Category Archives: Down The Road

                            Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

 Welcome back.  It was ten years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock when Santa Fe, New Mexico was established and today it is one of the most historical places in the country. It is well documented and easy to see that American Indians, the Spanish and Anglos have all played a role in the city’s early and present day development. The history of this place along with sunsets from heaven, abundant wildlife and recreation in the mountains have drawn people here from around the world as both tourists and residents.

According to author John Sherman who lives in Santa Fe, the city was originally founded by the Spanish in 1610 and it was the northernmost outpost of the Spanish colonial frontier. Eventually the city became the capitol of Nuevo Mejico as the Spaniards called their colony. In 1846 Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny seized the city and the territory around it as property of the United States. President Taft signed a bill in 1912 that recognized New Mexico as the forty-seventh state.

I have been to Santa Fe many times. It is a place where artists find inspiration, tourists spend money, the food is wonderful and the locals are friendly. Santa Fe has been the setting for dozens of films, such as The Man from Laramie with Jimmy Stewart and it also the home to several major music and dance festivals. Osage Indian ballerina Maria Tallchief is just one of the famous performers who have appeared here. Many well known artists also bought homes in the area and there is a thriving community of singers, painters, actors and craftsman living in and around the city.

On the second leg of my travels, I will be visiting another of my favorite places in New Mexico. Dinosaurs once walked here and millions of years later the Navajo and other tribes hunted in these valleys. The early Spaniards were here also as well as rustlers and cutthroats.  Inspired by the harsh beauty of the rugged and remote country, Arthur Pack built a ranch here in the early 1900s. He later sold a small parcel of his land to artist Georgia O’Keefe who was enthralled with the landscape and had begged him relentlessly for years to buy a piece of it.

Later, during World War II, the scientists working on the A bomb stayed at the ranch for respite from their intense research at nearby Los Alamos. Since then other famous guests at the ranch have included Charles Lindbergh, Ansell Adams and John Wayne. Once called “Rancho de Brujos” or “Ranch of the Witches”, it is rumored that the land is haunted by evil spirits. For the past fifty years, the ranch has been owned by the Presbyterian Church and it has become a nationally known education and retreat center. Still as remote as ever, the center offers over 200 classes and symposia every year. The place I’m talking about is called Ghost Ranch and after camping out there on the mesa for three days, I may just come back a different man.

I may need that mental adjustment as a visit to Taos will follow with its own artists’’ community and the oldest pueblo in America. After Taos, the next stop will be Angel Fire resort which has its own history. Nowadays Angel Fire is a top notch Alpine ski resort which also offers mountain biking and golf in the warmer weather. Throughout the year they host more fun events than I’ve got room to list including festivals and competitions.Its hard to believe that in 1966 cattle were grazing on what is now a premiere destination. From Angel Fire I will be having another run in with ghosts when I check out what is going on in the most haunted spot of them all, the St. James Hotel in Cimarron. Film crews, professional ghost hunters and radio crews have all reported some sort of out-of-body experiences at the hotel lately and I’ve decided to investigate. Cimarron is also home to the Philmont Boy Scout camp so there should be plenty of help on hand if I need protection from the bogeymen.

Till next week, I’ll see ya down the road………………….

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                         Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back.  According to information published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Tutankhamen was the reigning king of all Egypt 3,200 years ago, give or take a hundred years I would imagine. The Mediterranean Sea and the mouth of the Nile River lie along the northern border of Egypt. Alexandria, Canopus and a half dozen other communities make up what is known as Upper Egypt. At the other end of the Nile, after its passage through the Nubian Desert, are the communities of Abu Simbel and Soleb. In between is the Valley of the Kings. This is the place where Howard Carter, an adventurer and archaeologist, had exhausted his personal funds and money from investors searching for the tombs of the ancient pharaohs. Then on February 17, 1923, Carter and one of his backers, the Earl of Carnarvon, opened the door to a burial chamber that made them famous.

They had discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen dating from 1134-1325 B.C. which was one of the most celebrated periods in Egyptian history. As was the custom, the young king had been buried with artwork, artifacts, jewelry and everyday objects, all of which painted a portrait both of the king’s stature and of the culture he came from. There was something else in the tomb that few know about and that I discovered.

