Day 4:
The day started off in a hurry as my mom and I had many important chores to run. I had to find some new Broncos garb for Pam and the girls since the start season was around the corner, and I didn't want all the Cowboys fans (Rigo) that we have to deal with making fun of the family for having to wear last years stuff they outgrew!
We went to Walmart as our first stop. I hate going to Walmart in Midland, and it turns out that I equally hated it just as much in Lone Tree! I found the girls some great Peyton Manning jerseys only to find out that they already had the exact same ones. So, not only did I get to go to my least all time favorite place to shop once, I got to go a second time to return the jerseys the girls already have for some shirts they don't. The only win in the situation was that the shirts were much cheaper than the jerseys!
With the morning chores complete we headed back to my parents house where my dad was watching Gun Smoke on TV. He loves the old cowboys shows and longs for someone to watch them with him. I sat down with him for a couple of hours as he explained what life was like on the old Ponderosa.
Later in the afternoon I had to go pick up cousin Garrett. We were off to the Beer, Bands and Bacon Festival in downtown Littleton. Earlier in the day I read on Facebook an old buddy Justin, AKA Hamm would be singing lead vocals for the 80's tribute band, Mr. Steak. I have tried to catch them on other trips up north, but have always just missed their shows by a day or two. Having grown up with Jay, I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to see him and the band.
I decided to take Garrett so he could understand what good music really is rather than the crap kids listen to today. Garrett was eager to go and ended up loving all the music that was played.
It was great to see Hamm perform and I was quite impressed with the band. They are an extremely talented group of musicians! Another added bonus was getting to see and visit with Justin's wife and his parents Mel and Nancee. I have not seen his parents since we graduated from high school. It was great to catch up with them as they all looked great!
If you are looking for some good tunes and a good time I suggest you like Mr. Steak on Facebook and find out when their next gig is. Not only will you enjoy the music, but it will take you back to when music was played the way it was supposed to be played: loud, proud and with some attitude!
My only regret was that we had to leave early to meet up the family for dinner. The choice of restaurants was the Mongolian BBQ. This place is an oldie, but it certainly is a fan favorite of our family. You get to pick out your meats and vegetables and load it up. They cook your meal on a big old stone in no time. Garrett likes the fact that it is All-You-Can eat as he put back more than what should be humanly allowed. We enjoyed the food and headed back to my parent's house for left over birthday cakes and last goodbyes as I would be heading back to the family the next day. I considered staying and becoming a roadie for Mr. Steak, but reality kicked in, and I realized how much I would miss Pam and the girls.
Saying good bye to my parents is never an easy task and the older we get the tougher it becomes. I knew I wanted to get an early start to get back home in time to see the girls for a little bit before we headed out to help with the 7th grade swim party that Pam volunteered us to be a part of. It was wonderful to get home and see Pam and the girls. The trip was fun and relaxing, but I was happy to home where I belong!
Day 2:
We got up for an early start as my dad wanted to go up to Blackhawk and do some low limit degenerate gambling. My mom is always up for gambling since she has a "system" that she uses on the one armed bandits. Since I've been known to place a bet or two I was all in to head up to the hills.
Our first stop was one of my parents favorites, The Saratogo. We decided to get some food at their cafe. This place has the best chili I have ever eaten and I always make it a point to get me a bowl when we come up. After some food my dad and I left my mom to her so called "system" and headed off in search of a good blackjack game. My dad likes blackjack and understands basic strategy to a T! He never waivers from it and is quite impressive to watch play.
Unfortunately the Saratoga only had one table open and it was full. I'm not one to want to wait for a seat, so I suggested a little walk down the hill. We went next door to the Gilpen where we found a table with no one on it. My dad sat at third base as he usually does to protect the table as I sattled up next to him at shortstop. The card gods were shining on my dad as he was on a roll with blackjacks and winning every double down his way. I, unfortunately was not nearly feeling the love that the gods were bringing my dad. My buy-in dwindled down to zero with only winning one hand one and I was out of the action.
