After visiting Cahuilla Casino and seeing Fred Lamb's footprints on the new carpet, I turned toward Palm Springs via Route 74. At the Santa Rosa Indian Reservation (who? where?) - they are building a new gas station which may or may not have slots!

Then down the 7 Deadly Curves: Dead Sheep Curve, Wild View Curve, You Betta Go 30 MPH Curve, See We Warned You Curve, Rockslide Curve, Getting Nauseous Yet Curve, and Do Not Ask At Who The Sheep Laugh, The Sheeps Are Laughing At YOU Curve, finally getting into Palm Dessert.

Found Route 111, the only way I know of to get outta there - then on into Cat City, where I spotted a new high-rise going up. It was on Agua Caliente Reservation Land. Could it be? YES! A sign on the north side of the project proclaimed it to be the new Agua Caliente Casino! Located at the corner of Monte Hall Avenue and Highway 111, in the "If You Were Famous We'da Named This Street After You" neighborhood. Mmeeeeoowwwww! (Thanks Cat Trac Truc, for that sound effect.) California chip-hunters, make note of this address.

Plenty of luck at Agua Caliente Palm Springs - for the tribe, not for me. Slot machines didn't want to pay out any substantial jackpots. Still the same old worn chips at the tables, too.

Stopped off at a Sizzler in Beaumont on my way home. It was open! I mentioned that I had to come all the way to Riverside County to eat at a restaurant and a gentleman behind the desk smiled. He was the owner, who also has two Sizzlers in Bellflower and Downey (guess they are a franchise deal). And yes, he said, he couldn't yet re-open his two restaurants in Los Angeles County, which is why he too was in Beaumont. The salad buffet is as experienced at Viejas - one orders off a printed sheet and the servers go into the former buffet area and dump stuff on your plate for you. This time 'round, I was treated to dessert - vanilla ice cream which my server said was complimentary with the dinner. The portions were generous (maybe the owner gave a wink to the server?) and I left well-stuffed.