It’s Not Your Grandpa’s Laughlin
Laughlin, August 9, 10 & 11
Reading Sionow’s trip reports inspire me to write my own. He’s visited Laughlin several times and covered the basics. As I drove there Friday afternoon, I thought about what I could write about that’s different. One of the things I love about Sionow’s trip reports is how he captures everyday things and they’re not always about the gambling.
As I approached Nothing, AZ, I thought I’d snap a quick pick as I drove by. Fail #1. My camera has a unique way of changing the setting to video while hiding in my purse. I didn’t realize this until I turned it off. As one approaches Bullhead City, AZ, there are interesting rock formations. I thought about pulling over and taking pictures. Fail #2 as I was too lazy to do so.
As I approached the bridge that takes one over the river to Laughlin, I noticed a temporary tent then a group of people jet skiing who looked like they were jet skiing in a formation. A jet skiing event, I thought. Cool, I’ll have something to write about. Fail #2.5. There was a special event; not a jet skiing event.
I knew Harrahs Laughlin would be packed for the weekend. I didn’t expect what I saw as I drove toward valet parking. Lots of younger people randomly stopped and unloading their SUV’s and mini vans. Valet was packed and many of the arrivals appeared lost. Gratefully, they had a room for me on the 11th floor of the Central Tower although it did not have a river view.
As I walked toward the slot tournament registration area, I stopped at a table that looked like a visitor information table and said, “Is this something new?” It was a registration table for the River Regatta, the big float on the Colorado River. You can read about it here, https://www.bullheadregatta.com/. This explains why there were tons of families checking in and groups of young adults standing in the casino wearing nothing but their bathing suits, no cover ups.
I completely spaced I didn’t want to use my card Friday night. Instead, I plopped my butt down at a Buffalo machine and earned 3 points either before or after I registered for the slot tourney. I got my luggage, took a break, then enjoyed cocktails in the DL while watching the sunset over the Colorado river. Technically, you don’t see the sunset; instead, you see the reflection of light on the mountains across the river. The light changes as the sun changes and is a spectacular sight.
Around 8:15 I headed into the casino and played whatever machines were available. I didn’t want to play much and did not want to have only 3 points on my card so I decided to play until I reached 50 points. I think I put 63 points on my card and was in bed lights out by 10:30 pm. Although I was exhausted, I didn’t sleep well. I woke up Thursday morning with a sore throat and didn’t sleep well Thursday. I almost canceled the trip. I figured I’d probably get more rest in Laughlin without the distractions of home and decided to go. Plus, I had a good feeling. Although I was on the 11th floor, I swear I heard some dude hollering outside in the parking lot in the middle of the night.
My original plan was to get an early start Saturday and play lots and earn bonus tier points. As you may have guessed, that didn’t happen. I pretty much moved at turtle speed and took my time getting ready for the day. I will say Saturday was the first time in a long time I enjoyed a lazy day of summer.
Spoiler Alert . . . if you only want to read about gaming and/or the slot tourney, scroll down.
I’m in a novel writing mood. I will try to post photos later. Late last night, photos would not upload properly to photobucket.
I heard buses outside then looked out the window. I noticed a guy wearing a suit talking to a security guard. I wondered what Jon would do. Take photos, of course. A police car then entered the scene. Very interesting. My detective brain kicked in as I wondered if Security called the police or if the police randomly drove by. I wondered if the police were called because someone illegally parked in a handicapped spot. The “Suit” and Security walked over to the police car and it seemed like they talked for eternity.
The policeman finally exited his car, walked over to the vehicle parked to the left of the bus and apparently asked the driver to move the vehicle. Mystery solved.
As one bus departed another one pulled in. They were taking people to/from the drop off points for the river regatta. I don’t know if they had record crowds or not for the big float, however, I’m pretty sure the hotels and local grocery stores and mini marts had record beer sales. I saw lots of people lugging around large cases of beer.
Outside I found the last chaise lounge available on the beach and watched the people float by. No boats or jet skis, except for emergency personnel, were allowed on the river until 6 pm.
