82801 May/June 2019 by Outliers Creative

MAY / JUNE 2019

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82801 Contents 27 NICE HIKES

Become a trail monster this summer.

15 FLYING HIGH

Sheridan hang gliding business owner Johann Nield talks death spots like Sand Turn.

ASCENDING SHERIDAN Rock climbing gets a foothold in the Bighorns.

HIGH-ALTITUDE GOLFER Get a killer short game. Play where you live at Sheridan’s elite golf community, The Powder Horn.

18 COUNTRY STAY

We explore (and fall in love with) Kirsten Giles at her parent’s TA Guest Ranch, where Old West history collides with new age amenities like fiber optic wifi.

DRIVING LUXURY Infinity Builders at The Powder Horn. Sheridan’s new Hole in One.

Embrace Adventure

ecently, I interviewed two film makers from New York City and San Francisco, respectively, who were in Wyoming working on a documentary about ranching communities. They flew into Cheyenne, and once on the tarmac, described how amazed they were at the wide, open skies and how suddenly relaxed they felt as the stress of their busy lives suddenly drained out. They felt like they could breathe for the first time in years and let down their guard when talking to strangers, who greeted them kindly with curious interest. As a former city dweller, who has been living in Wyoming for nearly a decade and can’t imagine ever calling anywhere else “home”, I can relate to the decompression they felt as they lost themselves on Wyoming’s empty highways surrounded by beauty, mountains and high-desert prairies, where dreams, history and adventure still feels alive.

It’s this spirit of adventure that we are trying to capture with this summer issue. By celebrating the outdoors and a world of adventure, from Johann Nield’s love of soaring with the eagles as he hang glides over the mountains from his home in Dayton or Earl Madsen and family, who left their busy, city lives in Denver, to return home to Wyoming to restore and open the TA Guest Ranch outside Buffalo. Whether it is hiking or climbing in the Bighorns to building a custom home or teeing up for a round of golf at the Powder Horn Golf Course, this issue is dedicated to getting outdoors and having some fun, decompressing and enjoying the beauty and adventure that is distinctly Wyoming. We’re looking forward to getting out and having some fun this summer and we hope you find these stories as inspiring as we do. By: Jen C. Kocher

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Editorial CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Erika C. Christensen MARKETING DIRECTOR Stephanie L. Scarcliff CHIEF OF STAFF Lisa A. Shrefler SALES Jessica L. Pierce Shanna L. Sellers CONTRIBUTORS Jennifer C. Kocher Kevin M. Knapp Chris R. Vrba ART DIRECTOR Richard W. Massman DESIGNER Candice E. Schlautmann PHOTOGRAPHER Adam D. Ritterbush

Inquiries & Customer Service Outliers Creative, LLC P.O. Box 3825 • Gillette, WY 307.461.4319 • 82801@mcllc.net

MAY / JUNE 2019

82801 is a publication of Outliers Creative, LLC © 2019, all rights reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or part, without written permission is prohibited. This magazine accepts freelance contributions. 82801 is not responsible for loss, damage, or any other injury to unsolicited manuscript, unsolicited artwork (including but not limited to drawings, photographs, or transparencies) or any other unsolicited materials. Outliers Creative, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The MC Family of Companies, LLC.

Sheridan ASCENDING Climbing Gets a Foothold in the Bighorns

heer granite walls on all sides. Turquoise Alpine lakes. The Sawtooth Canyon in the Cloud Peak Wilderness area is a treasure in our own backyard, according to Bighorn Mountain Guide owner and climbing guide, Nick Flores. “It’s a really magical experience,” Flores said, “and one of my favorite places in the Bighorns.” Flores started his guiding company last year, coinciding with the opening of Big Horn Summit, Sheridan's first-ever rock climbing gym, operated by local fellow climbers, Justin Case and Johnny Crider.

