Clips

A statement from the 1907 U.S. Army’s Rules, Regulations and Instructions for soldiers and scouts on duty in Yellowstone warns, “All persons traveling through the park from October 1 to June 1 should be regarded with suspicion.”

Who besides poachers would brave bitterly cold weather; hidden, yet scalding hot springs; isolation and desolation; almost impossible travel conditions and difficult route finding? Who besides a bison killer or elk shooter would venture into one of the most remote and unknown places in the country…in winter?

In the early days of Yellowstone National Park, winter visitors were primarily poachers, prospectors and army personnel who were directed to manage the park. But, even then there were a few tourists kicking and gliding their way through Wonderland on ten-foot-long skis—basically wooden planks—and steering with a single seven-foot pine pole.

Many years later, I was one of those tourists, albeit with twenty first century equipment, pulling into Yellowstone Expedition’s Yurt Camp at Canyon. Sure, we got there in a heated snowcoach driven on a groomed road, but at first glance at my residence for the next four days all I could think was, “this is going to be really cold.”

Two yurts, connected to function as a kitchen and dining area, glowed warmly in the early evening darkness, but the “yurtlets” (small plywood rooms with canvas roofs, modeled after ice fishing huts) appeared frigid. I was quick to learn that propane heaters kept them warmer than my house before I receive my heating bill.

The following morning my small group, consisting of an art student from Singapore studying in Chicago and a couple from Minnesota, skied through thick lodgepole pines to Inspiration Point on the edge of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Our guides, Jeremy and Soile pointed out the sites in the minus five-degree morning.

I’d been to the Canyon many times before, but never in winter. The road I knew to be bumper to bumper R.V.s was empty except for a few skiers. The striated orange walls of the canyon were dusted with snow, while the falls were mostly ice striped with water. Steam escaped from the geothermally altered rhyolite near the river.

Everyone says winter in Yellowstone is magical; a cliché that’s too true to ignore. The familiar is rendered unknown by a cover of snow. Aspens that shine white in the summer sun appear yellowed against the nivean landscape. Tracks tell tales on animals whose stories would be hidden without the impressionable surface to chronicle them. Skiing along the north rim of the canyon was a world away from driving from lookout to lookout with the summer throngs, stopping only briefly to snap photos of the falls and ospreys.

After a morning on the canyon rim we ate a hearty lunch (one of many enormous and delicious meals) back at the yurt before loading up the snowcoach and driving toward Dunraven Pass. A few miles from the pass we stopped and donned our skis again, this time following wolf tracks rather than the canyon edge. Coyote tracks overlaid the paw prints of five or six wolves, all very fresh. Was the coyote hungry or desperate, hoping for scraps of its larger cousin’s kill? Or was it just wily? No smart coyote approaches a pack of wolves alone. The tracks led all the way to the pass before veering up the ridge of a hill opposite of Mt. Washburn, and down into the next valley.

We abandoned the canine tracks in favor of some downhill play. One after the other we attempted Telemark turns on our skinny skis. Knees bent, one tucked behind the other, we careened downhill until face planting in the fluffy snow. Jeremy and Soile, of course, pulled off the most turns, but we all enjoyed the thrill of the descent and the hard, but rewarding work of the climb back up.

In Paul Schullery’s book, Yellowstone’s Ski Pioneers, he quotes a description by Lewis Freeman of each new army garrison learning to ski. “They grow as enthusiastic as a lot of children with new sleds,” Freeman describes. “Falls? Of course there are falls, terrific ones at that, but no one seems to mind. Imagine 160 pounds of man, going at the rate of half a mile or more a minute, suddenly dashed to the snow…Lucky he is if some erratic slider from above does not ride him down before he can regain his footing. Sometimes his fall is complicated…But they all get up in some way or other and edge back to the top of the zigzag courses.”

After we traversed our own zigzag course back to the top several times, and plummeted down the slope again and again, it was time to head back to the snowcoach and the comfort of the yurts.

At dinner we were joined by Yellowstone Expedition’s owner, Arden Bailey, and a cameraman from Jackson, Wyoming, working on a BBC documentary. Banded together at least forty miles from any town, our group exchanged stories, had inappropriate dinner conversations and came together in our isolation from the rest of the world.

That too, is part of the magic of winter in Yellowstone. Throughout its history as a national park, people have gathered together in tiny shelters or little hotels to find refuge from blizzards and cold nights. Today winter visitors can enjoy the luxuries of the Old Faithful Snowlodge or the Mammoth Inn—both fun places to while away a few winter days—but the yurt camp is more out there, more smack in the middle of winter—despite the gastronomic delights, the hot shower and the dry sauna.

The next morning I woke up before the sun to solo ski the Rollercoaster Trail. The group bonding was nice, but some alone time with my skis was called for. As the name implies, the trail undulates through the lodgepole pine forest. Starting in the dark, everything was black and white, but after twenty-five minutes, the tree trunks turned orangey-brown and the needles forest green like a scene from a colorized movie.

According to the story, the trail, which completely surrounds a summer campground, was built in the 1920s after a little boy wandered from camp and was never found again. Every few minutes I passed a sign pointing toward the campground, the idea being that no one could get lost leaving the camp again.

