Route 66 RV Resort

Above, The Beast at the Route 66 RV Resort. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Jessica, my former Tarzana roommate, is flying into the Albuquerque Sunport late tonight from Des Moines, Iowa for a two-week visit.

Since her plane is arriving late, it is better to just stay the night in Albuquerque and head back to Jamestown in the morning. I am currently at the Route 66 RV Resort just outside of town. This will be the first time in months that The Beast is being used for camping. 

Above, relaxing before going to the pool area.

I got in around 11:00 this morning. I did make one stop along the way. I made a breakfast stop at the Sky City Hotel and Casino. For those who are curious, I had huevos rancheros. 

Above, the Route 66 RV Resort pool. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After checking into the RV park and relaxing for a while, I decided to soak for a while in the hot tub. The pool and hot tub had been closed for the past two years due to the pandemic and both are now open. It was an enjoyable soak. I had the pool area all to myself except for the last few minutes I was there.

Above, another section of the pool and the hot tub. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I will probably get a bite to eat inside the Route 66 Casino. The hotel's shuttles are in operation again. So I can catch one from the RV park to the hotel and casino.

We may get thundershowers tonight. It wouldn't be the first time I've experienced a thunderstorm while at the Route 66 RV Resort. I find them entertaining.

Trip To Albuquerque

Above, yours truly at one of the hot tub dealers. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today was spent in Albuquerque for a dentist appointment.

I got into town two hours early, so I went to a couple of hot tub dealers to see what they have. I have been considering getting one since I moved to New Mexico. If I were to get one, it would be set up at the brick deck. There was one I liked at Hot Tub Albuquerque.

Along the way, I stopped at the Sky City Rest Area for a brief "pit stop". While I was leaving, I looked over the picnic shelters they have available for weary travelers. They definitely have a New Mexico pueblo motif style. It is located across Interstate 40 from the Sky City Hotel and Casino.

Above, one of the picnic shelters at the Sky City Rest Area. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After I was done at the dentist, I headed on home. I had in mind to stop for dinner at the Kiva Café in Grants. I got there around 3:30, but they were closed for the day. Apparently, they just serve breakfast and lunch. So I pressed on ahead.

Above, this is the hot tub I'm leaning towards getting. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I stopped off at Bowlin's Bluewater Outpost. They have a Dairy Queen inside and I ended up having a grilled chicken salad bowl. It wasn't bad, but I was looking forward to Mexican food at the Kiva Café.

You can't win them all!

Tribal Casinos Slowly Reopening

Above, playing cards from Sky City Hotel Casino. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For the most part, I am not a gambler despite living ten miles from Fire Rock Navajo Casino. But I do occasionally stop at one for a meal. I generally stay at the Route 66 Casino Hotel's RV Resort whenever I am in Albuquerque.

The tribal casinos are slowly reopening, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

They wrote:

Tribal casinos are slowly reopening around New Mexico. 

The reopenings are taking place despite the recommendations of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. 

“Tribal casinos are sovereign, which the state has no control over,” said Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett. “Nontribal casinos remain closed under the current public health order.” 

Isleta Resort & Casino opened Monday. Patrons were excited to return. 

A patron told the Journal there was a two-hour wait to get inside at 11 p.m. Tuesday and a one-hour wait when she returned at 1 a.m. Wednesday. Guests were told the casino was allowing only 25% capacity inside. But patrons waited patiently in line to play their favorite slot machines and table games. 

Route 66 Casino Hotel on Laguna Pueblo has plans to reopen soon. An official announcement is expected on Monday, June 22. 

“From an operational standpoint, we feel like our casino, restaurants, hotel, everything is ready to go,” said Skip Sayre, chief of sales and marketing for Laguna Development Corp., owned by Laguna Pueblo. “We’re still working on making sure that we are appropriately staffed and that all of our staff are COVID-19-tested and are appropriately trained on all of the new health and safety protocols that we put in place.” 

Many other casinos are closed and do not have a reopening date yet, including Sandia Resort & Casino, Santa Ana Casino Hotel, Tesuque Casino, Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, Sky City Casino Hotel and Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino. Casinos on the Navajo Nation, which has been hit severely by COVID-19, also remain closed.

