The owners were "Al" Mabry and "Jo" Hogg.

Intersection of 19 and 82. Not around now; lost perhaps to ramp expansion. I wish we had a closer picture of the sign, but this might be all we have of the Al-Jo. I'm sure the proud owners had more. They passed it on to the kids, who eitther put it away in the attic, or gave it to the local historical society, or maybe lost it in a move. There has to be a picture of Al and Jo standing in front of the sign on opening day, waiting for the first car to pull in.

When you think about it, opening day at a motel would be rather slow. You'd sit around until about six or seven, waiting for business. In the morning you're cleaning rooms and checking out guests, but on your first day, there's nothing to do but wait for customer #1. Hours and hours of watching the traffic pass, wondering if you'd made a terrible mistake.