With my dad still hitting the game hard, I went for a walk. It is amazing how beautiful the mountains are. It was nice just to walk through the town and see all the cool stuff Blackhawk has to offer. I met up with my dad and he cashed out his respectable profit. We headed back to meet up with my mom to see how the "system" was treating her. Evidently the "system" needs some work because she came out with empty pockets just like her favorite son.
We decided that we would eat at home and I would make them some homemade tacos. Not the crappy store brought taco shells, but the kind with the corn tortilla that you have to fry. My dad claims he never has had tacos this way and he loved them. In fact he enjoyed them so declared me the all time greatest taco maker ever!
We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and talking about the girls and all the activities they are up to. With the start of school, AK's social calendar is in full swing. She has enjoyed her first two days of junior high and getting to meet new kids. Little D is still happy as a lark because she just happens to agree with AK that Mrs. Walls is one of the greatest teachers ever. However, when asked if Mrs. Walls is the greatest teacher ever, Little D quickly reminded me that it was only the second day and that she would have to wait until the end of the year to compare her to Mrs. Terebessy, who Little D claims to be the all-time greatest kindergarten teacher ever!
Day 2:
It was another early start to the day as my mom needed to run some errands to get ready for my dad's birthday party. We headed out to Sam's Club, King Soppers and Baskin Robbins to get all the supplies to throw a feastive event fit for a person turning 70!
The plan was to get come back and get my dad to take him out for a birthday breakfast. We returned to find him not ready as he decided that it was his birthday and he could move at any speed he wanted. We waited, and waited, and waited some more until he was ready. Breakfast time was more like lunch time as my parents munched on their meal from a place called The Bistro. They are regulars there and the owner is always happy to meet and greet them at the door when the arrive!
After breakfast it was off to Bill's Sports Collectibles to find a present for my dad. I suggested it to my mom that she might be able to find something Cubs or Bears related. I was personally excited to go as I have not been there since Brett, Tony and I took the bus back in the good old junir high days in search of the coveted Billy Ripkin error card. We were at Bill's for a grand total of three minutes when my dad decided he didn't want anything. Since it was his birthday we loaded up in the car and headed back home!
We relaxed and enjoyed the afternoon until it was time to get ready for the evenings feastivitis. Uncle Denny was the first to arrive with Cousin Hildy. It turned out that Cousin Hildy was not very happy to discover that the girls didn't make the adventure north with me. She decided that a protest needed to be put in place and stood outside for 10 minutes with refusing to come in.
The rest of the family showed up and a good time of food, drinks and storyes were shared. Cousin Garrett once again won the award for most food eaten as he stuffed his face with two sauage sandwiches, two heeping helpings of pasta salad, half a bag of chips and washed it down with a tall boy of Peace Tea. It was a spectical to watch the boy eat his dinner only to have a nice large slice of cake a few minute later!
My dad enjoyed the evening, and had a great time watching the kids run around and do their thing. It was a good party. Our only regret was not being able to stream our Cousin Johnny football game in from Chicago. He is a senior this year and his team got the honors of playing at Soldier Field for their first game! Unfortunalty too many people were trying to do the same and it kept kicking us off.
We had to settle for watching our beloved Cubs and had the bonus of getting to listen to Vin Scully call the game for the Dodgers. I love listening to him. He truly is a master at what he does!
Day 1:
The day started out extra early for the girls considering they had to awake from their long summer slumber and get their lazy bodies out of bed and shake the cob webs out of their heads to get ready for another adventurous year of school! Pam was in an exceptional mood and went so far to make the girls homemade chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. Pam claimed she did it because it was the first day of school. I know she was just trying to get a step up on the parent of the year award! Either way the girls were happy to be well nourished with a belly full of sugar.
Being the first day of school, the girls were more eager to get a pep in their step and get ready at a quick rate of speed! I was equally quick as I was excited to get the girls dropped off for their first day of school so I could head out to The Great White North, AKA Colorado! I had a few days of vacation that I had to burn and my parents both are turning the young age of 70 this week. It was the perfect time for a solo trip so I jumped on the opportunity!