I was assigned machine #35 for Saturday’s tournament session. I thought lucky 35 as my mom was born in 1935. I probably shouldn’t tell you that, oh well. The only other slot tournaments I played in were held at Ak-Chin and each time I sat next to the winner. I mentioned that to the men sitting next to me. The guy to my left got 10,500 points. I got 9042 and the guy to my right didn’t do too well. I forgot to look at the top score for day 1 and don’t know if the guy to my left had the top score or not. I placed 22nd.
One of the cool things about staying in the Central Tower is the back hallway and stairs that take one to the adult pool area. The disgusting thing was the cigarette butts and liquor bottles people left on the floor.
As I entered the pool area, I saw security and lifeguards talking to groups of people and walking back and forth with some of them. The pool was packed as there was a DJ and Laughlin style pool party. People were in the pool tossing beach balls and a nerf football back and forth.
I asked the people sitting next to me if they knew what happened. Apparently one lady in the pool didn’t want to get wet and apparently got splashed. There were drunken people and drunken people and things got out of hand. Apparently that lady tossed the football outside the pool area then someone tossed something belonging to her outside the pool area. Somehow during all of this her glasses got broken and she called the police. I really don’t know what happened and this is what I was told. I was there when the police arrived. They walked people back and forth to a room near the health club all while the crowd was partying away. When the policeman escorted the lady out of the pool area, the crowd booed loudly the same way a crowd boos a referee or umpire when they disagree with the call.
Right before going into the pool, I told the people sitting next to me I was going into the pool and if I got wet to please call security. Thank goodness they knew I was joking.
Earlier in the day, I played through the rest of my free play. I turned the $80 ticket into $40 cash and the 2 $20 tickets into $20 cash. Basically the gambling theme for the weekend was coal in my stocking, more coal, more coal, nice hit, nice hit, coal, coal, more coal, nice hit, repeat.
Earlier Saturday, I played my favorite machines and nada, nada, nada. I went back to the casino around 6:30 pm and my luck changed when I hit this 4-of–a-kind.
I played for a while longer which seemed like eternity although it wasn’t, held 3 to the royal and was SHOCKED to see the other cards fill in. One lady congratulated me. Most people playing that bank scowled as they cashed out and left.
I know I did well on one of the Dukes of Hazzard slots and don’t remember what else I played. Shortly before I called it a night, I played the 10 coin 25c progressive at the Range Bar and hit another4-of–a-kind. I then called it a night. Although it felt like I played until 2-3 am, I was in bed lights out at 10:30 pm.
I played some Sunday morning and was basically a repeat of Saturday morning except for one good bonus round on a slot I call the beer lady. I walked around and took random photos of the property. Pool time Sunday afternoon was a repeat of the pool party minus the incident.
I was assigned machine #2 for Sunday’s tournament session. Since the game was red white & blue, I kept chanting lucky number 2, red white and blue. I scored 8000+ and my combined score was 17,100. I placed 22nd and won $150 in free slot play. It’s somewhat interesting that I placed 22 on Saturday and 22 overall.
Earlier on Sunday, I played the 25c progressive and had 2 nice hits. I noticed the progressive had been hit while I was walking around. While playing, a lady hit if for $1003. So you never really know when it might hit.
Gambling sucked big time Sunday night. I hoped to reach 1000 tier points and stopped at 693. I decided to save my money for another day then play it all back just to earn bonus points. I did enjoy a nice dinner at The Range on Sunday.
I wasn’t hungry when I left Monday and knew I’d be starving 20 minutes into the drive. I didn’t want to eat at a casino nor did I want fast food. I was on a mission to visit a place that has been on my bucket list for nearly a year, Firehouse Coffee Company in Bullhead City. I’m a big fan of locally owned coffee places. Firehouse Coffee Company did not disappoint. Although a little pricey, the food was fresh, homemade and delish. It is decorated with firefighter memorabilia including t-shirts from many departments located across the country. Whoever did the space planning did a great job with the placement of tables, couches and chairs.