Many have gotten lost in Yellowstone, both in the summer and winter. Many more have wanted to get lost, at least figuratively. Over the next few days we got lost in our heads, lost in the moment and lost in the season, but fortunately never lost physically.

We skied through a whiteout heading toward mudpots few people encounter. The ground was grayish-white, the sky a similar hue and fat snowflakes lingered between the two. The only things that stood out were the bright jackets and backpacks of our little line of skiers.

Passing from meadow into trees we soon came to the mudpots. The ground was bare of snow, melted by steam escaping from cracks and fissures in the ground and a magma plume just a few miles beneath the earth’s crust. Ooey, gooey liquid rock, thicker than pudding gurgled and plopped all around us.

We found otter tracks along the Yellowstone River above Upper Falls and willed the winter-loving creatures to frolic in view. We watched a bull bison hunkered down in a hot spring-fed creek with fur so think the snow piled up on his shoulders and back without even starting to melt. Bright green algae contrasted oddly with the white snow. We laughed at golden eyes surfing over little waves in the river like expert kayakers, eddying out before surfing again. Fat flakes clung to tree branches and dropped down our necks when we skied too close. There was so much wildlife, beauty, adventure and camaraderie in those few days, that I can’t imagine why more people don’t flock to Yellowstone in winter, but maybe its better (for me) that they don’t.

In the late 1800s, Thomas Elwood Hofer, one of Yellowstone foremost winter travelers commented, “A great many people with a few days practice on snowshoes (skis), can see part or all the Park in winter and be repaid for their trouble…in addition to the game to be seen, certain features of the Park are much more interesting in winter than in summer.”

There may still be reason to be suspicious of winter travelers in Yellowstone, but after my four days at Canyon—despite the cold, the endless trail breaking in deep snow and the long dark nights—I’d be more suspicious of someone who didn’t take the opportunity to experience Yellowstone in its most serene, yet stirring season.

Big Sky Journal
Winter 2008

I met brewer Todd Crowell outside Grand Teton Brewing Company (GTBC) in Victor, Idaho. Perched on the border of Wyoming and Idaho in the shadows of the Tetons, the brewery is the last business you see before crossing into Wyoming or the first as you enter the Gem State.

GTBC is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Brothers Charlie and Ernie Otto opened the brewery on the other side of Teton Pass in Wilson, Wyoming in 1988. The then named Otto Brothers Brewery became the first modern microbrewery in Wyoming when they secured the first malt beverage manufacturers’ permit in thirty-five years. Their original beer—Teton Ale—is still one of their most popular.

While the Otto brothers were brewing their inaugural batch of beer, Wyoming state law still prohibited breweries to act as retailers. Charlie spent three years lobbying congress and grass root organizing to get the law changed, and in 1992 the Otto Brothers Brewery became the first brewpub in Wyoming.

Eventually, the quarters in Wilson grew too small for the expanding business. In order to start bottling their own beer on site, the brewery needed a new home. In the spring of 1998, they packed up their fermenters and moved to the west side of the Tetons; a couple years later changed the brewery’s name to reflect a more regional feel.

As we toured the 11,000-foot building, Todd explained the brewing process from a little balcony above where all the action takes place. 70-80% of the grain that goes into GTBC beer is malted barley, and most of that barley comes from nearby Pocatello. That’s mixed with a specialty malt, milled and pumped into a grain bin.

The grain is then mixed with 156-degree water to encourage the enzymes in the barley to break starches into sugars. Todd explained that hotter water lends more body to the beer while cooler water ups the alcohol content. “We do it on the high end,” Todd noted, “because we are more interested in a full bodied beer.”

Water plays a crucial role in the taste of the beer and GTBC beers start as a stream just uphill of the brewery. Originating from a spring in the mountains and flowing past glacier lilies and sage on its way to the brewery, this water adds a taste of the Tetons to every brew.

When the mixture is “brilliant” (that’s beer talk for clear), it is moved to another container and sprayed with hot water to rinse out the sugar. The extract, called sweet wort, is collect and used for the brewery’s special Reserve Beers. In honor of their 20th anniversary, GTBC is making four Cellar Reserve Beers this year—Double Sweetgrass IPA, Double Mountainberry Wheat Ale, Double Au Naturale Organic Red Ale and Double Bitch Creek ESB.

As soon as thirty barrels of sweet wort is ready, it is steam-boiled for ninety minutes while hops are added. For a bitter beer, hops are added near the start of the boiling; for a more aromatic brew, the hops go in toward the end of the process. The boiled wort is spun and twirled in the whirlpool to coagulate proteins, which, along with the hops, collects in the center of the vessel and is drawn off.

Finally getting toward the end of the brewing process, the sweet wort is transferred to the cellar where it hangs out in a fermenter with yeast. Todd humbly tells me, “Brewers don’t make beer, we make wort. Yeast makes beer.” That may be so, but from my vantage point it seems like the brewers have plenty of work on their hands turning water, grain and hops into a tasty beverage. The ultimate step is carbonating the brew and transferring it to kegs or bottles, just steps from where it was made.

We ended the tour with a tasting in the taproom. The first beer, Black Cauldron Imperial Stout—named for a geothermal feature in Yellowstone National Park—tasted thick and chocolaty to me. I asked Todd how he’d describe the flavor. “Roasty with coffee notes, smoky,” he said, but then added, “Never be afraid to associate the taste with what you know.”

