Whenever I plan one of these round-the-country tours like we’ve taken each of the past 3 years, the first thing I've always done is to be very thankful that I'm able to go on such journeys, and upon returning, to be even more appreciative that everything turned out even better than planned with virtually no bumps. Of course, just as in every video poker trip I've taken since I became a professional player after waking up from my long-term, nightmarish advantage play years in late 1996, proper planning and determination have been the difference-makers in these motor trips as well. And as you'll see, I never tire of showing off my ability to visit multiple casino resorts for the purpose of simply visiting them…- while taking complete advantage of whatever they’re offering without putting a single penny through any of their machines.

Cruising down this country's highways in a nice car has always been one of America’s favorite pastimes, and I’ve done that to the limit since 2007. This year's 10,600 miles of incident-free driving was made even more enjoyable by three distinct ancillaries: GPS navigation & satellite radio (both of which I would have NEVER gone on any of these trips without) and this year's fabulous kicker—whenever one of us got tired of listening to music, sports or talk, Cindy would read Bill O'’Reilly's "Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" aloud from her kindle. And did I mention, we took this year's trip in our brand new, 2009 Corvette ZR1 with 638HP? Has there EVER been a better way to travel the roads of this great country?

Our trip began with an overnight stay in one of our favorite towns in the southwest: Santa Fe, in a quaint Bed & Breakfast. And I never tire of saying this: When I think back to my days of sitting through gridlock traffic jams in crazy cities like Lima, Calcutta, Bangkok, Seoul, Dhaka etc. etc., I almost feel guilty being able to drive the open roads of the USA – especially out here.

The next day we had a change of pace by staying at the Hyatt in downtown Dallas. Most people would think that’s a little odd for this sort of trip. But I’ve always liked watching and listening to the movers and shakers do their bragging in Texas, and the Hyatt satisfies that very well. Still, when we left around 4am to beat the traffic out of town, we had no reason to look back.

Our next stop was the Horseshoe in Bossier City, Louisiana. We’ve been here twice before and it’s a good place to rest and have a decent meal - all comped by Harrah's of course. I did meet up with someone from Texas in the casino and gave some advice at the machines. In the morning we packed up and headed over to the Horseshoe in Tunica, Mississippi. This was a last minute change from Harrah's in New Orleans. I just didn't feel like driving into that city and have what to me are still angry people, put their hands on my car. Dinner at Magnolia's was a bit disappointing compared to last year's, so we'll hit Binion’s next time through.

We got about 7 hours sleep and left Tunica for Savannah at 3am. This was a 12 hour drive with stops, but it was mostly pleasant. We stayed at an old but comfortable B&B in Old Savannah, had dinner on the riverfront, walked in the steamy humid streets among the horse drawn buggies, then called it a night. I hadn't been to Savannah since my college days on a trip to Florida for spring break, and what a difference time makes. Back then I'll never forget stopping at a restaurant and being yelled at by the manager for coming in "the colored's" door. Being a dumb college kid it didn't make any sense to me at the time, because everybody in both ends of the dining room looked at me with daggers. How stupid of me..and how REALLY STUPID of them.

After a stop at Myrtle Beach the next day we stayed at another old time B&B in Wilmington, NC. This was some sort of historic town, so we went shopping for gifts before and after dinner at a great restaurant nearby. The next day we went across North Carolina to spend a few days with my wife's parents in Asheville, we stayed at Harrah's Cherokee in the hillbilly mountains, and then we drove up to Atlantic City when I met at the Borgata with several players I chat with regularly. That next morning we made the short drive over to Media (near Philadelphia) to spend a few days with my sister and her family, then we went up to Pittsfield, Massachusetts (my hometown) to spend a few days with my wife's sister and her family.

One interesting point: My sister lives in an upper middle class neighborhood in Media, but surprisingly, not 6 miles from her home is the slum of Chester and the new Harrah's. I went over to see it, and it was like a giant warehouse with a track out back along the Delaware River where the dogs race. None of this was pretty, and to top off the experience this was Philadelphia. The collection of people at the machines in that place looked like they were awaiting their next welfare or unemployment check to keep on playing. None of this would have looked out of place - even if it were in North Philly.

After Pittsfield and visiting friends and relatives we took a tour of Tanglewood with my Aunt, whom we stayed the night with in Lee, Mass. The only time I’ve ever been to this place was in 1969 when I saw a drunken and stoned Janis Joplin (whom I saw in even worse shape at Woodstock several months later). However, her performance at Tanglewood was extraordinary, I was able to get up to the stage and touch her, she annointed me on my looong hair with the whiskey she was guzzling, and I never thought I'd ever be back again. Yet there I was, and suddenly I was 40 years younger for one more moment in time. Weird.

In the morning we went to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., which for an avid sports fan is almost surreal. Our next visit was to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, where we just looked in awe of both sprawling properties. Inside rivals anything in Las Vegas, but again, we were just there to look and not play. We went up to the Hartford area to visit my cousin whom I haven't seen in maybe 34 years. When we left, even though the family visits were all truly enjoyable and such an enjoyable walk down memory lane, Cindy & I both looked at each other in relief that there was to be no more family visits on this trip. It's kind of uncomfortable for us to be staying at other people’s homes, but we know they want us to and we can't offend them by saying no. Besides, I've lived over half my life in hotel rooms, and I almost don't know how to act in other people's castles.

The next day was very special for both of us. We went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. What a place! Being from New England and having gone thru what the Red Sox put all of us thru until 2004 (& 2007!) baseball is a mesmerizing pastime for me. To have been in that shrine where all the greats have been and will be, really meant something special to me. Even my wife felt it. And just for fun, the town was hopping as it was enshrinement weekend for 3 more greats - including Boston's great Jim Rice. God bless America!

After shaking off all the cobwebs from that experience we headed out to our next stop in Elizabeth, Indiana–- another Harrah's property called the Horseshoe (which was Caesar's the last time we stayed there 2 years ago). More comps, more good rest, and it was onto our next stop at Harrah's St. Louis. Harrah’s Kansas City was next, and both these properties have something a little odd about them. The casinos both shut down between I think 3:45am and 8am...except for weekends. But I got my Harrah's Passport stamped at both locations anyway.

From KC it was onto Harrah’s Council Bluffs in Iowa, another place we stayed at 2 years ago. Here we had a good dinner and went right to sleep afterwards, because we had a 1900 mile trip to Pacific City, Oregon ahead of us with no planned stops. And I did it. Cindy slept on and off, I stopped for several cat naps (a real feat in Chevy's famous 2-seater) but we got to Cape Kiwanda on time and had 3 glorious days of R&R before heading off for a stay in SF and a visit to Fisherman's Wharf. The remainder of the trip saw us in Lake Tahoe, LV, San Diego, a beach just north of Malibu, and Laughlin before heading home.

People already have asked me how I could do such a trip and do one each year at my age now, but it's easy. I stay in shape because I'm not yet ready to give up these drives, but more importantly, my health remains excellent. I know that could end any day though, so I make the most of it while I can. I'm also trying to make up for all that I missed in America during my years away. Plus, throwing in multiple casino stops while gleefully accepting their comps just adds to the fun!