The climbing world out West is a small, tightknit community, according to Crider, who credits the opening of their gym as a community effort. Climbing shoes were donated by STEEPWORLD Climbing & Fitness, a climbing gym in Billings, and some of the rock fixtures were donated by the 5150' Rock Gym in Casper. They lease their building in the Sheridan Commercial Park from The Sport Stop and many of their friends volunteer there after work. "We built this for us," Crider said. "We wanted it to be affordable and we wanted people to be involved." The trio work closely together to grow the

sport of climbing in the community, and Flores considers his guide service an outdoor extension of Bighorn Summit. An elementary school teacher by day, Flores helped to organize the Piney Creek Rock Gathering held in September for the last two years, a unique festival combining climbing in South Piney Creek Canyon during the day with beer and music in the evening. He’s also on the board of the Bighorn Climbers Coalition, a non-profit tied to a larger network of Local Climbing Organizations, which gives them the support of the climbing preservation Access Fund. MAY / JUNE 2019

I sat down with Flores to find out how all of these new ventures have gone so far.

HOW DID THE PINEY CREEK ROCK GATHERING GO?

HOW WAS YOUR FIRST SEASON?

The Rock Gathering is to get the local people out. The majority of people who come there are Wyoming locals but we had people come from South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota and Colorado. It was great taking out the Sheridan Outdoor Club through Sheridan High School too. It was really great just to get so many people out there and have them all climb for the first time.

I learned a lot. The big thing was how to market yourself. I didn’t know who my audience was. Obviously, it’s anyone looking to get outside, which is great, but it’s not really Sheridan residents. It’s the tourists coming to town. They’re more likely to spend money on a climbing trip or a hiking trip than locals. You’re not going to pay me to go hike with you up Tongue River Canyon or Steamboat Point. You’re going to go do that on your own. Very few local people are going to do that. But people who are coming to town — they’re afraid. They don’t want to go up in the mountains by themselves. All they know of the mountains is what the TV tells them: there are grizzly bears, there’s rattlesnakes. So, I quickly realized my target audience.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE BIGHORN CLIMBERS COALITION? Last year was a really successful year with the coalition on this side of the mountain. In previous years, we’ve pretty much been focused on Ten Sleep, and I live over here. I love Ten Sleep, I love climbing over there, but my heart’s over here. I want to protect our side too, and there were a lot of cool projects that I was able to get going last year. It was kind of my job to take control of eastern side. We

had two trash cleanups. We picked up right around 30 bags of garbage right there on tunnel hill, next to the old Tunnel Inn. It’s just ridiculous how much garbage there is there. I was able to get a doggy waste station right at the trailhead at Piney Creek Canyon. We had a project where we removed some spray paint on some rock. We also started an anchor replacement last year. We started to replace some anchors right here on the eastern side. A lot of those routes were bolted around 1990. Those anchors aren’t meant to be up there forever. A lot of them are pretty sketchy. Last

year we replaced three or four anchors. This year we’re planning to do quite a bit more in Tongue River Canyon. Our ultimate goal is to reuse the holes, so it’s less impact on the rock. We’re called a local climber’s organization, an LCO. We’re just a small organization. They have them all over the place. Lander has theirs, we have ours, they have them over in Bozeman, the Black Hills. We’re like minded folks getting together to protect an area. The last thing we want is people coming in and destroying an area and getting climbing banned. If someone is coming in and

#VisitSheridan MAY / JUNE 2019

spray painting, the Forest Service might question whether climbers are good for an area and take away climbing. Our goal is to educate. Right now, we’re working to get some sort of kiosk at South Piney Creek Canyon to inform people there. There’s nothing up there, no sort of signage or anything, so we want to get something there to talk about where the trails are, where routes are, information on the walls, who the Bighorn Climbers Coalition is and how to help.