To read more, go here. 

Back Home

After a relaxing couple of days in Albuquerque and getting to see The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History and pick up a few things at Ron Peterson Firearms, I made it back home in Jamestown, just in time to listen to El Rushbo.

The drive was nice and I made one stop at Sky City Casino to pick up something to eat so I could take my meds.

I made it home around 9:35.

The Beast is safely back inside the GOCO Beast Barn.

While in Casa Blanca, New Mexico I shot this view on Interstate 40:

Albuquerque Today

Above, while waiting for Supercuts to open, I took this shot of a
hot-air balloon passing by the morning sun. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This morning, I took a little (if you want to call a 240 mile round trip "little") jaunt to Albuquerque.

One of the things I went there to do is to get at haircut with my usual haircutter Michelle. As always, she did a great job and fixed up the mess that the barber in Gallup did a couple of months ago.

Above, a view of the balloons from the front of Cracker Barrel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Normally, I would take The Beast and spend the night at the Route 66 Casino RV Resort. But, this time, I decided to take the Mustang instead. It performed well. It ran great and handled equally great with its new tires and alignment. But, the seat is not as comfortable as the driver's seat in The Beast. I am a bit tired from the trek and have a few aches and pains. I felt my age today once I got home.

But after a few hours relaxing, I feel okay again.

As I came over a hill into the outskirts of Albuquerque, my attention was immediately drawn to four hot-air balloons in the morning haze over the city.

Above, I was seated near the fireplace at Cracker Barrel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After getting into Albuquerque, I treated myself to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel restaurant on Coors Blvd. After getting out of the car, I took a photo of the balloons in the distance. I was given a good table near the fireplace.

After breakfast, I went over to Supercuts. I got there about five minutes before they opened and spent the time waiting for them to open by watching the balloons.

Above, this balloon was heading in my direction as I waited for Supercuts to open. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After getting the haircut, I headed over to the nearby Walmart and did some shopping. When I finished that, I headed to I-40 and drove on home, with one pit stop at the Sky City Casino Travel Center.

In future forays to Albuquerque, I'll take The Beast and just stay overnight like had been doing. 

50th RV Park Review Posted

Above, The Beast at the Sky City RV Park. A blizzard was in progress. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last night, I posted my 50th RV park review at (where else?) RV Park Reviews.

It was on the Sky City RV Park in Acoma, New Mexico.

In a nutshell:

During a blizzard that hit New Mexico, I decided to pull into the Sky City RV Park to spend the night. It was 11:00. The office was dark and closed. There was no directions on where to register. I figured I'd pull into a site and pay the next morning. The next morning, I left the RV park and went to their travel center and bought gasoline. It was still blizzard conditions out. The gasoline was only $1.99/gallon. I asked an attendant on where to pay for the RV park site. They told me the front desk at the hotel across the street. I went there and the front desk clerk said she closed out yesterday's registrations and couldn't add my stay. I suggested that she log me in as an after midnight arrival so she could put it down as a next day's registration so I could pay. For some reason she couldn't do that. She said that she won't charge me for the stay. The park itself, from what I could see of it, as it was dark and covered in snow, was nice and organized with relatively spacious sites. We camped at Sky City RV Park in a Motorhome.

It is hard to believe after nearly four years since I bought The Beast that I have been to 50 RV parks. It shows that I am getting a lot of use out of The Beast.

To read more, go here. 

Back Home In A Blizzard

Above, The Beast at Sky City RV Park before leaving this morning. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Finally, I stepped foot at home. It wasn't easy as snow storms caused the cancellation of my Wednesday flight to Albuquerque from Phoenix.

I spent some time trying to find an alternate flight to get to Albuquerque. When American Airlines canceled the flight, they re-booked me on another flight that was to leave Phoenix this morning at 12:50.

Not wanting to leave that late, I did some checking and found one that departs Phoenix at 7:45. It's a good thing I took that one, it was likely the last flight before more cancellations due to another storm coming into Albuquerque. It was lightly snowing when I arrived at Albuquerque. I went to the baggage claim office and my suitcase was sitting inside waiting for me.

