I predicted this week after our family reunion at Harrah’s Tahoe would need to be serious recovery time for Brad and me, and that definitely came to pass. But so full of happy memories with our family who can pack more activities in a 5-day vacation than anyone could imagine.
4 Generations
It didn’t matter that there wasn’t much snow at ground level and it was very cold. Granddaughter Kaity is the hiking motivator and dragged anyone who wasn’t otherwise occupied up steep rocky trails to find frozen waterfalls and hidden geocaches. Always the video-maker and geocaching adventurer she led the frosty march before dawn to shoot beautiful sunrise photos and then back later in the day for picture-perfect sunsets. Daddy Zachary and Grandpa Steve even found enough snow to make a mini-snowman for the kids, and Brad and Steve took Asher swimming in the casino’s heated pool while the girls did some shopping in the gift shop, using up folio credits that “must” be used before they disappeared at check-out. Then there were noisy group meals, sometimes inviting family friends to share the fun. Zachary and Taylor were celebrating their 5th anniversary so we took turns taking care of the kids and treated them to a quiet dinner all by themselves at the gourmet Friday Station restaurant at the top of the Harrah’s hotel.
On the scheduled ski day, everyone (except of course Brad and me, who needed to do some peaceful VP play rather than risking life and limbs) headed to the Heavenly Mountain gondolas just a short walk from the casino. Angela, on grandma duty since a weak foot injured in a past auto accident kept her from skiing, pushed the double stroller containing Asher, 3, and Bowen, 8 months, onto a gondola, and the kiddies would finally have the chance to play in snow when they reached the lodge at the top. The snow-makers were working hard and made some of the runs skiable. The girls stayed on the bunny slope, but Zachary and Steve tackled some of the longer runs.
And then at the end of the afternoon, just before the resort was to close down, drama struck. Taylor, actually the most experienced of the group, lost a battle with a snowbank. The experienced ski patrol came to the rescue and stretchered her off the mountain in their sled and into the urgent care facility at the bottom, where they diagnosed her fractured tibial plateau (top of the tibia) on her left leg and put her in a temporary full leg brace, pending a later MRI to make sure nothing else was involved that might need surgery. She was a trooper and dosed up pretty heavily with Tylenol, she enjoyed the rest of the visit and her flight home thanks to wheelchairs.
I haven’t mentioned much about the family gambling – but, yes, there was a bit of that going on in-between all the other activities, mainly chasing around the penny slots with Kaitlynn, hunting those that were the most fun to play and then sticking to the hit-and-run strategy whenever luck provided a nice bonus amount.
However, my favorite gaming experience was not in the casino but in the very large arcade where Brad and Steve and I were supervising Asher as he ran from one game to another, using up the $20 of tokens Brad had bought him. And, to our shock, he hit the top jackpot on one game, and in the picture below you can see how surprised we were when FIVE HUNDRED tickets slowly came out of the machine. Even at three years old, you don’t have to be taught the thrill of winning big!
Asher’s First Big Jackpot
Stay tuned for Part 2 – The Nuts and Bolts of a CZR Comp, where I will give details on how to maximize casino comps.
What a fun story to read – except for Taylor’s unfortunate accident. Asher is adorable! As always, thanks for sharing : )
When Snoopy (of “Peanuts”) went skiing, he came home and reported that he had broken three legs. “Fortunately, they were all on other people.”
I used to downhill ski quite often at Tahoe until one day when I had an incident not unlike Taylor’s, except my adversary was a stately Douglas fir. The ski patrol advised me that the optimal strategy was to ski AROUND the trees, and gave me several bandages and some hot chocolate. I then reexamined my skis and discovered that they weren’t equipped with brakes! Thereafter, I decided to take up cross-country skiing.
Glad to hear that you and your family had so much fun! Tahoe is a great place for a holiday get-together.
Thanks for the fun report, the stack of tickets is almost as tall as Asher in that picture,
What a thrill and a cutie.
MO
Dear Jean,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share with all of your fans your adventures with your beautiful family. I am grateful for all the tips you share and advice based on your extraordinary experience and your delivery is always fantastic! Grateful for the education you’ve provided over the years!!! Happy Christmas to you and yours, Connie