Once the kids were ready I lined them up for their annual first day of school photo. After a few quick pictures we decided it was time to walk Little D to school. AK had stayed behind since her school started a little later on. Little D is not a fan favorite of having Pam and I around school. It just might be that our extra hugs and kisses just might embarrass a big fourth grader!
Once we got to school Little D made a sprint to her new classroom. Either she was trying to escape the embarrasemtn of having us at school or she wanted to get to class. She was excited to get AK's all time favorite teacher Mrs. Walls as her educator for the upcoming year. In Little D's eyes the fabulous Mrs. Walls could do no wrong and Pam and I concur with that thought! After taking a quick picture and getting one last forced hug and a half attempt at a kiss we found ourselves leaving Little D alone to face the great big world of fourth grade!
As we were walking out of the elementary school we saw AK and a pack of her friends walking in. Their plan was to meet up and cross the street together to the junior high as a herd. Apparently there is safety in numbers and they kept telling each other it would be okay as they crossed the street looking for other kids to join their pack. They were using the herd mentality, the more of them there was the less likely they could get pecked off. Although Pam desperately wanted to follow her sweet AK to her first day of junior high, I convinced her that this was something that she would need to take on all her own, or at least with their newly formed gang!
With the girls delivered to their proper educational institutions it was time time for me to load up and head north. I gave Pam a kiss and wished her luck as she was off to log eleven miles in training for her marathon later in the year. I started up T and put the one man hurry up offense into full motion!
The drive to Colorado is interesting. It can be very boring and flat in some areas while hilly and absolutely beautiful in others. Since I was by myself and actually had the rare control of the music, I plugged in my itunes and put on a concert of 80's music that I could sing as loud as I wanted without any complaints or interference of changing the station. I quickly found that the solo trip was in my favor. I didn't have to stop in every other town. I made it my mission to make one stop in Clayton, New Mexico where I refueled, relieved and bought a bag of my very own Hot Fries that I would not have to share.
I kept T heading north as I stuffed my face with hot fries and sang out loud to Gun N Roses. I soon found myself close and way ahead of schedule. The plan was to surprise my dad at a restaurant called Rib City. Since the hurry up offense was successful I was way early and called my mom to re-plan the surprise.
I pulled up to my parents house at the new world record time of nine hours and thirty minutes crushing all previous records! I snuck around back and knocked on the family room window where my dad was sitting. He looked up and was rather shocked to see his all time favorite son and kid standing outside. We had a great reunion and headed out to get some ribs!
As always Rib City was amazing! The ribs are very tender and its was great to toss back a few 25 cent beers! We chowed down and I filled my parents in on all the news about the girls why they filled me in on all the doctors they see! a good time was had by all as my dad declared that Rib City would receive the coveted score of five ribs licked clean out of five!
After dinner we went back to my parents house to watch our beloved Cubs play. I grew up watching the Cubs with my dad and it is a rare but nice surprise when we have the chance to get to watch them together now. The girls called and all reports of the first day were successfull. I am happy to report that the herd mentality worked as none of the kids were pecked off. I think AK is going to like junior high. Personally junior high was some of the best years in my life making some friends that I still remain close with. I hope AK finds the same true for her! I just hope she dosen't get into the shennanigans that Brett, Tony and Scott got me into!
Day 6:
The day started off early as we needed to get ready, check out and head to the airport to return Sparky and catch our flight back to Colorado. I ran down to get Pam her Starbucks and took one last look for Rigo. I was able to get Pam her java, but I am sorry to report that the elusive Rigo proved to hard to find. If you happen to run into Rigo, tell him that Vegas misses him and wants him to come back!
We checked out and loaded up Sparky. I was a little concerned that Sparky could make it all the way back to the car return from the Red Rock Casino. We said a little prayer and Pam patted Sparky on the butt and gave him a pep talk. We pulled out to get on the highway and at the exact same spot as the last two days Sparky started to sputter and chug as his engine almost died again! Pam's pep talked worked as little Sparky fought through the urge to throw in the towel. It is the strangest thing. He never came close to shutting down in any other place. Pam pointing out that some strange voodoo force field in that exact spot would scare little Sparky enough to kill off his engine!
