The many sides of Saddle Up are a feast for the senses. You might hear cowboys strumming guitars and singing songs. You might smell the strong aroma of cowboy coffee in an old enamel coffee pot. You might touch leather or sit on a bale of straw. You might be offered a bite to eat from the chuckwagon kitchen. There is something for everyone. With nine chuckwagons in attendance, it's a lot to take in! Each chuckwagon is a traveling museum ranging in price averaging over $20,000 once fully outfitted. Most date back to the late 1880s and were made by Studebaker. Historical items include an array of cooking gear from the late 19th century. Items like a mounted Parker Coffee grinder to heavy bone saws and meat cleavers decorate the side of chuck boxes. Giant 14 to 16-inch cast iron Dutch ovens and huge skillets rest over coals as large coffee kettles and bean pots hang from the fire spit or sit on horseshoe trivets. The displays also include a variety of cowboy personal gear, saddles, bedrolls, tents, farrier equipment, and tools. Every item needed to complete a trail drive is carried on the wagon, including extra wood stored underneath in a hide or canvas called the "possum belly". Wagon judges inspect each wagon following strict guidelines established with the American Chuck Wagon Association. Every wagon represents authentic 1880 cooking as the cookies did during the trail drives. Period correct pieces and vintage items can be found at each chuck wagon and each owner enjoys sharing the heritage as they answer questions about their wagon and its history. Well this wraps up my Saddle Up Postcards folks. Thanks for stopping by each day to join in the fun of my first adventure for 2016. Next on the calendar will be the first camping trip of the season as Splash and I travel down at Cheraw State Park to gather with 15 of our camp Dutch oven buddies for the SC DOG. Happy trails y'all.
Last year I didn't get to camp at any of the Sister on the Fly gatherings. Life and my camping schedule with Splash just got in the way. Luckily, I can keep up with the comings and goings of these gals through my Facebook groups. One of the fun things about Saddle Up this past weekend, was getting to visit with a whole bunch of these Sister Friends. I went to the SOTF event at Saddle Up three years ago and met many for the first time. In fact, a Memories photo of that weekend popped up on my Facebook timeline this morning. Here I am visiting with the Missouri boys on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, I got in a good visit with Donna, Debra, and Laura before lunch. Becky and I carried our chuck wagon plates up to the Smoochy Pooch and dined with Judy and Carol. Both days that Becky and I went over to Clabough's Campground, I snapped photos of the trailers and chatted with the Sisters. I got to meet two new T@B owners, Lee and Pam, and that was a treat! I hope to snag an invite to Fireflies and camp with these fun chicks once again. As always, thanks so much for dropping by to pick up your Postcard. Tomorrow I will be showcasing the chuck wagons and their decor. Please come back around to see the old Studebakers and their vintage cowboy decor.
Cowboys, camp cooks, and famous faces can all be found at Saddle Up. From the tips of their spurs to the crown of their Stetsons, you will feel transported to a western ranch or cattle drive as you walk around the chuckwagons. They are the faces of Saddle Up and you won't find a friendlier bunch of cowboys between here and Okahoma!
Today was chuckwagon cooking competition day for the cowboys and chuckwagon lunch for the hundreds of Saddle Up visitors like us. We got to the campground around 11 and the minute we stepped out of the truck, we smelled the grub! For an hour we strolled from chuckwagon to chuckwagon like we did yesterday, but today we walked among the cooks and the coals. We chatted with the cowboys as they cooked and we got to taste some melt-in-your-mouth ham bubbling away in a pot of beans. The dinner bells starting ringing just before high noon, folks started lining up at their chuckwagon of choice, prayers were said, and food was dished up! Becky and I ate lunch from the Red River Ranch (Kent Rollins' chuckwagon) and dined with Judy and Carol at the Smoochy Pooch. I wish y'all could have been with us to experience all the cooking, cast iron, heat from the coals, and delicious smells at each chuckwagon. Enjoy my slideshows and I'll see ya tomorrow with another Saddle Up Postcard! Kent Rollins is a cowboy, a cook, a writer. His cooking utensils of choice are found on his 1876 Studebaker chuck wagon. He cooks for friends, his wife Shannon, and for local ranchers when they work their cattle. He has made television appearances on Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Food Fighters, Chopped: Grill Masters, and Chopped Redemption. To put it simply: Cowboy Kent cooks in cast iron, I watched every one of his cooking competitions on the Food Network, I have his cookbook, and I met him today!! This day will be a hard one to top. This morning at 9:00, Becky and I went to the Pottery House Cafe to see a cooking demonstration by Kent. He walked