Saturday, March 22, 2008

Oysters from the Land-Locked State

First off, I'd just like to say how much you guys all rock! Seriously, you're the best family/friends/acquaintances/total strangers a girl could ever ask for. I'm blessed.

Just had to get that out there. Okay ... moving on.

I joined the Photography Fellowship at my church. ("Fellowship" is Christianese for "Club.") Anywho, I've been looking for ways to get more involved at church and even though this isn't serving the church, per se, I like photography so I decided to check it out.

Now this group is just getting started. They meet once a month to share photography techniques, good shooting locations, and give photo critiques. Also at this meeting they decide where the monthly field trip will be. Today was my first field trip.

I convinced my friend Melissa (who also happens to like photography) to come along, despite the early departure time. We were going to Paint Mines Park. Now I've lived here in Southern Colorado for most of my life and never heard of Paint Mines Park. It is apparently located just east of Calhan. (That fact alone should have tipped us off right there as to what type of field trip we were in for.) Calhan = Cowtown

After driving for an hour, we arrived at the park entrance. Here's a picture.
Yeah, that's what we thought too.

So we set off on the trail in the icy cold wind, hoping that something cool and picture-worthy would magically appear. We walked. And walked. And walked. And froze. And walked some more. Finally, we arrived at the Paint Mines. (This picture does no justice to how cold it was.)

Melissa was too cold to take pictures. I took a few. But every picture we took very closely resembled the one before, so we decided to leave early. Figuring as Calhan is an authentic western small town, it had to have a diner, right? We were picturing a cute little place named Margie's with checkered curtains, decorations straight out of the 1950's and Margie serving us never-ending coffee and a home-cooked breakfast.

What we found was Taste Buds.

Although it lacked the nostalgic diner feel, it was warm and the food was good. We ate breakfast and defrosted.

As we were leaving, I noticed the sign of daily specials. Notice Saturday's special.
Melissa, not being from the west, had never heard of Rocky Mountain Oysters. I very eloquently described it to her as "bull's balls." Mmmmmmmm ... All-U-Can-Eat.

Gross.

On that note, Happy Resurrection Day!

P.S. If anyone has actually eaten Rocky Mountain Oysters, I'm curious what they are like. Do share.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have the RM Oysters. We have lefse and lutefisk. Lefse is edible. Lutefisk, on the other hand, should be outlawed.

My dad ordered RM Oysters at The Hungry Farmer (remember that barn restaurant on Garden of the Gods?) one time. Tim at them. He said they were kind of like calamari. I was so horrified that my dad would even order it (it was a reproductive organ so that made it immediately embarrassing) that I wouldn't try it.

I'm sure The Boy will have something to say about this.

Christer said...

First of all, sick, heck no, and what are you crazy!?

I wouldn't eat a bull ball if you paid me. I may be a native Colorad...oen...ian...uh Colorado-person, but no thank you I'll pass.

That Tim must have a stronger stomach than me. It probably wouldn't be the taste ... or the texture ... it's the thought that makes me gag. Sorry, but as Carolyn mentioned, the "bull ball" is involved in the reproductive process. IT AIN"T FOR FOOD as far as I'm concerned.

Beck, you should ask The Pioneer Woman about this. She's very fond of 'Calf Nuts' as she calls them, and blogs about 'em frequently.

On second thought though, it is kind of comforting knowing that there is a place where I could go to get all I could eat bull balls on a Saturday should I feel the sudden urge...

blissfullykrissy said...

all i can say is that you provided me with much needed comic relief tonight and for that i thank you.
:)

Anonymous said...

Don't knock 'em till you try 'em. The Hungry Farmer served some very good ones...cut into strips, batter fried, with a nice dipping sauce. We've met some people (your age) here in FT Wayne, originally from Eastern Colorado that have them a couple times a year. Maybe we can coincide a visit from you and the Lock's Ball Bash!
HAHAHAHAHA Sue (Tim's Mom)

Becky said...

They have a Ball Bash??! Ok, that's just straight up SICK.

Unknown said...

The Paint Mines are really awesome! There is another part of them you can go to or at least used to be able to go to that is not part of the park, it is so beautiful down there. I have done some freelance photography; at the Paint Mines I have done senior pictures and modeling pictures.
Armin

melissa said...

beck, i am cracking up!!! this is officially my favorite post!!

(i think i'll just operate on faith that there is some undiscovered beauty somewhere in the paint mines.... :)

Unknown said...

Melissa and Becky...next time Emily and I are in Colorado Springs in the summer we will have to show you where the beautiful part of the paint mines are.