From: LMB Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2016 09:51:38 -0700 Subject: [BARGE] Trip Report 2016-pt I Hard to recall specifically when BARGE fever hits each year. This year was no exception. Sometimes it seems to start at the conclusion of EMBARGO. Other times its when I have failed in my effort to accumulate enough bank to make it to ATLARGE. It certainly is in bloom by the time summer rolls around and here in the desert that usually comes in may. It certainly is in full bloom when an organizer or BOD member starts responding to the incessant when is BARGE this year posts to the list. Im fortunate enough to be in comfortable driving distance to vegas so air fares is not my concern. But as much as I would like to stay at the wynn, belagio or newest/greatest new resort on the the strip that aint in my budget. Hell the golden nugget is usually only a bit less of a pipe dream. So when the dates are finally announced (and funny they are almost always those that include the 1st weekend in august. DUH!), I check out the BARGE rate and begin my search on predatorstravel.com or whatever travel.com that is currently in vogue. I have a small number of favorite downtown hotels besides the GN. They are Main Street Station and 'all others.' Now I aint a hi roller (Surprise), so Im not considering lots of sweet offers of free or highly discounted rooms. So I go down the list of downtown properties hoping to find one for $25 a nite. And sometimes I do find such for the sun-thur days. Sometimes I find a sweet deal only to read the fine print and see the 'great' discount rate doesnt include the ridiculous resort fee. Come on hoteliers stop this nonsense. What f/n resort amenities are you fools talking about downtown? Not a one even offers an 'included' continental breakfast. So after several evenings of searching and an assist or two from the local medicine man (remember Im in AZ which means not only desert, but also indians orthe PC crowd, hammer and asaya, native americans) I default and book my room athe cheap host hotel/rate. Usually I do this once I read that the time is about to expire. Sometimes I do this when I read that the time HAS expired. This year I did it on one of the half dozen last days. Now I did have an issue with when to arrive. The ice, goldie & chuck brkfst has b/c a must do for me. (thank you barge angels!) And when its thurs morn I usually book wed thru sunday and enjoy a leisurely drive arriving wednesday afternoon sometime before the dinner hour. Now Im retired so I have no issue with days off, but my peg is a working girl, in fact a newly minted masters in counseling. Ah yes beauty and brains. And yes Im a lucky guy. So how do we make an 8:30 brkfst w/o coming up a day early? Well w/o posting this question to the list and incorporating the math whizzers (or whatever the plural of whiz is) I subtract 6 hours from 8:30 and *schedule* lift off for 2 a.m. I have an airport run also schedule for about midnight so things seem to be perfect. Sure enough the flight is delayed so I head for goodyear and peg/claudia at like 1 a.m. Claudia has gotten a little sleep, but is awake and bushy tailed (whatever does that mean) when I arrive. Her bags go in the altima and we are on the road as scheduled. Im pretty awake yet and know the road to wickenberg pretty well so despite my less than good night vision I volunteer to take the 1st leg. We make it to wickenberg w/o incident but lo and behold the road onto 95 is closed. Well Ive made this trip to vegas before te imporvments to 95, so Im confident I know the local route. We stop at the circle K for refershments. We take the local street north to 95. Oops about a mile and half up that road we come to a barricade. Pop out of the car, claudia is now driving and ask the gendarme how do we get to the 95 after all. Seems we/I missed the detour sign so its back down to downtown wickenberg and few miles more west before we turn north. Bingo.. not not our bingo, just regular exclamation bingo, we hit 95 and all is good. Or so it seems. (Cue eerie music) From: LMB Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2016 11:01:11 -0700 Subject: [BARGE] Trip Report pt 2 Now I know some of you are eager to know the conditions. Was it a full moon, no moon or somewhere in betw? Cht.. I dont remember and damn it I dont take notes like QB or some others that are so much smarter than I. Note to self.. take damn notes next time. So in my imagination its pitch black. Or not. Claudia has brought a binder of CDs. She's a music lover and knows the lyrics to 1000s of songs. Yes Im serious. Now I like music but given my druthers Id listen to sports, business news and mostly for long trips, books on CD. She's driving so she rools. Except the CD player aint playing. We try 1/2 a dozen of the CDs to no avail. Oh well the radio is working and its the dead of the night so we listen to some million watt station out of chicago. Or norflolk or OKC. Whatever. I dont