The Occidental Saloon was packed when we moseyed on in. Lots of blue jeans and cowboy hats. Sitting, drinking, carousing and two-steppin'. We ordered our beer and instantly loved the country jam band. Banjos, violins, and all sorts of crazy guitars; they were rockin'. The walls were filled with the heads of moose, elk, longhorn, bison and bear skins. The embossed tin ceiling twinkled and the "come-together-after-a-long-week-on-the-ranch" mood was infectious.
The band kept shifting; a woman came up to sing a Patsy Cline song and then a tall cowboy, apparently a notorious crooner, was pulled up by the men to sing a few sentimental songs. He also played the harmonica. Then they picked up the tempo and belted out some bluegrass. The played one of our favorites - 'Man of Constant Sorrow'.
Just as we set our empty beer glasses down on the bar, a giant brass belt buckle, emblazoned with 'Wyoming' and a longhorn, walked our way. "Can I buy you ladies a drink?" he asked. We said, "Why sure!" "Welcome to Buffalo," he said. "The name's Paul Bellamy". He introduced us to his charming sister, visiting from Montana. Apparently, we had wandered in on the best night. Thursday nights were when all the cattle ranchers, oil barons, and musicians came to drink and make merry. Paul was a petroleum drilling specialist.
Throughout the evening, it was impossible not to notice a boisterous gentlemen who, when we were finally introduced, Mary Lou kept asking, "do I know you from somewhere?" Nicole told her that she was probably mistaking him for Jerry Garcia, since he was a dead ringer. The man laughed at that, said he had gotten away with some trouble in his day because of the resemblance, and bought us all shots of Patron Silver. David C. Burt works in water recycling. He also represents country singers in Nashville, and was an investor in the Occidental. He introduced us to his lovely business associate, Dana Fowler.
When the music finally ended, David said we were "pretty fun girls", and told us to join him for breakfast at the cafe next door. We demurred, and said we had a long drive out of town to our campground. He disappeared and came back a few minutes later with a tag that said, "Guests of the Occidental" and told us to park right around the corner, next to the river. "Breakfast," he said. "9.30."
We slept peacefully and met David, Dana, Paul and his sister at The Busy Bee for trout, fresh biscuits and eggs. David brought a gift for Mary Lou - a bottle of Silver Patron. "Am I supposed to put this in my coffee?" she asked. "Save it for the road," David said.
Everyone had to work, but, David said if we met him at his office (in the Occidental) at 5.30, they would take us to find our elusive moose. We spent the day in the gigantic public swimming pool. It's the biggest pool that we have ever seen. And it was a free shower.
At 5.30, we got a tour of The Occidental. Beautifully renovated, we were completely immersed into the turn of the century. Furniture, fabrics, fixtures; everything was authentic. The bordello was left just as it was, a twin bed and a sink in each tiny room. The library, once an office of the creator of Zoo Books, was left full of archeology books and dinosaur bones.
We had a quick shot of Patron Silver in David's office, and hopped into Dana's Audi Quattro. She drove us up into the Bighorn Mountains, on the back roads, through aspen forests and fields of wildflowers. And then, we saw it! A moose! We finally got to see a moose in the wild. "Okay, now we can go to dinner!" said David.
They drove to the South Forks lodge, high up in the mountains, and found Chef Alfredo out on the porch catching a breath and looking down into the valley. Mary Lou immediately broke out the very limited Italian that she knew and introduced herself as Maria Luisa. Alfredo was impressed, and ushered us right in. We ordered a bottle of wine, and Chef Alfredo said to just let him take care of the meals, he would make us each something special. "For Momma Brazilian Beef. And for Filia, Shrimp Stir Fry."
The food was absolutely delicious. We ordered another bottle of wine, and shared tastes of our meals with each other. Dana, with big, beautiful eyes sparkling, told us about the mysteries of the Bighorn Mountains and the wildlife. David peered out over the rim of his glasses to regale us with personal stories, our sides splitting with laughter. Chef Alfredo came out to join us, offering a dessert platter for us to share. He told us about his work in California and Miami and how he comes out to Wyoming to relax and take in the fresh air.
He told Momma to turn off the open sign in the window and shut the restaurant. "I'm done for the night. Take me with you!" he said, as he grabbed a bottle of wine and jumped in the car. Back to the Occidental.
Click here for the photos!
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