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This is my fifth year and I see Sheridan transforming for the better. It’s a really cool community. When a community does a lot of great things it makes the community desirable.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT? I’ve been here this past five years, and just seen such a transformation. It’s really cool to be a part of that. Starting this guide service, talking to other

local business owners, it’s just a really cool time to be here trying these new ideas. Ten or 15 years ago, people might have thought we don’t need a guide service here. We didn’t have enough climbers or there weren’t enough routes. It’s been cool to see a lot of the kids getting out to places like Bighorn Summit. It’s great seeing the community really get behind it and get excited about it. By: Kevin M. Knapp Photos: Sheridan Travel & Tourism

Ready to Have a Ball?

he Powder Horn is Sheridan’s exclusive golf club and residential community nestled at the foot of the Bighorns, where uncompromising service and panoramic mountain views are only dwarfed by the esteem of high-quality craftsmanship, custom-built homes, well-manicured grounds and a nationallyrecognized, 27-hole championship course. The Powder Horn’s stunning terrains and history-making courses, boasting five sets of tees

and an inspired, creative and fair but challenging layout, is further elevated by two top-notch practice facilities featuring a multi-tiered putting green, large tees and short-game practice areas.

BOGEY DREAMS With roughly 300 homes already built on more than 940 acres of pristine golf property, many real estate choices await you. A tour of the grounds reveals

spectacular homesites in varying neighborhoods, each with its own unique architectural offerings. From custom homes on quarter-acre to nearly full-acre lots to low-maintenance patio homes and luxurious clubhouse cottages, many of which back up to open spaces, The Powder Horn provides the perfect setting for the adventure-seeker within you. Whether you’re an angler casting your flyfishing rod for rainbow and brook trout, a retiree seeking rest and relaxation, a family that desires MAY / JUNE 2019

safety and security or an investment opportunity capitalist, there’s a place for you at The Powder Horn.

CHOOSE YOUR CLUB, WISELY Not all golf and social clubs are created equal. If you dream of premier golf courses with a slew of other members-only amenities and a jaw-dropping backdrop, the field gets narrowed, substantially. The Powder Horn Golf Club does not disappoint.

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Experience access to The Powder Horn’s “Top 100 Modern Golf Courses” and “Best Residential Golf Course,” as rated by Golfweek, with proximity to the Bighorn mountains and bask in the relaxed, upscale community of Sheridan, Wyoming, with all its amenities, including a vibrant art and culture scene, charming shops and dining options in historical downtown Sheridan. The Powder Horn offers members and their guests the community’s celebrated services and unparalleled recreational

and social opportunities. Members at The Powder Horn Club enjoy exclusive access to private events, a 30,000-squarefoot community clubhouse, pro shop, Powder Horn Grill, the Cowboy Bar, meeting rooms, tennis courts, pools, day spa, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, complete with lifestyle wellness coaches, and so much more. You’d also be hard-pressed to find a club capable of beating The Powder Horn’s technical capabilities with its indoor HD golf

simulator. A 14-foot screen invites members and guests to play on-demand virtual rounds at 32 of the world’s top-rated courses. If an air of understated luxury and beauty plays a role in golf community quality, then it’s hard to beat The Powder Horn.

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE + PLAY When you choose to explore all that The

Powder Horn has to offer, including the region, community and real estate, and consider whether you wish to move right in or build your own custom dream home, contact Powder Horn Realty, Inc. — The Powder Horn golf community’s friendly on-site real estate team. Attractive “Stay & Play” packages are available, including one-night vacation home accommodations, a $50 club dining card and a round of golf for two, starting at $499 a night.

Discover The Powder Horn lifestyle at www.ThePowderHorn.com. The Powder Horn Golf Club is proudly managed by Troon Privé Golf, the world's leader in private golf course management and operations.

MAY / JUNE 2019

hen Johann Nield saw his brother-in-law Jim Bowman leap off Garden Creek Falls in Casper on his hang glider during a family reunion, he was immediately hooked. It brought back boyhood memories of when he used to jump off anything he could, close his eyes, and pretend he was flying. He no longer had to pretend.

