April 19, 2013

Riverside Resort RV Park, Laughlin, NV

When we got up this morning and turned on the TV we were horrified to see what was going on in Massachusetts.  I wrote an entire page (ranted) about how I was feeling.  BUT when I read what I had written, I decided to delete it because I didn’t like how I sounded.  So, instead of the rant, I am just going to say how very sad the entire thing is and leave it at that.

We planned on taking a boat ride on the USS Riverside because we had received discount coupons when we signed up for our players’ cards.  I called the ticket office and found out the sailing schedule.  We had over an hour to get ready for the next departure time of 12:30.

I packed us a lunch to take along.  We also threw our bathing suits in a tote because we planned on taking advantage of the hot tub after the river cruise.

 We drove across the street and found a good parking spot and then proceeded to the ticket office.  With tickets in hand we found a bench on the dock to wait until boarding time.  But we had to move after a few minutes because people all around us were lighting up cigarettes.  

I’m not going to go into a rant about smoking because it is a personal choice.   I am a former smoker myself-I quit 15 years ago.   I have found that the majority of smokers I have encountered are considerate of the people around them but there are exceptions-the ones who just don’t care and light up (sometimes right under a NO-Smoking sign.)  The last few years I have had trouble breathing in smoky areas so my objection goes beyond that the smell of smoke is disgusting. 

We only had to wait 10 minutes to board and being the first in line were able to select exactly where we wanted to sit. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We chose to sit in the front upper level.  The weather was beautiful, and was very comfortable even though it was windy as we sailed up the river. 

 

 

 

 

The USS Riverside is a 91-passenger vessel.  The narrated tour on the Colorado River is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Our first destination was Davis Dam.  It stretches across the border between Arizona and Nevada. 

 

 

 

 Along the way, we passed a campground on the river that looked interesting and we decided we would check it out later in the day.  We like the area and would like to stay.  We have to be out of our site on Wednesday as there is a huge motorcycle rally coming into town and all 720 sites at the Riverside RV Campground are reserved.

We turned around when we reached the dam and as we passed casino row, we were given background stories on each casino. 

The Edgewater

 

Colorado Belle

 

The Pioneer  

Golden Nugget

 

Bubba Gump

 

Harrah's

 

The penthouse of the Riverside is home to the owner, Don Laughlin

We struck up a conversation with two couples.  One couple was from Spokane and the other couple lives in Fargo.  When we informed them we were full-timers, the wife turned to her husband and said she would love to do that someday.  They run their own business in Fargo and were only able to get away for a few days for their mental health.

We ate our lunch and just sat back and enjoyed the rest of the cruise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After disembarking, we returned to the car and grabbed the tote with our bathing suits.

 

 

 

 

 

The hot tub was HOT.  It took a few minutes to get adjusted to it but once we did it felt great. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a nice conversation with Randy and Jennifer from California.  Randy is a singer and part of the entertainment for the Corvette owners rally taking place at the resort. 

 

 

 

After changing back into our clothes, we took a ride to the campground we had passed on the river cruise.  Davis Camp is part of the County Parks system.  They offer full hook-ups that can be reserved at $25/day and also offer first come first served dry camping at $15/day.  We wanted to take a drive through to check it out but were told it would cost $5.00 to enter.  I also saw on the fee sheet we were given that it would cost $10/day for my car.  FORGET IT!  It is a beautiful spot to camp and if we were on vacation with money budgeted for it we would have considered staying there but this is our life and we are on a fixed budget.  Besides we installed solar so we would be able to do some “free” dry camping.

Our next stop was at the Big Bend of the Colorado State Campground.  We were able to take a ride around the campground without paying an entrance fee.  The sites are really nice but again too expensive at $25/day. 

 

 

 

 

We stopped in at the Visitor Center and were given a map that shows where some BLM land is located that allows dry camping.  We almost passed it up because it is not marked.  After turning onto the dirt road we followed it for a couple of miles before deciding it was not going to work out for us. 

 

The sand was too soft and the pull-outs too small to accommodate our size rig. 

So it is back to the drawing board for me.  I will have to do some more research tomorrow and if we can’t find someplace to stay we will have to move on next Wednesday.

When we got home we relaxed a little and then got ready for dinner.  Monte had won enough money on the slots to treat us to the Seafood buffet. 

We walked down to the casino, through the smoke-filled area where unfortunately the buffet is located and, after paying our $36 were seated.   

 I do not eat seafood with the exception of crab legs.  They were delicious.  As was the pot roast.  In addition to three plates of crab legs, Monte also ate the calamari and fried shrimp.  I finished off the meal with salad (I should have started with that) and a piece of lemon meringue pie. 

 Monte put ice cream in his root beer and made a float. 

We took a walk along the riverfront because (Shocker) we were STUFFED. 

I still had a $20 voucher from the previous night that I managed to get down to $5 before switching machines.  I sat next to a guy who explained how that particular game worked.  He said he was an employee and was only killing time before the start of his shift.  Just before he left, he gave me a silver dollar for luck and within a half hour my $5.00 jumped to $75.  I quit at $70 and walked away with a grin. 

We didn’t have to wait long for a shuttle to pick us up and deliver us to our site.  It had been another wonderful day in the life of Monte and Rose!