Last weekend Jill and I visited Buffalo, Wyoming, where we'll be hosting the Y2Knit Experience Buffalo 2010 September 25-Oct 2. We met up in Denver airport and took the small plane to Sheridan. As we flew over miles of open spaces, it felt like we were on our way to a destination one can only fly into. The quick trip to Sheridan (75 miles/hour on a very straight, empty highway) brought us into Buffalo before any of the wonder wore off. Spotting antelope the entire way made us feel like true wild west women!
We actually saw an antelope romping in a field full of deer and antelope. We looked for buffalo but didn't see any, though we did see some HUGE steers that we thought were buffalo, much to the amusement of the ranchers. OK, so we're a bit vague on identification of large animals, but I am a vegetarian, if that's a valid excuse. Jill's excuse is she lives in San Francisco where there are only large dogs.
We saw yarn being made in the amazing Mountain Meadow Wool mill where not a bit of fiber is wasted. They are working on ways to use the scraps for something, even house insulation. The yarn is fabulous and the one we want to knit with most right now. Karen and Valerie are bold, smart and creating a sustainable and viable mill. We met Peter John, one of the Basque ranchers who sells wool to the mill. His respect for MMW was evident when he came to them to ask how much they wanted to buy before he took it to a larger market. I bought skeins that tell me which ranch the wool come from. . . pretty awesome. We were even offered to visit one of the ranches by a total stranger (if that word exists in Buffalo), but Jill and I hesitated. What does one say to a sheep?
History melds with the present in Buffalo. The Occidental Hotel, where we will stay in September, has historic relics, beautiful antiques and stories that tell themselves as you walk about. Probably everyone's favorite is the back stairway, scarred by spurs on the cowboy's boots as they climbed the stairs to the bordello, three rooms where women entertained these lonesome men. Every room is uniquely decorated to tell an old west story and most have spacious bathrooms.
We stayed in Outlaw. Jill had the room with the antelope head. The antelope colors reminded us of Lilura, a new yarn being produced at MMW. I guess it all comes back to the yarn!
We spent one morning in the rockers in front of the hotel, sunning and knitting, counting the horse trailers that went by (6). We only had to walk a few feet to be at Clear Creek and the 13 mile walking trail takes hikers to the Big Horn Mountains, which were heavy with snow last weekend. A sight to behold.
Thursday night was Bluegrass Jam Night, and as promised, a wonderful event in the Saloon adjacent to the Occidental. Musicians of all ages, professions and style took to the floor with guitars, dobros, banjos, mandolin, dulcimer, harmonica and more to share songs from past and present. It doesn't get much better than this: glass of red wine, knitting, listening to great music, checking out the good looking men. Several women came over to us and talked about knitting. They requested we have a community knitting night when we come back in September. That will be Tuesday in the Saloon, September 28. See ya there!
We visited the wonderful museum book and gift shop and arranged a history tour. We'll learn more area history when we have high tea at the Mansion House Inn, where owners Pam and John offer their amazing hospitality. Their story is as interesting as that of the house. We've scheduled lunch at the TA Ranch, site of much of the Johnson County Cattle Wars, something we still have to learn about. The sheep will be "coming off the mountain" then and we hope to take in some of that migration. The wranglers will be gone so the horses are out to pasture, but one can certainly get a good feel for what the guest ranch is like when in full working glory. And then, there's the beautifully decorated guest houses, which transport you to a place of historical luxury.
Back in Buffalo, we tested food at local eateries: The Virginian, Sagewood, Sol de Vallarta, Main Street Diner (Ed's Sunday blueberry cakes...yum), and the newly opened Udder House. We look forward to the new Busy Bee being open when we return. Chef Norman said something about French toast stuffed with cream cheese topped with berries. . . either he's a tease or we're going to eat very well!
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