Q CASINO

The Q (or Quechan Casino) has really great food. It is located at the exit for Mexico and we decided we would try their $2.95 breakfast special of ham and eggs. This special is not listed on their menu but Jeri spotted it on a billboard as we headed towards Mexico. This was as good as it looks. In fact, it was so good we went back again another day for breakfast.

The second time we went for breakfast, Jeri's and Jim's coffee came in this really strange little cup. Whoever bought them for the casino must not ever have tried to drink out of them. Jeri finally asked for a styrofoam cup so she could enjoy her coffee without wearing it.

The Q also has a fabulous seafood buffet on Friday nights. The line is really long for this one but we got there early and were near the front of the line. Our friend Evelyn joined us. Evelyn and Jim and I go back about 23 years. She also worked for IRS in Washington, DC and came to our rescue when we were trying to buy our first home. It was wonderful to finally track her down in Yuma and get reaquainted. She spends about 7 months out of the year in Yuma and the rest of the time up in Seeley Lake, MT.

Of course, we had to spend some time donating to the casino while we were there. We didn't come out a winner this week-end but we had a lot of fun and didn't lose "too" much.

BORROWED PICTURES

Before I go any further with my blog, I must give credit to Jeri for some of the wonderful pictures I put on my blog. When we are together she often gets better pictures than I do. So I just "borrow" them from her bog and put them in mine.

Thanks Jeri!!!!

ST. PATTY'S DAY

What better way to spend St. Patrick's Day then with the green twins in Mexico.

We headed for our big adventure of crossing the border into Algodones. This is where thousands of Americans go each year to get glasses, dental work and medications for much less money than in the United States. So I figured I'd check on our meds and see if I could get them any cheaper.

There is a large parking lot on the US side of the border where you can park for $5 for the day. Then you just walk across the border. From the US into Mexico they don't check you out at all. That really surprised me. As soon as you cross the border you are in Algodones and the pharmacies and dentists are right there.

They are selling lots and lots of "stuff" from purses to jewelery to t-shirts, blankets and on and on. After stopping in a pharmacy to check out prices (my drugs are cheaper through my insurance company) we wandered around the streets trying to ignore all the sales people on the streets. We stopped at a Mexican Restaurant to have a drink and some nachos. We had eaten a huge breakfast at the Q casino so we didn't feel like eating anything more.

This girl joined us at the restaurant. Her name is Francesca and she is the owner's pet. Everyone loves her and she gets all the lettuce she wants to eat.


Then we got in line to come back into the states. I was amazed at how rapidly the line moved. We were probably only in line about 45 minutes total. When you get to the border, you need to show them your passport and declare your purchases. Jeri and Terry and Jim all went through without a problem.

Then there's me. I gave the border guard my passport and she scanned it into the computer. Or I should say she tried to scan it in. It seems that there are some numbers missing from the very important line on the passport. So I had to answer several questions as she checked me out in the computer and finally I was able to convince her that it really was me and that I was a good guy. She keyed in the correct information and told me that I shouldn't have any problems the next time. (Whenever that might be.)

By this time the rest of the group was a little concerned about whether or not we would be spending the night in Mexico. But they let me go and all is well with the world.

Had dinner at Panda Express - my very favorite fast food restaurant. This is what greeted us in the parking lot. A huge advertisement for sunglasses.

COCOPAH CASINO

We are parked in the overnight RV parking area of the Cocopah Casino near Yuma, AZ. It's a really nice area on asphalt not gravel with a great area to walk the dogs in the desert. The cost is $5 for three nights and you can stay as long as you want to. There are no hook ups so you do have to go into town to dump and get water.







Several of the RV's have been here a really long time and you can tell this is their winter camping area. But sometimes people take advantage of the situation. This guy and his mess are so over the top. It's people like this that will ruin the camping for the rest of us. Some casinos have implemented strict time limits and other rules because of idiots like this.


Casinos, Walmarts, Cracker Barrels, Truck Stops - these are all great places to be able to spend the night when you really don't need hookups and don't want to have to pay for a campground to just spend the night. Of course, after gambling at the casinos, shopping at Walmart, or eating at Cracker Barrel - it's probably cheaper to pay for a campground.

DIRTY, DIRTY, DIRTY

This is what our car looked like when we finally arrived at the casino. Gives you some idea of how bad some of the roads and weather were on our way from Montana to Arizona. This one is from the inside trying to see out.

UNEXPECTED TOUR

Sometimes it really does not pay to follow your GPS. We got to Yuma about 3:30 so we figured we would have plenty of time to find the casino and get set up and be ready to go party with Jeri & Terry.

How wrong we were. Instead of turning left at Avenue B our GPS told us to go straight on. I was a little concerned because signs said road work ahead and then road closed. But at that point we were committed and couldn't find a place to turn around. We finally ended up at the end of the road at the Waste Water Treatment Center for Yuma.

Jim got out to unhook the car and try to figure out how to turn the MH around on a one lane road. This very nice man came out to the fence and told us he would unlock the gate and lead us around the inside of the treatment facility and let us out another gate. That way we wouldn't have to unhook and we could get out of our mess. He also told us how to get to the casino without encountering any more road blocks.

He definitely went above and beyond his job to help us out. And if my Dad had been with us we'd probably still be there. Dad was responsible for getting the new water treatment plant built in Sidney while he was Mayor and he was so proud of it. I know he would have asked this guy a million questions about Yuma's system. However, this love of the waste treatment didn't rub off on his daughter. So we took our tour and left.

ONE-MAN-BAND-DINER

We spent the night at a truck stop in Nephi, UT and decided we were tired of cereal for breakfast. So just on the other side of the interstate from the truck stop we found this cute restaurant.

It truly is a one man operation. You order by phone from your booth and when the food is ready there's a buzzer that goes off to let you know. You get your own drink and silverware as well as condiments.

The food was great. The eggs cooked just like we like them with crispy hashbrowns. And the atmosphere was so much fun.