We moved on to Mountainberry Wheat and then to a yummy root beer crafted on the premises (they also make ginger ale). Todd points to a growler and tells me that the Otto Brothers were one of the first brewers to rediscover and re-popularize the long forgotten container. Originally a lidded tin pale used in Europe to transport beer, the Otto brothers modernized it by creating a 64-ounce glass jug version that can be found at almost any brewery today.

I left Grand Teton Brewing Company and gazed uphill to where the beer started. I’ve been hiking on the west side of the Tetons many times and imagined marmots shrieking from atop rocks, wildflowers filling meadows and alpine lakes reflecting slow moving clouds. Todd doesn’t know exactly where the beer initiating spring is, but he (along with the other brewers) knows how to make a great beer.

Some of the many microbreweries with tasting rooms or brew pubs:

Idaho

Coeur D’Alene Brewing, Coeur D’Alene
Beers include Huckleberry Ale, Centennial Pale Ale, Lakeside British Ale, Pullman Porter, Rockford Bay IPA and Polar Bear Stout.
209 Lakeside Ave.
208.664.2739, www.cdabrewing.com

Grand Teton Brewing Company, Victor
Beers include Old Faithful Ale, Grand Teton Ale, Bitch Creek and Au Naturale.
430 Old Jackson Hwy
208.787.9000, www.grandtetonbrewing.com

Laughing Dog Brewing, Ponderay
Beers include Huckleberry Cream Ale, Cold Nose Winter Ale and Hot Chihuahua Chili Pepper Ale.
55 Emerald Industrial Park Rd.
208.263.9222, www.laughingdogbrewing.com

Mickduff's Brewing Company, Sandpoint
Beers include Knot Tree Porter, Irishmen Amber, Lake Paddler and Tipsy Toe Head Blonde.
312 N. First Ave.
208.255.4351, www.mickduffs.com

MJ Barleyhopper’s, Lewiston
Beers include Steamboat Stout, Rattlesnake Red, Huckleweizen, Chocolate Dunkleweizen and Jumpin’ Steelhead Stout.
621 21st Street
800.232.6730, www.redlionlewiston.com/barleyhoppers/

Portneuf Valley Brewing, Pocatello
Beers include Twisted Stick Amber Ale, Midnight Satin Stout and Rust Bucket Red.
615 S. 1st Ave
208.232.1644, www.hometown.aol.com

Sun Valley Brewing, Hailey
Beers include White Cloud Ale, Gretchen’s Gold Lager and Lost Planet Porter.
202 Main St.
208.788.0805, www.sunvalleybrewery.com

Trail Creek Brewing Company, Twin Falls
Beers include Spin Drift IPA, Alchemy Amber, Unkle Dunkel and Lace Wing Lager.
516 Hansen St. South
208. 763.0330, www.trailcreekbrewing.com

Montana

Bayern Brewing, Missoula
Beers include Bayern Amber, Schwarzbier, Dragons Breath Dark Hefeweizen and Dancing Trout.
1507 Montana St.
406.721.1482, www.bayernbrewery.com

Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula
Beers include Moose Drool, Scape Goat, Montana Trout Slayer Ale and Powderhound.
5417 Trumpeter Way
406.549.2777, www.bigskybrew.com

Bitter Root Brewing Company, Hamilton
Beers include Sawtooth Ale, Amber Ale, Nut Brown Ale and India Pale Ale.
101 Marcus St.
406.363.7468, www.bitterrootbrewing.com

Blackfoot River Brewing Company, Helena
Beers include Double Black Diamond Extreme Stout, Missouri River Steamboat Lager, Woollybugger Wheat and North Fork Organic Porter.
54 S Park Ave.
406.449.3005, www.blackfootriverbrewing.com

Bozeman Brewing Company, Bozeman
Beers include Bozone Select Amber Ale, Bozone Hefe Wiezen and Bozone Plum St. Porter.
504 North Broadway Ave.
406.585.9142, www.bozemanbrewing.com

Flathead Lake Brewing Company, Bigfork
Beers include Wild Horse Winterfest, Wild Mile Wheat, Peg Leg Porter and Whitecap Pale Ale.
26008 East Lakeshore Dr
406.837.0353, www.flatheadlakebrewing.com

Glacier Brewing, Polson
Slurry Bomber Stout, Golden Grizzly Ale, Port Polson Pilsner and North Fork Amber Ale.
6 Tenth Ave. East
406.883.2595, www.glacierbrewing.com

Great Northern Brewing Company, Whitefish
Beers include Bare Naked Amber, Snow Ghost Winter Lager, Going to the Sun Pale Ale and Hellroaring Amber Lager.
2 Central Ave.
406.863.1000, www.greatnorthernbrewing.com

Harvest Moon Brewing Company, Belt
Beers include Pig’s Ass Porter, Beltian White, Charlie Russell Red and Electric City Pale Ale.
7 Fifth St. South
406.227.3188, www.harvestmoonbrew.com

Kettlehouse Brewing Company, Missoula
Beers include Eddy Out Pale Ale, Cold Smoke Scotch Ale, Olde Bongwater Hemp Porter
and Double Haul IPA.
602 Myrtle St.
406.728.1660, www.kettlehouse.com