It would take four years for those dreams to finally take flight as he returned to his corporate job in Florida and lost himself in work. By 1978, however, he resigned from his job at American Express Corporation and headed back to Wyoming, during which time he stayed with Jim while securing a home. Johann asked Jim to teach him how to hang glide, which would be the beginning of his

long flying career. You don’t just jump off a cliff and start flying, as Johann learned. Jim slowly led him through the process. He began by assembling a glider, learning all the parts of the wing as it took shape. After the wing was finished, there was a little bonding needed between the man and the machine. “The next step would be to touch it as an airplane and friend,” he wrote in regard to his MAY / JUNE 2019

passion for flying. “Running with it and allowing it to fly about ... as we try to control its path into the wind.” Then, he put on a harness and strapped into the wing, ran and jumped off a cliff into the air. “You realize that you are the motor and you have to run this new wing into the sky,” he said. “It’s easy if you commit.” The next challenge was going higher and further than the time before, and trying to keep yourself from believing you are better than you actually are. It’s a head game, Johann explained, and if you let yourself fall into the trap, this is where you go wrong. “As the equipment and my skills were getting better, so were the feelings inside me,” he said. “The dreaded intermediate syndrome would rear its ugly head. As in all high adrenal sports, we must keep this feeling at bay.” Nowadays, at age 72, he lives in Dayton at the base of the mountain where his biggest challenge is being physically fit enough to run with a 60-pound wing on his back. “But if the day comes that I can’t run my hang glider off a mountain, I’ll shift gears and fly my paraglider.” As for now, Johann and others are getting ready for the annual fly-in off Sand Turn peak outside Dayton on Memorial Day, which he has been doing for the past 36 years. The event,

“Watching the ground disappear is cool, but to fly with an eagle next to your wing and watch him watch you is amazing.” ~ Johann Nield on why he loves hang gliding

now in its 40th season, is popular with locals and tourists, alike. Some years, he’s seen up to 300 onlookers stopping to watch. Only hang gliders and paragliders with a hang rating of three or better can participate, he noted, and all must be able to control a wing that weighs 60 pounds and has a wing span of 30 feet with 164-square feet of sail. “Death sports” always draw big crowds, Johann noted. Some of the frequent fliers at the annual Memorial Day Hang Glider Fly-In at Sand Turn came to watch them glide as kids and are now returning with their own kids in tow, according to Johann. He’s not surprised because flying in the Bighorns is one of the most beautiful areas for hang gliding.

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As far as he’s concerned, flying is the purest expression of life. “Yes, I know I can die every time I run off a mountain or step off a cliff,” he said, but for him, it’s worth it. Not only is it therapeutic and life affirming, but, he added, it’s the only sport where the participant is in a four-dimensional world. It’s an experience that is hard to describe without doing it yourself, he said, as he struggled to find the words. For Johann, it’s like tunnel vision. All of your thoughts are channeled into surviving and making it safely to the ground. “It’s just you, your wing and the wind that is going to make a difference in your ability to survive,” he said. “All the pressures and bullshit you endure has to leave your mind when you take that first step.” By: Jen C. Kocher

Wyoming Wings Johann offers hang gliding and paragliding lessons during the summer and can be reached at (307) 751-1138 or wyomingwings@wyoming.com. “It’s strictly beauty,” he said. “You can get up to 15,000 feet some days, but the beauty of launching and flying around such a beautiful sky is mind blowing.” The trick, according to Johann, is launching off the leeside of the mountain and catching thermals, which are the upward currents of warm air, used by gliders, balloons, and birds to gain height. “Everyone wants to see and maybe experience the thrill of adventure,” he said. “During the years I have been flying Sand Turn, we have always asked the crowd if they would like to join us in retrieval or flipping the slurry bounds of gravity. Many do and many just want to have a small experience of being a part of it, if even for a short while.” MAY / JUNE 2019

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hen Kirsten Giles and her parents first went to look at the historic TA Ranch north of Buffalo in the early 90s, they nearly fell through the rotten boards on the front porch of the cook house. The other buildings were not much better. Having sat vacant for decades, floors sagged above crumbling foundations where families of racoons and other critters had moved in. Most people looking to buy a working ranch would have walked away, Giles acknowledged, or at least torn down all the buildings and started

over. But, her dad Earl Madsen knew its history in the Johnson County Wars, and they fell in love with the Bighorns and the 8,000 acres of green hills and rolling pastures. Having grown up in Greybull, it was always Earl’s dream to retire on a Wyoming ranch after a long career in law in Denver. This ranch was perfect, albeit a monumental project. It was just meant to be, Kirsten noted, particularly since her mom Barbara not only has a master’s degree in interior design but one focused on architectural restoration and rebuilding

