How I Spent My Summer Vacation

[grizzlyzone]

Day 3

• Cherokee Bear Zoo
  One of truckerbear's big secrets is that he has a "thing" for tigers. Well, as I was driving around Cherokee trying to find the motel a few days prior, I happened to see a hand-lettered cardboard sign saying "White Tiger Cub Photos". Uh-huh. I figured he'd be interested.
  
  The sign was in front of a two-story building. One one side, it said "Cherokee Zoo". On the other, it said, "Cherokee Bear Zoo". Bears? Now, I'm interested.
  
  The zoo has four pens, each containing two bears. The bears have pretty much mastered the technique of catching food tossed at them by zoo visitors. (While other places have a "DO NOT FEED THE BEARS" policy, the Cherokee Bear Zoo sells plates of cut-up apple, bread and chicory for $1 so YOU CAN FEED THE BEARS!)
  
  The bears have pretty much got this begging thing down cold. Elvis, their resident daddy grizzly, opens his mouth wide to see if you can toss the food directly in. (And, if your aim is a bit off, Elvis will accommodate!)
  
  Some of the bears have mastered little tricks. One sits, grabs his feet and rocks back and forth. Another, spins around in circles. (Daddy grizzly Elvis leans against a wall or a tree and opens wide showing you his pearly whites.)
  
  As far as I'm concerned, the bears alone were worth the price of admission, but don't forget, we came for the white tiger cub photos!
  
  I figured  truckerbearand Wanda wanted the picture for themselves, but no, they wanted the ol' Griz in the picture as well.
  
  We sat on a bench behind the table and the handler brought the tiger cub out. Now, I thought that I'd get to pet the tiger, but I was sitting in the spot whether the "feeder" would sit. The handler asked if I could hold the bottle and the muzzle of the cub at the same time with one hand. I nodded. Then, he plops the cub on the table in front of me and "kitty" reaches out to pull my hand (and the bottle) to his face.
  
  
  
  
  
  The cub is pretty content to sit there, as long as I keep holding the bottle. The picture gets taken, the cub is scooped up, and the staff is nice enough to take a second picture with truckerbear's camera.
  
  (I sure didn't figure I'd be feeding a tiger!)
  
  Downstairs were a pair of orange tigers who were quite content to lay in the shade and flick their tails from time-to-time.
  
  Also, there were some cages with goats, monkeys and the like. Nice, but they couldn't hold a candle to feeding the bears and a white tiger cub.

• Souvenir Shopping in Cherokee
  

• Prime Sirloin Family Steakhouse
  Does truckerbear ever like steak!

• Unto These Hills
  "Unto These Hills" is the third-oldest outdoor drama in the United States. It was first performed on July 1, 1950 and is now in it's 58th season. It tells the story of the Cherokee people over the years from the "discovery" by de Soto in 1540, and on to their removal from the Smoky Mountains via the Trail of Tears in 1838.
  
  I had the pleasure of seeing this historical play with truckerbear and Wanda. (I think they liked it.)

• July 4th Fireworks
  We had perfect timing. Right after seeing "Unto These Hills", we took the shuttle back to our car and at the Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds, we watched the fireworks display!