#BIAHRoadTrip The Diary Part XIV: The Laramie Controversy and Casino Royale

1:45 PM Day 20
Somewhere on I-70
The Rocky Mountains, CO
Total Miles: 3629

Road Trip Part-I
Road Trip Part-II
Road Trip Part-III
Road Trip Part-IV
Road Trip Part-V
Road Trip Part-VI
Road Trip Part-VII
Road Trip Part-VIII
Road Trip Part-IX
Road Trip Part-X
Road Trip Part-XI
Road Trip Part-XII
Road Trip Part-XIII

We've been on the road for the past two days, making our final push towards Utah State, so we apologize for the lack of content.

But that doesn't mean things haven't been interesting.

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When we last left you, we were headed to Lawrence, KS to visit Allen Field House and watch the Kansas Jayhawks play the Texas A&M Aggies. 


Before the game, we went to The West Coast Saloon to grab a burger, and the place was packed to capacity with Jayhawk fans. We must have been the only guys in there not wearing blue and red. The burgers were legit, but we were running late (Thanks to Rob, as usual) so we had to inhale them and head over to The Phog.

Allen Field House is absolutely incredible. Everything about it is spectacular: the physical structure, the arena itself, the concourse area, the atmosphere, the fans, everything. Every single fan in the arena was wearing blue or red. Now, we didn't see a lot of costumes, but there wasn't a single person in there that wasn't wearing Jayhawk apparel.

(Name that "Morri")

At the majority of the BCS-conference games we've been to, our media seats have been in the upper deck, away from the floor. But surprisingly enough, we were seated right underneath the basket closest to the Aggies bench.

The one problem was that we were right behind the Kansas cheerleaders. 


I'm not complaining about having to look at cheerleaders for 40 minutes, but they stood up like RIGHT IN FRONT OF US for the majority of the game, so while my view was nice, my view of the game was rather obstructed.

The experience at The Phog was incredible, just incredible. I want to go back there, like, now.

After the game we went back to our hotel to get some work done before we set off on our treacherous voyage through the Rockies towards Logan, UT.

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But before we even got to the road, controversy struck.

At roughly 3:00AM CST, I referenced the travel problems SDSU was having in getting to Laramie, WY, where we would be driving through within the next 48 hours.

. Rob ecstatically stated that we should wake up at 6:00AM and drive 11 hours directly to Laramie, WY to cover the game. I explained to him why this wouldn't work: We didn't have credentials, we needed sleep, the game was at 6:00PM, which would mean we may not even make it to the arena by tip-off. Reasons also included my inability to trust Rob driving my car in mountainous terrain, and well, my general trust in Rob. And from here, Rob began to throw a tantrum.



But before I was done, he had taken his idea to Twitter.

Within moments, I was a villain, and tyrannical leader hellbent on ruining all his fun.

I brushed off his continued efforts to convince me to do it, and I went to sleep.

At roughly 8:11AM, I was woken up to numerous pillow-shots to the head, followed by screams of "TROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY". Rob looked at me and said "Are we doing this?"

"No Dice". I said, and went back to sleep.

When we finally departed Lawrence, Rob was like a child spurned by his parents at the toy store.

The drive from Lawrence was brutal. It's long, flat, barren and straight.



Rob spent the majority of the trip reminding me that I ruined the trip and that I'm a "Debbie Downer". Rob did an interview with 1450 AM Sports Buzz Louisville and spent a majority of the call explaining to people in Louisville why I'm the worst friend ever.



However, it would not be too long before Rob had completely forgotten about the SDSU/Wyoming game completely.

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We drove for what seemed like days. We finally stopped in Denver, CO to spend the night with Kyle Dickmann, a former standout Kentucky High School basketball player and co-benchwarmer with Rob at Vasser College.

We were planning on grabbing some local food and beverage, getting some work done, and calling it a night. But Kyle had other plans. Within 30 minutes of arriving, it was decided that we would be heading up to Blackhawk, CO to visit the Ameristar Casino. The decision was unanimous.

But here's the thing. I'm a horrific gambler. I'm a terrible poker player. I am way too shrewed to wager money on anything. Plus, I've never been to a casino. Oh, and did I mention that I'm close to exhausting all my funds and will struggle to pay rent next month?

Nonetheless, I was all in.

When we arrived, we were briefed on how to play craps, which of all the casino games, gives you the best odds at winning money.

Right from the start, it was apparent to everyone that I was a novice. I put two hands on the dice (a no-no), I placed a $7 bet multiple times (a no-no), I placed a bet late and swatted the dice out of the air ( A huge no-no). On my first toss, I threw both dice off the table. On my second toss, the dice didn't even make it to the far wall. 

'

It was brutal.

Craps is a game of severe peaks and valleys. You get up big, and you get down even bigger. I was down to my last chip on numerous occasions. Rob went to the ATM twice, we got up and we got down, but we were able to sustain most of the momentum swings.

Then Mr. Miagi stepped up to the table. 

In the span of ten short minutes, a tiny Asian man with a solid mustache rolled some of the hottest dice I've ever seen. He was hitting everything. Hardway-10s, doubles, the field, the pass line, everything. If you had chips on the table, you were winning. This guy was flat-out feeling it. 

By the time he finally rolled the dreaded 7, Kyle was up $150, I was up $90, Rob was leading the way with $300.

At that point, it was obvious that we had to leave. I was grinning ear-to-ear. I don't win money. Ever. Yet here I am, a novice craps player, walking out of my first casino with $75. 

This doesn't happen. This isn't suppose to happen. But it did, and the next few days of the #BIAHroadtrip are on the house.

Literally.

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Like I said in the beginning of the post, we are currently in the Rocky Mountains, right near the border of Colorado and Utah. It is one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen.

For the past 14 days, we've been driving across the most boring section of the entire country. But it was totally worth it considering what's right outside our car window.