To celebrates Gary's birthday we took an extended weekend and traveled to Jackpot Nevada. Jackpot is the closest place where we can do sports betting. It's a 9 hour drive from Hardin.
I took Friday and Monday off, we made reservations to stay at Barton's Club 93. We have stayed here before, cheaper than Cactus Pete's by a long shot. Both are pretty comparable.
There isn't anything to do in Jackpot but gamble, the only things they have there are casinos, a liquor store, grocery store and gas station.
Our original plan was to leave at 5:00 am and hit the road. We are both usually awake by this time anyway. Well, we were both wide awake at 2:00 am, so we just decided we might as well get up and head down the road at 2:30 am. Otherwise we would just toss and turn in bed and not get any sleep. Crazy I know.
We stopped in Big Timber thinking that the truck stop would be open, but it was closed so we ate breakfast at the truck stop in Belgrade. We stayed on the interstate because you never know what the weather will be like in April going over to West Yellowstone.
Once we get to Belgrade, we have options to travel. We could have gone through West Yellowstone (shorter route) but time wise it's the same as taking the interstate.
We stopped in Dillon for a short break, then made our way through Idaho and to Jackpot. We didn't get to stop and visit with Robert in Idaho Falls. His work schedule didn't work with the times we went through both going and coming home. I don't know about his work place that won't give a guy time off to visit with his mother. Sheesh.
We arrived in Jackpot around 2:00 pm, got checked in. We placed our bets on the basketball games, then we took a nap. It took us longer than normal to arrive as we made many stops because we left so early.
After our naps we were refreshed and ready to go. The sports book is at Cactus Pete's Casino, this one is the biggest casino in Jackpot. We like it because you can help yourself to soda and coffee. Both places have restaurants that have buffets and regular sit down cafes. Cactus Pete does have a nice steak house but you are going to pay for that meal. We didn't. There is a nice Mexican restaurant across the street. We didn't eat there this time.
We had packed snacks for the road and had plenty of food to snack on during the day. We went out for breakfasts and dinners.
The machines were very tight at the casinos. I won on my basketball games on Friday night. It was very strange as we were watching the final game that I needed. The tv had flashed the score and I lost. On this particular game I bet the over/under on the total score. I bet over. I was bummed, well tomorrow is another day. We got back to the room to call it a night when Gary checked on his computer. I had actually won. Good thing I kept my ticket. I won $140.
We both lost on Saturday, but Gary won on Sunday $140. At least we were both winners and we came home with money. We won enough that it paid for our motel stay.
We had a good time but both said that we won't go back to Jackpot ( may change in a few years). The smoking was so bad that it just clung to us. Our eyes and throats burned from the smoke. I can handle cigarette smoke to a point, but not cigar smoke. There were a couple men smoking cigars in the sports book. Another guy was very vocal about it and they soon left. You smelled the smoke as soon as you opened the doors to both casinos. I was winning on a machine when two women came over and surrounded me with their cigarette smoke. I cashed out and left. Vegas has spoiled us.
I would have liked to have gone to Deadwood (smoke free casinos) but Deadwood doesn't have sports betting.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Thursday, March 5, 2015
End of Vacation
The last two days of our vacation we spent relaxing at the condo. We both caught colds from being in the rain all day on Saturday and besides after walking all day long in parks for four days, we just wanted to relax.
I spent most of the day down at the pools, soaking up the sunshine and sitting in the hot tub. This resort had pool side service from the bar and grill, so I didn't have to get up to get my drinks.
Nothing like happy hour pool side. On Thursday, we were planning to go to Cocoa Beach but Jennifer wasn't feeling well. No sense in going if you can't enjoy it, so two days relaxing at the resort.
Here are some photos of our resort.
I spent most of the day down at the pools, soaking up the sunshine and sitting in the hot tub. This resort had pool side service from the bar and grill, so I didn't have to get up to get my drinks.