The airport shuttle took me straight to my RV in the parking lot and I headed out. It was still lightly snowing in some spots but Interstate 40 was still drivable. I decided to get as further out of Albuquerque as possible and settled on staying at the Sky City Casino RV Park, 50 miles away.

Above, Sky City RV Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I arrived at the RV park, the office was closed with no means of doing a night registration there and no directions for registering. I figured I'd find a campsite and just pay for it the following morning. So, I settled in and got some sleep.

This morning, I found that registrations or the RV park is handled at the front desk of the casino's hotel. So I went there. The girl at the desk said they closed up their books for yesterday. I suggested that she just say I arrived after midnight and put it on today's date. She really didn't want to be bothered with it so she let me off gratis. Well, I did spend $50 on gasoline there (at $1.99/gallon).

It was snowing hard in spots and about 20 miles from Sky City, I turned off the highway and was going to sit it out. But, I thought that the snow could really pile up and I'd be stuck. So I headed off.

I drove at about 35 to 40 mph with my flashers on. When I approached the city of Grants, it tapered off and I was able to increase my speed a little.

I got home around 6:15 and there was about 2" of snow on the ground. Sierra was glad to have me back. The food feeder was still 3/4 full as well as the water feeder. Both did what they were supposed to do.

Why do casinos drill holes in their dice and cards?

Above, some of the playing cards I received last night. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I attended the Gallup Lions Club Rodeo last evening, I took a Lions Club survey. For taking the survey, I was given a gift bag as a thank-you.

Inside the bag, among other things, was a deck of playing cars from the Sky City Casino. Each card, along with the pack, a hole was drilled.

I thought this would be a good topic: Why do casinos drill holes in their dice and cards?

The reason is obvious (I've know this for years).

From Good Gambling Sites:

Have you ever bought a pack of playing cards or a pair of dice from a casino? 

If so, you’ll notice that they’ve been altered in some way. The most common alternations made to playing cards consist of cutting the corners of the cards, marking the corners, drilling a hole in the centers of the cards, or marking and cutting the corners of the cards.
For dice they simply drill a hole directly through the center. 

There is only one reason why the casinos deface their playing cards and dice: 

To prevent players from sneaking them into live dealer games.

To read more, go here. 

Meanwhile, In Albuquerque...

Above, The Beast at the Route 66 Casino RV Resort. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Well, I made it to Albuquerque (was there any doubt?) to get a couple of things done.

Along the way, I stopped off at the Sky City Casino for breakfast. They had an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet for $7.00. Not bad!

The Sky City Casino was nice, but I wasn't impressed with what I saw of their RV park.

Above, the Sky City Casino. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

First, was to get a haircut. Second, to get a building permit for the RV garage on the second acre.

The first was done with no problem as my cutter, Michelle, was waiting for me (I called in after checking in at the Route 66 Casino RV Resort).

Above, interesting architecture. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Then, after that was done, I headed over to the State of New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries.

That was in interesting experience. I walked up to the service desk and was told that all kinds of papers have to be submitted along with plans, specs and other technical data. To submit such documentation, I would be charged $535 from the carport company.

Then, the clincher! They told me it was not my job to submit the application and documentatio, it is the duty of the builder to submit everything. I was told that this particular company was told this some time ago. Essentially, New Mexico does things differently.

I then got on the phone with the corporate office of the carport company and told my contact there what the state told me. He tried to tell me otherwise, but I told him to talk to Mr. Roybal, the Architectural Compliance Officer Plan Reviewer and handed the phone to him.

Above, inside the Sky City Casino. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Mr. Roybal told the carport company what they have to do. During a break in the conversation, Roybal told me that if they refuse to comply, they can have their license pulled.

So, the ball is in their court. I was c.c.'d with an email between the carport company and Roybal. If there's anything I have to do, I can do it electronically and not have to make another trek to Albuquerque.

Now, I am just relaxing at the Route 66 RV Resort outside of Albuquerque. I will likely have dinner at the Thunder Road Steakhouse & Cantina in the casino tonight and head home tomorrow morning. There may be rain later today in Albuquerque.