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.