One of the rooms at Firehouse Coffee Company
~ The End~
Laughlin, August 9, 10 & 11
Reading Sionow’s trip reports inspire me to write my own. He’s visited Laughlin several times and covered the basics. As I drove there Friday afternoon, I thought about what I could write about that’s different. One of the things I love about Sionow’s trip reports is how he captures everyday things and they’re not always about the gambling.
As I approached Nothing, AZ, I thought I’d snap a quick pick as I drove by. Fail #1. My camera has a unique way of changing the setting to video while hiding in my purse. I didn’t realize this until I turned it off. As one approaches Bullhead City, AZ, there are interesting rock formations. I thought about pulling over and taking pictures. Fail #2 as I was too lazy to do so.
As I approached the bridge that takes one over the river to Laughlin, I noticed a temporary tent then a group of people jet skiing who looked like they were jet skiing in a formation. A jet skiing event, I thought. Cool, I’ll have something to write about. Fail #2.5. There was a special event; not a jet skiing event.
I knew Harrahs Laughlin would be packed for the weekend. I didn’t expect what I saw as I drove toward valet parking. Lots of younger people randomly stopped and unloading their SUV’s and mini vans. Valet was packed and many of the arrivals appeared lost. Gratefully, they had a room for me on the 11th floor of the Central Tower although it did not have a river view.
As I walked toward the slot tournament registration area, I stopped at a table that looked like a visitor information table and said, “Is this something new?” It was a registration table for the River Regatta, the big float on the Colorado River. You can read about it here, https://www.bullheadregatta.com/. This explains why there were tons of families checking in and groups of young adults standing in the casino wearing nothing but their bathing suits, no cover ups.
I completely spaced I didn’t want to use my card Friday night. Instead, I plopped my butt down at a Buffalo machine and earned 3 points either before or after I registered for the slot tourney. I got my luggage, took a break, then enjoyed cocktails in the DL while watching the sunset over the Colorado river. Technically, you don’t see the sunset; instead, you see the reflection of light on the mountains across the river. The light changes as the sun changes and is a spectacular sight.
Around 8:15 I headed into the casino and played whatever machines were available. I didn’t want to play much and did not want to have only 3 points on my card so I decided to play until I reached 50 points. I think I put 63 points on my card and was in bed lights out by 10:30 pm. Although I was exhausted, I didn’t sleep well. I woke up Thursday morning with a sore throat and didn’t sleep well Thursday. I almost canceled the trip. I figured I’d probably get more rest in Laughlin without the distractions of home and decided to go. Plus, I had a good feeling. Although I was on the 11th floor, I swear I heard some dude hollering outside in the parking lot in the middle of the night.
My original plan was to get an early start Saturday and play lots and earn bonus tier points. As you may have guessed, that didn’t happen. I pretty much moved at turtle speed and took my time getting ready for the day. I will say Saturday was the first time in a long time I enjoyed a lazy day of summer.
Spoiler Alert . . . if you only want to read about gaming and/or the slot tourney, scroll down.
I’m in a novel writing mood. I will try to post photos later. Late last night, photos would not upload properly to photobucket.
I heard buses outside then looked out the window. I noticed a guy wearing a suit talking to a security guard. I wondered what Jon would do. Take photos, of course. A police car then entered the scene. Very interesting. My detective brain kicked in as I wondered if Security called the police or if the police randomly drove by. I wondered if the police were called because someone illegally parked in a handicapped spot. The “Suit” and Security walked over to the police car and it seemed like they talked for eternity.
The policeman finally exited his car, walked over to the vehicle parked to the left of the bus and apparently asked the driver to move the vehicle. Mystery solved.
As one bus departed another one pulled in. They were taking people to/from the drop off points for the river regatta. I don’t know if they had record crowds or not for the big float, however, I’m pretty sure the hotels and local grocery stores and mini marts had record beer sales. I saw lots of people lugging around large cases of beer.
Outside I found the last chaise lounge available on the beach and watched the people float by. No boats or jet skis, except for emergency personnel, were allowed on the river until 6 pm.