structures back to their original form. “My real love is in restoring old buildings,” Barbara said. “I like old styles with character.” The TA Ranch definitely had character. The plan was to restore it, in all its former glory, or as close as possible, for the sake of authenticity. This meant canvassing antique stores for furnishings and other intricate details and doing a whole lot of reading. Today, nearly 30 years later, the ranch buildings feel immaculately preserved, complete with period-appropriate wallpaper, furniture, brass light fixtures and art. MAY / JUNE 2019

It has since been nationally recognized on the National Registry of Historic Places and was even featured on Bob Vila's "Restore America." And though Earl had originally set out to become a rancher, when beef prices tanked five years later, they revised their plan, utilized a contract feed program for beef producers, and also turned it into a working guest ranch, where people could pay to ride horses, move their small herd of a cattle or just chill out. Some do a little bird watching or attend a conference in the restored granary, equipped with fast fiber optic internet. Part museum, part guest ranch-house, hanging out in the TA Guest Ranch is a little like stepping back in time into the wild days of the Old West where one of the most notorious standoffs took place.

AT THE CENTER OF THE WAR The bullet holes in the barn are the only remaining scars of what historian T.A. Larson called “the most notorious event in the history of Wyoming.” The TA Ranch was literally in the cross-hairs of a makeshift

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war between the cattle barons and the local cowboys who stood up to their imperialist tactics. The skirmish began nearly a century ago when homesteaders began running successful cattle operations in an industry heavily dominated by wealthy cattle barons, who dominated not just the industry, but also the rule of law. Primarily politicians and wealthy families, the absentee barons didn’t like the upstart, homesteading ranchers competing for use of the open range – mostly raising cattle to feed their families – trying to infiltrate an industry to which they felt they had a natural right. Using their political clout and muscle, the cattle barons formed the Wyoming Stock Grower’s Association, and successfully ruled the open ranges through hired gunmen. In Johnson County, Sherriff Frank M. Canton did his part to bring “order” to the upstart cowboys and “cattle thieves” who then joined the cattle barons. Their methods of coercion were effective in most parts of the state until they came upon Johnson County, where the locals fought back. Led by Nate Champion, who ran a herd of about 200 cattle on public land near the fork of the Powder River, where the cattle barons deemed him “king of the cattle

thieves,” insisting he’d stolen from their herds. Meanwhile, the 100-plus members of the cattle barons' Stockgrowers Association all pitched in $1,000 each and came up with $100,000, for which to hire mercenaries to arrest the upstarts who, according to the barons, were breaking the law. The barons began by trying to take out Nate Champion, who they confronted in his small cabin near what’s now Kaycee. The intruders fired at point blank range, miraculously missing him, while Champion returned fire, shooting one guy in the arm and another in the gut. Local ranchers John Tisdale and Orley “Ranger” Jones were not so lucky. In December 1891, according to the Wyoming State Historical Society, both were assassinated by the hired guns, setting off an uproar in Johnson County, where several local cowboys wanted to see the murderers rightfully charged. Meanwhile, Nate Champion identified Joe Elliot, one of the complicit cattlemen, as his attempted assassin and a preliminary hearing was held in the case of State v. Elliot. After giving a passionate testimony, it appeared that Champion might win if the case went to trial, so the barons formed a posse of “invaders” and went and found

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him where he had been holed up in a cabin in the northern part of Johnson County and shot him dead. The posse of 50 or so invaders – and one reporter, who they brought along to catalogue events in their effort to control the narrative – headed over to TA Ranch, which was owned by one of the wealthy cattlemen William Harris. The Johnson County cowboys, however, were determined to stand up to them, and by the end of the day, more than 400 men formed a posse and surrounded the mercenaries in the house and barn. It would take three days to smoke them out, which occurred when one of their men who had been shot in the belly escaped with the reporter to Wright, where he promptly contacted Governor Amos Barber who then sent a telegraph to President Harrison in the middle of the night, waking him and prompting him to call in the Calvary to save the surrounded men, who were eventually escorted safely to Cheyenne. The invaders would never see justice, however. Once in custody, Governor Barber took

