Sleeping or not

I am reminded of Maslow's heirachy of needs - the first one being food and shelter - on the road this would be translated to the great and constant search for clean and comfortable beds and the healing effect of 8 hrs of adequate sleep. The quality of my day time experiences is inextricably linked to the type of REM received on the previous night. So far I haven't camped at all (much to my surprise) and only used my trusty LLBean blow up mattress at my daugher, Jenn's, in Durango. Hotels and motels differ vastly in the quality of their beds and room air - I swear that even if they say the room is a non-smoking one you can still smell the remnants and of course all the perfumes/after shave colognes that have drifted into the room before I got there. Before departing I had purchased a book on traveling cross country on a budget and it listed all the hostels, campgrounds and cheap hotels. I hadn't even checked out a hostel until I got to Taos yesterday afternoon and this one is the Snowmansion in Arroyo Seco, about 10 mins north of Taos. I located it, explored it and knew that I just couldn't stay there - it was too pre-Salvation army furniture, dark, and had old (but still present)kitchen smells from decades of use by nomadic ski bums and other more adventurous travelers. My fantasy before I left was that I would connect/meet with fellow travelers at hostels and save money in the process. I even peeked in their tepees - segregated by gender - with four cots in each and as romantic as it sounds they didn't have windows except for the door flaps - which could let in other undesirable beings - I've been told about the black widow spiders and rattlesnakes in the Southwest - and I'm not that brave! Back to town in search of a cheap hotel - I learned quickly to ask to check out the room first - for cleanliness, smells, amenities, and general energy feel. After about 2 hours of searching I did find one that had a reasonable weekly rate and sacrificed some convenience by it not having air conditioning (luckily it cools down at night in Taos), wifi, continental breakfasts, or even a hair dryer or coffeemaker(the Visitor's center did say that it wasn't modern!).

Then there is the camping option. I did purchase the necessary prerequisite basics (tent, tarp, sleeping bag, aforementioned mattress)before leaving NE but haven't yet
used them - except for my trial camping experience in Vermont on a family reunion over memorial day - and that doesn't count. My first excuse is that it's been too bloody hot over the summer to even imagine camping - especially since the areas I visited (with the exception of the lovely Great Smokey Mtns)have been devoid of the tall leafy, shady trees that I'm used to in the White Mtns of New Hampshire. To be fair I have looked at a few campgrounds and RV parks and the sight of treeless, gravel sights have not been tempting. I am determined to try one out in Taos though even if only to be able to say that I did...

My "roughing it" quotient is lower than I imagined and as a result the trip is considerably more expensive than planned - especially when I haven't had the good fortune of being able to stay with folks on the road. However; my sleep is extremely important to me and I've justified the additional sums on maintaining my mental health on this trip - given that I've already given up my home, dog, family and friends for the duration...