The Nile River that was the lifeblood of the country was also the site of the very first farmers market. Yes, it is well documented from the Egyptians’ own hieroglyphics that these markets existed and now farmers markets can be found all around the world. According to a website devoted to these markets, the first farmers market in America started in the early settlement of Jamestown. Today the largest farmers market is in Tokyo with over 1,700 booths. With around forty vendors, the Bartlesville Farmers Market which is now open on Saturdays, is just a bit behind those numbers but does not lack for quality produce or friendliness. Yes, I went through three thousand years of history to encourage everyone to support your local farmers market. It’s a resource we surely don’t want to lose.

Moving from the Egyptians to the early settlers of the west, from 1830 to 1855 thousands of stolen horses were taken from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico where horses were selling at a premium. According to the history of the area, some of these thieves were Ute Indians including Chief Walkara. Along with a group of mountain men, the Utes raided many California missions. The leader of these early outlaws was Thomas L. “Peg Leg” Smith who was also considered to be the brains behind the operation. Peg Leg hadn’t always been a horse thief but after years of working as a trapper, he lost part of his leg in a gun fight. Apparently the injury changed him and he turned to the dark side. Always a tough and crafty man, many pursuing law men were left dead in ambushes along the trail that Peg Leg planned. Law abiding family men were afraid to help track the notorious bunch knowing the fate of those who had tried before them. The route from California to Santa Fe passes through deserts and mountain passes and it took several weeks to make the trip. Some of Peg Leg’s men and some of the horses weren’t tough enough to make it and they died along the way.

Ute Indian Chief Walkara continued the raids into California until his death in 1855. Peg Leg Smith, who has mostly been forgotten, was said to have gone straight after making a fortune. Travelers claim that his ghostly form can still be seen pushing horses through the mountains. Traces of these old outlaw trails are often found in remote locations northwest of Santa Fe along with occasional horse bones and fragments left by the gang. This is the area I’ll be taking you to on our next travels. If you can’t make the trip with me, stay tuned.

Till next week, I’ll see ya down the road…..

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Through a simple twist of fate I have ended up with a personal connection to the events following the 1959 revolution……

Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

 Welcome back. The date was January 1, 1959 and the hotels and nightclubs in Havana, Cuba were full. For years the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista allowed Mafia controlled gambling to flourish in the country and received generous kickbacks in return. But unbeknownst to Batista, forces led by rebel leader Fidel Castro were preparing to attack Havana and overthrow his regime. It has now been fifty-five years since Castro seized power and began to nationalize all the U.S. owned businesses and properties in the country causing most foreign nationals and many Cuban citizens to flee the country.

In 1962 the Cuban missile crisis brought the world to the edge of nuclear conflict. This crisis was followed by the U.S. led Bay of Pigs invasion, a failed attempt to overthrow Castro’s government. Since then, hard line sanctions, economic embargos and several assassination attempts have all failed to oust the communist leader. Although age and ill health finally forced him to transfer power to his younger brother Raoul in 2006, Castro remains a major force in the life and culture of Cuba.

As for Raoul, he has made important strides in reforming the Cuban economy to encourage more private enterprise and he has also worked to make the island more open to tourism. However his efforts are hampered by a crumbling infrastructure and a lack of capital to make needed improvements to transportation and utility networks. Diplomatic relations with the United States remain cool and Americans are not allowed to travel to Cuba freely.

You could say that my connection to this story started twenty-two years with a chance encounter on the north shore of Long Island Sound but in fact this tale began years before.  In the late 1940s and 50s tourism in Cuba was thriving and Havana was one of the most popular vacation destinations for north Americans. It was a paradise for the wealthy with fantastic beaches, historic architecture and beautiful hotels and private clubs. The biggest stars of the time performed in nightclubs like Tropicana where the floor shows were legendary.

The construction business was booming as well both on land and at sea. In addition to new buildings, dredging in Havana harbor went on all through the daylight hours in order to expand the harbor for a growing cruise ship business and private yachts. Many of the contractors were U.S. citizens who were long time residents on the island and who had been encouraged to move there and make investments under the protection of the U.S. government.

One of these contractors was Robert McArdle who had moved to Cuba when he was 18 to begin working with his uncle who was a marine contractor. Eventually McArdle bought out his uncle’s business and expanded his work to other islands in the Caribbean and the coasts of Florida and south America. McArdle loved living in Cuba and made many investments there including the purchase of a small farm in the countryside overlooking the city of Havana. He had every expectation of remaining on the island until his death but his plans came apart that night in 1959. Although he managed to stay in Havana for about a year after the revolution, he was eventually forced to leave. Armed soldiers came to his apartment and took him to the airport where he boarded a plane for Miami with only a suitcase of clothes and a typewriter. He spent the rest of his life in New York City, waiting for the day he could return to his beloved Cuba. A reparations claim was filed with the U.S. government and like many others he was promised a settlement when normal diplomatic relations were restored with Cuba. When McArdle died in 1972 that day seemed far away and it still does.

