Touch the Kitty - Kahneeta

With a 4 day holiday in our grasp, we determined that seeking a change of pace from the steel gray drizzle that permeates this area in the Fall and steal away to Warm Springs. Neither of us had been there, and the expectations were modest. It lived up to what I had hoped it would be.

The first thing you notice about the place is the isolation. For about 15 miles around it, it is sparsely peopled. We actually saw wild horses and cows walking along, if not upon, the roadway. There is a certain alien beauty to the high dessert, even in the winter. Plants in muted khakis and greens, low slung scrub brush, and jutting rock formations the color of burnt umber that dapple the landscape. I think the high desert is amongst the most beautiful I have seen, you can argue amongst yourselves the merits of that assertion however.

As for Kahneeta, well, it had its roses and thorns.

Roses:
- The staff were extraordinarily friendly. When we complained of some boisterous neighbors, they not only moved us, but moved us to what the front desk person termed as his favorite room in the hotel.
- The restaurant (the only one open and on site) was generally quite good and moderately priced. Love Indian fry bread!
- The pools were nice and warm, fed from the hot springs.
- Met a fun and interesting Portland couple there who we hung out with on Friday night.
- Walked out with more than $175 in winnings and hours and hours of entertainment.
- The weird casino people and all their bizarre rituals ranging from touching all over the screen, talking to the machines, and a woman who encouraged me to 'pet the kitty' to a digital image of a cat on a bonus game on one of the slot machines.
- Free HBO........got to see some Flight of the Concords and a movie or two I hadn't seen before.

Thorns:
- Even the 'nice renovated room' we were switched to had a certain cheapness to it. The showers varied from a shower head that was installed for pygmies in the first room to one that can best be described as akin to a spray nozzle on a hose in the second room. Low end fixtures were quickly showing there lack of durability. Pool towels that were actually smaller than the room towels and less absorbent. Thermostats that controlled rattle-trap heating and cooling elements and had very non-specific temperature settings. I would not say the place was falling apart, but it was definitely showing it's age.
- The non-smoking part of the casino was actually quite ample compared to other casinos, however it was designed poorly. The upstairs was non-smoking and there was no barrier, physical or air, that prevented the smoke from wafting upwards to the second level. Our clothes reeked and my throat was raw, though we had not been within 50 feet of a cigarette the entire evening.
- The expensive spa. A lot of dough for spa services in the middle of nowhere. I will grant there is no competition, but it would seem to repel demand as well.
- $4 to go on the slides, even while staying at the hotel (they do comp you the charge for pool entry at least). We didn't use it because it was WAY too cold, but still very odd to nickel and dime for something like that.

I think that fairly covers it. It was cold, but brightly sunny. It was restful and fun. It was, all in all, a perfect getaway that could have only been made better had we won the car they were giving away (it went to an elderly couple instead).

Now to start dreading tomorrow..........I can only imagine what troubles people managed to get into, and not bother treating, over a 4 day weekend. I am already starting to twitch nervously.