At about 3:30 we made out way out of the park and east through some of the most beautiful country to the little town of Silver Lake for dinner. Silver Lake sits about 100 miles from Crater Lake and 115 miles from Bend. The town is out in the desert and the restaurant, Cowboy Dining Tree, is about four miles outside of town. When we arrived, we saw a full parking lot, a prominent Tepee, and a collection of one story buildings looking like they had been pushed together to house the cowboy dining. It's rustic! Electricity is supplied by generator and all cooking is done outside on some large barbeques. Paul and Shelly Strong bought the restaurant about two years ago and are now expanding on the restaurant's attractiveness by adding accomodations and camping and soon a sheepherders wagon ride.
Why do people come from far-off to Silver Lake? The Cowboy Dining Tree provides some of the largest meals I have witnessed. We started out with lemonade or ice tea served in mason jars and a big bowl of chilled tossed salad for the four of us. You can have your salad with their ranch dressing or honey mustard. Next comes homemade rolls and a big bowl of cowboy beans. The bowl is the size of the salad bowl and you are expected to ladle it out to your party. These Cowboy Beans have a bit of fire to them and are cooked with pieces of steak meat that melts in your mouth. Then your waitress serves you a baked potato and a tenderloin that weighs somewhere between 25 and 35 ounces. The steak was done perfectly with the just faintest pinkish hue. It had been well aged and a slightly hot rub had been applied to the meat. Your wait staff keeps your mason jars full as you attempt to wrestle this steer on your plate (if you are not a steak eater, you can call ahead and Paul will put a whole chicken on the fire for you.
Rachel Wilson was our waitress, bubbling over with a joy for life, inspired by the likes of Hank Williams and Patsy Kline, she regaled us with songs from that era, when I was a kid, when my mother listened to the Grand Ole Opry. This young lady has been noticed. Soon there will be a recording party at the Cowboy Dining Tree introducing her first CD.
When you have the remaining steak tucked away for the trip home, (and I do mean tucked away. Most diners leave carrying leftovers, enough for two more dinners) out comes the Marionberry shortcake; heavy cream is available. What's the bill for this fantastic meal and the reason there were people from New Zealand there that evening? About $20 per person!
While we were waiting for dinner, a number of guests would practice calf roping on a wooden calf. After it quieted down, my friend Bill, who is a cowboy and a noted horseman, practised some on his own. You could see he had been around a lasso. He finished and we were standing there watching, when a young lady, confidently walked up to him, stuck out her chest, batted her eyes and said, "Mister, I've been watching you. Can you show me how to rope?" It's nice to know my "old" friend still has it!
For Reservation at the Cowboy Dining Tree in Silver Lake call 541-576-2426.
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