Wyoming Updates

Watching Waterfalls

You want to know where it comes from and where it’s going. It is sometimes whipped to whiteness. Clean and cool. Wet and soothing. We marvel at cascading blasts and trickling streams. There may be the desire to remove footgear and soak. Find your own waterfalls in Wyoming this summer. Soak away. Here are just three of the hundreds of choices:

Popo Agie Falls, Sinks Canyon State Park (west-central Wyoming, near Lander) – Popo Agie is pronounced Po-PO-zsha. The name comes from the Crow Indians and means “tall grass river.” A relatively painless 2.5 mile hike to the falls opens to quiet wilderness almost immediately. Early morning treks will most surely result in numerous creature views such as moose or mule deer. A unique downriver feature is Sinks Canyon where the river vanishes (sinks) into a large limestone cavern and re-emerges (rise) half a mile downstream in a calm, trout-filled, pool. Further information can be obtained via the visitor center located near the “sinks and rise.” The center is open Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends, 9 to 6 daily. Find more at: wyoparks.state.wy.us/scslide.htm
For hiking details about Popo Agie Falls contact the Washakie Ranger District, Shoshone National Forest: www.fs.fed.us/r2/shoshone/districts/washakie.htm.

Garden Creek Falls, Casper Mountain (five miles south of Casper) – Drive Casper Mountain Road to Garden Creek Road and land in the picnic area/gravel parking lot. Short hikes lend their way to clear streams and plenty of clean mountain air. Sit on the rocks and take in the sights and sounds. Many local artists interpret the secluded falls on canvas. A fire in 2006 scorched much of the western side of the mountain where Jackson Canyon is a resting place for a large population of bald eagles. State Audubon Society offices are located on Garden Creek Road. The outdoor environment center offers hands-on learning programs: www.audubonwyoming.com. The mountain’s luscious Beartrap Meadow hosts an outdoor music festival each July. For a complete look at the Casper area go to: www.casperwyoming.info.

Brooks Creek Falls, Togwotee (TOE-gah-tee) Pass (twenty five miles west of Dubois) – Park in Falls Campground and take a short hike on the trail that starts at the campground. This is an especially great spot to soak your feet on a summer day. There are hugely impressive views of Pinnacle Buttes along the opposite side of the main road (US Hwy 26/287). The beautiful Brooks Lake nearby offers remote camping and quiet canoeing. A number of lodges and guest ranches spread across the vicinity. For more go to: www.windrivercountry.com and click on “Dubois” – pronounced DOO-boyce.

Ranch Hand & Rodeo Chocolate Maker

He arrived in Wyoming to participate in the saddle bronc riding event at the Cody Nite Rodeo (nightly June through August) and now runs “Meeteetse Chocolatier” in a hundred-year-old mercantile set along the wooden sidewalks of tiny Meeteetse (mah-TEET-see), about 25 miles south of Cody. Tim Kellogg also helps out at a cattle ranch operation west of town and loves everything about those chores even though quite a clean up is often required before donning his apron and stirring Belgian chocolate. His brownie “rinds” have become a cult favorite but there are all sorts of truffles along with many other deliciously adorned choco-chunks. An old-time soda fountain first alerts visitors to the store’s especially western atmosphere. Tim is carrying on the legacy of his grandmother and admits beyond handmade chocolate he isn’t much of a cook. But oh the chocolate! It is better than a cold beer on the Fourth of July. Give it a try: www.meeteetsechocolatier.com. Make Tim a must stop on your way to or from the Cody Nite Rodeo which breaks for the annual Cody Stampede (July 1-4), and starting this year Xtreme Bulls (June 30), over the Independence Day holiday: www.codystampederodeo.com or www.yellowstonecountry.travel.

A few of the other really good food and rodeo combinations across the Cowboy State are:

· The three, free pancake feeds during Cheyenne Frontier Days (July 20-29): www.cfdrodeo.com

· Kronski’s (locally made garlic sausages) from the European Food Market and burgers from Grubb’s in Rock Springs during Wyoming’s Big Show – the Sweetwater County Fair – July 26 - August 5. www.sweetwaterevents.com and www.tourwyoming.com

· Rocky Mountain Snacks (naturally cooked and thick-sliced potato chips) – Dill, Honey BBQ or Salt & Pepper are three favorites –crunched in combination with the Friday night small town summer amateur rodeo series in Pine Bluffs. www.cheyenne.org or call: 307.632.3626

Pryor Horses Home

Double click image to watch video (35 seconds)A uniquely marked (dorsal and tiger striped) band of small horses roam the high country landscapes near Big Horn Canyon Recreation Area along the Wyoming-Montana border. Starting this summer, a visitor center/museum – long sought by interested residents of nearby Lovell, Wyoming – will open to the public. A small log building is being completed as a starting point on the 12-acre site that is eventually expected to feature a 16,000 square foot center. Many locals consider the fewer than 150 strong Pryor Mountain herd family and therefore most have adopted names such as Pierre, Lakota, and Cloud. A cadre of experts in the field believes blood testing has proven the animals to be descendants of Spanish Colonial horses.

“The special Spanish characteristic markings of the Pryor herd are unique, and if lost, cannot be replaced,” notes Linda Coates-Markle, wild horse specialist with the Bureau of Land Management. The new center is designated a public, not-for-profit educational institution, and will provide visitors detailed knowledge of wild mustang history. A starter building is scheduled to open mid-to-late June and fund raising for the new center is ongoing. Visit: www.pryormustangs.org for more details. Media contact person is Kathy Johnsey at: mustang00@tctwest.net.

