The PBS Dust Bowl series will air again tonight in two consecutive shows from 8 to midnight. Before the days of no-till, cover crops, and contour plowing, agriculturalists coming from the humid eastern states simply did not understand the volatility of weather patterns in the arid west, and so they plowed up millions of acres…
Tag: Rocky Mountains
Plane Missing in Wyoming
For those living in populated areas it can be hard to fathom how a relatively large object, such as a missing airplane, can be so difficult to find in places like Wyoming. For the second time in two months a search is going on for a missing private aircraft in Wyoming. Today marks the fourth…
Gaillardia aristata
Sometimes I’m guilty of not wanting to grow what’s “already been done” as far as native plants are concerned, but I would do well to remember that folks who grow, propagate, and select native plants for use in the arid west usually have a pragmatic bent, and there’s a reason it’s “been done.” We had…
Warning Snow
As long as I can remember we’ve had an October snow. The DH and I call it the warning snow. It snows enough to remind us to get the firewood cut and stacked; winterize certain outdoor water faucets; finish up any yard chores; get the horse hay into the barn; and put the winter…
My Visit to the Crazy Woman
The North Fork of Crazy Woman Creek tumbles down the dramatic Crazy Woman Canyon southwest of Buffalo, Wyoming. Two legends exist as an explanation for how the drainage got its name: One involves a native American woman who was left alone after a rival tribe attacked and killed everyone in her village. She supposedly stayed…
Water Travels Uphill in the Wind River Canyon
Many locals know a trip up the Wind River Canyon has a surprising twist. While the scenery itself is spectacular, a mixture of optical and sensory illusion often causes the traveler to think that water is traveling uphill.
Glowing Golden Chrysothamnus
I know I’ve said it before, but when the Rabbitbrush is in full bloom, its rich golden color seems to glow. Maybe it’s the way the depth of the flowers in those terminal cymes let the light bounce around and intensify. Click on the photo for a closer view.
Sheepherder Fire Grows Twenty-Fold in Ten Hours
Update on the Sheepherder Hill Fire on Casper Mountain, Wyoming. (Click on a photo to view slide show) Extreme. Erratic. Unpredictable. That’s what they call the kind of fire behavior seen in these photos. Definitely life threatening. Firefighters can’t be sent into this kind of scenario. The fire is literally making its own weather. Just…
New Forest Fire on Casper Mountain
We were so close to getting through this fire season without a wildfire on Casper Mountain. This afternoon a large plume of smoke rose steadily from the mountain. It seems to have erupted very quickly, probably the result of steady winds. Right now, as the sun sets, the wind is dying down and we are…
Wyoming Wolf Plan Approved by USFWS
“Under Wyoming’s management plan, the state is required to keep a minimum of 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation. A minimum of five breeding pairs and 50 wolves are required inside Yellowstone.” Read the rest of this article from the Casper Star Tribune And the…
Gotcha! Little Fox
I was a little groggy on a late Friday evening as we drove up to the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. We hadn’t really gotten out of the (relatively) well traveled part of the trip yet. Actually, we were driving through an area of private cabins. Hardly the wilderness, so my camera was still securely packed…
The Original Western Ranch Decor
I like to look at the old log cabins, barns, and outbuildings built by early pioneers and ranchers. Wyoming has a lot of them, and our arid climate means they can be in pretty good shape half a century or so after they were last inhabited. The use of local materials is noteworthy to me….
Wyoming Life 