Casino Stopover

August 29 – 31 – North Dakota looks like Kansas, as did Manitoba and Saskatchewan. I need to get to Oz. We are heading towards St. Paul, but discover if we drive just 50 miles out of our way to Welch, MN, there’s a huge casino/hotel complex with an attached RV park. Oz here we come!

The Emerald City isn’t as green as we’d hoped. Actually, more like asphalt. But there’s a big casino and what looks like a decent hotel. We check in for just one night.

We’re tired, don’t feel like cooking, change our clothes and walk over to the casino for dinner and games. We have a very mediocre dinner in what is supposed to be their best restaurant. No clothes, paper napkins and plastic glasses for the wine. We lose a little money and head back to sleep having already decided that we’d stay a couple more days because we are just tired of traveling every day.

Felt really good to just sleep the next morning with no schedule. Spent the day cleaning inside and out and doing the laundry. Getting things back in order felt terrific. Head out to the grocery store in Red Wing, MN and find the Super WalMart is it. Was fine on the packaged goods things, but couldn’t get the tuna steaks I had been looking forward to. Bought tons of food, then decide to go to the Seafood Buffet. I have never seen so many people eat so much food! We settle for salads and king crab legs. Not bad! Lose more money.

Planned to play golf today, but just didn’t have the energy. Took a lovely morning walk to a tributary of the Mississippi River. There’s a nice marina associated with the casino also. Wish they had taken such care in their RV Park design. There are actually trees there and a terrific water view. Watched some migratory birds (we think cranes, but need to check Sibley’s) battle for lead positions on their road to somewhere.

Planning on going to the hotel pool and get some sun. Find out it is inside. So, Rick futzes with some mechanical Tor stuff, I take a chair, find some grass and some sun and settle down to read for a while.

For some bizarre reason we go back to the casino for more mediocre food and to lose more money. But I’ve found another destination we’ve got great hopes for….near the Wisconsin Dells. Have very fond memories of the Dells from my childhood. Christmas Mountain Village…golf courses, restaurants…we’ll see.