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Seniors encounter one-armed bandits on way to Grand Canyon

Monday, May 5 was a cool, cloudy day as 33 seniors gathered at the Fallbrook Senior Center to begin the center’s first five-day trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Dozens of suitcases, ice chests, bags of ice, “goodie bags,” cases of soda and water decorated the lawn and drive as the Cowtown Charter bus pulled up and parked.

Several helpers scurried around loading the chests onto the bus and into the baggage compartment. Suitcases were counted, on and off, at each stop. At 8 a.m., we were ready to get started on our adventure. Our bus driver, Tony, from Fort Worth, TX, had driven the Diamond Tour bus from Texas and arrived in Fallbrook early enough to get a good night’s rest.

First stop was at Tommie’s in Barstow for a rest and breakfast for those who needed refreshment. After an hour, we continued on our way to Vegas. Since we were early, we stopped at Stateline for a little practice on the one-armed bandits – and bandits we were!

We arrived at the Imperial Palace at 3:20 p.m. and were met by two reps from the Diamond Tours who had us checked into our rooms in short order. From there on everyone was on his/her own. Some went to see the Beatles, Neil Diamond and the Jersey Boys. Others checked out the new Wynn, the Venetian and Paris. The Strip has changed significantly over the years and, to most of us, this was like a new experience.

On Wednesday, we left for Williams, AZ, where we bunked at the Holiday Inn, a lovely old two-story hotel where we enjoyed dinner. The next morning, after a continental breakfast, we picked up our guide, Jason, and were off to the Grand Canyon. Along the way, we saw antelope and other animals as well as millions of pine trees.

After lunch, we spent several hours exploring and taking pictures of the canyon. Most of the group saw a California condor take off and fly around. I talked to a couple of ladies who had hiked to the bottom of the canyon and spent the night there and had just completed a nine-and-a-half-mile hike back to the top. One of the ladies was 67. They also had backpacks with their bedding!

By evening, we were all ready for a good night’s rest before our trip home the next day. After playing Bingo, watching movies and listening to jokes, we arrived back at the senior center at 5 p.m., tired but happy.

All agreed they had a great time and I learned how to count to 33, by counting the passengers after each stop! Many friendships were forged and many want to know when our next trip will be.

 

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