Joe on the Go

Well the 4th of July was crazy, but this year for different reasons. After all was said and done, I was happy the weekend was over. The next thing I was looking forward to was Tahoe at the end of July. What I didn't know was that I was going to Tahoe just the next week on a one night bender. 

It was boys night and we were trying to figure out the weekend. Tossing a couple back will let the ideas flow, I promise. In the middle of eating, someone joked about heading to Tahoe to gamble for one night. As the joke wore on, so did the seriousness of it. We all started thinking it could be a possibility. After 10 minutes, we had a full proof plan to head to South Lake the next afternoon. The trip got off to a little late start Friday afternoon because of some traffic on the way there. When we finally got there it was 8 PM, but we knew we were in for a wild night. 

Our room was on the 8th/smoking floor of Harvey's(cheaper). We headed up to get changed and came right back down for dinner. Luckily there was a Hard Rock inside the hotel, so getting to dinner took all of 1 minute. I think everyone agreed we needed a big burger and beer before the night got started, and thats exactly what we got. 4 cheeseburgers, 4 Newcastle Brown Ales, all paid for by a person to be named later (thanks dod). For being at a Hard Rock, dinner was actually pretty darn good. The burger was cooked perfectly, topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, and paired with their homemade sriracha ketchup and a huge basket of fries. We were fueled and ready to go.

After dinner, we walked around a little bit outside to check out the different casinos in the area. The 4 casinos were all so close to each other that you could walk to any of them in under 5 minutes. By this time is was coming up on 11 PM and we decided we would go start drinking and gambling. Our first (and my last) stop was blackjack at the tables outside Cabo Wabo in Harvey's. Margaritas, Jack and Cokes, and Coronas just kept flowing while the money kept blowing. I wasn't drunk yet and I was getting a little pissed off at how I was losing. Within a quick 40 minutes I had lost $280, which I am not proud about at all. Just around midnight is where I stopped the gambling and became a permanent drinker. The other guys were up a little so far, so I was taking drinks from them to drown out my losses. Cabo Wabo also had a dance floor that kept calling my name, so every once in a while I would head out to dance (usually alone) and make a fool out of myself. Time started to drag on at Harvey's and the boys wanted to make a change. I had no idea what the rest of the night held for us, but boy was it good.

After several ups and downs at that table, Mitch, Todd, and Kevin, headed over to Harrahs to gamble and I went to drink (btw its free drinks when you gamble, I had no idea until we got there). Just about an hour in at Harrah's, Todd disappeared. We assumed he was fine. After a couple hours though, it started to get sketchy, so we called but had no luck. Around 2 AM is when I got a call from Todd, saying he was back on the casino floor and had a great story for us. I'm not going to get into detail but just think Paris. 

After we had calmed down from Todd's story, we all met back up in Harvey's to gamble for another couple hours. By this time, the sun was started to come up and Kevin had just left to go to sleep (that's what happens when you are 40 years old). Mitch soon clocked in around 6:00 AM and went to sleep. However, Todd and I had other plans. Our last Jack and Coke was ordered at 5:45, right before we left to walk to McDonalds a mile and half away. 

Of course we walked about a quarter mile in the wrong direction first, but once we found the right way, we were headed for MccyD's breakfast. When we got there, it was around 6:45-7. Todd and I ripped on alcohol, walking through Tahoe in the morning cold, all to get a couple sausage McGriddles, worth it. Hammered breakfast, then got our butts back on the street and walked back to the hotel. We got back to the room around 7:45, got in bed and "slept" for an hour or so. When we woke up, it was time to check out and head back home. Starbucks was the morning hero, with 4 XL Pike drips getting us enough energy to make In-n-Out on the way home. 

All in all, successful night in Tahoe. 

Great memories can be made, even if you have a last minute plan that takes you 5 hours away for the night. Get out and explore people, go do wild things, be fun! I mean, we are kids right? 

Anyway, more coming later. Cheers.