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control over the prisoners and refused to let them be questioned, ultimately protecting them from prosecution. Meanwhile, the cost of feeding and housing the prisoners fell on Johnson County with no assistance from the state. Eight months later, the charges against the invaders were dropped because a jury could not be seated to try their cases, and Johnson County had gone bankrupt paying to house the prisoners. There are two sides to this story, according to Giles. Some argue that the barons were only protecting their assets given that the hired men were under the impression that local cowboys had broken the law for which they deserved to be rounded up and punished . On the other side of the argument, many locals believe in and still harbor a deep-rooted pride in their ancestors, who had the courage to stand up to the well-healed cattle barons and fight for their rights. Others view the incident as the first time the little guy fought back against big business and industry, and still to this day, many locals remain divided on either side of the fence.

LIVING HISTORY More than a decade ago, Kirsten and her husband Rick moved to Buffalo with their three kids to help their parents run the guest ranch. Kirsten, a former economics professor at University of Wyoming, quit her teaching job to help her family run the ranch full-time while Rick works remotely. It’s a move she doesn’t regret, leaving the crowded Front Range to escape into the quiet, peace of this corner of northeastern Wyoming. “We were spending all our time driving up here from Colorado anyway,” she said, adding that Wyoming feels more like home and she’s grateful to be here. Their Wyoming roots run deep, she noted, and along with loving the country, their family are also fanatic University of Wyoming sports fans, including Earl, who helped co-found the Cowboy Joe Club in 1969. The guest ranch is open May through November, and Kirsten is busy getting her staff up to speed for the

busy summer tourist season while honing her own skills in the kitchen. She does a lot of the cooking in their restaurant until the chef comes later in May. The cookhouse is open for dining – for both guests and locals – with a farm-to-table menu either grown or harvested on-site, including ribeyes, burgers and salads, as well as nightly and weekend specials. Kirsten jokes about her waitressing skills, which admittedly, may need some practice. “Nothing in my PhD in economics taught me

how to carry a fork from the kitchen,” she laughed. Along with the restaurant, they also have 13 guest rooms available for rent in their restored ranch house, bunk house and granary, and, she said, everyone is invited to come out to the ranch and take in its history and beauty. “History belongs to everyone,” Kirsten said, noting that bus tours, school groups, and tourists stop by to see the bullet holes as do historians, and sometimes, film crews.

“Nothing in my PhD in economics taught me how to carry a fork from the kitchen”

Today, the property operates as a guest ranch, where people ride horses and do ranch chores if they desire or just get away from their busy lives or cities to unplug from their devices, relax and watch antelope, deer and the birds with a glass wine or homemade lemonade from their perch on the porch. Most of their guests come for the horse riding and to work their small herd of cows to practice their “dude-ranching” skills. In addition, guests can in one of the tours of local historic sites offered through the TA Ranch. Guests find the notion of ranch work and Wyoming romantic, she noted, and other come for a dose of living history or to just get away from the throng. Guests can rent one of the three houses or any of the 13 individual suites and rooms (all with their own bathrooms) that have been named after historical figures from the area or associated with the Johnson County War, like the William Harris Room, named for the Union Pacific Railroad physician who founded the TA Ranch in 1882, or John Tisdale, a popular rancher who was assassinated during the War, the circumstances of which still remain a mystery. There’s also the Red Angus room, named after a local sheriff and brothel owner, who contested the cattle baron’s invasion during the war. Along with the history, there are also a couple ghost stories, particularly in the barn where the bulk of the shootout occurred. Once, the door to a tack room flung open and promptly slammed shut, despite the fact that the door is stuck at the top and typically can’t be opened. There have also been a couple strange sightings in the loft upstairs, including the unexplainable glow of red lights that disappeared and seem to have no origin. MAY / JUNE 2019