us step by step through the process of making sourdough biscuits in a camp Dutch oven. He shared stories of his grandmother and mother teaching him how to cook and tips on making the perfect biscuit. While he was wrapping up the demo, wife Shannon passed around biscuits for everyone to taste. I quickly hopped in line to have my cookbook signed and Becky snapped our photo together! Best. Day. Ever!! As we were walking back out to the truck, I spied Iron Mountain Metal Craft and we went inside. I told the owner I was looking for something I could use as a tag on my CDOs, kinda hoping she would say they could make me something special. But the wait time on custom pieces is six months. She walked over to a glass case and pointed out something to me that she thought might work. They were keyrings with small leaves hammered out by their blacksmith. I told her I needed 8 and would she consider giving me little discount. She said that she never really liked them and I could have them for half price! Woohoo...I now have unique, one-of-a-kind tags for my Dutch ovens!! We dropped by the LeConte Center to pick up our tickets for tomorrow's chuck wagon lunch and stop by Cowboy Kent's booth. I scored a new apron (that came with a potholder), a packet of onion dip mix that I will serve at next month's SC DOG, and a container of his Original Seasonings. I will get you caught up on the rest of our day once I get back home. Thanks for letting me gush on about meeting a cast iron cooking hero and thanks for stopping by to pick up your Cooking Cowboy Postcard.
I cannot tell you how great it is to be back on the road again! After Becky's 9:40 doctor's appointment, we pointed Splish towards the Smokies and were on our way. Bec got a good report from Dr. Johnson and was able to toss the pillow that's been supporting her shoulder for a month. The sling will make this weekend of travel much easier. We pulled into the parking lot at our Econo Lodge Riverside around 2:30. I did my usual pre-trip research and found this very convenient, affordable, highly-rated motel only a mile from all our venues for Saddle Up. We are sitting right beside the Pigeon River. Splish did a stellar job of getting us here and we can keep an eye on her from our second story room. As soon as we unloaded our stuff, we headed to the Lodge Factory Outlet. I was in hopes of finding some 6 or 8-inch CDOs, but they were totally sold out. We did a little bit of shopping and I picked up some door prizes for our upcoming Dutch oven gathering in March. We stopped in the Coleman Outlet, but didn't see anything that caught our attention. We drove through the Island and located Margaritaville where we will be meeting camping friends for lunch tomorrow. Back at the room, we propped our feet up a bit. Our supper destination was Mel's Diner and we decided to walk since it was such a beautiful day. This is one of our favorite places to eat and we were both looking forward to some comfort food: a BLT for me and a fried bologna and cheese for Bec. Hey, don't judge! We are on vacation!! A shop caught Becky's eye on the stroll back and we made a quick detour. The Smoky Mountain Popcorn Co. drew her in like a magnet! When we got to the door, the sign said closed. The lady inside took one look at us and graciously let us in. Becky's eyes glazed over when she saw all the varieties, the most either one of us have ever seen. We chatted with the owner and she let us sample variety after variety. In the end, we both bought bags of Chocolate Mint Popcorn. I'm not much of a popcorn eater, but I gotta tell you, it was yummy! We just couldn't resist getting our photo snapped in a big popcorn kernel when we left. We had a good day to kick off the 2016 Postcard Season and I appreciate you dropping by. I invite you to pick up your Postcard each evening this weekend here in Pigeon Forge, TN.
Howdy friends! This long, long winter season is getting closer to its finale. Good riddance is about all I have to say about that! Becky has crested the hill on her recent rotator cuff surgery, Splash is getting prepared for her 10th camping season, and I am ready to hit the road for adventure…2016-style.
Next week is the first trip of the 2016 Postcard season. Becky and I will be heading out with Splish (her first road trip) and making our way to Pigeon Forge for Saddle Up. We are going to celebrate Tennessee cowboy culture at the 16th Annual Saddle Up! in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This event gives folks from all walks of life a chance to embrace the ways of the wild west while taking in beautiful Smoky Mountain scenery. Saddle Up in Pigeon Forge will include a chuck wagon cook-off, cowboy music and poetry, a jam-packed dance floor, and an awesome lineup chock-full of true cowboy-style entertainment! Sisters on the Fly will be there again this year and I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends. A trip to the Lodge Factory Store is on the agenda too. I am over the moon excited about seeing (and maybe meeting) my favorite cooking cowboy, Kent Rollins too! |
I am.....~ always dreaming Cool Sites...Favorite Photos!
Archives
June 2021
Visited States |