Nothing like happy hour pool side. On Thursday, we were planning to go to Cocoa Beach but Jennifer wasn't feeling well. No sense in going if you can't enjoy it, so two days relaxing at the resort.
Here are some photos of our resort.
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| One of the pools |
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| The other one, this one was a bit cooler |
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| Shuffle board courts |
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| This was our building |
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| View from our door |
Walking Contest
I'm on the Wellness Committee for the county and we had a walking contest for county employees.
The grand prize was a Fitbit Zip a $60 value. If an employee was already a Fitbit user then they got a $60 gift card.
It was a $5 buy in to join and it was decided to have that the winner would be determined by a random draw, so it didn't matter how many steps you did. There was a comment that if it was by the most steps, then I would win all the time.
We had 19 people sign up, for six weeks you would keep a log of your steps. The contest started on April 16 and ended May 30. We had a conversion chart for activities other than walking.
At the end of the contest I walked 534,452 steps which is approximately 267 miles. About 2000 steps equals 1 mile. I was gung-ho for the first three weeks, then just petered out. Figured that I didn't need to kill myself.
Well, I won the contest. I am already a Fitbit user, so I was awarded hard cash. It worked out because I was awarded my winnings on my birthday.
Saving my money for our vacation in a couple weeks.
The grand prize was a Fitbit Zip a $60 value. If an employee was already a Fitbit user then they got a $60 gift card.
It was a $5 buy in to join and it was decided to have that the winner would be determined by a random draw, so it didn't matter how many steps you did. There was a comment that if it was by the most steps, then I would win all the time.
We had 19 people sign up, for six weeks you would keep a log of your steps. The contest started on April 16 and ended May 30. We had a conversion chart for activities other than walking.
At the end of the contest I walked 534,452 steps which is approximately 267 miles. About 2000 steps equals 1 mile. I was gung-ho for the first three weeks, then just petered out. Figured that I didn't need to kill myself.
Well, I won the contest. I am already a Fitbit user, so I was awarded hard cash. It worked out because I was awarded my winnings on my birthday.
Saving my money for our vacation in a couple weeks.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Disney Studios
Today was an extra excursion day for us, we didn't plan this park at first. We wanted to do something but didn't know what. At our condo, one of the channels on tv was a Disney travel channel so we figured why not.
We knew that we would have to pay $97 extra per person, kind of pricey but we are on vacation. We got to the ticket booth and it was then that we found out that we could have added it on our original two day ticket at a discount, we had to buy it before we left. The little things they don't tell you.
Lesson learned, when you visit Disney in Orlando just go ahead and pay for the 4 day ticket. You might as well see all four parks while you are there. We did not go through Epcot.
One of the highlights in this park was Cinderella's coach from the new movie that just came out. It was hard to get a photo without people, but I did manage.
Had a fun time, this is a small park so didn't take too much time to wander around and look at things. Not a lot of rides but the only one Jennifer wanted to do was the Star Tours. This was the main reason we visited this park. Star Tours is a 3D ride, not a roller coaster. It really made us feel that we were in the pod car race, dodging astroids and such. We watched the padawans fight Darth Vader, that was cute. We also rode the little train through the Magic of Movies, this ride took us through all the genre's of movies. Very interesting. We did wander through the Disney museum. It was interesting to see all the stuff, then at the end you watch a short 15 minute film about Walt Disney and his trials and tribulations. We did watch the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. Very interesting how they do the stunts and the different between a stunt man/stunt woman and a stunt actor.
We did watch the Fantasmic Show, it was very entertaining with light shows, fireworks and the Disney characters. Thought we were going to witness a fight in front of us. One lady was saving seats for 8 people, the theater was filling up fast with people. It is a first come first serve theater, meaning you find a seat it's yours. Many people sat down, but left in a huff when she told them she was saving them. Finally about a half hour before the show started, people sat down in her saved area and they weren't budging. There was an announcement that you needed to have your whole party with you when seating in the theater. Her party finally arrived, they were in the line to ride the roller coaster. They managed to sit all together and everything was fine.