We were able to drop Sparky off and get through Budget without any more issues. We agreed that we would stay away from using them on any other future trips to Vegas. They were a hassle to deal with. Their objective was to up sell you on anything you don't need to rent a car. If you say no, any and all customer service goes out the window! My money is better suited for companies that believe in good customer service.
We breezed through the lines and grabbed a quick bite before we stopped and said one last goodbye to our old friend Pat Sajak. He had been very good and lucrative to us. It was a bitter sweet goodbye as Pam teared up and my voice began to crack with promises of us to return another day to see our new found buddy!
It was determined that Pam won the come back player of the year award on this trip with her stellar blackjack play and mean pulling of the one arm bandits. Her BobBob has trained her well, and it is obvious that the training is working!
After three comped nights at some great places to stay, several comped meals, lots of comped drinks, no official Rigo sighting and bringing home more money than we came with, it was time to call our trip to Vegas over and head back to Colorado to see our precious girls that we had entrusted with my family!
Our flight was fast and uneventful as was the drive to my parents. Delaney was overjoyed with delight and instantly jumped into Pam's arms for a big mama bear hug! Plans had been made to go out to dinner at Romano's Italian Restaurant.
On the way to Romano's we got to see something you don't see everyday. The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile cruise past us on the street. AK was so excited she had to take a picture to share with her friends and deemed it Instagram worthy!
It was wonderful to see everyone again and hear all the great tales of what they did with the girls while we were gone. All though Pam and I love to go to Vegas, we really like to have the kids spend sometime with my family without us around. Since we don't live in Colorado, the girls miss out on a lot of great family time with the Desparrois' crew. It is our hope that the girls are building great memories and powerful family relationships that they will always look back and smile on!
Day 5:
The start to the day was much later than most. It could have been that our bodies quickly adjusted to the two hour Vegas time changes; or we were just plain tired out from the quest to find the Rigo, which is proving to be more of a myth like Sasquatch; or it could have been too many free comped drinks and a very late night of low-stakes degenerate gambling. Whatever the reason, we rolled out of bed needing water and ibuprofen to take on day 5 of Dumping our Kids and Doubling Down!
The original plan was to go to the pool and chill for a few hours and than head off to see Pam's best friend, Angie, at the South Point. Angie was going to be competing in the Mounted Cowboy Shooting event. With our extremely late start there would be no pool time, and the hurry-up offense needed to be put into full swing.
We hopped into Sparky and said a little prayer that the little car could summon up enough might to get us to our next destination. Sparky didn't disappoint as we reached South Point ready to see balloons meet their demise!
We met up with Angie and I got to listen to tales of how her and Pam were punk kids back in the day. They enjoyed their visit until Angie needed to get her horse prepared for the event. We had about an hour to kill before she competed so we decided to take on a little gambling. The blackjack tables just did not seem to be calling me. I told Pam that I was going to sit in the sports book and watch the Cubs.
While I was watching John Lester actually earn his huge contract for once, I noticed somebody calling my name. At first it was soft and than it got louder. I looked around and saw no one. I realized it was not a person, but rather a machine. It was another Wheel of Fortune slot. Pat Sajack called me over to personally play on his machine. I obliged and found myself tripling my buy -in with in a few spins! I was so excited I texted Pam to come see. She greeted me with a smile as I found out that she cashed in and won a few bucks herself!
It was time to go back and see Angie compete. She raced through the course with her trusty steed, Moxie, and shot down those balloons like Wyatt Earp shooting down Black Bart. One-by-one the balloons blew up and Angie found herself leading the event. When all was said and done she finished up in third place of of sixty other competitors. Amazing job, Angie!
