Great Loop Day 036 Oct 3, 2016, Hammond Marina Hammond Illinois Layover
Hammond Marina Hammond Illinois Layover
“Bond didn't defend the practice. He simply maintained that the more effort and ingenuity you put into gambling, the more you took out.”
― Ian Fleming, Casino Royale
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Day 36 Monday, Oct 3, 2016. Hammond Marina. I got a message from my family who didn't hear from me today and were worried something went wrong. Rest assured all is well. Been working on my logistics as my daughter is planning on visiting me with 3 of my 5 grandkids. I could stay here till Friday and meet her or find someplace downriver to meet. She wants to visit the Ikea store in Bolingbrook, Illinois. So would I. So what looks feasible is to meet at Big Basin Marina on Friday. The weather looks good for me to sail up to the Navy Pier and lock thru to the Chicago River. It'll be a long way with an overnight stop at the free dock in Joliet. Then a short run to Big Basin. There are 2 other places to stop on the river before Joliet but are not marinas. If night comes early I may use these places to spend the night. My plan B.
Last night and tonight were casino nights for me. It's been a long time since I paid a visit to one. I'm not a big gambler just enjoy playing the slots. Last night the Horseshoe Casino had a good crowd but tonight was better with much fewer people. And a little more profitable. I look for slots that play 2 credits. It could be 2 quarters, 2 half dollars, or 2 dollars. Now they have 1-cent machines but don't be fooled. To play you may be spending over a dollar on each pull. Read the machine is my motto. The payout on a single credit is not humongous but it pays enough for me to keep playing. I hate slots that take your money with no action. The slots machine in the old Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cleveland were horribly tight. Pure waste of good money. I haven't played the Cleveland casino in 5 years or longer.
On my first visit yesterday I noticed a sign at the entrance that said FREE buffet for new members. So I stood in line to get my new member comp card. You stick them in the slots before you play and it keeps track of your spending and rewards you with casino goodies known as compensation or comps for short. That is if you spend a lot of money. You never know if a big payout will come to you. And Never Ever Never spend more than you can afford to lose!
Casino Buffets for the most part serve the finest of foods. They really put a lot of effort into making sure the customers have a positive experience. I sure am looking forward to an all-you-can-eat buffet.
I move to the sales counter and the woman asks me if I am already a member.
"No, not at this one and it is my first time here."
I give her my name and address off my driver's license and she punches that info into her computer.
"Oh, look here." She says, "It seems you are a member."
"What! That was over 5 years ago! and in Cleveland!" I reply in astonishment.
Chain casinos like Horseshoe have had their computers tied in with each other for some time. One can play at any Horseshoe Casino with the same comp card. Looks like I was still in their system.
"We can give you a new card, ok?"
"Ok, so that means no free buffet, right?"
"Sorry," she said with an insincere smile.
Well, the evening wasn't a total waste after all. After a couple of hours of playing, I won enough to buy myself a free buffet. Oh, and did I pig out?
When Colleen was with us we would hit the local casinos in Cleveland from time to time and when we knew we were going to eat at the buffet I reminded her to bring her big purse to quietly and nonchalantly load up on food for the trip home.
The next evening the Horseshoe slots here at Hammond continued to be lively.
Spending 4 hours there and I started to drink the hard stuff, yes, the Mountain Dew. Now I can play all night like in the good old days in Vegas many years ago.
What I like to do is play with the casino's money. If I win big I play big but very slowly. I'm cheap when it comes to my money.
Played 3 hours for 20 bucks. Used another $20 and quit when I got to win a total of $50. Walked away with $10 of the casino's money. But not enough to buy a free buffet. Like I said I'm not a big spender.
Oh good the Mountain Dew is wearing off. Got lots to do tomorrow if I'm going to leave early. I already boiled water and poured it into my thermos. Now I don't need the microwave. Earlier in the day, I walked to Walmart about a mile and a half away. Picked up a few supplies and carried them in my string backpack. That little item I bought at Port Austin is coming in really handy. Used it to carry a small bag of ice earlier.
When I returned to the boat I found another Looper docked a couple of docks down. Brandon is a solo sailor on a 30ft sailboat that left his home port of Muskegon. He's having his mast taken down tomorrow. We exchanged phone numbers and will most likely see each other on the river. Brandon was extremely busy getting his sails packed so we didn't talk much.
Mickey was well rested and enjoyed the can of Tuna for being a good boy. Well, it's off to bed, and wishing everyone Fair winds and gentle seas...
Brandon has his cross braces set to hold his mast onboard.
Comments from 2016:
David Myers Just wanted to let you know, that the farther South you get the longer your days will be. For example when the sun sets in. Cleveland in December at 4:30 pm in Florida it's still light at 6:00 pm.
Henry Krzemien RN Good to know!
Free drink dispenser at the casino.
One of my small winnings at Horseshoe Casino.
Can’t tell what I won on this winning combination but it felt great!
Hammond Marina Hammond Illinois with the Horseshoe Casino on the right.
