Rural roads and rampant roadkill. We’re on back roads coming north from Texas and into the eastern Colorado plains that are dotted with towns like Campo, Eads, Kit Carson and Wild Horse. And we’re in the mood for lunch and a drink – something that baffles the sweet women working the Colorado visitor center in Lamar.
“You could go to the Hickory House, but they don’t serve beer,” she says with a curious why-would-you-want-a-beer-at-noon? stare. But she has no idea of our travels. My friend Mare and I had been to the depths of two panhandles (Oklahoma and Texas) in the last few hours in our return trip from our friends’ wedding in Fort Worth, and we know the best place to soak up local flavor is the town bar and grill. (We really confused the regulars the night before at the Red Lantern Club in Dumas, Texas).
So we barrel north, slowing at each town to sense the vibe. We soon realize it’s a lot to ask, eating and drinking in one stop. So we set our sights on Limon.
As we approach the city limits, I click the iPod to an old Slim Cessna’s Auto Club record for his excellent yarn, “Limon.” “The north wind blows, saddle up and go/I’m taking the long way to Limon,” Slim sings to our delight, and he leads us into town, where we stumble upon The Southside.
The Southside (680 Main St. in Limon, 719-775-9593) is the ideal cure for what ails us – hunger pangs, cramped legs and slight hangovers. Outside a sign reads: “We’re proud of our badger,” referencing the local high school teams. A sign at the bar announces: “Rocky Mountain Oyster Feast Every Wed. Nite. $8.95. Or try them as an appetizer for $5.25.”
I ask Mare what she thinks of such a feast, but she’s interrupted by the distinctive crackle of a police scanner. I ask our attentive bartender if she likes listening to it. She gives us a half-grin and says, “No, we just like to know before they come here.” Holding my Myers’s Rum and Coke, I have to agree.
Staff writer Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-820-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
Funky: The room is massive, situated like a restaurant but with a pool table and wall- mount jukebox. Check out the wall of John Wayne paintings and the room lined with mirrors and plates.
Skunky: All lunch long: bad country music on GACTV. Are you sure Hank done it this way? Trust us, he did not.