Disney owns ABC Studios so there is a commissary in this park. Many people thought they were going to see the stars from the tv shows here. I was silently yelling at them that the ABC Studios where they actually film the shows is in Hollywood California. Jeez.
Here is our fun:
We knew that we would have to pay $97 extra per person, kind of pricey but we are on vacation. We got to the ticket booth and it was then that we found out that we could have added it on our original two day ticket at a discount, we had to buy it before we left. The little things they don't tell you.
Lesson learned, when you visit Disney in Orlando just go ahead and pay for the 4 day ticket. You might as well see all four parks while you are there. We did not go through Epcot.
One of the highlights in this park was Cinderella's coach from the new movie that just came out. It was hard to get a photo without people, but I did manage.
Had a fun time, this is a small park so didn't take too much time to wander around and look at things. Not a lot of rides but the only one Jennifer wanted to do was the Star Tours. This was the main reason we visited this park. Star Tours is a 3D ride, not a roller coaster. It really made us feel that we were in the pod car race, dodging astroids and such. We watched the padawans fight Darth Vader, that was cute. We also rode the little train through the Magic of Movies, this ride took us through all the genre's of movies. Very interesting. We did wander through the Disney museum. It was interesting to see all the stuff, then at the end you watch a short 15 minute film about Walt Disney and his trials and tribulations. We did watch the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. Very interesting how they do the stunts and the different between a stunt man/stunt woman and a stunt actor.
We did watch the Fantasmic Show, it was very entertaining with light shows, fireworks and the Disney characters. Thought we were going to witness a fight in front of us. One lady was saving seats for 8 people, the theater was filling up fast with people. It is a first come first serve theater, meaning you find a seat it's yours. Many people sat down, but left in a huff when she told them she was saving them. Finally about a half hour before the show started, people sat down in her saved area and they weren't budging. There was an announcement that you needed to have your whole party with you when seating in the theater. Her party finally arrived, they were in the line to ride the roller coaster. They managed to sit all together and everything was fine.
Disney owns ABC Studios so there is a commissary in this park. Many people thought they were going to see the stars from the tv shows here. I was silently yelling at them that the ABC Studios where they actually film the shows is in Hollywood California. Jeez.
Here is our fun:
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| The only time I was able to get a photo of us together. |
Monday, March 2, 2015
Wild Animal Kingdom Park
This was one of the parks that I wanted to go through. At first I thought about Busch Gardens but this park has more animals.
Another park where you have to take a shuttle to the gate. This park has a Rain Forest Cafe so we decided to have dinner here. Made our way inside, got a map and decided to take the safari ride first. You get to see the big animals here and we thought that the animals would be a bit active first thing in the morning. There was a very long line for this ride, we never did get the fast pass tickets for Disney Parks. The wait time was just over an hour for this ride, not too bad. Again it seemed like we were always moving.
We got on our little jeep and through the African wilds we went. Of course we were sitting on the wrong side of the jeep, seemed like all the animals were on the left side, we were on the right side. So glad my lens is a zoom.
We saw giraffes, rhinos, hippos, lions and a bunch of other animals. Pretty neat. The rest of the time was spent wandering around and looking at stuff.
We ate supper at the Rain Forest Cafe, this one is the largest one (so they say). It was pretty big compared to the one in Mall of American and in Vegas. Our waiter was a funny guy when he found out we were from Montana. I think the thought we were aliens. You can tell that he didn't know or probably never heard of Montana by the look on his face.
We had a good time and enjoyed ourselves.
Another park where you have to take a shuttle to the gate. This park has a Rain Forest Cafe so we decided to have dinner here. Made our way inside, got a map and decided to take the safari ride first. You get to see the big animals here and we thought that the animals would be a bit active first thing in the morning. There was a very long line for this ride, we never did get the fast pass tickets for Disney Parks. The wait time was just over an hour for this ride, not too bad. Again it seemed like we were always moving.