Lang Creek Brewing, Marion
Beers include Zeppelin Imperial Ale, Skydiver Blond, Windsock Pale Ale, Wingwalker IPA and Sopwith Camel London Ale.
655 Lang Creek Rd.
406.858.2200, www.langcreekbrewery.com

Neptune’s Brewery, Livingston
Beers include Smooth Sailing Cream Ale, Toad Back Bock and Clipper Nut Brown Ale.
119 North L Street
406.222.7837, www.neptunesbrewery.com

Red Lodge Ales Brewing Company, Red Lodge
Beers include Glacier Ale, Bent Nail IPA, Beartooth Pale Ale and Reserve Ale.
417 N Broadway
406.446.4607, www.redlodgeales.com

Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company, Billings
Beers include Black Widow Stout, Grizzly Wulff Wheat, Renegade Red ESB and Wild Fly Ale.
2123 1st Avenue
406.245.0918, www.yellowstonevalleybrew.com

Wyoming

Altitude Chophuose and Brewery, Laramie
Beers include High Plains Pale Ale, 7200’ Stout, Bearpaw Brown Ale and Expedition Porter.
320 S. 2nd St.
307.721.4031, www.altitudechophouse.com

Bitter Creek Brewing, Rock Springs
Beers include A Beer Named Bob, Coal Porter, Boars Tusk and Wee Bastard Scottish Ale.
604 Broadway St.
307.362.4PUB, www.bittercreekbrewing.com

Bottom’s Up Brewery and Grill, Pinedale
Beers include Adventure Amber Ale, Buckin’ Bitter Ale, Korruption Kolsch Ale and Out of Order Porter.
402 Pine St.
307.367.2337

Library Restaurant and Brewing Company, Laramie
Beers include Dubliners Stout, Over Due Brew and Red Eye Ale.
1622 East Grand Ave.
307.742.0500, www.library-odwyers.com

Snake River Brewing, Jackson
Beers include Snake River Pale Ale, Zonker Stout, Rock Chuck Rye and On Belay IPA.
265 S. Millward
307.739.2337, www.snakeriverbrewing.com

Big Sky Journal
Fall 2008

When one thinks of the west, images of soaring mountains, rugged canyons and wide open spaces often come to mind. But there is another side to the left half of the country. A kitschy side. An odd side. A strangely absorbing side.

Driving around Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, one can find pyramids, giant women and scripture laden cabooses. You just have to know where to look.

Idaho

Birthplace of Television, Rigby
At the age of eleven, Philo T. Farnsworth moved with his family to Rigby where he worked on his uncle’s farm. It was there that he learned how electrical motors worked. One day he was plowing potato fields when the parallel rows inspired his idea for television scan lines. Over the years 125 patents were issued to Farnsworth including one for the invention of television.

The museum hosts a collection of old TV tubes, some of Farnsworth’s personal items and awards, and a bronze bust of the inventor.
Tuesday-Saturday 1 - 5 pm
Adults $2, Children (16 and under) $1
Jefferson County Historical Society Pioneer Museum, 118 W 1st St. South
208.745.8423

Experimental Breeder Reactor-1 (EBR-1), Arco
On December 20, 1951 the world’s first nuclear reactor produced enough energy to light four 100-watt light bulbs. It was the first usable amount of electricity from nuclear energy.

Although EBR-1 shut down in 1963, you can still take a self-guided tour of the reactor and the building that houses it. The main control room and the rest of it, look like something out of the Jetsons. It is what people thought was futuristic in the 50s. There is also the “hot cell” behind thirty-four layers of oil-separated glass and outside you’ll find two reactors built to develop a nuclear engine for a long range bomber. The idea was for it to fly non-stop for 5 days—there were even menus planned for the crew. The plane was never built.
Free
US Hwy 26/20, between Idaho Falls and Arco

Evel Knievel's Snake River Jump Site and Monument, Twin Falls
In 1974, Evel Knievel famously attempted to jump the 500-foot deep‚ quarter mile wide Snake River Canyon on a steam-powered “skycycle”—a rocket-powered motorcycle. Because of a parachute malfunction, Evel crashed on the jump, but got away with only a broken nose. You can visit a monument and the Buzz Langdon Visitor Center from which you can view Evel’s earthen ramp two miles up the river.
Mid-March—Mid-October 8 am-8 pm daily
Free
858 Blue Lakes Boulevard North
208.733.9458, www.twinfallschamber.com

Giant Woman, Blackfoot
A giant statue of a blonde woman stands in front of Martha's Cafe, hoisting a sandwich platter. She’s only a few blocks from the World Potato Exposition.
Free to view, extra to eat
851 S Broadway Streey
208.785.4199

Idaho Potato Museum, Blackfoot
Featuring Idaho's Famous Potatoes®, the Idaho Potato museum is the home to everything potato. From the world’s largest potato chip, to the first potato planted in Idaho, to potato history, the growing and harvesting process, nutrition, trivia and educational potato facts—if it’s potatoes you’re looking for, this is the place. Every out-of-stater (who is also a paid adult) gets a box of hash browns to take home.
April-September 9:30 am - 5 pm (Monday-Saturday), October-March 9:30 am – 3 pm (Monday-Friday)
Adults $3, Children (6-12) $1, under 6 free, Seniors $2.50
130 NW Main Street
208.785.2517, www.potatoexpo.com

Montana

Berkeley Pit, Butte
This former open-pit copper mine, turned tourist attraction, is about a mile and a half wide, 1,780 feet deep and contains 900 feet of acidic water laden with heavy metals and dangerous chemicals such as arsenic, cadmium, zinc, and sulfuric acid. Not surprisingly, it is one of the country’s largest Superfund sites.

