I switched on my trusty (?) GPS unit, plugged in the destination and off we went. I26 west to I40 then about 25 miles on NC19 arriving in about 90 minutes at the Cherokee Casino and Hotel complex in western North Carolina. Sharon was exhibiting severe wagering withdrawal, and since it's been almost 6 weeks since she'd danced with the one-armed bandits, I agreed to take her to therapy.
The first two legs of the trip went just fine with beautiful views of the mountains and nice 4-lane highways ... but then we reached NC19. Only two lanes but what the heck, it was a nice day for a drive so let's get at it. As we proceeded, we passed a number of quaint little back country stores; many with Indian names. I was tempted to stop at several of them, especially when we were passing through a little village called Maggies Valley. Never know what little treasure one might find. I could sure tell we were in a valley as we had been slowly descending for several miles. As we were leaving the little town I saw a very unusual collection of old foreign luxury cars. Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Mercedes, and several other brands all completely rusted and packed very close together along the fence next to the road. What a photo opportunity I thought and even though Sharon urged me to turn around and get the shots, I said we'd do it on the return trip. So on we went.
Just past the outskirts of town was a yellow triangle road sign ahead. It read "Caution 7% grade next 6 miles". I just felt a little ill. But thinking that 6 miles wasn't so bad, I pressed on. As the nose of our Trailblazer edged over the next crest in the road, it seemed the ground had almost fallen away. This was Mother Natures answer to roller coasters I'm sure and I don't much like those either.
7% may not seem like a lot to you but sitting there in my 2 1/2 ton truck I could only imagine things like brake failure, tire blowouts, running off the 'no guardrail' road and plunging down some ravine not to be found for months ... yes, I'm becoming a little nervous. All these thoughts raced through my mind ... but what can I do? There was no place to turn around or pull off! And as we started to go down the hill gravity began to work its magic and to help things out ... the road began to snake back and forth in ever tightening turns. I'm guessing the scenery is nice to look at but I'm so fixed on keeping the damn truck in my own lane my eyes balls were frozen straight ahead.
Down we went and faster we went. I hit the brakes frequently to keep the speed down then finally down-shifted the transmission to as low as 2nd gear to keep under control. Now keep in mind there were cars and motorcycles coming up the hill at the same time. Probably all locals because as they approached they were using a good part of my lane too in their race up the hill. I'm sure they could see the death grip I had on the steering wheel and the stressed looks on our faces but pressed on upwards with wild abandon. But down, down we went. The engine racing in 2nd gear and the slight odor of scorched brakes was in the air.
And something else was wrong. This road isn't 6 miles long I'm thinking ... it must be at least 100 miles long. Time was standing still for ... me but down we went. I took but a brief second to glance in my rear view mirror and with even more horror I discovered there were four cars behind within a few feet of my rear bumper and each other. Have they all lost their brakes and do they need me to somehow stop this runaway caravan of rolling metal I feared? Another glance back dashed that thought ... I could tell it in eyes of the guy behind me ... he wanted to pass! Darting back and forth looking for just the right moment. I didn't look back anymore.
By this time that extra lemonade I had earlier was becoming an unwanted burden but I've got to tough this ride out I thought ... it can't be too much farther. As it turned out it wasn't ... We'd reached a little valley and the town of Cherokee was in sight. Whew! Our hearts were finally beginning to slow down a bit when we pulled into the parking lot. Sharon recovered quickly and was eager to hit the slots so off she went. I walked around the place for awhile to calm down a bit and try to understand my new shortcoming of driving down steep hills. Must be from driving most of my adult life in the flatlands, as they say around these parts, or my age. I also figured I had no desire to practice the uphill accent on our way home.
I looked at a map a little closer when we got ready to leave and discovered a far more sane way to return to Hendersonville. This route was a little longer with four lane roads and a lot less changes in elevation and direction. Another lesson learned was to pay attention on how you set your route up in the GPS unit. The differences between 'shortest' and 'quickest' can be quite dramatic.
So another adventure is in the book. The casino wasn't too good to us. Lost a little money and had a crummy lunch. We thought the $25 buffet was a little steep so we settled on the very marginal food court.
Both the hotel and casino were very nice and set in a great location and we may return someday if in the area.
That kind of driving just plain wore me out. I still have to get the coach over the mountains to Nashville in a couple of days, but at least it's on turnpike. No rushing on my part ... guaranteed.
Finally got the embedded fingerprints off my steering wheel and we're still livin' the dream (but did miss that picture).
Phil
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