PERSONAL HARVESTING STORIES

LUCKY BEAR CASINO HOOPA, CALIFORNIA

By:RICHARD “REGGIE” GUMMER

THIS MAJOR TREK INTO THE FAR REACHES OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ALL STARTED AT ARCATA, CA. HOOPA IS A SMALL INDIAN TOWN ON CALIFORNIA STATE HIGHWAY 96. NANCY AND I WERE ON OUR MONTH VACATION TRIP THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THE STATE OF OREGON, HARVESTING AS WE ROLLED ALONG. LUCKY BEAR CASINO WAS ONE OF MY MAIN TARGETS, AND I KNEW I HAD TO TIME IT PERFECTLY IN ORDER TO FIND THEIR ONLY BLACK JACK TABLE OPEN. COME TO FIND OUT I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THAT. THE TRIP FROM HIGHWAY 101 ARCATA, TO BLUE LAKE CASINO WAS EASY ENOUGH, WE EVENTUALLY LANDED IN HOOPA AND EASILY PARKED THE RV OUT IN AN EMPTY PARKING LOT. THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CLUE, THE EMPTY PARKING LOT. WHEN WE GOT IN THE CASINO THERE WAS A SECURITY GUARD AND A YOUNG GIRL AT A SNACK BAR STAND AND MAYBE 3 CUSTOMERS. THE PLACE WAS VEY SMALL, HAD MAY 100 SLOTS.
I TALKED TO THE GIRL AND TO THE SECURITY GUARD ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A CASHIER MANAGER EVENTUALLY COMING INTO THE CASINO. FINALLY THE SECURITY GUARD SAID; I TELL WHAT I WILL DO, I WILL CALL HER AND YOU CAN EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS YOU LIKE TO DO. THAT WAS GREAT NEWS, EXCEPT I FOUND OUT THAT SHE WAS ATTENDING A WEDDING AND WOULD NOT BE IN FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS. NEEDLESS TO SAY I WAS GOING TO WAIT HER OUT, WE HAD DRIVEN WAY TO FAR TO GO HOME WITH OUT SOME CHIPS. WE WENT BACK TO RV FOR A WHILE, I CRANKED IT UP SO WE COULD RUN OUR AIR CONDITIONER, GOT THROUGH THE TWO HOURS AND DRIFTED BACK INTO THE CASINO TO WAIT THE LAST FEW MINUTES. AT LAST, SHE SHOWED UP AND WE GOT DOWN TO BUSINESS, I OPENED MY WALLET AN SAID I WOULD LIKE 100 DOLLARS WORTH OF CHIPS AND TOLD HER THE DENOMINATIONS, SHE SAID I SURE HOPE THIS IS LEGAL FOR ME TO DO. I SAID I DO THIS AT INDIAN CASINOS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, SHE BREATHED EASIER, I TIPPED HER; SHE SMILED AND WE HEADED BACK TOWARDS 101. NO I DIDN’T GET ENOUGH OF THOSE CHIPS, I RAN OUT IN LESS THAN A MONTH…REGGIE
http://www.themogh.org/cg_chip2.php?id=CAHOLB