My birthday coincides with “Free Ride” day on the Desperado at Primm Valley Resorts. From 12:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., on August 16, you can be terrorized to your heart’s content. And terrifying it is: My wife and I tried the Desperado recently and found its whiplash considerably more violent than on our previous visit, in mid-2007. You can write me off as an old fogy if you like but the missus lurves her some roller coasters, the scarier the better. But the rattletrap condition of the Desperado really put the fear of God into her and not in a good way. She’s sworn it off permanently.
Also dampening the spirits of our impromptu Primm visit was that most of the rides and attractions at Buffalo Bill’s were closed for the day … just as they were on our ’07 Memorial Day visit. Of the few that were running, even the log flume was only semi-operational. The shooting-gallery function was out or order. On the bright side, you get a quiet, romantic boat ride through the casino floor instead, if that’s your thing.
We got a peak into one of the refurnished rooms (courtesy of Fontainebleau) and they do look nicer. Trouble is, the hotel corridors are still dingy, humid and claustrophobic, with carpeting long overdue for replacement. They need to put a little more perfume on that pig. At least, with so little to do at Buffalo Bill’s, it freed us up to drop a bundle at the outlet mall next door. Gaming’s loss was retail’s gain.