Now comes the interesting part. I have been asked by some of his relatives to visit Cuba with the goal of determining the status of his farm and other interests. An interesting assignment and I’ll keep you apprised of developments.

On the local front, we lost a piece of Bartlesville history with the passing of Delmer Garrett who I just learned died on November 7^th.  Delmer was one of the few remaining people who knew the outlaw Henry Wells. As a boy, Delmer used to sit on his lap and listen to Henry’s stories about robbing trains and hanging out with Frank Phillips. In one famous adventure, Henry had warned Frank that Pretty Boy Floyd planned to kidnap him and Henry was part of a shoot-out that spoiled the gang’s plans. Delmer was a blood relative of Henry’s and I heard many of these stories when I worked with him at Dunlap Construction in the early 1970s. He was a construction superintendent for the company and worked on many landmark projects in the community, including the airplane room addition at Woolaroc, Mnich’s Grocery (now United Foods) and the private homes of several Phillips executives. I could say much more but I’ll end with “if there was ever a man that everyone liked it was Delmer Bryl Garrett”.

Till next week, I’ll see ya down the road………………….

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I have been traveling and have not been able to post anything while I was on the road. Hope you enjoy this update to the Whitey Bulger story- a verdict is expected soon.

Welcome back. Although the closing arguments of Whitey Bulger’s trial, which I attended, concluded Monday, today I’m in New York City following another unsolved murder case.

Throughout the Bulger trial I met and visited with dozens of victims, lawyers and special FBI agents and investigators assigned to the case so this week I’m bringing you my impressions of the proceedings.

The FBI called it “Operation Lobster” and much of the work was done by the C-3 unit which is the organized crime squad of the Boston FBI. During the days I spent sitting in the courtroom (via TV in an adjacent room) agents like Joseph Kelly and Robert Fitzpatrick told stories about the corrupt FBI agents and Boston policemen who were on Whitey’s payroll. Murder, extortion and drug dealing were all mentioned, along with kidnapping and money laundering. The Winter Hill gang which Whitey ran from the late ‘60s until he eluded capture and went on the lamb in 1994, ran the Boston crime scene.

In the recently released book “The Rifleman” by author Howie Carr, Whitey’s longtime partner in crime, Steve “the Rifleman” Flemmi describes how he and many other members of the Winter Hill Gang killed and disposed of more than 50 people. Their murder victims weren’t just fellow criminals; anyone who stood in their way would get wacked. People were shot, strangled and even bombed. Gang members went as far as pulling people’s teeth out to torture them before death and prevent their identification.

The gang stopped at nothing to control their territory. A brave man, Carr himself had been threatened numerous times before the publication of his books about the Winter Hill Gang including “The Brothers Bulger.”

On the stand the special agents also told about the informants they developed to infiltrate the gang. The informants were given secret code names such as P1 and P2 to protect them but because of corrupt cops many of the informants were killed anyway. Agent John Connolly, now spending 40 years in a Florida prison, set up many of these victims to meet their deaths.

Steve Davis, whose sister Debra was Flemmi’s longtime girlfriend, told me several stories about Whitey that will be included in a documentary that is coming out soon about the gang. Debra was choked to death by Whitey and Flemmi and her younger sister Michelle was raped by Flemmi. Michelle was a minor at the time and later committed suicide.

Steve was in the courtroom everyday during the trial and he and I visited several times. I am working on a piece about everything Steve and his family have been through which should be done soon and you won’t want to miss it.

I also had the chance to speak with Whitey’s lawyer, J.W. Carney, Jr. whom I met in the parking lot of the federal courthouse where the trial was being held. The question on everyone’s mind was whether or not Whitey would take the stand. Carney told me it would be Whitey’s decision alone and by now the whole world knows he decided not to testify.

On Friday, which was the last day of testimony, Carney called John Martorano to the stand. Martorano is another associate of Whitey’s who had previously been convicted of 20 other murders. He testified that Flemmi told him he had choked Debra Davis although in previous testimony Flemmi had said that Whitey strangled her in front of him.

