We spent a week at Riverside RV Park in Laughlin from October 4 - 11.
The park was amazingly similar to the park at Sam's Town in Las Vegas. Streets are paved. Concrete pads are available at each site, but the rest of the site is crushed gravel. As you move away from the river in Laughlin, the ground slopes up, so there are terraced levels in the park. Trees have been planted in many areas, and some shade is provided.
This is a large park and extends way back from Casino Drive. The casino provides a shuttle bus to transport guests back and forth from the park to the casino. Restrooms and showers are located throughout the park, and they are beginning to show their age. They are locked and require a pass key. There are only 2 laundry rooms for this large park. We visited the one near the entrance. It had only a few machines, and some of those were not working. The room was poorly maintained.
Standard amenities are provided, including full hookups and cable TV. WiFi is available for a fee. I hate to pay for WiFi, and most parks today provide it free of charge. However, since I had not had Internet for the past 10 days, I decided to purchase the service. This was a mistake; speed was frustratingly slow. We also found the water pressure to be very low.
The sewer connection at many of the sites, including ours, was actually located a bit up the terraced slope at the back of our site. This meant that our drainage actually had to go up hill a bit. It took me some time engineering a way to get my system to drain more efficiently. I ended up using one of my leveling boards under my hose carriage as well as several rocks. I noticed other residents had done something similar.
We did enjoy sitting out at night. We had a good view of Casino Drive, and we enjoyed the numerous casino signs flashing along the road. However, I would not want to stay in this park again. The problem is, though, that there are very few RV parks in the area, so options are extremely limited.
This blog follows Keith and Donna Cameron as they enjoy retirement. 01/24/05
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Laughlin, Nevada
Laughlin, Nevada, is an interesting town, and it is probably our favorite gaming town. I would consider living there if it didn't get so hot during the summer. It is normally a few degrees hotter there than in Las Vegas. When we left Vegas on October 1, the daily highs there were in the low 90s; our first few days in Laughlin, we had highs over 100 degrees.
Our first three days in Laughlin, we had a comped room at the Aquarius. It was nice to get out of the trailer for a few days. After three days, we then took our trailer to Riverside RV Park and spent another 7 days in Laughlin. We spent most of our time playing video poker at the Aquarius, though we did spend some time at the Riverside and one day at Harrah's.
Laughlin actually has two faces. There is Casino Drive along the Colorado River, where the casinos are located. Up the hill from the river is the residential section. There are nice homes, apartment complexes, a few businesses, schools, and a public library in this area. The two areas of Laughlin are about 4 or 5 miles apart, and the elevation difference is probably at least 500 feet.
The city operates a local bus service connecting the casinos to the residential area, and it is heavily used. There are also water taxis that run up and down the river. The Riverwalk extends from the Riverside on the north to the River Palms on the south; it does not extend to Harrah's, the southernmost casino.
Getting around on foot among the casinos -- with the exception of Harrah's -- is easy enough. All of the casinos are located along the river except for the Tropicana, which is located on the west side of Casino Drive. Each casino has a number of eateries, from local restaurants to chains such as McDonald's, the Outback, and other well known names.
There is always some type of activity on the river, whether it be cruise boats taking tourists up and down the river, water taxis plying their routes, or jet skis zipping up and down. Riverside also operates a taxi bringing people over from a dock on the Bullhead City side of the river.
Aside from gaming and related services such as restaurants, Laughlin has very few businesses. Bullhead City, just across the river, provides most services from groceries to medical to anything else needed by Laughlin residents. Although Laughlin has a few gas stations, gas prices are about $.15 to $.20 higher than in Bullhead City. From the Laughlin residential area, it is about a 30 mile round trip to the Walmart in Bullhead City.
This was our third trip to Laughlin. I reported on our previous trips last year. You can find these reports, both with pictures, using the following links:
There are other entries related to our November/December trip as well, but I have not linked to them as they do not pertain directly to Laughlin.
Our first three days in Laughlin, we had a comped room at the Aquarius. It was nice to get out of the trailer for a few days. After three days, we then took our trailer to Riverside RV Park and spent another 7 days in Laughlin. We spent most of our time playing video poker at the Aquarius, though we did spend some time at the Riverside and one day at Harrah's.
Laughlin actually has two faces. There is Casino Drive along the Colorado River, where the casinos are located. Up the hill from the river is the residential section. There are nice homes, apartment complexes, a few businesses, schools, and a public library in this area. The two areas of Laughlin are about 4 or 5 miles apart, and the elevation difference is probably at least 500 feet.
