We really didn't document much of our dining and drinking while in Lusk, but did get a bunch of nice pictures on the McLain ranch. You can see them here and here. The ranch was homesteaded by Alison's great grandfather in the 1920's and the actual structure of the homestead still stands.
We headed out to see Deadwood and Mount Rushmore National Park in South Dakota, but as we approached the border between Wyoming and South Dakota we had to stop in for our first pop at the Buck Horn. The bar was a cool hunter's lodge right off the highway. The only people in the bar were the bartender, a cat and what I presume was the owner of the joint. The beer was cold and the bartender gave us some notes on good eats in Deadwood.
The Buckhorn
Our bartender at the Buckhorn recommended the Cantina on the first floor of Miss Kitty's. Now before I go any further, let me explain downtown Deadwood. Deadwood is a historical town. Wild Bill and his cohorts used to run the streets of Deadwood back in the ol' days. There are signs all over the place and along the street indicating the location of a famous gunfight, a death, or a famous brothel. A lot of history, right? Well, they also have a bunch of slot machines and themed bars as well, making the town somewhat of an adult Disneyland; a compact Vegas with an outlaw spin.
So we headed over to Miss Kitty's to hit the Cantina. To say that their spin on Mexican food was unique is a statement. To say that being from southern California and having eaten our fair share of authentic Mexican food is also a statement. When you put both statements together, you not only get a run-on sentence, but an idea of what the chow was like at the Cantina. Not bad, just not authentic. You really can't blame the good folks at Miss Kitty's Cantina, maybe just the fact that being so far from the Mexican border should make any establishment question the notion of serving Mexican food.
The streets of Deadwood
The hot slots at Miss Kitty's
Bob's Qusadilla Burger. Now that's ingenuity.
The most interesting part of our trip to Deadwood was our visit to the Bullock Hotel. Alison's mom was drawn to the hotel for some reason or another. In the lobby, there was a picture of the Rough Riders that included Seth Bullock, the namesake of the hotel. Alison's mom mentioned that Alison's great-great grandfather was a Rough Rider named Charlie Calhoun. The big picture didn't have a key to the people in the picture, but there was a smaller picture on the side that contained the key to the folks in the picture. Low and behold ...
The exterior of the Bullock Hotel
The picture of Seth Bullock and the Rough Riders
Bob at Mount Rushmore
After we left Deadwood, we hit up Mount Rushmore National Park. The park leading up to the monument was all pretty overdone with marble and pillars. I just wanted to see the heads of famous people carved into the side of a mountain. It was pretty surreal and ranks up there with the Grand Canyon as something you have to see in person to understand the power of it's being.
After leaving Rushmore, we hit a bit of weather. Severe thunderstorms ... all in perfect timing since that was when Alison decided she would do some driving. Usually she's not too clear behind the wheel, but she did a good job getting us back to Lusk. Once back in Lusk, we hit a small bar called The Pub. We didn't get any pictures because it was one of those places where everyone knew you were from out of town and we didn't want to exacerbate that fact. We did get a few funny looks, but after we sat down and had a few beers, we started to blend into the bar. We also ordered burgers, which were by far the best burger I've had in a long time. Wyoming is beef country and this was a hell of a burger. I would like to attribute it to the freshness of the beef, but it was also well seasoned and the size of my face. From what I recall it was a spicy-style burger, so it had peppers and all that goodness. I don't think I've ever had a burger of that caliber in such an unsuspecting place. Someone should take note.
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