After saying our goodbyes, we headed to the mall for AK's Chacos. I hate the mall, and I hate giving up my precious gambling time to be at the mall even more. Not to mention that we went to an outlet mall that was the size of Montana. Pam told me to suck it up and look for a Rigo at the many sports stores on sight. It's a well known fact that Rigos choose their garb from sports stores so Pam might be on to something. The mall was packed, and I had to weave in and out of people in my quest. We both came up shorthanded and left quickly!
We had not eaten hardly anything, which is not normal for us. Pam found a place called Amore Taste of Chicago. While there, we had the rack of ribs and an Italian beef. We split the food like Pam was splitting Aces against a ten and winning. The food was absolutely amazing as our ribs were licked clean, and there was no sign left of the Italian beef sandwich. Pam decided that it got the almost perfect score of a 4.9 out of five!
We headed back to Red Rock for some more gambling debauchery and fun. One the way back, at the same spot as the day earlier, Sparky decided to die on us again. Luckily he started right back up and we made it back. Why did it happen in exactly the same spot? Weird!
We showered and hit the floor! Pam was doing well in blackjack and I was just kind of surviving. I got bored and went to use the restroom when I heard my new friend Pat Sajack calling my name from the High Roller room. I looked inside, and sure enough, he was calling me back to the BobBob machine from the night before. I put my hundred down and sat down to play. I don't like to brag about my stellar slot skills, so I will let the picture do the talking for me. The crazy thing is, it only took three spins to win.
I walked back to the table and placed the ticket on Pam's lap. She almost fell out of her chair. Old BobBob had come through again for us! I went out to cash my ticket in and found that they moved me up a level in my play. I am now a Gold Club member which means that we gamble way too much and can now go to the front of the buffet lines without having to wait.
With our new found gold cards, we played some more blackjack and tried one more time with the BobBob slot machine. However, we had already drained that milk cow and it had nothing left to offer. It was time for bed. We were tired from all the winnings, gun shooting, good food and fun times. Even though there was not a Rigo to be found, we still enjoyed our day!
Day 4:
The day started out extra early as I was still on Texas time and have not quite adjusted to Vegas time. I quietly got up and went downstairs to write up the days report and to get Pam her daily fuel of Starbucks. When I returned Pam had already gotten up and showered. After I did the same, we headed down for another comped Buffet. The food was hot, quick and tasty. Of course everything always tastes better when it's free!
We had to check out of our room and get Pam to the Excalibur Spa. I had gotten her a day at the spa for our anniversary a couple of weeks ago. I figured that not only would it put me ahead as the better spouse, but it would also allow me to head to South Point Casino and put some hours in at the tables.
I played some blackjack and made some sports bets. My parlay got crushed for the day, but I did make a futures bet on the Broncos taking it all this year. Interesting enough I made the bet before Tom Brady's suspension was upheld. Needless to say, I got some good odds as they changed after the announcement.
After a break-even Blackjack session at the South Point I headed back to the Excalibur to pick up my new and improved wife. She texted me to let me know that she was not quite done having strangers rub her down and that it would be another thirty minutes. With nothing to do, I sat down and had a wild ride on the tables that fluctuated to almost losing everything...to almost doubling it...and finally, to breaking even by the time Pam finished up at the spa. I realized that I really need to gamble with my trusty partner, Pam, as she sets what we call a Stop Loss or a Stop Win.
Pam had not played all day and you could tel--as she was getting a twitch in her eye and her hands started to shake. She had not eaten anything since breakfast so we stopped by at one of our favorites called Chicago Brew Company. We always come here and get the pizza and wings. If you find yourself aimlessly walking down Fremont street and find yourself with a hunger in your belly, I suggest you stop into the Chicago Brewing Company to get your fill. Not only will you be pleasantly surprised, you will thank me later as Pam gave it a near perfect rating of 4.7 pepperonis eaten out of five!
Mainstreet Station was first on the list. It's a classy joint downtown that I have always liked to play at. I hit my win stop and cashed in. Pam was still trying to hit hers so I put some money in a Wheel of Fortune machine and had a couple big hits and turned my very low buy-in for a mighty profit! The Mainstreet has a restroom that has a chunk of the Berlin Wall that is behind the urinals. It's pretty neat to see and even cooler to take literally be able to piss on what Ronald Reagan deemed the "Evil Empire"!
