BOA Week Two

Again, not a good start, but this time it was all on us…we left the inside trailer lights on so when we came out to the truck it was DEAD and we can’t blame the universe! The guy that came to jump it had a gadget he picked up from Amazon for $150 that was so cool, no hooking up to another vehicle, just this box and since it was so dead it took about 4 tries, but then wahlah it was charged up and ready to roll. Got to love technology.

We had a much later start and our errands took longer than usual, but around 2pm we finally began our vacation…

Country Inn In Port Clinton, Ohio –  We love exploring the area and usually like being right on the water but we’ve stayed at many of those, so we opted for this one and we were not disappointed. The bed was super comfy, the room was large with all the amenities including a microwave, fridge, couch, chair and desk. The shower setup was terrible, the curtain was put in wrong and it stuck to our bodies during the shower and the floor was soaked because the curtain was not plastic.

On our first day in the area, we took a drive to visit the Huron Lighthouse…it is a little walk to get to it but it was worth it…it was constructed in 1939 and one of the first Lake Erie lighthouses to provide an electrically powered beacon.

We then took a drive to Cedar Point…this is the time of the year that just about everything is closed or being maintained during the week and only open on weekends. It has its perks, but also its disadvantages, but we love exploring. We were able to drive through the park and I reminisced about the last time I visited the park and the roller coasters that I rode way back when I was much younger, it was fun.

Our next day took us to Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island…

We took the Miller Ferry, then rented a golf cart on the island for our adventure. We actually made a reservation online for the Jet Express, which is an all passenger boat to the island, but then found out they aren’t running during the week. They were kind enough to give us a full refund, so we booked with Miller Ferry and got the ride and cart package for $70.

Fears at our age are tough to undo, since we have many years of talk in our heads, but I did it with just a little bit of anxiety.

Our first stop was at the Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial…the cost was $10 to climb the million stairs up, so we chose to just check it out from afar.

This day they had annual races for vintage cars, which was cool to see all the cars.

We visited the Butterfly House, again because of the season, they only had about a thousand butterflies, but it was so cool…they even landed on us, Jerry caught the photo of the one that landed on me, but I wasn’t quick enough to get the ones on him. Just a peaceful and serene place to hang out, the only thing is that we could not stay too long since it was warm and very humid, apparently they don’t fly if it’s hotter then 70 something.

Most of the restaurants we wanted to eat at were closed or very limited menus, but we were able to enjoy Lobster Bisque at Rita’s Cantina. It was quite tasty, but definitely not worth the $24 they charged for two cups and a bread bowl.

Luckily the only two wineries on the island were open, so we did enjoy a few tastes, and as usual found a few delightful tastes, and also a few much too sweet, even for our pallets.

Heineman’s…we tasted Catawba & Niagara, two of our favorite wines in this region. We also learned we had been mispronouncing Catawba for the past few years.

Put-in-Bay Winery…we took a 4 Flight of Celebratio;, a sparkling Moscato, Pink Catawba, Black Berry, & Frost Bitten Ice Wine…the first two were great, but the last too were too sweet.

Our ferry ride back was even more exciting due to the wind, but I made it through my fear and did it anyway, but I almost bent the steel bench with my firm grip.

Vacation for this week is over but much more to come…

Our next event was in Obetz, Ohio at the Fortress, what a fabulous venue. We setup and worked Saturday and today is some paperwork and lots of relaxation.

We stayed at Comfort Suites In Grove City, Ohio…WOW…almost perfect…the shower is fantabulous…the room is spacious…the TV is HUGE…the bed is comfy, a fridge, microwave, couch, chair, desk…bedside lights with chargers AND the best customer service we have encountered…WOW!

The issues with vehicles continue and we continue to wonder why we pay for incompetence. Had an oil change done and apparently they didn’t tighten the oil filter and we had a puddle underneath us. Luckily it didn’t come off while we were driving.

