Published: December 01, 2007 11:52 pm      

Western Panhandle offers a treat for visitors

EDMOND — It was almost like a treasure hunt. We knew what we were looking for, but didn’t know how to find it. We followed the car in front of us — for miles — west of Guymon, south of Keyes, not as far as Boise City. And treasure we found — golden, crispy chicken, emerald-colored green beans, mounds of mashed potatoes like whipped alabaster — you get the idea.

Hazel Hitchings bills her home the “Chicken House.” Unlike a regular restaurant, she’s open by reservation only for groups of 10 or more. The meal comes with an entrée of the group’s choosing — maybe fried chicken or roast beef — salad, potatoes, vegetable, drinks and dessert. Prices range from $8 to $16 per person. If you happen to be in the neighborhood with nine or more of your best friends, give Hitchings a call at (580) 543-6391 and she’ll have you over for dinner. Going to Hitchings is like going to grandma’s, only you don’t have to carry your plate to the kitchen.

Finding food in the western part of the panhandle is tricky. Boise City has a couple of chain restaurants and La Mesa serves good Mexican-American food. West of there, you might have to pack a picnic!

We were headed for Kenton, the farthest northwest town in the state — and the only town in Oklahoma on Mountain Time. Bob and Jane Apple were our hosts at the Hitching Post Bed and Breakfast. I’d called Jane ahead of time to ask about dinner.

“Every Thursday night, there’s a dinner down at the senior center and you’re welcome to come with us,” she told me.

We had a great meal and a chance to meet some of the local folk.

Hitching Post accommodations range from a small cabin to a multi-bedroom house. Members of the family have been associated with this land for more than a century. Whether you’re into hiking, history, horseback riding or just enjoying the spectacular sunsets, this is a great place to go. If you want to play cowboy, and the season is right, the Apples can arrange for you to help work cattle. Ranch rides include historic spots like Robbers Roost, which once boasted a saloon with dance hall girls and a secret passage up to the top of the ridge where the baddies could watch for wagon trains on the Santa Fe Trail and caves with ancient pictographs.

I never come to this area without revisiting the dinosaur footprints. This was a saurophaganax stomping ground during the Jurassic Period — 210 to 140 million years ago. North of Kenton is a gully where some meandering monster left his or her tracks, an ancient reminder that wildlife was once a lot wilder.

Jane also can drive you up the rough road that leads to the boundary marker where Oklahoma, New Mexico and Colorado meet. When I was a child on family trips, we always had to stop at state lines to take our pictures by the signs. This is a three-fer.

Before we left town, we stopped at the Hoot Owl Ranch to visit with new friends, George and Terry Collins. Terry had prepared the meal at the senior center the night before. She and her husband have just opened a new bed and breakfast on land that also has a family history.

Kenton’s moving up in the world with three places to stay — the Hitching Post (580-261-7413, www.blackmesacountry.com), the Hoot Owl (877-226-5791, web site under development) and Black Mesa Bed and Breakfast, where Jack and I have stayed before (800-821-7204, www.bmbb1.com). All three have something special to offer. Black Mesa and Hitching Post are historic, rustic, make-yourself-at-home style. The Hoot Owl is more upscale with two new cottages featuring 500-thread count linens and spa towels.

The Hoot Owl also has improved the dinner dilemma. Terry serves dinner in a big dining hall on Friday and Saturday nights and the public is welcome. Entrees include ribeye and baby back ribs; but save room for her Chocolate Stampede — two brownies, two scoops of ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and maraschino cherries. Hoot Owl Bed and Breakfast guests also can arrange for dinner on other nights.

Birds abound in the Black Mesa area. The Hoot Owl, built down in a wooded canyon, even hosts a couple of pairs of Lewis’ woodpeckers. Nearby Black Mesa State Park and Lake Carl Etling offer refuge for migrating waterfowl and a safe haven for deer and antelope.

The area around Kenton has an eerie beauty; dark mesas floating above a sea of grass, convoluted columns of rock and banks striped with the green of copper and red of iron. Visiting this part of the state is like eating an artichoke. You have to know what you’re doing and work around the tough stuff but the result is a real treat.



ELAINE WARNER is an Edmond resident.