This photo was taken in December of 2013. It was a snowy morning. I was on road report duty. Our location that morning was in the back parking lot of a chain restaurant outside the Columbia Mall in Hemlock Township. We chose that location because it offered a great view of Interstate 80 below. We could show the interstate, and be safely out of the way.
The location came with a bonus. The restaurant had a grease dumpster out back, and a bicycle, chain locked to a light pole. When you're on road duty, there are a finite number of things you can say about snow. So you start looking for what I call "color." I described the scene, including the grease dumpster. Eventually, someone who said he spoke for restaurant management came by to say we were no longer welcome at that location. I guess he wanted the fact the restaurant served greasy food to be a surprise. I know a lot of places have these, and I never mentioned the name of the restaurant on the air.
We have been blessed with a couple of mild winters recently, so I haven't broadcast from that location in years. I'm assuming the grease dumpster is still there because the restaurant is still in business. I'm not sure about the bike.