The city operates a local bus service connecting the casinos to the residential area, and it is heavily used. There are also water taxis that run up and down the river. The Riverwalk extends from the Riverside on the north to the River Palms on the south; it does not extend to Harrah's, the southernmost casino.
Getting around on foot among the casinos -- with the exception of Harrah's -- is easy enough. All of the casinos are located along the river except for the Tropicana, which is located on the west side of Casino Drive. Each casino has a number of eateries, from local restaurants to chains such as McDonald's, the Outback, and other well known names.
There is always some type of activity on the river, whether it be cruise boats taking tourists up and down the river, water taxis plying their routes, or jet skis zipping up and down. Riverside also operates a taxi bringing people over from a dock on the Bullhead City side of the river.
Aside from gaming and related services such as restaurants, Laughlin has very few businesses. Bullhead City, just across the river, provides most services from groceries to medical to anything else needed by Laughlin residents. Although Laughlin has a few gas stations, gas prices are about $.15 to $.20 higher than in Bullhead City. From the Laughlin residential area, it is about a 30 mile round trip to the Walmart in Bullhead City.
This was our third trip to Laughlin. I reported on our previous trips last year. You can find these reports, both with pictures, using the following links:
There are other entries related to our November/December trip as well, but I have not linked to them as they do not pertain directly to Laughlin.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
On the Road: Las Vegas to Laughlin, Nevada
We pulled out of the Sam's Town RV park on Monday, October 1, to go to Laughlin.
From the park, we journeyed down the Boulder Highway past casinos, fast food joints, and other businesses. Just outside town, we turned south on Highway 95. This is the true desert. We saw a few Joshua trees and other stunted plant growth, but for the most part there is nothing out there but rocks and dirt. There was a large body of water beside the highway just a few miles south of our turn off. Vegas had considerable rain early in September, and this could be a result of that. On the plains of Texas, there are playa lakes, which form in depressions after rains. This body reminded me of a playa lake. Nearby was a large solar farm, the largest I have ever seen.
About halfway to Laughlin, we passed through the small town of Searchlight, Nevada. Not much there except a gas station or two, a McDonald's, and a casino or two. Then back into the desert.
Just before our turnoff, we passed by the uniquely named community of Cal-Nev-Ari, Nevada. Not much there, but it does have the required casino as any good Nevada community does.
Just before reaching the California line, we turned east onto highway 163 for the most scenic part of the drive. The road here winds through the southern part of the Newberry mountains, a range that climbs to just over 2,600 feet. After reaching the crest, the final 10 or so miles then winds down to Laughlin at an elevation of 558 feet, our lowest point since leaving East Texas 2 months earlier.
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| 96 miles from Vegas to Laughlin |
From the park, we journeyed down the Boulder Highway past casinos, fast food joints, and other businesses. Just outside town, we turned south on Highway 95. This is the true desert. We saw a few Joshua trees and other stunted plant growth, but for the most part there is nothing out there but rocks and dirt. There was a large body of water beside the highway just a few miles south of our turn off. Vegas had considerable rain early in September, and this could be a result of that. On the plains of Texas, there are playa lakes, which form in depressions after rains. This body reminded me of a playa lake. Nearby was a large solar farm, the largest I have ever seen.
About halfway to Laughlin, we passed through the small town of Searchlight, Nevada. Not much there except a gas station or two, a McDonald's, and a casino or two. Then back into the desert.
Just before our turnoff, we passed by the uniquely named community of Cal-Nev-Ari, Nevada. Not much there, but it does have the required casino as any good Nevada community does.
Just before reaching the California line, we turned east onto highway 163 for the most scenic part of the drive. The road here winds through the southern part of the Newberry mountains, a range that climbs to just over 2,600 feet. After reaching the crest, the final 10 or so miles then winds down to Laughlin at an elevation of 558 feet, our lowest point since leaving East Texas 2 months earlier.
Sam's Town RV Park
We stayed at Sam's Town RV Park from September 24 through October 1. The park is located on the Boulder Highway in Las Vegas next door to Sam's Town Casino.
The RV park is a decent place to stay, and it is convenient to the casino. It has all the regular facilities -- restrooms with showers, pool, laundry room, cable TV, and full hookups. WiFi is provided at the park for a fee of $6.95 per day or $19.99 per week, so we did not use it.
The park is set up on a circular pattern with the pool and laundry room at the center. All streets are paved and all sites are solid crushed gravel.
