Cowboy chow down!

Hitch up your RV and follow the trail to the Chuckwagons of the West for great grub, history and entertainment

For the millions of Americans who have an ongoing love affair with the Old West, Chuckwagons of the West ranches are some of the greatest places to enjoy a healthy dose of the days of cowboys, covered wagons and gunslingers. Chuckwagons of the West ranches operate in the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. For dedicated fans of Western lore and entertainment, a visit to one of these ranches is a must.

Each chuck wagon offers its own you won't want to miss the Flying W brand of fun for the entire family. If Ranch. Be sure to go when the gates you happen to be in the neighbor- open in the late afternoon so you can hood of Colorado Springs, Colorado, continued on page 86 enjoy the western town that has been recreated in a picturesque box canyon. (See accompanying list of other Chuckwagons of the West locations.)

The first attraction you'll see at the Flying W Ranch is a lovely little chapel. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a bride and groom getting hitched in full western attire. For another view of the Old West, duck into one of the tepees on the lawn in front of the chapel. Try to imagine what life was like for a young Indian mother rearing her youngsters in this tiny shelter.

Soon the aroma of biscuits being cooked in cast-iron pots over a charcoal fire is impossible to ignore. Just follow your nose, and find yourself sampling a piping-hot biscuit dripping with honey.

Proceeding on up Main Street, you'll come to an authentic old drug store where you can rest for a spell with some hot popcorn and cold sarsaparilla. Colorful bottles and apothecary jars on display in the old pharmacy once supplied pioneers with medications.

Wander on up the street to the blacksmith shop and watch a farrier as he shapes new shoes for one of the ranch horses. Across the street you can peer into the window at a old-time barber shop, or visit a shop that offers plenty of Western memorabilia and merchandise from local artisans. If you don't already have Western togs, this might be a good time to get some new duds.

Antiques and Western relics are everywhere. Old pots serve as planters for colorful flowers. You might wonder how the pioneer wife managed to do laundry on a washboard or had time to churn butter by hand. Costumed employees add to the atmosphere and are happy to answer your questions about the ranch.

If you're up for a short but steep hike, make your way up the path to an overlook that provides a magnificent view of Colorado Springs and the lofty Rocky Mountains. You'll be sure to work up an appetite for dinner.

Although the Flying W in Colorado Springs and the Bar D in Durango, Colorado, have the greatest collection of Western buildings, you'll find shops at all six locations where you can find everything from T-shirts to Western paintings and sculptures. As an added attraction, there's a train at Bar D for a ride through the tall pine trees. In fact, the Bar D is situated on historic land that once belonged to a member of the infamous Dalton gang.

After browsing through the Western shops and enjoying the spectacular scenery you'll find at every chuck wagon site, you'll want to listen for the dinner bell, because you're about to be treated to an evening of great grub and real cowboy entertainment. Just take your place in line and hold on tight, because the line moves fast and the food is hot.

Although the menu may vary slightly from one location to another, your dinner probably will consist of a wholesome meal of barbecued beef, potatoes that have been boiled cowboy style, baked beans, a hot biscuit with applesauce and spice cake to top it off. All of this is piled on a tin plate that gets mighty hot, so keep the line moving.

A word of caution is offered to coffee drinkers. Once that hot coffee is poured into your tin cup, you have about 12 seconds to find your table before the handle gets a tad too hot to handle. If you're carrying lemonade and someone behind you yells "coffee," just give that person the right-of-way and you'll have a friend for life.

At all of the chuck wagons, you'll be seated family style at picnic tables with colorful tablecloths. You're sure to meet a lot of friendly folks as honey and other condiments are passed around the table. If this is your first time at a chuck wagon, you'll find that many of your dinner companions are chuck wagon fans who make frequent visits to join in the fun.

After dinner, the "cowboys" who prepared and served your meal will doff their aprons, put on their 10-gallon hats, pick up their instruments and take their places on the stage for some real cowboy entertainment. The goal is to replicate the days of cattle drives when evenings were spent around the campfire spinning yams, reciting poetry and singing cowboy tunes.

Don't expect to hear your favorite Country-Western tunes, because true Western music has a sound of its own. Most of what you'll be treated to is music that was written long before the popularity of Country-Western music. Instead of Achey Breaky Heart, you'll be hearing Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Cool, Clear Water and Home on the Range plus loads of other familiar tunes. The program no doubt will include some spiritual music and plenty of fiddle playing and guitar and banjo picking by world-champion musicians.

There's always a healthy smattering of clean humor, cowboy poetry and, now and then, a fast-draw exhibition by a modern-day gunslinger who probably has appeared in some of your favorite Western movies. Yodelers liven up the program, and cowboy ballads like San Antonio Rose and Back in the Saddle Again keep the memories of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy alive. Many programs include a harmonious arrangement of The Old Rugged Cross, which is the traditional cowboy funeral song.

An interesting phenomenon is the number of foreign visitors these chuck wagon suppers attract. They come from every continent, many traveling by tour buses that include a chuck wagon supper on their travel agenda. Some show up in newly purchased Western garb, and even those who don't speak much English can relate to the warmth and humor enjoyed by everybody in the audience. It's a rare night when there aren't visitors from at least five or six other countries at any of the chuck wagon suppers.

When the weather cooperates, which it usually does, you'll be enjoying programs under the stars like real cowboys if you're at either the Flying W or Bar D, but both sites also are prepared to keep you warm and dry when necessary All of the other chuck wagons in the association have theme-decorated dining rooms with wagon-wheel fixtures and sawdust on the floor. Just remember that when in mountain locations, like Colorado and Wyoming, you'll always want to be prepared with a jacket to ward off the crisp mountain air

The ultimate way to enjoy this brand of fun is to attend the annual jamboree presented every September when entertainers from all of the Chuckwagons of the West get together at one of the locations for at least two nights of the greatest cowboy and Western entertainment in the world.

Although chuck wagon suppers have been around since the Flying W was opened in 1954, the annual jamborees only date back to 1974 when members of the association decided to end the season with dinner and a gathering of all of the musicians in one location, giving chuck wagon fans an opportunity to hear what every group has to offer.

At every year's jamboree, hundreds of cheering fans travel from every corner of the world for two or more nights of good grub and rousing entertainment. They go to see their favorite performers, and they aren't disappointed. Each group is met with cheers and standing ovations, and the laughter and applause never stops. Many buy audiotapes of the programs so they can enjoy this special brand of entertainment throughout the year

Most jamboree visitors have attended at least one of the chuck wagons, and real afficionados have made the rounds of all of the locations, but nothing compares with a visit to the annual jamboree. Where else are you going to see three and maybe four world-champion fiddle players in a rousing rendition of the Orange Blossom Special, or hear poignant songs like The Streets of Laredo and Mariah? Many of the songs served as themes for cowboy movies and TV programs. All of the performers are professional musicians, with some of them doubling as members of symphony orchestras.

Year after year these programs offer a hefty assortment of old favorites and, sometimes, a new tune that has been written by one of the performers, but always with the same Western flavor.

Collectively, the six Chuckwagons of the West serve more than 350,000 dinners every year. Most are open only during the summer months, but the Triple C in Tucson, Arizona, appeals to winter visitors and is open from January through April. (See schedule accompanying this article.) The Flying W continues to serve meals in their dining room during part of the off season, and most of the entertainment groups perform throughout the year at special events, reaching an estimated half-million fans annually. TL

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. May 1998
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