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Playing Tourist Last month, Don and I spent one night in Deadwood. We figured we should absorb some of the whacky wild west hoopla, at Saloon #10! The next day in the morning light, the brown facade looked like a little Lincoln Log building, with cute red touches. But on the Friday before, this building on Main Street had a whole different vibe. Wagon Wheels! I love me some wagon wheel windows... ... and I could get a good look at them in the morning, without crowds of partying bikers. Friday Night Actually, we arrived early on Friday and the crowd was pretty mild. There could have been gangs of bikers and wet teeshirt contests and all sorts of things. But it was before 8:30. Children are even welcome at that time. Besides people, there was a lot to look at in Saloon #10. Let's start with the floor. That would be sawdust, not dirt. Greeter? Bouncer? Don and I grabbed a couple barrel chairs and ordered some beer. But then there was some noise and I had to step outside to check on a gunfight. They have a lot of gunfights in Deadwood. Like maybe every few hours. I needed to see what was going on. The bouncer was checking IDs when I tried to head back in. That made me feel pretty young, since I haven't been to a place with a bouncer since I was about 21. What didn't make me feel young was how the big guy kind of chuckled and shooed me in when I insisted I'd left my purse inside with my husband. Carved Bar There were some beautiful images from the old west, like this carved bar. I wanted badly to know the history behind that. But the history is all a little muddled in Deadwood. Everything revolves around Wild Bill Hickok, who was killed during a poker game in Saloon #10. But not in this bar... it was a different place... but that place burned down... in one of the many fires... because there's a lot of flammable wood in Deadwood... near the gulch... But really, I just wanted to know all about that gorgeous carved bar, that no one was even looking at. Up High Besides the carved bar, there were stuffed critters. Critters and snow shoes and Victorian lamps and other things to study. Cows and Doors The conjoined calf twins on display above the door were named "Double Cheeseburger" which is just mean. I didn't exactly want to know the history of those two. Well, maybe I'd like to know why one was wearing a crown. And nearby, there was a very cool, old door. I've seen a lot of western movie scenes where the "bad guys" are dramatically shut out by, using a sliding bolt like that! Photos The walls were covered in old photos, especially ones related to Wild Bill Hickok, who is also buried near Calamity Jane, high on a hill just outside of town. I can look at old photos for days. A Horse in the Saloon If you don't look carefully at these photos, you'll miss the good stuff, like the man sitting on the horse in this bar photo. Hmm, this looks a little rigged to me. Those men look a little too scrubbed for an authentic old-timey photo. Characters After a while, we began to notice a few western characters stroll towards the back of the saloon. Oh boy, another little bit of drama! Before long there were loud voices and a gunshot or two. Wild Bill was shot in the middle of his poker game. We actually couldn't see the full scene from where we were sitting, but we got to enjoy our own behind the scenes view, a few minutes later. A couple of "actors" killed some time nearby before the next happening. The slumped body language and yawning, made me think that this might not be the dream job. So Don and I enjoyed the downstairs scene until about the time kids are no longer welcome in the bar. Then we left the bar scene (being young at heart) and headed upstairs. Deadwood Social Club... For Dinner That's the name of the upstairs restaurant, which is actually under the same ownership. There were no shootouts upstairs and no saloon girls waiting on us. Just some surprisingly delicious food served by a very decent waiter. Walleye and Chicken Carbonara with Risotto! So we had more than a liquid diet at the saloon! What a nice surprise and a good way to end our evening at Saloon #10.