The gambling gods had taken a break while we were downtown and the cards turned cold. After an extensive unsuccessful search for a Rigo, we decided that it was time to head out and check in to the Red Rock Hotel and Casino. Before we left we walked by a small casino we had never been in. Pam wanted to stop, and the next thing I knew we were stuffing our faces again with a fried Twinkie and three White Castle burgers. This is probably the worst thing you can put in you stomach, but we were sad that our search for the elusive Rigo had once again come up short. All we could do was console each other with fried goodness!
While driving out to Red Rocks are little rental car, Sparky decided that he wanted to stall right in front of the hotel. Luckily it started right back up and were able to make it to our destination. Just another reason on why we will not being using Budget again.
I got the guts to try the twenty dollar trick when checking in. The Vegas lore is that if you tip them at check-in and ask for an upgrade they will assign you to a suite. The lady just laughed at me and told me to keep my money. With my pride a little wounded from being turned down, and my feet sore searching for a Rigo I was ready to call it a night. Pam was not going to have any of that! She simply would not allow me to waste valuable gambling time by sitting around a hotel room. She demanded I take a shower and wash away feeling sorrow for myself. I still was not convinced and than Pam said something that made Vegas the place that it is today. She said "What would Jonathan do?" Without a doubt, Jonathan would gamble no matter how tired he was!
I showered and headed down to the tables to join my wife at what we do best! We stayed at the same table for several hours. The free comped drinks flowed as the money stacked in Pam's favor. The whole table stayed together, and we were having a great time! I stayed even but Pam tripled her initial buy-in. Since we were on a heater we decided to play what we call a BobBob. We named it after Pam's grandpa who never met a five dollar slot machine he didn't like. Pam found a Wheel of Fortune game that she says called her from the other side of the casino and put in money for our BobBob play. BobBob would be proud as we tripled that our money in just a few spins.
It was late, and once again, we were hungry. Pam had asked and received a free comp at The Cafe. It was great as Pam ordered us enough food to spend down the comp. The late night food hit the spot, and we were ready to get some rest for another fun day of taking down Vegas and the quest to find us the Rigo, who we thought would be in Vegas!
Day 2:
They day didn't start off as early as the other. My body needed rest and relaxation after the corn-holing tournament the night before. Who knew that throwing a bean bag at a wood frame could take a toll on an unconditioned 41 year old body?
The family went out for breakfast at Great Beginnings. Unfortunately I sustained a breakfast ending injury as a shot of lemon juice found its way directed at my left eyeball! After breakfast for some, and not all, we ventured to the mall where the girls to do some more school shopping. The trip was a success for little Delaney and not so much for AK who is in dire search of Chacos.
After breakfast we were off to my parents' community pool to take on the heat. Uncle Jeffy and his crew were already there waiting for us and Uncle Denny's family to show up. My parents live in a sophisticated area that has not seen the likes of the Desparrois' brothers and their wild mob of motley trained kids. They were not quite sure who to handle a pack of wild younglings playing keep away with a beach ball led by Uncle Denny. We splashed, yelled, screamed, fought, let other kids join in and mainly had good old-fashioned Desparrois brother rowdy fun as the sophisticated crowd soon found their pool taken over by outsiders. The fun didn't last long as clouds rolled in and all of a sudden the life guard decided to end the chaos because of lightning, or because he could not allow that much fun to take place in his pool.
For dinner we went over to Auntie Katie's house where Uncle Tom grilled us up some great burgers and hot dogs. Cousin Garrett was concerned that his cornhole partner's career threatening eye injury would effect the teams championship status. He was correct with his thinking as my aim was off and my throws fell short.
