Cherokee

We took a little road trip to Cherokee today with the Youmans.  Jimmy has been talking about wanting to go all summer, to check out the casino, which was surprising since neither of us likes to gamble.

We stopped in Dillsboro for lunch at the Jarrett House, where they serve mounds of great country cooking.

As you would expect, people were lined up, waiting to get in.

Harrah's casino

I allotted myself $20 to spend on a slot machine, and selected this particular one because of the eagle on it, and promptly lost my money in record time.  It was pretty boring really.  The slots were digital, and everything seemed so quiet since there was no lever to pull on the One-Armed Bandit, and there were no quarters clattering out, if you did happen to win.

Jimmy played blackjack at the $15 table, and actually did pretty well.  He probably would have come out ahead, except we were all ready to leave so he cashed in his chips when he was about $50 down. 

In retrospect, I think one of the reasons we were so ready to leave was the smoking: the place reeked of cigarette smoke.  That's the first time in years we've been in a place that allowed smoking, and it looked like half the people in there had cigarettes in their mouths.  I guess on Indian reservations, they can make their own rules. 

The Cullasaja River on the Franklin Road

The prettiest foliage we saw all day was in Highlands, I guess because of the higher altitude.  This is at the Highlands Country Club.

Parking lot at HCC