Video Poker Vacations

[billryan]

Are you driving through the mountains to get to and from where you are going?
I gave you a friendly warning. We were up in Utah two weeks ago and a number of roads were still closed. Take it for what you want. Read the article I posted or don't.

[billryan]

Updated April 13, 2017 - 6:14 pm
CARSON CITY — Gov. Brian Sandoval received a sobering assessment Thursday on the flood threat facing Northern Nevada after a monster winter that dumped record amounts of snow in the Sierra and regional mountain ranges.
Sandoval summoned water experts and emergency managers for a briefing on flooding concerns and preparations taking place to mitigate what he said “we know is going to happen.”
“I can’t recall ever seeing this volume of snow up there,” Sandoval said.

 

The region has flooded on and off through the winter as heavy rain and snow pummeled the high desert and mountainous landscape after five years of drought.
Saturated ground has created lakes in places that have not seen standing water in years. Reservoirs are near capacity and rivers are running high, leaving little space for more water when creeks and streams start flowing fast with the spring snowmelt.
Since January, the state has spent roughly $16 million fighting floods.
How much water is in that snow?
Hydrologists estimate the snow in some areas contains 4-6 feet of water, or hundreds of billions of gallons that will be released as the snow melts. The goal, Sandoval said, is to prepare now so the water can be diverted or released where it will cause the least amount of damage.
Flooding concerns are high for the rural agricultural region of Yerington and Mason Valley along the Walker River.
In the Carson Basin, the snowpack is 250 percent of average, creating flooding potential along the Carson River and downstream communities. Fallon in particular, and areas along U.S. Highway 95, are concerns.

The Carson River flows into Lahontan Reservoir, and officials have been releasing water to make room for more. Churchill County and the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District are building a 16-mile channel to get more water away from Fallon, said state engineer Jason King.
The goal is to prevent water from topping Lahontan Reservoir or other dams across the region, which could lead to “catastrophic failure,” King said. Much will depend on how fast temperatures rise and the snow melts, and if any more storms come in the meantime.
King said engineers constantly inspect the hundreds of dams around the state, and farmers with surface water rights are being encouraged to take what they need.
Washoe Lake in scenic Washoe Valley is lapping close to the edge of Interstate 580, the main highway connecting Carson City and Reno, with another 44,400 acre-feet of water still to melt.
In Lemmon Valley north of Reno, officials fear more flooding could again swamp Swan Lake, where residents saw their neighborhoods submerged in water for weeks after winter storms earlier this year. State, county and city governments have worked to erect massive barriers and pump water from the residential areas.
A long, slow slog
Sandoval was told the soggy spring misery could last for weeks or months. The melt could begin in earnest by month’s end and stretch into June or July.

“It is incredibly concerning to me; this is not a day or two,” he said.
Another concern is flooding could bump into fire season.
Sandoval said the state is providing maximum resources and coordinating with local governments and federal agencies to try to mitigate what it knows will happen.
“It is not a question of if,” the governor said,' but when"

[FloridaPhil]

Most of our driving will be on Interstate 40 & 80.  We may consider cutting through the mountains west of Denver on State Highway 40 & 125 to Laramie, but we will check the roads first.  We are very familiar with snow and high altitude road conditions as we have been traveling in this area for years. Anywhere there's a casino, we have either been there or will be.  Some people like to travel around the world in retirement.  We like casino hopping.  Fun is where you find it.  Our traveling is the reason we play so many negative VP games.  Outside of Vegas, we have never once seen a low denomination positive VP game.  We are also not fool enough to think we can play 100% computer perfect forever.  When you play VP as much as we do, you have to get a handle on the cost.  We always play the best games we can find and often walk out without playing.  This happens commonly at small Indian casinos where the odds can set a new low for terrible or we suspect the games or the casino may not be fair. Playing quarters most of the time keeps VP fun and enjoyable.  If we lived in Vegas and could play at South Point, believe me we would be there.   Our VP play is more reflective of what the rest of the country finds in a casino where adding more money to the fire does nothing but add to the casino's bottom line.Billy, you may feel the need to fire back in your normal fashion.  All I am asking is that you try to understand there is more to the game of VP in most of America other than what you find in Vegas.  When we choose to play any VP game, it has nothing to do with potential return.  It has to do with the cost of playing the game vs. the enjoyment we derive from playing it.   Playing negative VP games is like flushing money down the toilet, so we flush as little as possible.  The rules and methodology you learn in Dancer's classes are valuable to us, but we understand our games, skills and motivations are vastly different.  We use those parts of his strategy that reduce our cost and ignore the parts designed to take greater advantage of positive game opportunities.  In this way be get what we want, an enjoyable gaming experience without much of the risk.   This works for us and we have no complaints.