“This is a dream come true for us,” she said, “and we want to share it with everybody.” History is alive and well throughout the TA Guest Ranch and its outbuildings, which have been persevered in time. Barbara painstakingly researched the wallpaper, rugs and other furnishings of that time, most of which she culled from antique stores and thrift shops throughout the country. Rugs came from her husband’s business trips to Saudi Arabia with the exception of one wool rug in one of the bedrooms, original to the estate, that miraculously survived intact underneath a layer of leaves and debris. To clean it, they were told to leave it out in the snow and then sweep it off. It worked. Meanwhile, the original floors have replaced with specially cut 1 ¾ pine or oak planks to mimic the style of that period as have been the doorknobs, light fixtures and other details, including the broken-in leather chairs and couches, brass beds, gingham curtains and the stern, non-smiling portraits preserved in sepia tone. Were it not for the fast, high-speed internet

MAY / JUNE 2019

and modern touches in the bathrooms, it would be easy to get lost in time, during a period when hospitality was much more personal, and it was common to invite strangers into your homes. This intimate, personal feeling is something that Kirsten feels sets them apart from other guest ranches and vacation get-aways. She wants people to dress comfortably and make themselves at home and get lost in the nostalgia of the Old West as they lounge on the porch, enjoy a sunset or take a walk down a dusty trail. “I want them to feel like family,” she said, with her trademark smile and double-handed handshake that immediately makes a person feel at ease and at home. “This is a dream come true for us,” she said, “and we want to share it with everybody.” By: Jen C. Kocher Photos: Adam D. Ritterbush

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NICE HIKES Hidden Hoot | TR Water | Red Grade

By: Chris Vrba

Hidden Hoot Trail The natural destination to get outdoors Officially opening in June, Hidden Hoot Trail on the west edge of Sheridan winds along 3 beautiful miles of natural habitat in a quiet, sheltered setting, enjoyable for bikers, runners, hikers and walkers alike. You can access Hidden Hoot from the Sheridan Pathways system. A second build, planned for early 2020, will connect Hidden Hoot with the classic Soldier Ridge Trail.

Red Grade Trails Bringing the forest down the mountain Experience the forest without the forest roads. Those jarring, wash-board, rutted rides down strips of rock and mud may not be for you. Thankfully, Red Grade Trails, which start at approximately 7,800 feet, offer nearly 6 miles

of easy-to-moderate difficulty for hiking and biking. As you go, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll wind through mixed conifer and aspen forest, switch-back across an

open bluff with exposed rock outcroppings, sweep down into a prairie grass meadow and climb up a steep gully to fantastic vistas. MAY / JUNE 2019

Today’s Trail Conditions New, user-driven group for trail updates, so you can “know before you go”

Tongue River Water Trail Sheridan County’s new paddling destination

Have you ever spent the day longing to hit the trail, only to find it’s closed or too muddy to use once you get there? SCLT’s “Sheridan Trail Conditions” Facebook group tracks local trail conditions and invites folks to post pics and other updates from amazing places like Tongue River Canyon, Penrose, the Bighorn National Forest and more. #OptOutdoors

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Even in the shadow of the Bighorns, summer can be hot in Sheridan, especially in July and August. Make a splash this summer along the Tongue River Water Trail, where SCLT has partnered with both public and private landowners to establish 15 access sites and four portages along the Tongue River downstream of Ranchester, along Big Goose, Little Goose and Goose Creeks.

Learn more and download printable trail maps at sheridanclt.org. By: Chris R. Vrba

Photos: Provided by Sheridan Community Land Trust

Community Calendar Our curated guide to the best local events in May / June.  May 14-19

26th Annual Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show All your leather shop needs under one roof. Held at the Sheridan Holiday Inn, Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19. Over 60 leather-related suppliers, manufacturers, and dealers. Great for hobbyists, artists and professionals. Free admission. An international event with how-to workshops starting earlier in the week. For more information, visit www.leathercraftersjournal.com or call The Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal at (715) 362-5393.  May 18

