Dateline Dayton – After leaving Dayton, Nevada, my brother-in-law Willie and I were on our way back to Las Vegas in the late afternoon. Since it was raining and we were tired, I decided we would drive until 7 o’clock, which should have put us back in Hawthorne, where we had stayed the previous evening.

I was right for a change, and we spent our second night at the El Capitan, Casino, Restaurant and Hotel. We even had the same fare supper, this time without the pepper for my potatoes. Enjoyably, we walked through the casino and en route to our room.

We slept in an extra hour before hitting the road for Las Vegas. We wanted breakfast at a Denny’s, so we drove for more than two hours before stopping. It was either worth the wait or we were really hungry.

By 1 o’clock we were in Las Vegas. We made the Pawn Shop our next stop because we knew our room would not be ready. Both Willie and I wanted to purchase one of the Old Man’s commemorative silver coins for our collections. There was a line to get into the shop, but in less than 10 minutes we were inside. We immediately found the coins, and Dennis held two for us. We continued to walk though the shop and found Olivia, who works the night shift, autographing pictures. Both of us had to have a picture. I said she should get more air time, only to learn she had been fired from the show.

A Time for Olivia Options

I don’t know the details, but I did read where she was a stripper prior to her job at the Pawn Shop, so she probably got fired for that reason. She did share with us that she was exploring numerous options, and actually was promoting a show at the Golden Nugget, while at the shop today.

After the Pawn Shop, we headed over to the Four Queens where we would be staying for the next three nights. This is where the Silver Strike Tournament was being held.

Friday was the welcome dinner, and that is when we got our playing times. Willie got 9 and 1, I had 9:30 and 1:30. Since the Strike Machines were busy, we just walked out to Fremont Street. The weather was  chilly and the crowd was smaller than expected. We did visit casinos on the street. Both Willie and I were lucky.

Talk About Early to Rise

To gain access to a Strike Machine, I got up at 2:30 in the morning and went down to play. Some machines still were in use, but I found one. I was able to get the 30 strikes in order to trade for a $300 strike. Once accomplished, it was back to the room for additional sleep.

Saturday morning it was breakfast at the Four Queens just before Willie’s first round. After my first round, we drove over to Rick’s Restoration (American Restoration on TV), which wasn’t far from the hotel. This is well worth visiting. The only person from the show working that day was Rick’s son, Tyler, who was restoring his personal truck. The staff on this Saturday was extremely friendly. They were willing to do anything possible to make our visit to the shop enjoyable. This is a must-see if you are in Las Vegas. It will become a regular stop for us.

Another regular visit for us is Hooters. We did Saturday supper there. I have been disappointed with the eye food on our last couple of visits, but the nourishment is good. They serve a lot of food. Willie and I could have shared either plate and still had fries left on the plate.

Next week, the tournament results.

Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net