After our stay at Rocky Ford Campground had come to an abrupt end, I had towed the trailer further east into Iowa.
Riverside Casino was a great place to stay last year to wait out a couple of weeks before heading into the first ever ATC Toy Hauler Rally. This year, it served the same purpose.
Located in Riverside, Iowa, it’s situated only a few hours from Preston, MN, the site of the second annual ATC Toy Hauler Rally. Except this time, it was just Scout and I. Sash was in Des Moines, visiting a client, and then she was to head north into South Dakota to visit yet another client, and then east into Mankato, MN to visit the sponsor of this year’s rally.
When I pulled the trailer into Riverside Casino’s parking lot, I had wondered if they maintained the same RV parking policy from when we stayed here last year. In my previous review, I had stated they seemingly let RVers stay in their truck and RV lot for indefinite period, basically as long as you want.
It turns out, they still do.
I noticed however, they now have a security guard that drives around in a golf cart. There were some RVs that parked outside of the truck and RV lot, in areas designated for cars. The security guard seemed to have knocked on their doors and asked them to move, because by the next day those RVs had moved into the truck and RV lot where I was.
So, it’s not to say that Riverside Casino has a “hands-off” policy on RVers, they just want RVs to park in the truck and RV lot. As long I remained here, they never knocked on my door.
What was much different this time around than last year were the gnats. Hoards of these flying ear canal dive bombers remained ever vigilant for my excursion outside to walk the dog. And when they saw me come out, they made a bee line towards me, entering into my ears, nostrils, and eyes. They would not relent. I would hold on to Scout’s leash with one hand, and continuously wave my hand around my head to wave them off. But even then, it was fruitless. They still got into my ears and nostrils.
The next time around, I got a cotton ball, tore it in half, and shoved each half into each ear. When I stepped outside to take Scout for a walk, I used my other hand to cover my nose. I could feel those bastards hitting the cotton stuffed into ears, but felt assured they could not get in. I still had to endure these guys landing on my face, however. And poor Scout, we had to cut each walk short enough to let him pee, and then run back into the trailer.
A friend of mine, who lives not too far from Riverside Casino, stopped by and recommended I try “Bug Soother“, a product made locally. He said it’s non-toxic, and you can spray it all over your face. I drove out to a number of nearby stores, but none of them sold it. I was left having to use some other solutions, including a lemon-eucalyptus variety, and the standard 40% Deet variety.
The lemon-eucalyptus worked pretty well, but left a pretty intense smell all over me. Yet, it allowed me to walk Scout long enough to let him both pee and poop.
I didn’t really get out much however. For the most part, I remained inside the trailer, doing my regular work. I did go into the casino one morning for the $5.00 senior breakfast buffet. At 53, I’m still not old enough to officially be of senior age, but I’ll take the discount.
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