After soaking in the natural hot springs and enjoying a therapeutic massage with Karin Pine (who managed to hit all the spots that needed healing) at Tecopa Hot Springs, it was time to get rolling again. The view while on highway 127 W continued to keep a smile on our faces and the camera shutter clicking.
After only a couple hours of landscape-gawking, we made a (diesel) pit stop at Primm Valley near the stateline of Nevada and California. We thought it might be fun to hang out at the casinos there for a free night of camping, plus we could fill up Betsy’s 100-gallon tank with reasonably-priced fuel.
We parked in one of the biggest parking lots we’ve ever seen, behind Buffalo Bill’s Hotel Casino where we had the place almost to ourselves that night. It was so huge that Fedex and McDonald’s use it for a couple of hours a day as their transfer point for trucks heading east and west. Steve was amazed at the show they put on as several tractor-trailer rigs arrived and then transferred one or two or three trailers to other trucks heading to their appropriate destinations.
Since we don’t gamble, why stop here? Is there anything else to do other than gambling? Oh yes! Buffalo Bill’s houses the one-time tallest roller coaster in the world, the Desperado. In fact, it made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s tallest roller coaster in 1996.
Steve rode this coaster with his Dad soon after it was completed, and again with me in 2000 (it scared the bejesus out of me). Since this was sort of along our route, he planned to ride it again. This time he is doing it alone, no sir not me, I’m done with roller coasters, no thank you. And so he did a tripeat alone on the Desperado and was happy as a clam after his exhilirating 2 min and 43 second ride.
Across the freeway is another interesting attraction, if you know who the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde were. Personally I didn’t know anything about them until we went to Whiskey Pete’s Casino. We visited the free mini-museum depicting their outlaw careers. I learned that Bonnie and Clyde, in their early twenties, were a notoriously violent bank robbing couple during the depression. The museum holds the actual bullet-riddled car they were in when they were ambushed by a police posse. Also displayed were Clyde’s clothing and other personal effects.
Having been in the quietness of the desert for many days, this was a fun stop in the midst of the noisy casinos, at least for one night. After purging our water tank of the Tecopa mineral water, we headed on to Arizona, the Grand Canyon State….back to the desert landscape we go!
Lowes Travels 
I’m the roller coaster fan in this family. We usually take advantage of casino parking lots. See ya Wednesday.
You are? There is a back story on my ride in 2000 🙂 will share when we get there.
The Desperado is a fun roller coaster. Rode it many times when we were a little younger :). It’s been forever since we’ve been out to Primm. Glad you enjoyed your stop in almost Las Vegas!
Desperado is already overshadowed by other attractions in the main drag 😦 I know 45 mins more and we would have been in sin city, instead we made a detour.
Weee! Very very very nice shot of the road! I know that one, I recognize it well. I wanted to take a picture of it. But I was riding in the back, just woken from a sleep. Hehe. I didn’t realize that it’s a very tall rollercoaster. Didn’t look like it when we pass by it. Anywho, love the shirt of Steve. And love that butterfly pic!!!
I chuckled on your comment about Steve’s shirt! I know Bohol is one of your fave city. Thanks, Those butterflies love the flowers next to our rig and i gladly snap snap away. .
We would never consider stopping at a casino for the night because we aren’t gamblers but after your story, I think we should reconsider. I love roller coasters so I would have been game. Such great photos you are sharing with us. 🙂
Im chicken with roller coaster, after that one ride in Desperado in 2000,that was it. Glad you like my photos, too bad i can’t share them all 🙂
You have a great eye. 🙂
Very cool shots of the rollercoaster & the “death car”. We don’t often stay at Casino’s, but every now and then it does happen. It’s neat that this one had a coupla extra cool attractions.
Nina
Oh thanks. This is our first casino stop and the
“Desperado” ride made it worthwhile esp for Steve 🙂
Great pictures. We went to Nevada in 2011 and loved it. I loved hiking in the Valley of fire and Ziplining from the top of Red Mountain, we also flew down through the Grand Canyon in Arizona from Vegas… Just AMAZING. I have blogged about all of the cool stuff we did.