Buffalo Bill on the State Highway

Martina and I took a ride out into the country yesterday. We stopped for a bite at a restaurant on the side of the state highway where we met a dead ringer for Buffalo Bill. The retired gentleman definitely looked the part. He wore a Van Dyke beard and kept his hair long beneath his cowboy hat. His jacket was the color of buckskin, and he wore a red bandanna around his neck. He was gregarious and good-natured and enjoyed swapping tales.

He talked about the outlaws in West Texas in the Big Bend country where he lived. He talked about a time when there was so little rain that even the cacti died. He told us about doing business in Fredericksburg and Ingram and Austin. After chewing the fat with him for half of the afternoon, Martina and I got into the car and headed toward home.

As we were leaving, Martina said, "I think we just met Gus McCrae." In speech and in spirit the man was just that. He was the Gus McCrae of Lonesome Dove. He was the man we both imagined while reading the book. Meeting such a colorful character made our afternoon. It's not every day that you meet a man that looks like Buffalo Bill and talks like Gus McCrae. It was a fine day in Texas.