Welcome To Mississippi, Land Of Enticement

Crossing the Mississippi state line on Highway 61, we met this guy welcoming us to (a.) gamble, (b.) purchase fireworks, or (c.) see some dancers. We weren't sure which one, but he seemed nice enough so we bet on whether or not we could get away with firecrackers in the dance club. We could not. K won the wager.

This Is Completely Different Than The Slot Machines In Iowa

Jeff gave K a dollar bill with the following note attached:

"Please put this in a slot machine in Las Vegas. This is all I have. If it doesn't hit the jackpot, I will hold you personally responsible for my inability to pay for my daughters' college tuition and their corresponding societal failure."

Well, that's where the spinning stopped. Or, rather, that's where the quarter-spin stopped. Two sevens and a blank space does not pay out.

Gambling With Beef

During a quick jaunt to the Foxwoods Casino & Behemoth, we managed to win a tenderloin while losing only 32 ounces of mock steak in the always popular Roulette Of Meat.

Gambling, Colorado Style

Back home, we pretend that riverboats are still a part of our daily lives, and we put casinos in them to fool tourists. In Colorado, they take 19th century mining towns and let the casinos run wild.

Gambling is the only thing going on in Central City and Black Hawk. The casinos even run the gas stations. Just south of Black Hawk, we bought gas from a place called 'Bullwhackers'. We probably wouldn't have done this if we weren't driving a rental car.

And In Fourth Place . . .

. . . is this guy and his pack burro. Cripple Creek's Donkey Derby Days is fun. It would be even more fun if the fixed-income crowd would get off their slot machine stools and pay attention to the festivities. If you don't turn your head around to see a guy running a burro down Main Street, what will it take?