The Anaconda Mining Company opened the mine in 1955 and it was later bought out by the Atlantic Richmond Company (ARCO) who operated it until its closure in 1982. After the pit was closed and the water pumps were removed, nearby ground water filled the pit, decaying the rock walls and releasing heavy metals.

The water in the pit is so toxic that in 1995 it killed over 300 snow geese that mistakenly landed on it. Visitors can view the mine from a platform located above it.
Mid-March—Mid-September 8 am-8 pm daily
$2
East end of Park St.
Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce, 406.723.3177

Big Red the Ox, Bozeman
Big Red was the last Ox to pull freight over Bozeman Pass. After he died in 1910, he was stuffed and is now displayed on the wall of Powder Horn Sportsman’s Supply amongst dozens of other dead, stuffed animals.
Monday-Saturday 9 am-6 pm, Sunday 11 am- 5 pm
Free
35 E. Main St., Bozeman
406.587.7373

Hobo Bible Art in a Caboose, Culbertson
A deserted Great Northern caboose was left in a rail yard where it became the home of an anonymous hobo. He illustrated and annotated his interpretation of the Revelation to St. John on every interior space in the caboose using felt-tip pens.

The museum hosts life-sized displays of various Old West scenes, such as a barbershop, homesteader kitchen and home life and old time saloon.
June-August 8 am - 8 pm daily, May and September 9 am - 6 pm daily
Free - Donation
One mile east of town on US Highway 2
Culbertson Museum, 406.787.6320, www.culbertsonmt.com/museum.htm

Our Lady of the Rockies, Butte
Dedicated to all women of the world, especially mothers, this 90-foot tall Virgin Mary sits atop the Continental Divide above Butte. She is only second in size the Statue of Liberty. At night you can see her from miles around, thanks to the lights that shine all night long.

She was completed in 1985 by an all volunteer work force. The road to Our Lady is private, so a bus tour is required.
June-September bus tours leave at 10 am and 2 pm (Monday-Saturday), 11 am and 2 pm (Sunday)
Adults $12, Juniors (13-17) $9, Children (5-12) $5, Seniors (55+) $5
3100 Harrison Ave, Butte
406.782.1221, www.ourladyoftherockies.org

Steer Montana, Baker
Steer Montana weighs in at 3,980 pounds making him the world’s largest steer. This Roan Polled Short Horn Breed is 5’11” in height, 10’4” in length and 9’2” in girth. Early ranchers tell the tale that Steer Montana grew into such a large animal because he was feed grain mash (a leftover product from the local bootleg liquor trade).

Before Steer Montana’s death a local rancher, Mr. Jack Guth, raised and used Steer Montana in stock shows and circuses. When he finally passed they "strung him up on a windmill," stripped the carcass, and preserved the hide in a tank of brine.
June – September 9 am – 5 pm daily, October – May 9 am – 5 pm Friday – Sunday
Free—Donation
723 South Main
O'Fallon Historical Museum, 406.778.3265

Wyoming

Ames Brothers Pyramid, Laramie
The Ames Pyramid is a sixty-foot-tall stone-block monolith constructed in 1882 to commemorate Union Pacific railroad businessmen/politicians Oakes and Oliver Ames. Not long after the monument had been constructed in their honor, the Ames brothers were found to have been involved in several financial scandals related to the building of the railroad, in fact, Oakes was known as the “King of Frauds”.

The pyramid was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and giant portraits of the Ames Brothers, chiseled into opposite sides near the apex of the pyramid, were sculpted by August St. Gaudens, the man who later designed the US $20 gold piece.

The tracks that ran by the monument were relocated to the south, leaving the pyramid standing alone. At the time of the construction of the railroad the Ames brothers' company in Massachusetts was the largest manufacturer of shovels in the country. Today, known as Ames-True Temper, it is still the world's largest manufacturer of non-powered lawn and garden tools (a category which of course includes shovels).

Be sure to stay in the fenced area, or you’ll be trespassing on private property.
Daylight hours.
Free
Exit 329 off I-80. Head south and east on Monument Rd until you come to a sign with an Ames Monument arrow. Bear left onto the gravel/dirt road, about one mile to the pyramid.
Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, 307.777.6323

Emperor the Penguin, Cheyenne
Little America, a giant gas station and travel plaza, was named after Admiral Byrd's camp on the South Pole. In 1950, the owners decided it would be apropos to have a live Emperor penguin as the mascot for Little America and they had one shipped from Antarctica. Sadly, the penguin did not survive the trip, so they had it stuffed. Emperor the Penguin now sits in a glass case in the Little America Hotel lobby.
All hours
Free
2800 W Lincolnway
Little America Hotel, 307.775.8400, www.littleamerica.com/cheyenne/

Mother Featherlegs Monument, Lusk
Mother Featherlegs was a prostitute who lived near Lusk, Wyoming and was murdered during a robbery in 1879. Her grave has been called the only monument in the United States to a prostitute.