We got on our little jeep and through the African wilds we went. Of course we were sitting on the wrong side of the jeep, seemed like all the animals were on the left side, we were on the right side. So glad my lens is a zoom.
We saw giraffes, rhinos, hippos, lions and a bunch of other animals. Pretty neat. The rest of the time was spent wandering around and looking at stuff.
We ate supper at the Rain Forest Cafe, this one is the largest one (so they say). It was pretty big compared to the one in Mall of American and in Vegas. Our waiter was a funny guy when he found out we were from Montana. I think the thought we were aliens. You can tell that he didn't know or probably never heard of Montana by the look on his face.
We had a good time and enjoyed ourselves.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Disney World Magic Kingdom
Today is the day we visit Disney World. We bought our two day tickets in advance so all we had to do was got to the ticket booth at will call to pick them up.
We made our way to the park without any problems, got on the shuttle to take us to the gate. We then got our tickets at will call, then had to make our way to the park. We had a choice, the monorail or the ferry. We chose the monorail. We got to see a view of the park this way.
Now we are at the admission gate, we had to go through the check bag line, then we had to put our card on the scanner and fingerprint. We were good to go.
First thing we did was get a map, then we found a coffee shop for our morning ritual. Sat down and figured out what we wanted to see first. The park was crowded being a Sunday but thinned out once we got out of Main Street.
A very nice day compared to yesterday, at least no rain. It was cloudy when we started out in the morning but by afternoon the sun came out and warmed things up.
The only ride that we rode was Pirates of the Caribbean. The line really wasn't that bad, sign said 45 minute wait. We got in line and it really wasn't bad at all, seemed like we were moving all the time, just slow.
We went through the Hall of Presidents, that was neat with all the presidents and nice because we got to sit down and be cool. Went through the Time of Progress, sort of a ride. You seat in a theater and it moves.
Jennifer and I both this ride a meh. We were not impressed with it at all, feel the ride in Disneyland is better. We watched the birds in the Enchanted Tiki Hut, it's the same as Disneyland. We did get to see the Mickey Mouse show at Sleeping Beauty's Castle. That was nice.
We walked alot, tried to eat supper at a restaurant but was told that we needed a reservation, especially on weekends. We ended up eating very expensive hot dogs at Casey's. It was $25 for two hot dog meals with a drink. Jennifer was able to find a table outside.
A family was having a birthday party for their little girl there, they had cake and everything. It was time for them to leave so they tried giving away the cake. They must had half of it left over. A family of 4 finally took it. There was a lot of cake. After eating we went shopping.
We had a great time, we didn't leave the park until 8:00 pm, made our way back to the front gate got on the shuttle. It was a long day but very fun.
Here are some photos of Disney World.
We made our way to the park without any problems, got on the shuttle to take us to the gate. We then got our tickets at will call, then had to make our way to the park. We had a choice, the monorail or the ferry. We chose the monorail. We got to see a view of the park this way.
Now we are at the admission gate, we had to go through the check bag line, then we had to put our card on the scanner and fingerprint. We were good to go.
First thing we did was get a map, then we found a coffee shop for our morning ritual. Sat down and figured out what we wanted to see first. The park was crowded being a Sunday but thinned out once we got out of Main Street.
A very nice day compared to yesterday, at least no rain. It was cloudy when we started out in the morning but by afternoon the sun came out and warmed things up.
The only ride that we rode was Pirates of the Caribbean. The line really wasn't that bad, sign said 45 minute wait. We got in line and it really wasn't bad at all, seemed like we were moving all the time, just slow.
We went through the Hall of Presidents, that was neat with all the presidents and nice because we got to sit down and be cool. Went through the Time of Progress, sort of a ride. You seat in a theater and it moves.
Jennifer and I both this ride a meh. We were not impressed with it at all, feel the ride in Disneyland is better. We watched the birds in the Enchanted Tiki Hut, it's the same as Disneyland. We did get to see the Mickey Mouse show at Sleeping Beauty's Castle. That was nice.
