08/21/17 Total eclipse -- Time to get serious.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

You all better hope that the weather cooperates!!

Debbie downer

Me and my two sons are in. Maybe a friend or two from Atlanta will join us as well.

Quote: Doc

However, I decided that I really should have a backup plan for the backup plan. Another WoV member had suggested to me that we might get together at the Harrah's in Cherokee, NC for some entertainment combined with an eclipse viewing. Being from NC, I am not very confident of clear weather at the critical time, but that option would involve significantly lower travel costs. Both Joeman and GWAE have also posted about possibly viewing the eclipse in NC.

This morning, I took a few steps to lock in some options for the backup-for-the-backup. I booked a motel room for 8/20 in Cherokee -- not at Harrah's but at a pretty nice motel I have stayed in before -- getting a King Suite for $90 plus tax. The total eclipse will last 1 minute 22.7 seconds in Cherokee but I want a little more time than that. There is a dinky little motel my wife and I stayed in when we visited the Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino. That motel is located in Andrews, NC, and that town is right in the center of the path of totality for the eclipse. There, the total eclipse will last 91.5% longer than in Cherokee for a total of 2 minutes 38.4 seconds. Those extra 75 seconds might give me time to look around a little more and get some photos I might miss if I stayed in Cherokee. So, (if I wind up following this 2nd tier backup plan) I will drive the 43 miles down to Andrews for the big event and afterward probably visit the smaller casino again. I booked a room at the dinky motel for the night of 8/21 at the same $90 plus tax. Both of those reservations can be cancelled w/o penalty if I eventually decide to pursue a different option.

Yikes! I thought Cherokee was where the Harrah's Cherokee Valley Casino is. It is not! I will be staying overnight at the closest motel/hotel to the Casino, as that will provide some entertainment Sunday night, then will make the 15 minute or so drive to Andrews. Cherokee proper is around an hour drive to the casino.

Quote: SOOPOO

Me and my two sons are in. Maybe a friend or two from Atlanta will join us as well.

Excellent! It seems that each day I take another step toward a commitment to the NC option instead of the Idaho original plan. The reduced travel and lodging costs might enable me to justify purchasing another lens for one of my Nikons, with specific focus (no pun intended, but I'll acknowledge it) on photographing the eclipse.

So, SOOPOO's group now numbers somewhere 3 to 5; add to that odiousgambit and wife plus Doc and wife, and we are beginning to form a real core group for WoVEclipseNC. (And I like the name, SOOPOO.) Haven't seen another post about Joeman's tentative plans for an NC viewing.

Is rdw4potus following this thread? He and his lovely wife would be great additions to the group. They live less than 250 miles from Andrews and have driven through there before. If he doesn't pipe in on this thread, I'll have to bug him at the Spring Fling.


Edit: Yes, Andrews is ~43 miles from Harrah's Cherokee Casino (in Cherokee, NC) and more like 13 miles from Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino outside of Murphy. The original casino is much larger and nicer, which is why I choose to spend Sunday night in Cherokee for the entertainment. After driving to Andrews to view the eclipse, I expect I would drive down to the smaller casino for that experience, too, and would return to stay Monday night at the motel in Andrews.

We're staying at I-forget-where but near the casino for both nights - Mrs. OG bought in to the idea readily.

We'll have to decide where and when we might do the viewing together if everybody wants that. Being near the casino too is nice insurance for what to do in case of cloud cover, not to mention the other 23 hours and 58 minutes of that day.

Harrah's Cherokee River Valley Casino is NOT in Cherokee North Carolina. I booked 'hotel' rooms at the closest place to that casino that was accepting reservations for the Sunday night, a 1 star motel called Murphy's Motel. It is around 10 miles away from the Casino. It will be about a 50 minute drive for us to Andrews the next morning. A single room at the casino proper could be had for the low price of $499 a night plus taxes (around $550 a night) and there is an extra charge for internet access!
I would hope we could all meet up at the casino Sunday evening. Pretty much right after the eclipse I will be heading back to the Atlanta airport.

