Leah and I went out for dinner last night while Rachel and Kevin watched Ava. The name of the place is Devil’s Thumb Ranch, and it has a gorgeous view out over a wide mountain valley.
Rachel and Kevin had dined there the night before, and they were lucky enough to get a nice clear sky that showed off not only a fantastic sunset but a beautiful full moon.
Leah and I weren’t quite so lucky with the weather. In fact, we debated whether or not we should even make the six-mile drive to the restaurant, as the snow was blowing so hard we could barely make out the road in front of the cabin. But at last we figured we may as well try it so, we set off.
There’s a stretch of Hwy. 40 outside Fraser that crosses an area known as the Fraser Flats. There’s a stream system flowing through the area that’s home to an endangered species of frog. Seemingly unimportant information, until you realize that the local roads division won’t sand or salt Hwy. 40 when the road becomes dangerous. Last night, the road became dangerous. The couple-mile stretch we had to traverse to the turn off for the restaurant was a sheet of glare ice. Fortunately, it was a straight stretch; if there had been any curve at all in that road, we’d have been in the ditch.
Fortunately, the dinner was worth the risk. I had a Texas-raised antelope dish that was fantastic. For starters I ordered a bison and cabbage stew that was probably about the most perfect accompaniment I could imagine to the scenery we enjoyed outside the window. Dessert was a lemon tart on an oatmeal crust. It was OK. The oatmeal flavor eclipsed the lemon pretty handily, which was a shame. I like lemon.
If you ever get a chance to visit this area, I’d recommend Devil’s Thumb Ranch. Just go on a clear evening.