Day #150 – Road Trip to Cherokee NC

Gatlinburg TN

Today we drove over to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/mfm.htm), part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in North Carolina.  From there, we drove into the town of Cherokee, North Carolina (http://www.cherokee-nc.com/index.php). 

As soon as we crossed the national park boundary, we were visually assaulted by gift shops, whose names included words such as “teepee” and “wigwam” and “chief”.  Kelly remarked that she couldn’t figure out why Native Americans would make such a big fuss about the name of a sports team and then turn around and use even worse names for their gift shops.  We were disappointed to find the play, “Unto these Hills” would not start its season run until June and the outdoor re-enactment village would not open until early May.  The museum was open, but it was too late in the afternoon for us to give it a proper visit.

We opted to gamble.  We drove off to the casino and parked way far away in the free lot.  On the shuttle to the casino, we agreed to lose no more than $40 - $20 each.  I had very bad luck that day.  I lost half my money, just trying to figure out how to play one of the machines.  Kelly had different luck.  First, she won $130, then lost it before I could grab her winnings and stuff them safely in my pocket.  (She wants a new camera and that would have really helped).  Then, she won $78.  That one, I was able to grab.  We continued to lose our money, but started doing so more slowing and having a bit more fun at it.  I finally gave in and gave her the $78 back.  We ended up with a net loss of $20.

I really don’t like to gamble.  I think it’s incredibly boring.  I actually dosed off one night, in West Virginia, while she played a slot machine time and again.  If the games had some strategy to them, I might feel differently.  Also, I don’t get into a zone the way she does.  I can happily take my winnings and walk out –even if it’s a profit gained in the first five minutes.  Win or lose, she likes to play for at least an hour.  Luckily, she doesn’t like other forms of gambling, so I’m not especially worried about this personality quirk of hers.

We emerged from the casino to discover the HOGs were in town – the annual Thunder in the Smokies.  Harleys were roaring – quite literally – up and down the street.  There were packs of them and they made us both nervous.  We both have ridden motorcycles in our pasts and we are supportive of riders, but in large numbers, they made it difficult for us to drive safely.

On the way home, we got lost and ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The sunset was beautiful.  From there, we linked to the Newfound Gap Road and were home in a jiffy.