Mixed Media Flowers Painting Party Rebecca Rousseau will help you jump into spring and learn the many techniques of building an interesting and personal piece of mixed media art on Saturday, May 18, at SAGE Community Arts. By the end of the session, you will have an original artwork to brighten your home. All experience levels welcomed. Cost: $35/person or $65/pair. Register at www.artinsheridan.com or by calling (307) 674-1970.  May 23

 June 3-7

YMCA Go ART Camp Come experience a week of visual art adventure with Arin Waddell. Go Art will be a fabulous opportunity to express yourself via a variety of materials and art techniques. Classes are held June 3-7, with ages 6-9 from 9 a.m. to noon, and ages 10-13 from 1 to 4 p.m. Fee is $120 for YMCA members and $160 for non-members. Classes are held at SAGE. Register with the YMCA. For more information, call (307) 674-7488.  June 8

Wiener Dog Race Muddy Paw Prints and Black Tooth Brewing Company bring the annual Wiener Dog Race Saturday, June 8, starting at noon at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds. Registration/ check-in begins at 6:30 p.m., and the race begins at 7 p.m. Register beforehand at Muddy Paw Prints, 748 N. Main. Free goodie bags for every participant. For more information, call (307) 675-1969.

Ignite Your Business Professional Development Conference Full day of professional development conference, Thursday, May 23, beginning at 8 a.m. at Sheridan College. This event is organized by the Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call the Chamber at (307) 672-2485.

 June 8

 May 26

 June 12-14

Eatons' Horse Drive Stake out a viewing spot Sunday, May 26, and watch up to 100 horses cowboy-driven through Sheridan, passing the Wyoming Information Center at approximately 9 a.m., down 5th Street past the Historic Sheridan Inn, where Buffalo Bill auditioned Wild West Show acts, out to Eatons’ Ranch, the oldest dude ranch in the nation! For more information, call (307) 655-9285 or email info@eatonsranch.com.

Compass Hootenanny Family-friendly, Chicken Coop Bingo Saturday, June 8 beginning at 12 p.m. at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds. Enjoy food, games, and lots of family activities at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. For more information, call (307) 840-0517. 2019 WAM Summer Convention Make plans to join a few hundred of your municipal peers at the 2019 WAM Summer Convention, June 12-14, in Sheridan. This great event will be filled with fantastic training opportunities, interesting cultural experiences, and as always, the chance to socialize and network with elected leaders and municipal staff members from all over the state.

 June 14

Bighorn Mountain Wild & Scenic Trail Run Hundreds of runners from across the U.S., Australia, and Europe compete in 100-mile, 52-mile, 32-mile, and 18-mile races in the Bighorn Mountains west of Sheridan. For more information, see www.bighorntrailrun.com, call (307)-673-7500, or email racedirector@ bighorntrailrun.com.  June 15

Sheridan Friends of NRA Banquet Attend the Friends of NRA event Saturday, June 15, beginning at 5 p.m. and fight for freedom, family and the future of the Second Amendment while enjoying a night of auctions, raffles, firearms, and fun! Tickets are $50 a person. Doors open at 5 p.m. with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. For tickets or more information, contact Michelle Laird (307) 751-3038 or Jason Laird (307) 752-400.  June 18

Bluegrass Old-time Jam Performance It’s bluegrass time, with local musicians playing some old fiddle tunes and maybe a little bit of country too. Free and open to the public, Tuesday, June 18, beginning at 7 p.m.at Luminous Brewery. $2 burgers are also available. For more information, call Bill Bradshaw at (307) 751-1852 or the Senior Center at (307) 672-2240.  June 27

Dark Horse Consort The early music ensemble Dark Horse Consort is dedicated to unearthing the majestic late Renaissance and early Baroque repertoire for brass and string instruments. Inspired by the bronze horse statues in Venice’s famed St. Mark’s Basilica, the ensemble attempts to recreate the glorious sounds of composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Monteverdi and Heinrich Schütz. Enjoy the amazing talent of Dark Horse Consort, Thursday, June 27 at 7 p.m. at the Whitney Center for the Arts. MAY / JUNE 2019