Three Amigos
I received a message from a friend that led to a trip to Lincoln, New Mexico, that will be a great memory for me and two of my best buddies from the Old Farts Baseball Club (OFBC). Now you're asking, "What's this OFBC?"
A few years ago, I met Gary Herron, then the Sports Editor of the Rio Rancho Observer newspaper. I had written a short story about meeting my childhood hero, Mickey Mantle, as a fourteen-year-old kid, and then I was able to see him eight years later, and Mickey remembered me. This story was published at least six times, and Gary saw it in Sports Collectors Digest. He contacted me for an interview and an article in the Observer. The interview led Gary and I to become friends. We, along with two other fellows named Joe, started the OFBC.
Gary contacted me last week and asked if I had seen Ollie Reed’s article in the Albuquerque Journal newspaper about a lady (Amy Gauthier) who was renovating the famous Ellis Store in Lincoln, New Mexico, from "Billy the Kid" fame. I had not. But I immediately read the article, and we, along with Steve Dietzel, another member of the OFBC, decided we had to attend the Open House event scheduled for Saturday, July 13th. We piled into my car and
drove the 200 miles to Lincoln.
I was also so happy to see how excited and interested my baseball buddies were during the trip. Of course, we started at the Ellis Store, where Amy hosted Bob Boze Bell of True West Magazine and Paul Hutton, an iconic Western historian and former History Professor at the University of New Mexico. We toured the store and met several folks, including Bob, Paul, and Ollie Reed. Amy has done a wonderful job restoring the store and creating a Bed and Breakfast where folks can immerse themselves in history.
We walked the quarter mile of historical buildings when we left the store. Some are now museums telling the story of the Lincoln County War, the part played by Billy the Kid, and others are etched in the story of the old West. After seeing what we could see, it was time for a quick lunch, and we were off to visit a cemetery where some of the characters we had learned about were buried. Then we drove to White Oaks, New Mexico. It's a small community but full of history. What makes it famous today is the "No Scum Allowed Saloon," where on weekends, you'll find it full of members of motorcycle clubs, car clubs, and folks just out for a drive.
We had dinner at “The Owl Café” in San Antonio, New Mexico. This iconic place with its Owl Burger has fed many hungry travelers since shortly after World War Two. The fourth generation of the family that started the Owl now runs the place. With our "tummies" full, we headed straight home, and the trio agreed that we had new, precious memories that we would love to share.
I'll be in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this weekend for the Working Ranch Cowboy Association rodeo and in Duncan, Oklahoma, on July 27th for the Day of the Cowboy celebration at the Chisolm Trail Heritage Center. I hope to see you there.
Happy Trails,
Joe