All utilities for sites are contained within a single housing unit shared by 2 rigs. Motorhomes can either back in or pull in straight. All trailers back in. The sewer connection is rather unusual. You pull up a sliding door and fit your hose in a groove there, then slide the door down to secure the hose.
There are very few trees in the park so shade is at a premium. We were there when daily temperatures were in the low 90s and nightly lows were in the 60s, so we were alright, but I could not see us staying there in the heat of the summer.
The first day we were there, a motorhome came in and parked next door to us, sharing our utility box. We threw a breaker once that day. The motorhome left the the next day, and we had no more breaker problems until our last full day at the park, when another motorhome came in to share the box. That evening, we threw a breaker several times. It seems that by sharing a box, the motorhome was pulling power from us. I turned our fridge and water heater on to gas, thereby reducing our electric pull, for I wanted to ensure we had enough electricity for our air conditioner. We had no more problems after that.
Although the park is right on the Boulder Highway, which is a very busy city artery, the road traffic was not overly loud. However, sirens sounded at all hours of the day and night. We did feel safe in the park. The park is surrounded by a wall, and a security patrol made rounds at all hours throughout the day and night.
The RV park is a decent place to stay, and it is convenient to the casino. It has all the regular facilities -- restrooms with showers, pool, laundry room, cable TV, and full hookups. WiFi is provided at the park for a fee of $6.95 per day or $19.99 per week, so we did not use it.
The park is set up on a circular pattern with the pool and laundry room at the center. All streets are paved and all sites are solid crushed gravel.
All utilities for sites are contained within a single housing unit shared by 2 rigs. Motorhomes can either back in or pull in straight. All trailers back in. The sewer connection is rather unusual. You pull up a sliding door and fit your hose in a groove there, then slide the door down to secure the hose.
There are very few trees in the park so shade is at a premium. We were there when daily temperatures were in the low 90s and nightly lows were in the 60s, so we were alright, but I could not see us staying there in the heat of the summer.
The first day we were there, a motorhome came in and parked next door to us, sharing our utility box. We threw a breaker once that day. The motorhome left the the next day, and we had no more breaker problems until our last full day at the park, when another motorhome came in to share the box. That evening, we threw a breaker several times. It seems that by sharing a box, the motorhome was pulling power from us. I turned our fridge and water heater on to gas, thereby reducing our electric pull, for I wanted to ensure we had enough electricity for our air conditioner. We had no more problems after that.
Although the park is right on the Boulder Highway, which is a very busy city artery, the road traffic was not overly loud. However, sirens sounded at all hours of the day and night. We did feel safe in the park. The park is surrounded by a wall, and a security patrol made rounds at all hours throughout the day and night.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Hoover Dam
While in Las Vegas the last week of September, Donna and I decided to drive out to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. This is a busy place, and we didn't see as much as we would have liked.
The drive from Vegas is rather nondescript until you approach Boulder City. We were impressed with this small community. It is a tidy, attractive desert town which obviously does a healthy tourist trade.
As we left Boulder City, we caught our first glimpse of Lake Mead.
The highway from Kingman, Arizona, to Las Vegas once took all traffic across the Hoover Dam. However, there is a new highway and a new bridge -- the Mike O-Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge -- which crosses the Colorado River below the Hoover Dam. We exited onto the old road, though, and, after much searching and a great deal of patience, we were able to find a parking place in the area for the pedestrian bridge which crosses the river.
From the parking area of the pedestrian bridge, which is on the Nevada side of the river, you climb a series of steps (handicap access is available) to reach a pedestrian walkway alongside the new bridge. This pedestrian bridge is not for the feint of heart, though; I was able to get out on the bridge to snap some pictures, but then I froze. After much crying and other hysterics, 2 little old ladies helped me back to the Nevada side. The dam, by the way, can not be seen from the new highway.
The drive from Vegas is rather nondescript until you approach Boulder City. We were impressed with this small community. It is a tidy, attractive desert town which obviously does a healthy tourist trade.
As we left Boulder City, we caught our first glimpse of Lake Mead.
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| Lake Mead as we leave Boulder City |
The highway from Kingman, Arizona, to Las Vegas once took all traffic across the Hoover Dam. However, there is a new highway and a new bridge -- the Mike O-Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge -- which crosses the Colorado River below the Hoover Dam. We exited onto the old road, though, and, after much searching and a great deal of patience, we were able to find a parking place in the area for the pedestrian bridge which crosses the river.