Edit---- My brain is scrambled..... so there is a Harrah's Cherokee casino AND a Harrah's River Valley Cherokee Casino? Anyway, I am staying in Murphy near the River Valley one....

Yes, there are two casinos, both operated by Harrah's for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Your plan is to stay near the newer casino, which is much smaller and not as nice. Odiousgambit and I are taking the opposite approach for Sunday night, while I will visit the new/small casino after the eclipse on Monday.

The tribe opened the second casino to be a little closer to the Atlanta customers. I'm not sure how well that has worked out for them. The Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino is 40 minutes (and 39 miles) closer to Atlanta than is the original Harrah's Cherokee Casino, according to Google Maps.

Soopoo, who knows? we might wind up going to the River Valley casino to enjoy some lower table limits. If you ever thought you'd come back much the comps are better too, at least for the chance of getting a room.

Last time I was there with R-craps and his wife, we made a trip down for the reason of lower table limits and also for the reason that I was curious about it, not having seen it yet. We're both Craps players of course, but the lower limit table, which was probably $5, don't remember, was packed and we played on a $15 table just to get a spot. Of course, the way the universe works*, that meant it was the only time we were running bad the whole trip was then at this higher limit table, and we wound up limping out of there.

Thus we weren't there long. However, I was soon getting mailers for free rooms and a bit of freeplay just from what action we did give them. The rooms have to be at least "OK" as the place is fairly new.

*just a superstition of course, a disclaimer for the Wizard's benefit lest the pupil tick off the Master

Quote: Doc

Yes, there are two casinos, both operated by Harrah's for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Your plan is to stay near the newer casino, which is much smaller and not as nice. Odiousgambit and I are taking the opposite approach for Sunday night, while I will visit the new/small casino after the eclipse on Monday.

The tribe opened the second casino to be a little closer to the Atlanta customers. I'm not sure how well that has worked out for them. The Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino is 40 minutes (and 39 miles) closer to Atlanta than is the original Harrah's Cherokee Casino, according to Google Maps.

I now have two reservations, one in Cherokee and one in Murphy. The extra hour drive was what led me to make the Murphy reservation, as we will already be driving from Atlanta. Now that I know you and Odious are staying in Cherokee I will probably do the extra drive to be with the gang. The hotel in Cherokee looks pretty ok, while the motel in Murphy looks like the Bates Motel.

Quote: SOOPOO

I now have two reservations, one in Cherokee and one in Murphy.

Is that two reservations for two nights or both for the same night and you haven't cancelled the original one? If you are only spending one night in NC, I think staying in Cherokee proper is the better option for Sunday. The best route from Atlanta does NOT take you by way of Murphy.

On Monday, we can all go down to Andrews to witness the 91% longer total eclipse; then we can stop by the newer casino 15 minutes down the road so that you can check out whether I have been giving you bad advice. Maybe they will have those lower limits that OG referred to. In any case, you can take the more direct route from there back to Atlanta.

The gaming limits seem to be erratic. My wife and I were in Cherokee for a Thursday night last month. I played craps there at a $5 table until 9pm or so and called it a night. Friday morning about breakfast time, I went back to the tables to find the minimum available was $15, with few players. I don't really understand that. I declined to play then.

The only time I have been to the casino near Murphy, they had a $5 craps table going when I arrived on a Sunday morning, but by noon they had cranked it up to $20 minimum. I lost money in both cases, just lost it faster at the higher level of play.

Quote: SOOPOO

The hotel in Cherokee looks pretty ok, while the motel in Murphy looks like the Bates Motel.

I have never stayed in any hotel in Murphy that I can recall. If I remember the film correctly, the Bates Motel (or maybe just the owner's house in the back) was far upscale from the motel I have booked for Monday night in Andrews. Perhaps I should be rethinking that -- maybe I should check whether I can get a second night at the motel in Cherokee and drive the 43 miles back there. For my trip home, I will have to drive back past Cherokee on Tuesday anyway.