A bus-load of fun on the way to Nevada
Every week as Friday night approaches, students begin searching for weekend plans. Of course there is a movie, a party or a drive up the canyon, but for something a little different, there’s the Fun Bus.
“It was so fun!” said Renee Frisby, a senior majoring in physical education, emphasizing the word ‘fun’. So what is it? It’s a cheap way to get to Wendover for a night.
Sponsored by Utah Trailways and the Wendover Nugget Hotel and Casino, the Fun Bus takes Northern Utah residents to Wendover and back for a mere $15. That’s cheap! But it gets even better.
Once the bus pulls up to the casino, each passenger receives a Fun Book. The Fun Book contains coupons that can be redeemed for $7 cash back, a Lucky Buck to be used at the table games, a free drink from one of the bars, a free Starbucks Coffee drink, 10 percent off at the gift shop and, the most popular coupon, a free all-you-can eat buffet.
“So, you kind of make money doing the trip,” said Benji King, a senior majoring in exercise science, who did the trip a couple of years ago with several friends.
King and Frisby, who went with the same group of about 20 friends two years ago, said at the time, the trip only cost $10 and they still got $7 cash back. Neither of them gambled, so they didn’t spend any additional money.
“By the end of night it really only cost us $3,” Frisby said.
But even with the price being increased to $15, the trip is well worth it, said Chris Cole, a junior majoring in entrepreneurship, who took the bus with a few friends just three weeks ago.
“I think it was just a good time to hang out with your buddies,” he said.
Starting in Ogden, the bus picks up passengers at various stops along the way. The Riverdale Park-n-Ride was the pick up point Frisby, King and Cole’s groups used because it’s near the freeway.
At 5 p.m. (give or a take a few minutes depending on where you get picked up from) the bus arrives, the passengers pay and they all load up under the direction of a friendly elderly couple whose primary purpose is to give their guests a good time. They even served small soft drinks to the passengers.
“It’s kind of like being on an airplane,” Cole said.
The best of part of the bus ride, some say, is the Bingo games. Anyone who wanted to participate can join in the fun and win cash prizes. King said he actually did win a little bit of money.
“You know they’re trying to get you prepped to gamble,” Cole said.
The bus arrives in Wendover at 8 p.m. and the passengers have until 2 a.m. to do whatever they want-eat, drink, hang around town and gamble-before the bus leaves again.
Even with the bus attendants’ attempts at persuasion through Bingo, many people in the groups chose not to gamble. If you’re not gambling, that leaves a lot of down time, but participants said there are plenty of other things to do.
After taking their time at the buffet, Cole and his three friends walked to the small movie theater in town and watched “Déjà Vu.”
“We were the only ones there, so they turned it on specifically for us,” he said.
When they walked back to the casino, they played pool and listened to the late night musicians until the bus came.
Frisby and King’s group split up and did a few different things that night. Some of their friends gambled, but most of them found other ways to entertain themselves.
“I didn’t gamble at all,” King said. “I had a blast just doing whatever.” Some of them used their free drink coupons to get virgin margaritas, and then they walked around to see what there was to see.
They found themselves walking down the streets of Wendover, wandering around and looking at the sights. King said even though there isn’t much to do as far as sight-seeing, if you’ve never been there, it’s good to walk around and see what they have to offer.
“You can walk from casino to casino, which is what we did,” Frisby said. Each casino is a little different, so they said it’s cool to see what each of them is like.
King said he enjoyed just people-watching the way people would at an airport when they’re waiting for a long time.
“Watching people lose their money-that’s pretty funny,” he said. Frisby, who was under 21 at the time, said although she didn’t gamble, she stood close by and watched some of her friends play the slots.
“A little too closely for security’s sake,” she said, “and I was ‘kindly’ escorted out of the casino.” Luckily, the bus had just arrived to take them back home, so she simply hopped aboard and waited for her friends to return.
The bus ride home is a quiet one. Many of the passengers sleep during the three-hour drive, and by the time the Logan passengers get back home, it’s almost 6 in the morning.
So is it worth the $8 (once you get your $7 back)? King, Frisby and Cole say it definitely is.
“I think my favorite part was just doing something different,” said King, who fondly refers to the trip as “the Dover.” It’s nice to be able to get away for a night, be spontaneous and have a good time.
Cole said how much fun people have on the trip depends on the company they go with.
“You need to go with people you know and like,” he said. King and Frisby agreed, saying it was being with their friends that made the things they did fun. Plus, as Frisby pointed out, when you’re with your friends, especially a group as big as theirs, you don’t have to worry about “shifty company.” You know everyone you’re with.
-kathrynkemp@cc.usu.edu