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A dry goods shop in the 1880s and a saloon since 1907, the West Winds Tavern in Idaho Springs is a longtime locals' joint that's not unfriendly to outsiders, at least not as unfriendly as the Pagosa Bar. Looking a cross between a log cabin and a cave, there are pool tables and graybeards galore.
Other odd touches catch my eye as I savor my apres-Loveland PBR draft: a Homer Simpson doll riding a dildo behind the bar and murals of buoffant-topped rockabilly chicks on the wall, their faces obscured by Halloween masks in February.
Dr. Phil is on the TV and no music plays on the jukebox, an somewhat disconcerting combination.
"I'm kind of a hermit," says a guy down the bar.
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.