I was assigned machine #35 for Saturday’s tournament session. I thought lucky 35 as my mom was born in 1935. I probably shouldn’t tell you that, oh well. The only other slot tournaments I played in were held at Ak-Chin and each time I sat next to the winner. I mentioned that to the men sitting next to me. The guy to my left got 10,500 points. I got 9042 and the guy to my right didn’t do too well. I forgot to look at the top score for day 1 and don’t know if the guy to my left had the top score or not. I placed 22nd.
One of the cool things about staying in the Central Tower is the back hallway and stairs that take one to the adult pool area. The disgusting thing was the cigarette butts and liquor bottles people left on the floor.
As I entered the pool area, I saw security and lifeguards talking to groups of people and walking back and forth with some of them. The pool was packed as there was a DJ and Laughlin style pool party. People were in the pool tossing beach balls and a nerf football back and forth.
I asked the people sitting next to me if they knew what happened. Apparently one lady in the pool didn’t want to get wet and apparently got splashed. There were drunken people and drunken people and things got out of hand. Apparently that lady tossed the football outside the pool area then someone tossed something belonging to her outside the pool area. Somehow during all of this her glasses got broken and she called the police. I really don’t know what happened and this is what I was told. I was there when the police arrived. They walked people back and forth to a room near the health club all while the crowd was partying away. When the policeman escorted the lady out of the pool area, the crowd booed loudly the same way a crowd boos a referee or umpire when they disagree with the call.
Right before going into the pool, I told the people sitting next to me I was going into the pool and if I got wet to please call security. Thank goodness they knew I was joking.
Earlier in the day, I played through the rest of my free play. I turned the $80 ticket into $40 cash and the 2 $20 tickets into $20 cash. Basically the gambling theme for the weekend was coal in my stocking, more coal, more coal, nice hit, nice hit, coal, coal, more coal, nice hit, repeat.
Earlier Saturday, I played my favorite machines and nada, nada, nada. I went back to the casino around 6:30 pm and my luck changed when I hit this 4-of–a-kind.
I played for a while longer which seemed like eternity although it wasn’t, held 3 to the royal and was SHOCKED to see the other cards fill in. One lady congratulated me. Most people playing that bank scowled as they cashed out and left.
I know I did well on one of the Dukes of Hazzard slots and don’t remember what else I played. Shortly before I called it a night, I played the 10 coin 25c progressive at the Range Bar and hit another4-of–a-kind. I then called it a night. Although it felt like I played until 2-3 am, I was in bed lights out at 10:30 pm.
I played some Sunday morning and was basically a repeat of Saturday morning except for one good bonus round on a slot I call the beer lady. I walked around and took random photos of the property. Pool time Sunday afternoon was a repeat of the pool party minus the incident.
I was assigned machine #2 for Sunday’s tournament session. Since the game was red white & blue, I kept chanting lucky number 2, red white and blue. I scored 8000+ and my combined score was 17,100. I placed 22nd and won $150 in free slot play. It’s somewhat interesting that I placed 22 on Saturday and 22 overall.
Earlier on Sunday, I played the 25c progressive and had 2 nice hits. I noticed the progressive had been hit while I was walking around. While playing, a lady hit if for $1003. So you never really know when it might hit.
Gambling sucked big time Sunday night. I hoped to reach 1000 tier points and stopped at 693. I decided to save my money for another day then play it all back just to earn bonus points. I did enjoy a nice dinner at The Range on Sunday.
I wasn’t hungry when I left Monday and knew I’d be starving 20 minutes into the drive. I didn’t want to eat at a casino nor did I want fast food. I was on a mission to visit a place that has been on my bucket list for nearly a year, Firehouse Coffee Company in Bullhead City. I’m a big fan of locally owned coffee places. Firehouse Coffee Company did not disappoint. Although a little pricey, the food was fresh, homemade and delish. It is decorated with firefighter memorabilia including t-shirts from many departments located across the country. Whoever did the space planning did a great job with the placement of tables, couches and chairs.
One of the rooms at Firehouse Coffee Company
~ The End~