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Raining in the Rockies Last month Don and I drove through Rocky Mountain National Park. We got out a couple times, but there was nothing to see. It was a good day to enjoy some lodges! The Historic Rapids Lodge This rustic lodge was built by the Ish family in 1915. J. Lapsley Ish had a funny name, but he was a hardworking man from Missouri. It seemed like a place we should check out. Dining In or Out? There was a nice view of the creek from the dining room, but where was everyone? Most were seated on the patio, because the rain had stopped. By the Creek Don and I grabbed a table near a lovely pot of flowers, with a view of the boulder-filled creek. We shared a salad and a cup of potato soup, which was perfect for Texans with thin blood on a chilly day in Colorado. Nobody else looked a bit cold. We were almost able to finish the grilled chicken sandwich on pretzel bun... but it started raining. Time to move on down the road. Grand Lake Lodge We had just eaten, so we didn't enjoy a meal at this lake view lodge with old cars. We put it on our "next time" list and headed into the National Park. Still Pretty Sometimes we could see mountains and sometimes we saw nothing... and hoped for the best. After a somewhat harrowing drive, I begged Don to stop at one more lodge. The Baldpate Inn We found the nearly 100-year old place at the end of a muddy, dirt road. It wasn't mealtime, but I just had to have a "dining adventure" even if it involved no food. Why? I'm sort of addicted to a few of these old cookbooks put out by Ford Motor Company in the '50's and '60's to spotlight eateries around the country. Most of the restaurants and hotels are gone, but when I find one that's still in business, I have to make a call! The Inn's Second Owner Since the Mace Family built the inn in 1917, it has been run only by 2 families. I was lucky enough to meet Lois Smith, who bought the hotel in 1986. She was pretty tickled by the recipe. They only serve breakfast, dessert and salad bar at the inn's restaurant, but she laughed that tuna salad is often on the buffet. Dining If we hadn't been racing to get to our hotel, we could have at least stopped for some pie! The view was lovely even on a damp day. Salad in a Tub And to think I'd ordered soup and salad a couple hours earlier. Here, I could have dug my own lettuce right out of the bathtub! (It actually looked very tasty) And there was a nice collection of framed photos that I wanted time for. Evidently the Mace family had a photographer or two. And the Keys! All I initially knew about this place was that it once served tuna noodle casserole. I was pretty excited to learn how it got its Baldpate name and why there were 20,000 keys hanging from the beams! After the Mace's opened their inn, novelist Earl D. Biggers came to stay. He claimed the Mace's inn matched the description of the hotel in his mystery novel, "Seven Keys to Baldpate". The inn name was changed and guests have been contributing to the hotel key collection for nearly 100 years. Next Time? It was tough leaving when we hadn't had a meal or an overnight. What a perfect contribution to my Dining or 90-Nights blog! The inn closes for the season in a few days and it kind of looks like one of those places that just might decide against ever opening again. Hopefully not. One more to add to my "next time" list!
Lunch at The Hotel! Don and I were headed towards New Mexico last month, when we started getting hungry. It's good we happened to be in Big Springs. Hotel Settles We'd heard about the historic Hotel Settles, in Big Spring. I'd recently discovered the hotel's website and the old place looked pretty classy, after its 2013 renovation. We hoped we could get away with a quick lunch stop, in our road trip attire. It was pretty hot on the last day of August, so luckily the sign reminded us that Hotel Settles is "Air Conditioned"! Looking Up I love finding a small town that has a huge hotel. I'm not even sure how many stories I was looking up at here! The Lobby The entrance was pretty grand with terrazzo floors and a lot of royal gold accents! The stairway was mighty impressive, the way it parted beneath the huge portrait. (Was that Mrs. Settles?) You can spot the letter "S" all over this hotel. If Don and I struck oil the way Mr. & Mrs. Settles did years ago, you'd be seeing a lot of Z's!! The Settles Grill The restaurant was nicely renovated, with the original floors and cozy blue booths with black linens. Luckily we spotted a dining guest with the words "Oil Roustabout" on his tee shirt. We figured we weren't underdressed. A Round Booth If Don and I had been traveling with friends, we would have gone for this fun booth. The framed photos started making me curious about the town history. Food! I had the perfect lunch. Tortilla soup with warm avocado, shredded chicken, crisp tortilla strips and a chopped Caesar salad with more avocado and tangy dressing! Mood Lighting Don's burger with provolone cheese, grilled onions and fancy fries was made even more yummy by the lighting of the table scones. Nice touch! Both meals were delicious and served well by Shawn, with much enthusiasm. She brought us a write up on hotel history when we started asking questions. Celebs The wall photos featured lots of important people around town... in parades and in front of their stores. I didn't notice any photos of celebrities, but there were a few VIP guests in the past. Shawn was most excited to tell us that Elvis stayed in room 311 in 1955. That was a little more exciting than Lawrence Welk who was also a guest. My favorite celeb was Gregory Peck, and luckily he didn't die here.. Don and I happened to stay in a hotel in Davenport, Iowa where my favorite actor actually did pass away. People Encounter As Don and I headed out, we heard a friendly voice, " You all must not be from here." Louis and his wife, Lou Anne were happy to tell us they had grown up in Big Spring. They told us a little about what their town used to be like when they were growing up, pointing to some of the pictures on the wall. They were pleased with the renovation of the old hotel and claimed it was much the way they remembered from when they were young. Wandering Before climbing back in the car, Don and I took a trip upstairs to admire a little more of the old hotel. The pink and green colors reminded me of my grandmother. She always had pastel mints in her candy jar. She would have loved the fine ballroom. My mother-in-law would have gotten a kick out of the framed photo in the Ladies' Room. Mom Z was quite the accordion player in her time! Best Kind of Road Break Don and I have enjoyed a lot of good diners and cafes while on the road. But this was a different kind of treat. This place went right onto our list of places to revisit!
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The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
November 2023
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