Old West Cookout

“The grub rocked!” After the Old West cookout, the loaded stagecoaches circle past the cooks to shout a phrase of thanks. The cowhands driving the coaches encourage guests to come up with something slightly embarrassing to shout. I guess after enjoying such a great meal, it’s the least we can do.

The meal is an all-you-can-eat deal which works very well for anyone with a large appetite or just simply wanting more of one of the food options: steak (cooked to order), corn, baked beans, cornbread muffins, watermelon, coleslaw, potato salad, and for dessert, fruit crisp (peach was offered early in the evening, berry later on). When making the reservations, we specified that one meal would be vegetarian in the hopes of accommodating my sister. Although it took a minute for the servers to locate her food, she was served a veggie burger instead of a steak. Drink options included water, lemonade, hot chocolate, coffee (brewed without a filter), or soda. Lining up for the meal is a little disorganized; they just ring a bell. However, while waiting in line you can listen to a cowboy playing his guitar and singing old favorites. The music continues through the meal, up until close to the time to leave.

Leaving means a return to either a horse or a stagecoach. The cookout is held in an valley, distance-wise not far from Roosevelt Lodge (you can see the pavilion from the road if you know where to look) but perspective-wise in the middle of the wilderness. My family has always opted for the stagecoach ride which means we also get to hear the history of the valley which housed a hotel in the late 1800’s.