Seconds With Steff

I love researching trips… William Frederick Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, is one of those people I thought I had filed correctly in my brain, and then I actually read about him and realize the story is way more complicated. Born in Iowa in 1846, he grew up on the Great Plains, and by fourteen was riding for the Pony Express. From there he became an Army scout, a buffalo hunter for the railroads, and eventually a full‑blown celebrity thanks to his Wild West Show… a massive touring spectacle that crisscrossed the U.S. and Europe and even played Madison Square Garden.

The part nobody really talks about is the contradiction: Cody helped hunt the buffalo to near extinction during the slaughter of the 1870s, but then spent the back half of his life trying to save the very animal he helped wipe out. He used his fame to push early conservation, support breeding programs, and shift public opinion at a time when there were only about a thousand bison left on the entire continent.

He spent his later years at Scout’s Rest Ranch in North Platte, Nebraska, which we visited this morning… because as Hunter told me yesterday …out of nowhere … “I’ve always wanted to see Bufallo Bill.” Sometimes, I research with him too well…

Hunter had a big request for today… he wanted to stop at Ole’s Big Game Steak House. Ole Herstedt once pitched a baseball game for $50, but when no one could pay, he was given a walnut bar originally built for the Plains Hotel in Cheyenne.As rumors of Prohibition ending began to swirl, he readied to open the bar in 1933 in his parents’ building on Main Street. A true “manly‑man” bar where even the waitresses weren’t always allowed in at times.

Hunting was his passion. In 1938 he mounted a white‑teal buck to the bar wall. Over the next 35 years, he hunted on every continent, bringing back a moose from Canada, a black bear from Alaska, a red fox from England, a python from Honduras, and even a polar bear from Russia. All still hang in the bar today.

At 87, Ole planned to sell the collection, but a local man in his twenties asked to buy the entire business — trophies, walnut bar, everything — exactly as Ole built it. Ole agreed.

The new owner made it family‑friendly but kept its soul. He left the worn upholstery, kept Ole’s original touches, and even left Marilyn Monroe’s photo right where Ole hung it. It’s no longer just a watering hole, but it’s still unmistakably Ole’s.

We made our way out of North Platte and stopped at Buffalo Bill’s Scouts Ranch. The state park opens at sunrise, so we were able to walk around right away. We got lucky because the barn— which absolutely should not have been open— happened to be unlocked. I think there was an engagement photo shoot going on, but nobody said a word, so we wandered through it and took amazing pictures. It’s stunning… truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The house is gorgeous. I didn’t need to go inside, nor did I really want to… just being there was enough.

But I swear to God… this is the trip where absolutely nothing goes right.

The only thing Hunter wanted to do on this entire trip was go to one specific restaurant in Nebraska. Ole’s. Fantastic. Opens at 9 a.m. We get there about twenty minutes early… perfect. All is right with the world.

Then I look at my phone… It’s not 8:40…. It’s 7:40.

Not only do I have to wait an hour and twenty minutes… but the hour I was supposed to gain today, I now lose by sitting in front of a restaurant that doesn’t open for an hour and twenty minutes. So the hour that we gained, we instantly lost…

And yet… breakfast was absolutely delicious. The experience was amazing. I wound up talking to an employee who had incredible stories, including one about how Cabela’s ended up with all their taxidermy animals. Supposedly the owner came into Ole’s looking for a fishing reel her father made… saw all the taxidermy… and got the inspiration for Cabela’s displays. At least that’s what she’s been told.

Potter Sundry is super old and famous for the Tin Roof Sundae — named for the sound the Spanish peanuts make when they hit the plate. It just closed last month, supposedly for a management change, and I was genuinely sad we weren’t going to get to try the original Tin Roof Sundae. But when we walked up to the door, Hunter just… walked right in. Two women were inside cleaning. They’re reopening with new management soon. I’m thrilled the business will continue.

Then there’s the Visitor Center & Historic Potter State Bank Building at 327 Chestnut — one of the oldest buildings in town. It used to house the original Potter State Bank (different charter from the current one), before the bank moved one lot down the Lincoln Highway and built the brick building that’s now the Potter Public Library. This little building is considered one of the three in town that have “traveled the Lincoln Highway.” It’s been a print shop, an arcade, a senior center… everything. Now it’s public restrooms and a visitor information center, fully ADA compliant and famously known as having some of the cleanest bathrooms on Interstate 80 and the Lincoln Highway. We can confirm — spotless.