Mother Featherlegs and a live-in companion established a whorehouse along the Cheyenne-Black Hills trail, at which establishment gambling and whiskey were supplied in addition to sex. Her companion, who called himself "Dangerous Dick" Davis, claimed to be a hunter and trapper, but spent most of his time lounging around the house instead.

The house, little more than a dugout near a stream, soon became a refuge for bandits from the surrounding area, and they would frequently entrust jewels, money, and other valuables to the madam for safe-keeping.

Her red granite tombstone reads, “Here lies Mother Featherlegs. So called, as in her ruffled pantalettes she looked like a feather-legged chicken in a high wind. She was roadhouse ma'am. An outlaw confederate, she was murdered by "Dangerous Dick Davis the Terrapin" in 1879”.
Daylight hours
Free
About 10 miles south of Lusk on the Old Cheyenne Trail
Niobrara Chamber of Commerce, 307.344.2950

World’s Largest Elkhorn Arch, Afton
Spanning four lanes of traffic, the World’s Largest Elkhorn Arch is seventy-five feet across and eighteen feet above the road. The arch is constructed of over 3,000 elk antlers, which at today’s prices would cost over $300,000.
All hours
Free
N Washington Street
Star Valley Chamber of Commerce, 307.883.2759

World’s Largest Jackalope, Douglas
In the center of town, perched on a pillar, sits an eight-foot Jackalope—the world’s largest. Part jackrabbit, part antelope, this mythical creature is found in tourist destinations around the west, but the largest one resides in Douglas.

Douglas declares itself "Home of the Jackalope" and celebrates with Jackalope imagery on billboards, hotel signs, and a park bench in front of the police department.
All hours
Free
Corner of North 3rd Street and Cedar Street
City of Douglas, 307.358.3462

Big Sky Journal
Summer 2008

Why are we drawn to water? What makes us want to emerge ourselves, slip under the surface and commune with this merging of hydrogen and oxygen? In the heat of the summer we search out swimming holes in nearby rivers. When winter arrives we flock to hot springs to soak out the lethargy of cold days.

The more adventurous among us might squeeze into a plastic kayak to dance and twirl on frothing streams. Others seek a slightly more stable canoe or raft from which to cast a line or gaze at the scenery. Groups of friends and family plop into inner tubes to bob along the current. Whatever the means for getting into the water is, at some point we almost all find a way to get there. Perhaps it is because water composes so much of our physicality, maybe because here in the Rocky Mountain West it composes so little of our landscape’s physicality.

Water also fills our heads, both literally and figuratively. Consider the descriptive words for the movement of water: roiling, boiling, gurgling, frothing, cascading, erratic turbulence, still, flat, serene. And even more vocabulary to describe parts of rivers: silken tongue, stillwater, shallow, thalweg, tail wave, tailwater, standing wave, rooster tail, haystack, ripple, riffle, pool, hole, eddy, eater, domer, boulder garden, the list goes on…

As the spring runoff begins to tumble down the mountains and fill local streams and rivers, kayakers and rafters grab their boats and begin the spring rite of running rivers. Whether you are drawn to water to jump in and paddle, or you are more interested in watching others, there is not shortage of whitewater-related events to pique your interest.

Idaho
PBR Whitewater Revival, Boise
The (Payette Boise Rivers) PBR Whitewater Revival raises awareness and money for the development of the Boise River Recreation Park. The event hosts the National Rafting Championships and is the culmination of the Western Whitewater Championship Series. Whitewater enthusiasts compete, participate and celebrate Idaho's Payette and Boise rivers. Weekend events include kayak races, raft races, river boarding exhibitions. The event will also showcase DJs, BBQs, and Blue Grass Music
May 30 and June 1
208-859-8343
www.pbrkayakevent.com/index.html

Second and Last Flatwater Festival, Cascade
Last year the Flatwater to Whitewater Festival was intended to celebrate the last summer of flatwater running through town before the Cascade Whitewater Park was built. Unfortunately, not enough money was raised to build the whitewater park, so this year they are at it again with the Second and Last Flatwater Festival.

This fun race stretches 2.5 miles on the North Fork of the Payette River. Costumes are encouraged. One of the race heats, called “anything that floats”, inspires creativity among the participants—last year there was a pirate ship sailing the racecourse. Gag trophies and prizes are given away in several categories.

The event is free, but donations are greatly appreciated (it is a fundraiser after all). Vendors sell food and after a fun day on the river, everyone heads to Roseberry for the McCall Music Festival.
July 19
208.866.2411

Montana
Blazing Paddles-National Paddling Film Festival Roadshow, Glacier High School Theatre, Kalispell
If you’re not ready to commit to bobbing around in chilly water, you can watch others do so on the big screen. This film festival is an evening full of high quality films with a common element—having fun on or in the water. Combining silliness, insight, humor, tragedy, drama and passion with fast-paced action, incredible scenery and culture this film festival will take you around the globe.