BOA Week One

Things did not go as planned on Day 1…

 

Not even 200 miles into our first day drive we had a BLOWOUT on the trailer. The tread was all good on the tires but on closer inspection, we noticed they were the “China Bombs”, that we should have had them replaced, but didn’t. We were stranded on the Interstate for over 5 hours. Long story short…we finally had all the trailer tires replaced and will hopefully not have any more issues. Our travel plans changed so much that we opted to stay at the Grand Casino & Hotel In Shawnee, Oklahoma where they had a spacious room for an exuberant charge for one night. Customer service was excellent, but again the doubled price we usually pay for a room was not worth it at all.

 

 

Our next day of travel began with a stop to get the final two tires replaced and away we went. The first few miles were on the long and winding country roads to get to the interstate we needed, just the sort of roads we love. The drive was uneventful, which is also the way we like it.

 

We landed at the Best Western In Mount Vernon, Missouri…it was just okay…we always book through a 3rd party and this was the first time in thousands of bookings that we had difficulties with changing our room type. We accidentally chose an accessible room, and we do not like the first floor, but the only accessible room location was on the  first floor and they could not change it The clerk was new and called the manager and management confirmed it would not be changed. Then it was laundry day and the only machine they had was broke, someone had busted the door. The “accessible” shower was awful, water everywhere, the room was clean and spacious, but due to not being more accommodating, we would not stay here again in our future travels.

 

The next day found us a bit stressful because the check engine light turned on towards the end of our drive. We did a little diagnosing ourselves, but it stayed on so we found a Chevy dealership a little over a hundred miles away that we were able to get an appointment for the next day. We stopped at the Hollywood Casino Hotel in Maryland Heights, Missouri – We have stayed here several times and will probably stay again. Love the fantastic customer service, the room is clean and roomy. We had so much fun in the casino, no big jackpots but we didn’t lose anything either, and the Buffet was delicious. Another stressful day of driving, but luckily we didn’t have far to go before they checked out the light. There was no indication at this time of any issues, so most likely it was a bad tank of gas. We stopped at Walmart for my haircut and a few needed items and then checked into our hotel to finally get caught up on our laundry. Lexington Inn In Effingham, Illinois – This place is a total “GEM”. What a nice, spacious room with ALL the amenities, including couch, footrests, fridge, microwave, and sink. The pool and spa were exceptionally nice, but it was laundry day so we did not get a chance to enjoy them. Customer service was excellent and checkin was quick and easy.

 

 

About 200 miles today and no issues besides some really stupid drivers, rough roads and getting through Indy, but it was a great day. There was a Meijer right next to our hotel where we found yet another new and scrumptious wine.

 

Holiday Inn Express In Anderson, Indiana – UNDER CONSTRUCTION and no mention of it anywhere online. Our first room had white stuff flying out of the air conditioner, the window had plastic wrap and there was a scent that was unexplainable, so without any hesitation they moved us across the hall where there was NO construction going on. The hotel is in great need of an update, cracks everywhere in sinks, floors, and walls, carpets and chairs are stained and furniture is worn, toilet seat was not the proper size so it was wobbly, but the bed was comfy. Definitely not up to the standards of this brand and not worth the cost at this time, maybe once the construction is complete, it might be, but until then we will not return.

 

 

We finally arrived at our event location and settled in for 4 days before getting back on the road. Radisson Hotel In Toledo, Ohio – We stayed here a few years ago and it’s all the same…huge parking area, spacious room with a comfortable King bed, but the smallest bathroom, you can literally step out of the shower and into the toilet, one wrong move and we could have an issue, and the water pressure is non existent. Customer service was excellent as usual, and the spa is still spectacular.

 

Our setup day was rough due to changes in our setup that changed how we set it up at the same location. It was just Jerry and I which made it tougher, but we made it through as we usually do. Our event was challenging as usual, working over 20 hours in a day is definitely hard, but to be on vacation time now for a few days is worth it and what gets us through it all. We had great workers from a sorority at the University of Toledo as we have the past few years. Once again we were not disappointed, they rocked it and we not only made goal, we surpassed for a bonus.

 

 

 

 

Now it’s a few days off relaxing with some great adventures planned…will update on this adventure next week.