We also stopped at the Service Station at 947 Sherman Street, the only angled commercial building in Potter. It’s been a revolving door of businesses over the years, but it started life in 1932 as a gas and service station. It’s changing hands again, and the new owners are in the have turned it into Chuckaboo Station.

We continued on our way with a pretty easy drive—nothing major to see, so I am going to put the random pictures here:

Finally arriving somewhere early enough to actually do things, we hit the ground running.

First stop: Bronx Pizza across the street from the hotel. I told Hunter the only way to know if it was legit was to walk in and ask for a slice. Depending on the reception, we’d know. Sure enough… we got a slice. The owner is supposedly from the Bronx. I don’t know what he thought of me, but they were nice enough… and the pizza was actually really freaking good. I was impressed.

And a picture of The Lincoln Theater

Then we went over to the Cheyenne Depot Plaza …

We explored the historic train depot and museum. It’s small, but absolutely packed with history, the kind of place where every corner has something worth reading. And upstairs they have a miniature train exhibit that is wildly impressive — way more detailed and elaborate than you’d ever expect in a town museum.

We stopped to see Big Boy 4004, and honestly… nothing prepares you for how huge this thing is. It’s one of only eight Big Boys left in the entire world, and standing next to it feels like standing beside a steel skyscraper that somehow learned to move. The wheels are taller than Hunter, the boiler stretches longer than a house, and the whole thing looks like it could wake up and thunder down the tracks at any moment.

Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4004 is one of the largest steam engines ever built — 132 feet long, over a million pounds, and towering higher than a house. It hauled freight over the brutal grades between Cheyenne and Ogden until 1958, then was moved to Holliday Park in 1963. Seeing it up close, you instantly understand why it’s one of Cheyenne’s most iconic landmarks and an essential stop for anyone following the Lincoln Highway or the history of the Transcontinental Railroad.

It’s impossible not to feel small standing next to it… and impossible not to be amazed.

We headed over to the Frontier Days Museum, which is packed with more history than you’d ever expect from a place its size. Frontier Days itself is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo… ten days of parades, concerts, competitions, and absolute chaos, so the museum is basically a love letter to all of that.

But what completely stopped me in my tracks was Lane Frost’s High School Bull Rider World Champion Saddle from 1982. Lane Frost was one of the most iconic bull riders in rodeo history. He grew up in a rodeo family, started competing young, and by his early twenties he was already a superstar. In 1987 he won the PRCA World Championship, becoming one of the most recognizable faces in the sport.

Lane died in 1989 at Cheyenne Frontier Days after a ride on the bull Takin’ Care of Business — a moment that changed rodeo safety forever. His death led to major improvements in protective gear and rider protocols, and his legacy still shapes the sport today.

And of course I know all of this because Luke Perry played him in the movie 8 Seconds — but still, I know. And honestly, that movie is widely regarded as the classic bull‑riding biographical drama. It’s basically the definitive film about professional bull riding.

After the museum, we headed over to The Albany for dinner — a place that started in the 1870s as a little frontier curio shop for train travelers, complete with a tiny hotel tucked inside. By 1905 it had become Hotel Becker, one of Cheyenne’s newest “Magic City” hotels, with private baths and a restaurant meant to compete with the Inter Ocean down the street. Then came the wild part: in 1910 the railroad needed more space… so they literally lifted the entire hotel and moved it forty‑four feet. People placed bets on whether it would survive. It did — not a single brick lost — and reopened as Hotel Albany, eventually adding The Albany Bar and even serving as a Trailways bus station for years. And today, I started teaching Hunter how to sit at a bar. The bartender was fantastic, checked his ID, and Hunter proudly ordered… a water. He did great. I also got to talk to a great couple traveling the country from Florida… taking their time and making their way.

After a delicious dinner, we went back to the hotel and headed downstairs for a drink. The bartender again asked Hunter for his ID… and again he ordered a water. Consistency is key.

Unreliable Summary~ Taxidermy, no ice cream, lots of steak