Buckskin Lodge in Heber, Arizona -
Photo Courtesy of (Angel Fire Press)
I wasn't looking for any New Year's Cheer, but I found some anyway! This week my wife and I were taking a nice holiday vacation and looking forward to some skiing in Angel Fire, New Mexico. And, by a strange coincidence we were traveling along a path between two new casinos. Yes, I realize this is shocking news.
Did you know that the new Talking Stick Resort built by Casino Arizona in Scottsdale has 497 rooms? That's right, and, in New Mexico, the new Buffalo Thunder Resort in Santa Fe has 395 rooms! Two beautiful casinos, 892 rooms.
So, imagine our family traveling along highway 260, a nice stretch of road, somewhat isolated, but scenic. Two little girls are in the backseat fighting over which movie to watch, I'm watching the side mirrors because I can't see around the DVD screen on the ceiling of the SUV, and my wife is busy on her cell phone. We're just your average family driving over the speed limit when the snow starts sticking.
Before we can say Donner Party, it's a whiteout and as the sun sets in the sky (well, I didn't really see that part) the Highway Patrol sets up a road block to tell travelers the roads are closed.We are travelers, we need a room.
We make it to the town of Heber, Arizona. No stop lights, one Country Grocery, and two hotels. I check the first one but it is full. The snow is piling up fast on the road and I can barely see. I struggle across the parking lot as the snow blows and my eyes water. The tears turn to ice. I think of my little girls and find the car and pull the door open against the 45-degree wind, it snows heavily into the car.
I get the car moving forward again, drifting along like a drunk in a bar and pull into a jammed driveway at the Buckskin Lodge. Then, like the smart man I am, I ask my wife for help. She takes to the snow and our last possible chance for a room, and comes up empty. The are no rooms in town. Not one. Hundreds at casinos, none here! But wait, the Buckskin Lodge isn't just a hotel, it's a home away from home, and the owners, Tim and Cheryl Carlin are so concerned about our safety that they take us into their home!
The next day I come to the conclusion that there will be no report here from Buffalo Thunder casino, just a report from Heber, Arizona, where there is no casino. There is, however, a choice of two restaurants across the street if we can cross the three-foot snow drifts and manage the single digit cold and blowing snow. We brave the wild weather, each adult carrying a child above the snow, and cross the highway.
When we make it to the other side where food awaits, we try and decide which restaurant to eat at, the Mexican-food restaurant, or the place next door - also a Mexican-food restaurant. Note to self, pack more junk food for the next trip!
Upon returning from our trek across the snow fields we find that the Buckskin Lodge and the Carlin's home have wireless Internet service and it's working, and now so am I. The girls in my life spend the time eating popcorn, watching TV, and dreaming of casino buffets that offer food without green chile.
When the roads open, we'll move on, but we won't meet any owners nicer than Tim and Cheryl at the Buckskin. Thanks for the hospitality and Happy New Year!
Comments