Inflation...

 

We're all feeling the effects of prices going up on everything.  Yesterday was a $400 day for gas use for us.  The price at this particular RV park went up ridiculously.  I'm talking about the RV park connected with the Winstar Casino.  When we last stayed here, it was $30 for a long, paved pull-thru site.  Perfect for us when double towing, since we didn't have to disconnect.

Now (the prices went up last month), the price for that same site is $80 ($90 on the weekend), and that is the discounted price with a players card.  No change in amenities, just a drastic price increase... because, they can.

We opted for a back-in site that we fill end to end; but, that price is still $30.

 Still nicer than most RV parks with gravel sites, and the Winstar Casino nearby.  The casino is huge - they advertise it as the largest casino in the world.  I can't confirm that, but the casino floor goes on and on.

Here's what one of those long pull-thru sites looks like...

Now, to be fair, this would be an $80 site in any upscale RV resort.  More than that if you were at a California resort like Newport Dunes... but, this is at a casino in Oklahoma, and the price tripled in a month.  A lot of casinos have RV parks, generally with good rates; much like the rates on hotel rooms, to bring people into the casino.

And, a lot of empty pull-thru sites on a holiday weekend (it has usually been more occupied than this when we've stayed here in the past)...

Holiday?  Yes, it is Juneteenth, the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Day was instituted.  I remember it being called Emancipation Day, but wasn't a federal holiday.  That name is a contraction of June and nineteenth.

Rufus likes this park - lots of grassy areas between the sites.  The birds here don't much like Rufus... as he and I walk, they fly from tree to tree to squawk at him.  He doesn't pay much attention to that, other than to look at me and say, "What are they upset about?"

It was a lovely morning when I took Rufus for a walk: 74º when I got up, 78º while he and I walked.  Sunny, no wind.  It is going to get in the upper 90s this afternoon, but this was a nice change of pace.

We'll spend another night here, taking this as a "chill" day.  Probably go to the casino for lunch and maybe a bit of gaming.  There is a Sonic just down the road, and I feel a Sonic Blast calling my name.  We allow ourselves "a pad" when traveling long distances with the motorhome.  Our reservation at Hart Ranch isn't until Friday, so we can make the next several traveling days easier.

We joke that this is "a lake view site."

That blue that you see in the photo above isn't water - it is a blue tarp attached to a fence, where construction equipment is stored.  But, at first glance, it looks like water.  I shouldn't say that - the casino will charge more for a "water view site."  ;-)

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Out for a second walk before it gets too hot; Rufus is really enjoying the grass at our site...

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Back to the casino this afternoon - Joan had a voucher (the machines don't pay out money anymore) from yesterday... her "guarantee" that we'd go back again today.  ;-)  She found an area she liked and sat down to play.  I went to the poker room and found a poker machine - I loose less with those.  I put a whole $10 in, and when I was done, I got a whole $10 back.  Almost like a win for me!

I walked back to where Joan was playing, and she was at the same machine where I left her.  She wasn't done playing, so I decided to walk the length of the casino.  And back.  Yep, this place is huge; I'm guessing I covered about 2 miles going in and around the various loops and rooms.  And then I came across a new room... all non-smoking!  This room alone is huge!  I walked the length and width of it.  Then out to a new entrance and... oh, look: brand spankin' new poker machines.  I was tired from the walk, so I sat down to play.  Almost pissed away my $10 when I got 4 of a kind - it was enough that I am now $5 ahead for all my play here.  I hope that doesn't move me into a higher tax bracket.

I walked back to find Joan at the same machine... she said, "Let me tell you about my will power..."  She gave me a voucher for $170 and told me to go cash it out.  Then continued to play.  Yep, she came out enough ahead to pay for our RV site, supper last night, and still buy some cat food.  It's official: she is a better gambler than I am!

The main entrance at Winstar...

That is just the entrance - it goes for a long ways in either direction and takes a right angle turn.  And, the place was busy.  On a Monday afternoon.  Not as busy as yesterday (Father's Day), but certainly busier than I expected.  Seems to be plenty of people who aren't too concerned about inflation... or maybe they're just hoping to hit that one big jackpot!  ;-)