A portion of the proceeds will go to American Whitewater, a national organization whose mission is to conserve and restore America’s water resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely.
April 18, 7-10 pm
406.752.3794
www.silvermoonkayak.com

Bigfork Whitewater Festival, Bigfork
The Bigfork Whitewater Festival involves international kayak racing on the “Wild Mile” of the Swan River that runs through Bigfork. At the height of spring runoff, the “Wild Mile” is considered a Class V whitewater. The event draws over 200 competitors along with several thousand spectators. There are festivities running throughout the weekend.
April 24 and 25
406.837.5888
http://www.bigfork.org

30th Annual Peaks to Prairies Adventure Race, Red Lodge to Billings
It’s not all paddling, but this uniquely Montana triathlon includes a twenty-three mile boating leg on the Yellowstone River. Athletes compete as either soloists or teams, running 8.3 miles in the shadow of the Beartooths in Red Lodge. Then, they transition to bikes and ride 43 miles through farm and ranch country to Riverside Park, south of Laurel. From there it’s into the Yellowstone River all the way to Billings.
April 27
www.peakstoprairie.org

Best in the West Kayak Festival, Missoula
This regional kayak festival kicks off the paddling season with two days of whitewater fun and competition. Kids, recreational boaters and professionals play on Brennan’s Wave in Missoula’s Carris Park on Saturday. In addition to food and white water-related vendors, there will be a party sponsored by Red Bull in the evening. On Sunday experienced kayakers and pros meet at nearby Alberton Gorge to test their mettle at Triple Bridges Rapids.
May 17 and 18
406.546.0370

Big Timber Creek Race, Big Timber
A local small-scale creek race, the Big Timber Creek Race started last year as a way to get the word out to boaters that they needed to show more respect when accessing this creek on private property. The landowner approached the Headwaters Paddling Association to let them know he was fed up with the disrespect shown by boaters—many of whom didn’t realize it was private land—and if something didn’t change he would close access to everyone.

After the race, and the publicity it garnered in the kayaking world, boaters were closing gates and driving slowly on dirt roads. The landowner said he saw a complete turn around in behavior. The race continues as a celebration for local creek boaters.
June 21 and 22
kayakerjsm@aol.com or dave111@yahoo.com

Blackfoot Challenge, Missoula
A slalom course, an eleven-mile down river race, and double elimination boater cross are the main events at the Blackfoot Challenge, on—you guessed it—the Blackfoot River. Of course, there is dining and an awards ceremony and everyone is invited to come watch.
June 21 and 22
406.251.0040
www.canoerack.com

Yellowstone Boat Float, Livingston to Laurel
For over forty years, this annual boat float starts at Livingston and retraces the Lewis & Clark Expedition all the way to Laurel. There are two overnight stops, one in Big Timber and one in Reed Point. The local communities provide entertainment—live bands in bars in Big Timber and Livingston and a street dance in Reed Point. Some folks float all three days, others join in for just a day or two.

There is no sign up or registration, so just show up at Mayor’s Landing around 9:00 am on Saturday with your boat and prepare to be self-sufficient.
July 11, 12 and 13
49er Diner 406.222.4414 or Livingston Chamber of Commerce 406.222.0850
www.visitmt.com

Wyoming
Pole, Peddle, Paddle, Jackson
In 1975 Pole Pedal Paddle founder Harry Baxter considered PPP to be a playful end to a winter at the Jackson Hole Ski Resort. "I was looking for a fun event to wrap up the season," Baxter once told a reporter. "I wanted to come up with something that anybody could get involved in."

Hosted by the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club, each year on the last Saturday of the resort’s ski season, the four-event relay race—where contestants compete either individually or in teams—consists of: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, bicycling and boating.

The alpine ski leg is held at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. All classes ski a 3,500 giant slalom approximately 3 miles in length, following the Women's World Cup Downhill course.

The cross-country ski leg consists of 10 kilometers of prepared track at the base of the mountain over rolling terrain. The bicycle leg is a 19.8-mile course that begins in the Teton Village parking lot.

The boating leg is 9 miles of Class 1 and 2 grade water (moderately hazardous in an open canoe) on the Snake River from South Park Bridge to Snake River Canyon Ranch Bridge south of Hoback Junction.
April 5
www.polepedalpaddle.com

National Paddling Film Festival, Jackson Hole Center for the Arts
If you missed the showing in Bigfork you can catch it here. Enjoy two more nights of the best paddling films in the nation sponsored by the Jackson Hole Kayak Club.
June 8 and 9, 7-10 pm
307.690.9410

Wyoming Whitewater Championships
This event attracts boaters from around the world to compete in a down river race along the Hoback River, an afternoon of big wave surfing at Lunch Counter or King's Rapid, and a down river race down the Greys River and Snaggletooth Rapid. Spectators are welcome.
Jackson Hole Kayak Club 307.690.9410

National
National River Cleanup™ Kickoff Week
American Rivers sponsors the National River Cleanup™, the most popular and successful stream cleanup program in the country that taps into the civic pride of tens of thousands of volunteers across the country.

Since the launch of this annual event by America Outdoors in 1991, more than 600,000 volunteers have participated in thousands of cleanups across the country, covering more than 100,000 miles of waterways. These cleanups have removed more than 1,000 tons of litter and debris from America's rivers and streams. Check the website to find a local event or organize your own.
May 31-June 8
www.nationalrivercleanup.com

Big Sky Journal
April 04, 2008

Smack in the middle of the best steelhead fishing in the world, at least according to one man, sits an old 15 X 20 hayloft converted into a flyfishing shop. If you open the door of the red, wood-sided building you’ll likely find a man who looks a whole lot like Jerry Garcia leaning on the counter ready to talk steelhead and two-handed casting. He wouldn’t mind selling you a rod, either.