really remember. We arrive at our traditional halfway stop in wickieup. NO Im not making the name up. Its a real city. Unfortunately the cities of nowhere and nothing areno longer,bu they too were once also along the route. Look it up. IIRC our normal wikieup stop, the trading post is closed. Its 4 a,.m or such. How dare they be closed. However directly acroos the street was a 'modern' gas and convenience. WE hit the respective rest rooms (if I had written heads, how many of you would have no clue what I was talking about?) and claudia buys some unhealthy sncak. Mind you we have tons of travel food already. Love you darling. Now this stop was a bit weird. Besides the stores windows being soaked in dew. there was no clerk or at least it seemed that way. The fellow that 'manned' the register left immediately after us and got nto a white truck with a large dog. BTW I love dogs. I cant explain what was going on. And who cares anyway? Its still dark so claudia cont to pilot. These roads can be a bit treacherous at night so I stay a wake being the good co-pilot. We make it to kingman and the sun has begun to come out. Claudia says something about in n out burger. I laff. Its likely 5:30 or so. In n out doesnt open till about 10:30 and anyway we now have lots of in n outs in the phx area. I think we compromise on taco bell. Or maybe mickey D/s. I mean, what the difference? Probably mickey dees, so I get my large sugar free vanilla ice coffee, extra cream. Its light again and claudia is a bit tired, so I take over the wheel. We're making good time. Should arrive in vegas for hash house bkfst. In fact we might arrive 'too' early if there can be such a thang. And we do arrive early. Not sure if we are the firsts but dont recall anyone there to greet us. Soon after there are half a dozen. And then a dozen. And then a swarm. From memory: Llew, the aransons, ron g my virgin class queen. I see Ice, say hi and thank him. I see others too numerous to mention. OK, OK.. .I just cant remember. That is until we are seated. Now I see Un, chuck, peter and literally dozens of others some who's names I recall. Some who's names I dont remember. Some who must be newbies. Claudia and I sit with Llew and again my Alzheimer brain cant remember our 4th. He was handsome dude however. Perhaps from NJ. I eat some delicious egg thing. NJ guy eats some lunch thing that is piled high. Damn if I can remember what claudia or llew eat, but who really cares about the specifics. The food was wonderful and we take home leftovers. OK so we dont exactly take it 'home.' Actually we had arrived so early taht we parked in the 4 queens garage, confirmed ur reservations, learned that while we would be welcome to early check in that couldnt be till 11:00. Things are a bit hazy now. I 'think' I learn that the noon trny at the orleans is 1/2 O8 1/2 SE. Actually jeannie david sent some message to the barge list suggesting the 'tourney at the orleas.' She didnt include the game. I pointed it out in some communication, but she responded I was mistaken. So I rechecked her note and miracle of miracles I was right this time. You kow the one about the blind squirrel, right? So anyway I head off to the Jeannie David invitational. Claudia is exhausted and llew is friendly and also staying at the 4Q and allows ms C to retire to her room until I finish my noon trny up town. Damn if I can remember the particulars of the trny. I was eager to play b/c I get so little opportunity to play these game in trnys. Im pretty much a trny player these days and I enjoy these games. Im the reigning HORSE champion of barge you know. No really I am. And unlike so many of you, I like horse and the TOC, but can only tolerate the too numerous games such as scrotum, binglaha, bite me, kickem in the head and others.. oh yeah.. budugi for example.. that compromise such trnys, 26 game mix for instance. No disrect intended to those of you that enjoy such challanges. OK>. maybe a little disprespcet. Long story short jeannie david shows for her trny nearly an hour ater it has begun. WE say hi and smile. Dont recall what other if any bargers were playing, but come final table time I was the last barger standing. No deal is struck and we play down to 3. Im sometimes the chip leader. And sometimes not. Our stacks b/c pretty well even and while the cards are dealt and being played a suggestion of even split is introduced. I lose this somewhat big hand becoming the small stack, but all seem tired (and troot be known, fearing me) agree to a 3 way. Chop is done and my trny fees for BARGE are 'in the bag.' Im kinda free rolling. Its getting late and the smoker at the goldmans' is scheduled for 7:00. Back downtown to the queen. Check in. Retrieve peg. Empty car. Shower and dress. In my case that means a fresh t-shirt. Havent seen dan or sharon or bree so Im really quite excited. As I ve said time and again BARGE is as much about the people as the gambling and the goldmans are among my favorites.