Other witnesses testified about the boatloads of marijuana that the gang had brought into Boston, receiving a million dollars for each load. Their trafficking in cocaine reportedly brought Whitey himself $10,000 a week.

Another dramatic piece of testimony was expected from former Bulger associate Patrick Nee who could have revealed additional details about the gang’s murderous activities. Because Nee had his own problems with the law, U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper ruled that he could the Fifth Amendment to avoid incriminating himself during cross examination by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak and he did.

Following Monday’s closing arguments dozen’s of reporters await the jury’s ruling which as of today has not yet been announced. Next week more on Whitey and my mission to New York.  Till then I’ll see ya down the road…

P.S. I have just learned that my friend Rubyane Burkhart Surritte’s recipe for Blue Ribbon Pecan Pie is featured in this month’s issue of Saveur Magazine. Check it out!

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I’m happy to report that  as of today The Shock is now on a 2 game winning streak…

Welcome back.  As we experience life’s adventures its always fun to find a surprise. On Thursday night while I was in downtown Tulsa researching a story about The Summit Club, I decided to take in a WNBA game at the BOK Center.  The Summit Club is located on the top three floors of the Bank of America building and its just a three block walk over to the Center.  I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining the game was and thought a report would be appropriate. Even if you’re not a basketball fan or don’t follow women’s basketball you need to check this out and here’s a few reasons why:

First the building; the BOK Center is fan friendly. It’s beautiful on the outside and once you’re inside its just the right size so you don’t feel overwhelmed by the space. When I walked around I didn’t see a bad seat in the house. The fun started with the pre-game activities led by the Shock’s mascot called the “Volt!” A live wire in a fox suit, this mascot is a volt of energy who performs non stop acrobatics along with three sidekicks all dressed in black. Even though on this night the Shock lost to the Los Angeles Sparks there was no let up in the Volt’s antics.

This side trip to the game had been put together in a hurry and turned out to be the highlight of the day. When I found out that the Shock was playing the powerful Minnesota Lynx on Saturday night I knew I’d be back. The Lynx won the WNBA championship two years ago and with two Olympic team players on their roster they were in the finals last year too. I wanted to be there to see if the Shocks team would have the strength to overcome this challenge. The Shocks’ roster includes Elizabeth Cambage, the 6’8” first year player from Australia and the newly acquired 6’4” Courtney Paris whom many of you may remember playing for Oklahoma. You throw in Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins whose name is all over the college record books, Candice Wiggins, the star from Stanford and Regina Williams from Miami, Florida and I was hoping for a home court win.

I’ll move the clock forward and if you follow women’s basketball you know it didn’t happen but the Shock did give it a go. Looking ahead I see nothing but good things happening for the Tulsa Shock team and I will be back this season. A celebrity sighting report from the game found Notre Dame’s head coach Muffet McGraw in attendance giving away autographed photos from Notre Dame. Kids and adults lined up courtside to meet and have their picture taken with this coaching legend.

Oklahoma City Thunder stars Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb were also courtside and made themselves available to visit with fans. There was another soon to be super celebrity in Oklahoma at the game I want to mention and here’s this week’s scoop: According to her official bio the Lynx’s 5’10” Monica Wright is from Woodbridge, VA and played college ball at the University of Virginia. She was ACC Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year and also won national defensive player of the year. In addition Monica was the 2^nd overall draft pick in 2010 and if you haven’t already heard she’s engaged to Oklahoma City Thunder player and past NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant.

Kevin was in China on a promotional tour for Nike but I did get a chance to speak with Monica briefly at the game. I understand that Kevin has recently purchased a huge dwelling in OKC to call home. I’m predicting that this new power couple will have a huge positive influence in Oklahoma in the coming years.

I’ll wrap up this basketball update with the schedule for the Shock’s remaining home games in July. On Friday night they will be playing the Connecticut Sun. Then on July 21^st it’s the Atlanta Dream and Thursday July 25^th it’s the Indiana Fever. The Shock are about a third of the way through their season and for such a short drive I can’t think of anything more fun. Tickets are cheap and the food in the BOK Center is worth saving your appetite for.

Up next week it’s the start of a four part series. Back in the early 1900s the rich and famous built some fabulous summer homes in Newport, RI and I’ll be taking you there with me for a tour. Then it’s on to the north shore of Long Island and a train trip to New York City. Till then I’ll see ya down the road……

P.S. I owe Jay McKissock and Overlees Woods an apology for calling the Primo grill that they sell an “Egg” which was a mistake. Check out the Primo- made in America, it’s a unique cooker that several of my friends own and love.