The Red Shed seems an unlikely Mecca and Mike “Poppy” Cummins an even more unlikely prophet, but anglers from around the country—make that around the globe—flock to this humble shop (both in person and via cyber space) on the Clearwater River in Idaho to pick up two-handed spey rods and chat Poppy up. Thanks in part to a recent video on You Tube, the Red Shed is garnering even more fame and popularity. In 2007, Poppy sold over 150 two-handed rods and a dozen single-handed trout poles. Not bad for someone working out of a shed in the middle of nowhere.

Before opening the Red Shed in July 2002, Poppy owned a small trucking company. He drove a diesel big rig and his wife Linda ran dispatch. Their shed was put to good use storing truck parts, assorted junk and bad hay from the days when their land hosted a dairy. Then, someone ran into his truck and ripped the front end off. That incident (along with some health issues) convinced Poppy that it was time to retire.

Around this time, his right hand kept falling asleep and Poppy was having a hard time holding a single-handed rod. So when he heard about two-handed rods, he got interested. Without the funds to purchase a spey rod, Poppy decided he would make his own using two single-handed rods. His “junkyard spey” hangs on the ceiling of the shop “as a reminder that not everyone can afford a spey rod,” he says.

His interest in spey casting was growing and a few visits to a friend on the coast with a successful spey rod shop convinced Poppy to open his own store. But, getting started wasn’t easy. “Basically you’re dealing with tackle reps and most weren’t open to the idea of selling only spey tackle. They thought it was stupid,” Poppy recalls.

The fishing industry—based primarily around trout, according to Poppy—has come around since the early Red Shed days. “I have about ten trout rods, but I’d rather have my resources dedicated to spey casting.” With rod prices ranging from $270-$980 or more, Poppy carries something for just about everyone with a longing to cast a line toward an unsuspecting steelhead.

August through Thanksgiving is the busy season for walk-in customers at the Red Shed because that’s when the B-run Steelhead are making the arduous journey from the Pacific Ocean, up the Columbia River, to the Snake and finally into the Clearwater. After two years of eating and growing in the Pacific, Steelhead (actually rainbow trout according to Idaho Fish and Game) average 10-13 pounds and 31- 34 inches long. The occasional fish that spends three years in ocean can grow larger than 37 inches and often weigh more than 20 pounds.

(The other group of anadromous rainbow trout trekking to Idaho are the A-run steelhead. These fish spend only one year in the ocean and are lither—4 to 6 pounds and 23- 26 inches. These guys return from the ocean earlier in the year (June-August) and are found primarily in the Snake and Salmon rivers.)

Even when the store isn’t full of wader-clad, vest wearing, tale-spewing anglers, Poppy does a hearty business over the internet and through the mail (75% of sales are made this way). “I’ve sent rods to Russia, Sweden, the U.K., Canada and to servicemen in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he lists. Poppy figures he’s sent rods, lines, leaders, reels and other fishing sundries to every continent. Sometimes he sends them just for people to try out. Through his “Test Drive Program”, Poppy will send tackle to anyone who wants to give it a try. There’s never been any charge, except for return postage.

When you try to press him to reveal his favorite rod, it’s like trying to get a fisherman to revel his favorite hole. Poppy insists, “I’ve never met a spey rod I didn’t like.” Whether it’s a Burkheimer, Echo, Loomis, Sage or other brand found within the walls of the Red Shed, Poppy fishes with every rod he sells. And if the Shed burns down tomorrow and there is only one rod left, Poppy wouldn’t care which one it was—as long as he can fish with both hands in the river he adores.

While fishing—and all things steelhead—is one of the major loves of his life, it isn’t the only one. Poppy is pretty enamored with his grandchildren, diesel trucks and handguns as well. His grandkids all live within eight miles of their granddad. “They’re all close to the bank of Poppy,” he jokes. His nickname was bestowed upon him by his grandson Josh. (One of his other grandsons called him Poopy, but fortunately that didn’t stick!). And if you are surfing around his website, you’ll find pictures of all the little ones—staffing the store, showing off Red Shed hats; “They make cheap models,” laughs Poppy.

Like any good Idahoan, Poppy also loves his guns; handguns in particular. He’s started a little side business selling copper-plated bullets and reloading components, and he likes to head out behind the house for a bit of target shooting. By selling bullets, he’s able to get them for himself at a wholesale price. “I can kind of feed my addiction,” he explains.

Poppy doesn’t miss his days on the road, “I’m pretty content to stay right here and fish,” he muses. So, if you want to meet Poppy, talk steelhead and cast with a big rod, you better head down two-laned Highway 12 about 8 miles west of Orofino. Along the way, don’t forget to stop and fish.

“The Clearwater has over 75 miles of primo water between Potlatch mill and Clear Creek above Kooskia, ID. Whichever direction you come from, if you visit me you will have passed around 35 miles of river with a lot of good spots to fish. As you travel along the river you will see some spots that will just look fishy. Those are the places I would try first,” Poppy advises.

Big Sky Journal
March 04, 2008