I just got the greatest photo of Mom (Dale Evans) and Dad (Roy Rogers) standing around a backyard barbecue. Our friend, Larry Z. is the one (of course) who sent me the photo. He also asked if, “…since your Mom wasn’t a great cook, did Roy do any cooking?”

Dad wasn’t much of a cook and that is over stating things! Dad could cook eggs (his favorite food on earth) and make toast, and he could turn over hamburgers and steaks on a grill. Other than that, he ate ice cream right out of the carton, sardines right out of their can and his idea of making hot dogs was to take a dog out of the fridge, take it out of the package, and dip it end-first into a jar of mustard before consuming it.  As you can tell, he wasn’t a fussy eater.

Dad loved showing that he could, and would, eat anything that would turn most people’s stomachs. When he came back from a trip to Africa, he brought with him exotic food, chocolate covered ants and other icky things. He liked rattlesnake (or said he did) and insisted that it TASTED JUST LIKE CHICKEN!! He loved steak tartare and the stinkier the cheese the better! He loved to eat limburger cheese in the car on a rainy day when we had to have the windows rolled up!! Mom would wrinkle up her nose but Linda, Dusty and I would turn green and Dad would giggle!

This photo was taken under the carport at our ranch in Chatsworth. Mom and Dad are in their Roy Rogers Show outfits.  Cheryl

When people find out that Larry and I live in Washington City, Utah, they usually ask what brought us here.  The early in the year before Mom (Dale Evans) passed away, Bonnie Riding contacted her to see if Mom would agree to being the first woman honored at the Western Legends Roundup in Kanab.  The Roundup recognizes those men and women who worked in film and on video in and around the town of Kanab, by putting a plaque on the highway through Kanab.  Mom was thrilled, even though she only worked on a sound stage in Hollywood on that movie. “In Old Oklahoma” (now called “The War of the Wildcats”) starred John Wayne and Bruce Cabot and is now a staple on TV.  Mom played a dancehall girl named “Cuddles Walker.”

When it came time (early August) for Mom to start thinking about leaving for Kanab, she was too sick to travel. She had me contact Bonnie Riding and the festival people to let them know she just couldn’t be there. They still wanted to honor Mom, so she volunteered me to attend the ceremony and thank everyone for her award. Larry and I attended the dinner and then the awards ceremony, where I thanked everyone for Mom’s award.  They next day, we watched as a beautiful plaque, with Mom’s picture on it, was placed on the highway.

I guess that I did a good job representing Mom because, even when she passed away that next February 2001, they kept inviting Larry and me to attend their festival. The festival is still held towards the end of August and we still attend just about every year. The festival draws people from all over the world. They come to attend the festival and because Kanab is the gateway to Zion National Park and several others parks (such as Bryce Canyon and Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument).

After Mom died and the Museum closed, Larry and I were looking for a place to move to (like so many others we wanted to escape California). We remembered traveling on I-15 through the beautiful Virgin River Gorge and we thought of the nice town, St. George, you come to as you enter Utah.  The town reminded us of the San Fernando Valley when we were growing up.  The people were so friendly and the area was beautiful, with small farms, orchards and horse ranches.  Larry says that it reminds him of every John Wayne movie because of the red rocks and the beautiful mesas and mountains.

Anyway, we bought a lot and built a house. That was 15 years ago and we haven’t regretted it for a moment. This is a beautiful place to live, we have met some wonderful people and made some great friends.

Happy trails, Cheryl