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A few recipes from Buffalo Dale’s kitchen:

Welcome back.  While there are many T.V. shows and cookbooks which focus on outdoor cooking with grilling season in full swing I thought I might share a few of my favorite recipes and cooking tips.  My experience goes back to 1994 when I operated “Smoklahoma”, a roadside meat smoking business along Route 1 in Connecticut.  I served sandwiches and custom smoked meats at a time when there were very few BBQ and smoked meat joints in the East.

This would make me somewhat of an expert and I have heard around town that the “Primo” is a cooker that is making waves as “the grill” to have. A guy who would know all about that is Jay McKissock out at Overlees-Woods. They have been selling them for several years and Jay can tell you if the Primo is right for your style of cooking. I have eaten some food prepared on a Primo and I can tell you it was very good.

As for myself, nowadays I use a Hasty Bake grill that I was lucky enough to get at an estate sale in like new condition. Many of you are probably familiar with Hasty Bakes since they are made right here in Oklahoma. I like the combination of smoking and grilling that this cooker offers in a compact size. My favorite thing to cook out is a simple T-bone steak, preferably locally raised and cut ¾ to 1” thick. I marinate it in Allegra marinating sauce for several hours, adding a light coating of black pepper and garlic powder when I flip the steak to marinate the other side. While the steak is marinating I prepare cabbage, corn, peppers, onions and any number of other seasonal vegetables, smoking them in foil with butter until tender which usually takes at least an hour. Then I sear the steaks on the grill to seal in the juices, smoke them for a short while until they are close to done. Finally I put them back onto some high heat for the last few minutes of cooking.  With a little bread warmed in the smoker and maybe a green salad you have the perfect meal. I like to serve the food right off the grill and eat under a nearby shade tree. I use apple or pear wood because we happen to have a few of those trees on our property but other woods such as hickory work well too.

Allegra marinating sauce works well on hamburger too. I usually put the meat in a large bowl with a small amount of the sauce depending on how much meat you have. You don’t want the meat to be runny because it needs to be able to keep its shape. Stir in some garlic powder, pepper and chopped onions, then make your patties. I generally smoke these a little while too before putting them right on the heat. Allegra makes many types of marinades but my choice is the “original.”

Another favorite recipe of mine is one I picked up on a friend’s ranch a while back.

First lightly grill some good tender pieces of steak and then take some large Anaheim peppers. Cut each pepper down the middle and stuff with pieces of the meat and longhorn cheese. Wrap each pepper in two strips of bacon, season and finish cooking in the oven on 375 degrees until the bacon is crisp. I always plan on at least two peppers per person when I’m having a party because it’s hard to eat just one of these.

When I’m cooking cabbage I take out the core and put two beef bouillon cubes and garlic powder in the center and fill with butter. Wrap each cabbage in foil so you can periodically open it and put it in the smoker for a least an hour or two depending on the size of the cabbage. For a spicier variation add a chopped jalapeno pepper before you put in the butter. Its good warmed up the next day to

Even though it’s not Thanksgiving my favorite special occasion dessert is still pecan pie. This easy (and fail safe) recipe for Creole Pecan Pie comes from Gourmet magazine:

Cream ¼ cup butter with ½ cup of sugar. Beat in 3 eggs, 1 cup of dark corn syrup and

1 ¼ cup of chopped pecans.  Pour the filling into an unbaked pie crust and bake for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Reduce oven to 300 degrees and bake for another 30-35 minutes until the filling is set and the crust is browned.

Serve warm with ice cream and/or whipped cream and soon you’ll look like Buffalo Dale.

Summer cooking in Oklahoma is truly an art with many hundreds of favorite recipes and just as many cooks to go with them. This art is not just limited to steaks and chicken either. And cooks on the east coast love outdoor cooking as much as we do but their choice of foods is a little unfamiliar to us.

More on that soon but first coming up next week it’s my time as Dr. Gopi Vasudevan gives me a look over, or should I say a look into. Colonoscopy- the word bothers me but not the process. Look for a photo to come- Till next time I’ll see ya down the road…..

P.S. If you’re looking for pecans in July, I understand that Green Country Pilot Club has some great ones still available. Call Cheryl at (918) 333-7719 for more info.

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