Trifter

One of the best ways to travel is to stop in local cafes and soak up the culture. In planning for my trip west, that was the basic idea. At least that was the idea until I had a wonderfully fun idea based on a story about Will Rogers. The story told how the famous cowboy would sample chili everywhere he traveled. That is a lot of chili! Old Will loved his chili and so do I. I can remember my grandmother cooking chili and I remember rodeos, and the smell of chili in the big black cast iron pots mixing with the smells of baking cornbread.

Starting out on my trip west, I decided to follow Will Roger’s example. Stopping into the local cafes just to sample the region’s chili was a plan that I had never considered before. Since I was heading west on Rt66, I knew I would be stopping in some of the greats areas for chili. Especially in Texas, who hasn’t heard of Texas Chili?

I learned a lot about how Texans made chili as well as other great foods. One of the first things I learned was that Texans get very serious about their chili. The second thing I learned was that chili is best prepared the day before, and never – never add beans. Adding beans to chili just isn’t done. Chili is not about beans, it is about the meat you use. There is a big difference between Texas Chili and Ranch beans; don’t mix the two.

My first stop when I reached Amarillo was the famous Big Texan Steak Ranch restaurant for lunch. As a child, my family occasional stopped at the restaurant while travel Rt 66 on the way home to California. It was usually the first western home cooking we got after a couple years of European Cuisine. This time I was also heading down Rt 66/Interstate 40 on my westerly trek to California to visit the relatives and knew I had to stop. Entering in the restaurant, I was greeted by the familiar stuff heads of deer, elk, and buffalo and various fowls that are mounted on the walls. As I was seated, a good-looking cowboy introduced himself as my server. As he was about to tell me about the famous 72oz steak, I had to stop him. As great as the Texas steaks are I already knew what it was I wanted – Texas Chili!

Having ordered my lunch, I began to work out what I wanted to do for the rest of the afternoon. The afternoon was free to visit the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, and Kwahadi Museum of the American Indian before I headed south to the Elkins Ranch for a night of western festivities. Severalminutes into my planning, I was present with a big bowl of Texas Beef Chili. Seems everything in Texas is big, including the taste of their chili. The chipotle pepper adds a unique flavoring to the beefsteak, along with the flavors of cinnamon and cloves. In addition to the chili, there was a wonderful honey flavored cornbread and a garnish of sour cream tomatoes and cilantro. Top off with a bottle of Texas Shiners Beer. Which I found they also added to the chili.

After the mouth-watering lunch, I head down the road towards the American Quarter Horse Museum. I don’t know much about the Quarter Horse other than that it a multi-purpose workhorse. I know more about pintos and paints – the real cowboy’s pony. However, after more than an hour of touring through the museum, I learned more about quarter horses and the men and women that ride them. Next was the Kwahadi Museum. I had never heard of the Kwahadi tribe, so I wanted to know more. As a woman of Native American Blackfoot descent, I am always on the look out for Native American museums where I can learn about my heritage. The museum is the home of the Kwahadi Indian Dancers, who at the time I visited where out touring around the state. Although I was disappointed at not seeing the dancers, the exhibits provide me with an excellent glimpse into the cultures of the Pueblos and Plains people through displays of paintings, bronzes, and beadwork.

Walking out the Kwahadi Museum and checking my watch, I found it was time to head for the Elkins Ranch. The ranch is located south of Amarillo in the Palo Duro Canyon valley area and is famous for its cowboy breakfasts and western evening dinner shows. The Elkins ranch is a real working cattle ranch and not only provides scrumptious culinary delights, but also provides jeep tours through various parts of the Canyon. With the tours, you will hear about the history of the area, including the stories of Billy the Kid and a visit the rustler’s graveyard. This trip I had planned to enjoy one of their famous chuck wagon dinners and the show provided by the Elkins’ Ranch Entertainers.

The first thing you will notice when you approach the ranch camp, is the tantalizing aroma of fresh cowboy coffee brewing. To find out that it is brewing over an open fire, just adds to the enchantment. All the ranches’ chuck wagon dinners and breakfast foods are from family recipes. There is no box mixes or short cuts use here; everything is prepared from scratch. On the night, I was attending the dinner, I was handed a tin plate and directed to a chuck wagon buffet line. What a sight and the smells coming from the chuck wagon – Rachael Ray’s “Yummo” just wouldn’t give it food the credit that was due. If I weren’t all ready hungry, I would soon be. I had the choice of Spicy Mesquite Smoked Ribs or Chuck wagon Chicken. There was potatoes and corn of the cob, ranch beans, cornbread, granny’s cobbler, and of course the cowboy coffee. Can’t say I’d walk away hungry, not with a spread like that.

The Ranch’s breakfast is equally fantastic, although I was not going to stay around for it. The spread includes western style scrambled eggs, maple sausage, sourdough or buttermilk, biscuits, Dutch oven potatoes, sausage gravy, fresh fruit and cinnamon rolls, with juice or coffee. All this food is prepared over a mesquite fire.

When I travel, I always like to stay at a ranch or at a B & B, again because I feel I can soak in the local culture where I wouldn’t at a chain hotel or motel. You just can’t sit down with your host or hostess at a motel and chat. Therefore, I decide to headed back towards Amarillo and check in at the Starlight Canyon Bed and Breakfast. This wonderful sanctuary is located in upper Palo Duro Canyon. Just about eleven miles South of Amarillo and is nestled in among cottonwoods and other trees. I was able to stay in the newly remolded Aspen room that had a private patio. The room had a large aspen log bed, a large wood burning fireplace, antler chandelier, an oversized bathtub – you can’t find that in a modern hotel room. The best feature I found was the hot tub on the patio. After a day of fun, I was ready to slip into that hot tub. The hot tub was a nice way to end a great trip to Amarillo. In the morning, would be on the road to another adventure in a new town and more Chili to sample.