Meet Us at The Mint

No coins were actually minted here but many were in play during the heyday of gambling (slot machines, roulette and gaming tables) in the rear of The Mint Bar, in downtown Sheridan. The Mint is celebrating its 100th year of continuous swashbuckling in 2007. It stayed open, albeit quietly, during the Prohibition Era and then turned it up a notch or three afterward. Cowboys have been known to duck under the front door on horseback to “cut mad antics” in the words of Teddy Roosevelt.

Acclaimed film director Ang Lee made a Mint visit a few years ago in preparation for his cowboy epic Brokeback Mountain. One wall is covered with ranch and rodeo photos depicting many eras of western living. Brands have been burned into wood wherever space allowed.

To further your real western experiences in Sheridan stroll across Main Street from The Mint to King Ropes & Saddlery. There are miles of rope in the back and a free museum exhibits 500 saddles and other western memorabilia dating back more than a century.
Further information can be found at: www.sheridanwyoming.org.

Cowboy State Rodeo Team

Several professional rodeo athletes are wearing their home state’s colors to represent Wyoming this season. The state tourism office (Wyoming Travel & Tourism) approached the rodeo competitors prior to their appearances at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas last December and each continues to “wear the brand” in 2007. The Wyoming team includes: Brandie Halls, barrel racer; Bobby Welsh, bull rider; Andy Martinez, bareback rider; Jason Miller, steer wrestler; Jhett Johnson, team roper; and Jeremy Sparks, bull fighter.

Johnson’s family heritage dates back more than a century on homesteaded property west of Casper, Wyoming. He’s made a number of public appearances of Wyoming’s behalf and pulls a large horse trailer wrapped in Wyoming scenes and a family portrait.

Sparks is a full-time officer (Captain) in the United State Air Force, currently serving at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne. He has worked to keep pro bull riders safe during their competition at one of the world’s largest outdoor western celebrations, Cheyenne Frontier Days, for a number of years. To keep up with the Wyoming team’s progress in 2007 go to: www.wyomingtourism.org

Reporters and writers who would like to arrange interviews or roping, riding, steer wrestling and bull fighting “lessons” should contact: Chuck Coon at: chuck.coon@visitwyo.gov


A Jumbo Jimbo

Several dinosaur species were pretty big animals but the cast now assembled for display in the Wyoming Dinosaur Center (WDC) is super-sized. It is in fact a Supersaurus dubbed Jimbo who is HUGE. He spans 106 feet from tip of long tail to end of tiny head and stands nearly the entire length of the building. He hovers above all other exhibits. Jimbo represents the biggest dinosaur display in the world. The Big Horn Basin Foundation and WDC have combined efforts to make the project possible.
Jimbo remnants were first found near Douglas, Wyoming more than ten years ago and quarry work has continued there on private ranchland every summer. About 35 percent of the actual dinosaur has been extracted from the single-animal site so far. The real bones have been meticulously prepped for exhibit at fitting locations around the base of Jimbo. Scientists at the WDC in Thermopolis, Wyoming believe their representation is the most accurately performed work of its kind and the center is the only place in the world to see one like it.

There is another unique exhibit scheduled to open at WDC by late May to early June. Only ten Archaeopteryx fossils are known to exist and all of the rest are in Europe. The one being readied for display in Wyoming is a representation of the very first bird and accompanying center exhibits will show how flight evolved.

A publicly viewable prep lab, dig site trips to Warms Springs Ranch nearby, and many other activities make the Wyoming Dinosaur Center an essential part of this summer’s vacation plans should the prehistoric peak your interest. For more go to: www.wyodino.org (Media contact is John Gibbel geodave@wyodino.org ) Note: Images above must be obtained from the Wyoming Dinosaur Center.

Green Hikes & Rolling Yellows

Grand Teton National Park will offer new experiences for visitors by the end of this summer with the opening, September 1, of more than one thousand acres of JY Ranch, long held private by the John D Rockefeller Jr. family. John’s son Laurance donated the JY land - located on the east shore of Phelps Lake - in 2001. The JY was the first dude ranch in Jackson Hole (1907) and became a Rockefeller family retreat in the 1930s. Laurance Rockefeller had previously given over some two thousand acres of the original JY Ranch and the latest gift provides Grand Teton National Park all of the remaining property. The new Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve features a new trail system allowing hikers first time access to forests and meadows and will provide people the chance to “discover and enjoy a contemplative experience in nature,” as stated by the National Park Service. More information is available at: www.nps.gov/parkoftheweek/grte.htm

The new Grand Teton Discovery and Visitor Center will officially open to the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 11. With its innovative architectural design, inspirational and interactive exhibits, and picture-window views of the Teton Range, this spectacular facility will be a "don't miss" attraction for anyone visiting the park in mid August and beyond. (Media contact is Jackie Skaggs: Jackie_Skaggs@nps.gov)

Just to the north, Yellowstone National Park is gaining a fresh fleet of old yellow touring cars being made anew by Detroit craftsmen who are experts in the field. Eight of the 1930s-era touring cars are going to be road-ready by June. They carry thirteen passengers in comfort and short duration tours are under the auspices of park concessionaire, Xanterra Parks & Resorts.

The company spent nearly $2 million on the project. The unique cars have rollback tops and each is custom designed to meet all of today’s standards with regard to emissions and other considerations. Tours can be booked via: www.travelyellowstone.com – click on “Old Yellow Buses” (Media contact is Rick Hoeninghausen: RHoeninghausen@xanterra.com)