I am a truck driver and decided to spend the night at the motel, instead of sleeping in my truck. The motel is conveniently located adjacent to the Iowa 80 truck stop.

Staff was pleasant enough, and I asked for a non-smoking room. Once I entered the room, I found standing water on the bathroom floor, apparently from a leaking toilet. I returned to the front desk and was issued another room, but this turned out to be a smoking room. I returned to the front desk again and third time was a charm. The room was in good condition and clean.

When I tried to shower, however, I received a big shock. The shower water was a dark brown color, about the color of cola. I called the front desk and they advised me the color was caused by a water softener that they added to the hot water, and that it was safe to use, but to let it run for a few minutes to clear up.

Indeed, the cold water was clear while the hot water was brown, so I took the employees' word on the... more