The kids wrestled and enjoyed being with each other. Cousin Garrett, being the oldest cousin is the automatic jungle gym standing well over six feet tall. AK and little Delaney had a blast hanging out and playing with all of their cousins. It was soon time to kiss the girls goodnight and goodbye. They spent the night at Auntie Katie's as Pam and I went back to my parents home to prepare for our trip to Vegas!
As we left, Cousin Teag told me that I was his best friend. Awwww, not a bad dude to have as your best friend!
Day 3:
The day started out extra early as Pam and I had to catch our 7:45 flight to Vegas. Since my parents live in Highlands Ranch and the city of Denver did the smart thing and built an airport out in Kansas, we had to get up earlier than most would consider legal. But then again, we are in Colorado and they do have a tendency to legalize things that most don't!
We were on a roll from the start as the airport check in and security were a breeze. Our flight was on time and we walked right up to our bag waiting for us. All things seemed to be going our way with lady luck until we got to Budget Car Rental. We waited in a not so long line for a long time only to be helped by the most unhelpful and unhappy lady behind the counter. She was not very polite and got rather upset when I wouldn't upgrade my car or pay for any additional insurance that I am already covered by. Our punishment for not giving in to her her rudeness was getting the smallest car on the lot, a Chevy Spark. It's equivalent size to the old Flood brothers go-cart that would terrorize Puma Park with back in the day!
Since the lady was rude and Pam didn't get added to the the driver list, I was going to have to do my best one eyed driving I could. Pam christened our vessel Sparky, and we were off--to take down Vegas! It was decided that we would stop at the Palace Station for a quick bite at their buffet. After all, our bodies and minds needed nourishment to take down Vegas. The buffet is about what you would expect for a six dollar buffet. With our bellies full, Pam started to get jittery and her hands began to shake. A sure sign that I needed to get her to the blackjack table stat.
We headed over to the Texas Station, as we drove Pam gave me the new title of the One-eyed Wonder. Probably because she was so impressed with my ability to drive with one eye. This trip had two goals in mind. To take down Vegas and to see if we could spot the elusive, but always clever, Rigo. Playing "Where's Rigo?" is much like playing "Where's Waldo?" Except Rigo's tend to wear Miami Heat jerseys and a New Mexico State hat. Plus Rigos have been know to grow well over six feet tall.
Texas Station proved to benefit our pockets as not only did Pam win at their tables, but she also scored as free Starbucks! Unfortunately though, there was no Rigo sighting at the Texas Station.
Our next victims were on Fremont Street in downtown. One-by-one we knocked down casino after casino making them wish they were not so inviting with their generous offers of free hotel nights and buffets. And then, out in the distance I saw my arch nemesis. The D Casino. This little gem of a place has taken more money and pride in the past then I care to think about.
Maybe I was just on my game, maybe the cards were falling right, or maybe it was the fact that only being able to see with one eye made me concentrate more on my cards and not the dealer-dancers that usually take my attention away. Whatever it was, Pam and I both did well enough at The D to make them sorry theyhad given us their free promotional players club card!
After beating down the downtown casinos and a few tasty adult beverages Pam realized that our buffet had wore off earlier and she was hankering for some ribs. So, off we were to Binion's to split a rack of baby backs. The helping was huge and left Pam and I full and satisfied. Pam gave Binions a perfect score of five completely cleaned off rib bones!
After dinner we headed over to the Plaza for their ten dollar poker tournament. It's cheap and fun, and there are a ton of locals who truly believe that they are playing in the World Series of Poker, all for just ten bucks! I pulled a Jonathan and busted out on the first hand that I played when m 3 -of-a-Kind ran into a straight! Geez!
Downtown proved to be both fun and lucrative but we needed to head off and check in for the night at the Green Valley Resort. As always, we refuse to pay for rooms and go where they are free. This trip it will be one night at GVR and then off to Red Rock. GVR is absolutely beautiful, and the casino is amazing as it tripled our buy in and comped us a free late night meal for our stellar play. After a long day of gambling, eating, having an adult beverage or two, we came a few steps closer to taking down Vegas, but unfortunately, there still has not been a Rigo sighting as of yet!