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| Hoover Dam taken from the pedestrian bridge |
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| Donna at a scenic overlook of Lake Mead |
Back in Texas
For the past 17 days or so, I've either not been connected to the Internet or my connection was not good at all. As a result, I've not been able to post much to the blog. I hope that will change now.
Donna and I arrived in Big Spring, Texas, this afternoon after a 900 mile journey from Laughlin that began yesterday morning. We saw some wonderful country, and I will post something about the trip as soon as I can catch up.
We will stay in Big Spring for a few days visiting our daughter and her family. We will leave here next week and travel to East Texas to take care of some business there. We have no plans at this time beyond East Texas. It will be good to see the colors of fall there.
Please bear with me as I try to catch up.
Donna and I arrived in Big Spring, Texas, this afternoon after a 900 mile journey from Laughlin that began yesterday morning. We saw some wonderful country, and I will post something about the trip as soon as I can catch up.
We will stay in Big Spring for a few days visiting our daughter and her family. We will leave here next week and travel to East Texas to take care of some business there. We have no plans at this time beyond East Texas. It will be good to see the colors of fall there.
Please bear with me as I try to catch up.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Las Vegas, Nevada
We spent the week of September 24 through October 1 at Sam's Town RV Park on the Boulder Highway in East Las Vegas, Nevada. We had been to Las Vegas twice before about ten years ago. The first trip we stayed at the Excalibur on the South Strip, and the second time we stayed downtown at the Golden Nugget. Of the two locations, I think we like the downtown experience better. You can still see glimpses of the old Vegas downtown, and there are much better gaming and eating opportunities there.
Las Vegas is a big town, and it's a busy place. Sirens sounded around the clock all up and down the Boulder Highway. I don't know if they were ambulances, fire trucks, or police calls -- probably a mix of all of these -- but we heard them at every hour of the day and night.
We spent our time gambling at Sam's Town and the nearby Boulder Station. We enjoyed both casinos. We were lucky enough to hit a jackpot while at Sam's Town playing the full pay deuces wild machines there. We scored enough comps that we were able to eat free for the last several days we were there. Getting around on the Boulder Highway was easy enough, and there were various dining and shopping opportunities in the area. In fact, there is a Super Walmart right across the street from Sam's Town. Other RV parks are located nearby as well.
The weather was fairly mild by Vegas standards while we were there. The temperatures were basically in the lower 90s during the day while dipping to the lower 70s or higher 60s at night.
One aspect of gambling in Vegas I don't like is the presence of children in the casinos. Dining options and hotel access are usually located off the main casino floor at local casinos, so children have to pass through the casino to get to these places. I hate seeing these children on casino floors, exposed to smoke and drinking. And because casinos like Sam's Town offer arcades, bowling, movies, and other child-oriented entertainment, there are lots of families here.
But we liked Sam's Town and would consider returning here if ever in Vegas again. It has plenty of eating options, including chains like McDonald's, Subway, and TGIF, as well as the usual assortment of casino options like buffets and delis. There is something happening almost everyday at Sam's Town. While there, we participated in a slot tournament as well as several drawings for various prizes.
Las Vegas is a big town, and it's a busy place. Sirens sounded around the clock all up and down the Boulder Highway. I don't know if they were ambulances, fire trucks, or police calls -- probably a mix of all of these -- but we heard them at every hour of the day and night.
We spent our time gambling at Sam's Town and the nearby Boulder Station. We enjoyed both casinos. We were lucky enough to hit a jackpot while at Sam's Town playing the full pay deuces wild machines there. We scored enough comps that we were able to eat free for the last several days we were there. Getting around on the Boulder Highway was easy enough, and there were various dining and shopping opportunities in the area. In fact, there is a Super Walmart right across the street from Sam's Town. Other RV parks are located nearby as well.
The weather was fairly mild by Vegas standards while we were there. The temperatures were basically in the lower 90s during the day while dipping to the lower 70s or higher 60s at night.
One aspect of gambling in Vegas I don't like is the presence of children in the casinos. Dining options and hotel access are usually located off the main casino floor at local casinos, so children have to pass through the casino to get to these places. I hate seeing these children on casino floors, exposed to smoke and drinking. And because casinos like Sam's Town offer arcades, bowling, movies, and other child-oriented entertainment, there are lots of families here.
But we liked Sam's Town and would consider returning here if ever in Vegas again. It has plenty of eating options, including chains like McDonald's, Subway, and TGIF, as well as the usual assortment of casino options like buffets and delis. There is something happening almost everyday at Sam's Town. While there, we participated in a slot tournament as well as several drawings for various prizes.
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