When I drive through New Mexico, I am often tempted to divert my journey to Mescalero to visit the mystical Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino.
I discovered this intriguing gambling palace in the pines years ago while working as a reporter for the Hobbs Daily News-Sun in Hobbs, N.M. My publisher Robert Sumner knew I enjoyed poker and betting on the horses and recommended the place to me.
'You're single and there are plenty of attractive women who hang out at the Inn,' he said. 'The Mescalero Apache Indian Tribe runs the casino as well as the Ski Apache Ski Resort and they do a good job.'
The Inn of the Mountain Gods is nestled in a large copse of pine trees near the 12,000-foot level. It is well constructed like a forest and breathes an air of intimacy that must be experienced to be fully appreciated. Indeed, when I arrive at the resort my first inclination is not to go to the casino -- it is to retire to the lounge for a drink and to smile at the women who frequent the lounge.
The casino has all the usual gambling games, from slots to dice, blackjack, baccarat and other table games. It also has a large comfortable poker room that features limit and no-limit Texas Hold'em along with Omaha High and Omaha High-Low, eight or better, along with daily tournaments. Weekdays the poker room is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and on weekends the room closes at 3:30 a.m.
Mescalero has accepted the Inn of the Mountain Gods as an important part of the community and works with the Mescalero Tribe in promoting special events. For example, the Wind Rider Mountain Festival will be held from May 26-28, featuring non-stop entertainment.
Thirty bands will play on two stages. The Kansas City Barbecue Society Competition will be held to declare a grand barbecue champion.
A beer quaffing competition will be held at the local Elks Club. Here, teams will compete against one another by pushing a stein of beer down a smooth surface to another member who drinks the beer. It's a speed and trick combination with prizes for the winners.
The tribe will feature gondola rides, zip lining, downhill mountain biking, and trail rides, all for $85 per person.
Bands will perform blues, rock, jam, and funk. They will include The Werks, Poor Man's Whiskey, Desert Dwellers and the Ray Wylie Hubbard Band. You won't be bored.
I remember one exceptional night when I traveled to the Inn of the Mountain Gods. I booked a room for the weekend, went into the lounge, and was pleasantly surprised to run into a woman I had met in Hobbs. She was separated from her husband, who happened to be a jockey, and had come to the Inn, she said, 'to dance and drink my life away.' I asked if I could join her. She smiled and said, 'Of course.'
Around 1 a.m. her husband showed up, along with two friends. Looks were exchanged. Fortunately, I had made friends with a couple of Mescalero Apache Security Guards who smiled at trouble. They backed me and nothing came of the meeting.
Poker players will love the action at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. And when they finally leave the tables to head for their suites, they will hear the wind rustling through the pines in the land where the spirits gamble.
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).