We walked alot, tried to eat supper at a restaurant but was told that we needed a reservation, especially on weekends. We ended up eating very expensive hot dogs at Casey's. It was $25 for two hot dog meals with a drink. Jennifer was able to find a table outside.
A family was having a birthday party for their little girl there, they had cake and everything. It was time for them to leave so they tried giving away the cake. They must had half of it left over. A family of 4 finally took it. There was a lot of cake. After eating we went shopping.
We had a great time, we didn't leave the park until 8:00 pm, made our way back to the front gate got on the shuttle. It was a long day but very fun.
Here are some photos of Disney World.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Sea World
Today is Jennifer's birthday and the only thing she asked specifically was to spend the day in Sea World.
We bought our admission tickets in advance and I also paid for the all day eating ticket. The all day eating ticket was $35 per person. Figured that it wasn't a bad price and probably cheaper in the long run.
Since the park was across the street we just walked. We ate breakfast at the coffee shop, just muffins and coffee since we would eat in the park. It was very cloudy but wasn't bad when we walked. Rain was called for today. Got our tickets and eating tickets then we went to figure out what to see first.
While we were figuring out our map that is when it started to rain. It rained all day long. At least is was a warm rain. We still had fun despite the rain.
This park is bigger than San Diego, has more shops and eating places, real restaurants. The only ride we were interested in was the Penguin Encounter. They don't have this one in San Diego. We used our fast pass which was nice. Got loaded into the little car then waited. We had to get out, got another pass until they could fix the problem.
We wandered around some more, then decided to eat since we had paid for our dining stuff. We were really hungry but ate anyway. For her birthday dinner we wanted to go somewhere nice that served adult beverages. The only one that fit this criteria was Shark Reef, naturally this was not a participating restaurant for the all day dining. Went and made a reservation, they closed at 6:00 pm since the park closes at 7:00 pm. Made our reservation at 4:30, that way we had enough time to make the Shamu Show at 6:00 pm.
We didn't really get our $35 worth of eating out of the deal, but we would have if not for Jennifer's special day.
The only shows we watched were the Shamu Show and the Dolphin Show and they are the same ones as we see in San Diego.
All in all we had a good time, got back to the condo then we went down to the pool to soak in the hot tub after a full day of walking. That was nice.
Here are a few photos of our fun.
We bought our admission tickets in advance and I also paid for the all day eating ticket. The all day eating ticket was $35 per person. Figured that it wasn't a bad price and probably cheaper in the long run.
Since the park was across the street we just walked. We ate breakfast at the coffee shop, just muffins and coffee since we would eat in the park. It was very cloudy but wasn't bad when we walked. Rain was called for today. Got our tickets and eating tickets then we went to figure out what to see first.
While we were figuring out our map that is when it started to rain. It rained all day long. At least is was a warm rain. We still had fun despite the rain.
This park is bigger than San Diego, has more shops and eating places, real restaurants. The only ride we were interested in was the Penguin Encounter. They don't have this one in San Diego. We used our fast pass which was nice. Got loaded into the little car then waited. We had to get out, got another pass until they could fix the problem.
We wandered around some more, then decided to eat since we had paid for our dining stuff. We were really hungry but ate anyway. For her birthday dinner we wanted to go somewhere nice that served adult beverages. The only one that fit this criteria was Shark Reef, naturally this was not a participating restaurant for the all day dining. Went and made a reservation, they closed at 6:00 pm since the park closes at 7:00 pm. Made our reservation at 4:30, that way we had enough time to make the Shamu Show at 6:00 pm.
We didn't really get our $35 worth of eating out of the deal, but we would have if not for Jennifer's special day.
The only shows we watched were the Shamu Show and the Dolphin Show and they are the same ones as we see in San Diego.
All in all we had a good time, got back to the condo then we went down to the pool to soak in the hot tub after a full day of walking. That was nice.
Here are a few photos of our fun.
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