakfast in town, but he has coffee at his mom's, first. He talked about the importance of family, his own now and his good family memories from the past. Those memories included lots of gatherings with Serbian food! My Clown At one point I remembered that I had a little clown in the car, that I'd brought along for the fun. (Props sometimes play a part in our odd overnights) I told Bob that the funny unicycle clown had been in my family since I was 6. I explained that it used to have balancing poles for cycling back and forth on a suspended wire. Bob thought he'd seen a clown like it before. Bob's Favorite Bob said there were 500 to 600 clowns on display. Of course I had to ask if he had a favorite. Emmett/Willie This sad little guy is Bob's favorite. He showed up at the motel one day, with a note. The note is kept under his foot. I think of all the clown figurines at the motel, this is the only one I would have snatched up, had Bob been selling clowns. I always loved the real Emmitt Kelly, who created his little Tramp, Willie character... the first clown to break away from the "whiteface" clown image. I loved this sad little guy. One Last Look Don and I took one last look at the china, metal, crocheted, wooden, plastic collection... and took our key to the Clown Suite. Up the Stairs We had to cart our stuff up some icy stairs, but Bob said, we would have a good view of the Tonopah Cemetery from up there. At the End The last 2 rooms for some reason didn't have a colorful clown figure. All the others did. Our room was at the end, but this sign was right between the last 2 doors. Who was Joe? Were both rooms suites? Voila! We opened the door to our clown suite and saw a few clowns, right away. Our room at seventy dollars, was at least $20 more, than the other rooms. That seemed a bit pricey for an old motel... but we did ask for a room with clowns and by golly we got them. We also had 2 beds, tons of space and a door adjoining another room. Maybe if you book both, you can have a super big clown party with some friends. Or I guess we could have knocked on the door, since we could hear voices and smell some kind of food cooking. We could have invited our neighbors over for a clown appreciation party. Pondering the Guests Actually, after doing some internet searching, I learned that "Joe" is a motel manager and he may have been the neighbor we heard, next door. Hmm? In the article I read, it said Joe lived at the motel, in the Clown Suite. Maybe he lives in both rooms and moves out of one, when there's a request. I'm not sure.. and I'm pretty glad I didn't know that at the time. Don and I wondered about other guests. The truck filled parking lot, made it clear that most of the overnighters were workmen and such. Besides the work related travelers, I think the Clown Motel actually gets more guests who are interested in paranormal activity, than clowns. Luckily that doesn't faze me, since most of the historic hotels we visit, claim to have ghosts. A Very Big TV Our 2-bed room was spacious and the TV was huge. However, there were some room issues that most reviewers might gripe about. Yes, it needed new paint and carpet and there was a crack in the window, but it was clean. I get it. If I were Bob, I wouldn't be wanting to put money into renovation before selling. Don and I were just pretty excited to have our oddball Clown Motel experience... before it's too late. Our Clowns When will we ever again stay in a motel that has a cluster of colorful clowns displayed on the dresser? When will we be able to pop some microwave corn, while a cookie jar clown, grins from above? Washing up, With Clowns! There were clowns dangling near the mirror over the sink. And look at the special make-up mirror! That's kinda fancy. Most old motels don't provide magnified make-up mirrors! But then again, I would need that, if I had brought along some clown make-up. Toilet Paper Delight! This display on the toilet tank, put the biggest grin on my face. First of all I expected no toiletries, but there they were... laying on a colorful circus fabric, right next to a crocheted toilet paper keeper with a plastic clown head! Art There was artwork, too. I liked the triple-image-art with Emmett's, Willy character in the circus ring. But what was the other one? With closer observation, it made me think of a fever dream, featuring an aged Emmett, floating with eerie cloud faces. We chose the bed furthest from that print. Night at the Motel We had a great dinner at the charming historic Mizpah Hotel, in town. That's on our list for next time. When we returned, there was a nice layer of snow on the parking lot. That is not a moon in the photo. That is a mystery. I have no clue how that orb ended up in my photo? Morning at the Clown We woke at 6 am, to sounds of snowplows. It was bitter cold, but I threw warm clothes on, over my p.j.s and wandered out with the camera. The Clown with Snow There wasn't a ton of snow, but it did make everything look clean and tidy. Quiet Office I walked past the office, which I knew would be serving coffee soon. Tonopah Cemetery I walked just a few steps past the office, to the old miners cemetery. It looked very peaceful on a snow covered morning. The cemetery opened in 1901, when miners were hit with some sort of plague. Evidently, the father of the motel's original owner, is buried here. Leaving Footsteps My footsteps weren't the first. I saw some kitty paw prints when I stepped in through the gates. I was told later there is a local program that captures and fixes local feral cats. Many cats are fed nearby and call the cemetery home. I studied Mr. Smith's grave for a moment. He was "murdered in his cabin, behind the Midway mine." Hmm? Maybe it was his spirit orb, that I captured in my photo, the night before. What's Notable We did it! We spent the night at the Clown Motel and I'm glad we did. If we hadn't spent a good deal of time chatting with Bob, the whole experience would have felt much more bizarre. I wasn't looking for a creepy overnight, just a curious and memorable one. It certainly was!
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Ninety Notable
Nights My New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to start documenting some of the memorable overnights I've had in some very odd and curious motels and hotels. Like the adventures in my Dining Blog, I have learned to enjoy the surprises that happen when you step out of the comfort zone, far away from the well-known chains. I began with a few entries recalling my very first home away from home memories from my youth. Then, I started sharing about some of the quirky and unforgettable motels, hotels and inns that my husband and I have discovered in recent years. The best part about this challenge was making some lists with Don and getting on the road in search of new overnight adventures. I gave myself a 2-year goal to write up 90 stories and the goal was met. Now we just keep on adding! Archives
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