MADE IN WYOMING: Calamity Ranch

visit our website & read the current issue – spring issue is coming soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are thrilled to team with the Wyoming Business Council to feature a Wyoming First business every week on our blog! Wyoming First is a program that promotes Wyoming member businesses. Visit their website (click here) to learn more about this service — and if you are a Wyoming business who’s not a member, be sure to inquire about membership! There are many benefits!

This week we are featuring Calamity Ranch of Guernsey, Wyoming

Cassie Wells, Calamity Ranch  PO Box 831  Guernsey, WY 82214  307-630-6301  calamityranch@ymail.com

www.calamityranchwyoming.com

Although Cassie has been crafting since 2000, officially Calamity Ranch began in 2011 making western leather headbands, flip flops and other accessory items. Cassie started off selling on crafters’ websites and Facebook. Now she travels to festivals, fairs, rodeos and holiday shows.  Customers can find out where she will be on the road either on the website or their Facebook page, Calamity Ranch.

Right now Cassie currently works out of her home but is looking forward to opening a store front in the future. Every year she tries to expand the business by offering more items and services.

Cassie started Calamity Ranch because she missed sales and was looking for an opportunity to use her creativity.  She had always seen herself as an entrepreneur and wanted to really give it a go, and it definitely keeps her going since she also works full time.  Calamity Ranch is evolving into a family business as well; her husband travels with Cassie to shows and has also been involved by making the paracord bracelets which are so popular.

Calamity Ranch takes special orders and Cassie enjoys working with customers to create that special calamity.  Prices range from $5-100 depending on the item. Products can be ordered via email, telephone or on the web site, www.calamityranchwyoming.com.

Many products feature the Wyoming Bucking Horse and are officially licensed. The Wyoming flip flops are really popular sellers and are more or less one of a kind.  Cassie doesn’t usually use the same design to create a pair and the leathers are purchased in limited quantities. They are available in brown, black, wedges or flats. Her western leather headbands are also great items for the cowgirl that likes a fun trendy look. Many different styles, colors and no two are a like! New products are made constantly to keep things fresh!

Wilson, WY’s Answer to the Winter Doldrums – by Liberty Lausterer

visit our website & read the current issue — Sprinter issue (Spring + Winter) will be coming before long!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liberty Lausterer, our guest blogger, is back with another look at life in Wyoming from a new resident’s eyes. We greatly appreciate learning what our state looks & learns like to someone new – always keeps the perspective fresh!

 

Wilson, Wyoming’s Answer to the Winter Doldrums

by Liberty Lausterer

As a newcomer to Wyoming I have paid close attention when someone tells me what they do to make it through these long, cold winter months. The advice has been wide and varied: take up a winter sport, learn a new hobby like knitting, take full advantage of your Netflix membership, read those books that have been on your list for eons, and be sure to take a trip to a warmer climate in April or May (a.k.a. “Get the hell out of Dodge.”). This is great advice but you may have noticed that many of these and other winter activities are solitary ones. In a sparsely populated state that is beset by hostile weather for much of the year, how does one keep from growing lonely and isolated? Where do you go in subzero temperatures to connect with other people?

Wilson, Wyoming’s answer to the winter doldrums is the Stagecoach Bar. Over the past seventy years the Stagecoach Bar has been that rare place where people from all walks of life are brought together by music and dancing. It’s the place people could stay connected to each other through snow and ice, despite frigid temps and unrelenting winds. On any given Sunday evening one can see wranglers, hippies, bikers, cowboys, ski bums, millionaires, dudes, and curmudgeons on the dance floor together. The story of how a bar became the glue that holds together an unlikely mix of people has been told by filmmaker Jennifer Tennican in her documentary “The Stagecoach Bar: An American Crossroads.”

If you are interested to learn how the history of a bar could mirror the history of an entire region (Jackson Hole) and become a powerful unifying force, Tennican’s film is worth watching. But, more importantly, if you long for an experience of authentic community in your neck of the woods, then this film will provide inspiration and a reason to head to your local watering hole.

Tennican’s documentary will be screened at the Center for the Arts in Jackson on March 14th and the WYO Theater in Sheridan on May 24th.  It will also air on Wyoming PBS in May, and on dozens of other PBS stations across the country.

MADE IN WYOMING: Strasser Log Furniture

We are thrilled to team with the Wyoming Business Council to feature a Wyoming First business every week on our blog! Wyoming First is a program that promotes Wyoming member businesses. Visit their website (click here) to learn more about this service — and if you are a Wyoming business who’s not a member, be sure to inquire about membership! There are many benefits!

This week we are featuring Strasser Log Furniture of Cheyenne

Mike Strasser, Strasser Log Furniture 10121 Branding Iron Cheyenne, WY 82009   307-349-9741   strasserfurniture@yahoo.com www.strasserlogfurniture.com

Strasser Log Furniture is a family owned and operated furniture, crafts and gift workshop in Cheyenne. Mike Strasser started looking for log furniture sites and magazines featuring log furniture and decided he could build it himself. In 2009 he began making log furniture as a hobby. It has since become a growing business in which he builds beautiful, high quality, handcrafted products made from Wyoming Pine at an affordable price. Mike’s goal is to be building log furniture full time when he retires from his career in the Wyoming Army National Guard.

Each log is hand peeled, hand sanded, and then dried into a custom creation here in Cheyenne. Hand peeling helps preserve the pine’s beautiful grain, rustic knots and unique color variation. Because the logs are dried naturally they may feature worm tracking, cracks and checks, which add to the natural beauty of the wood and also gives each piece its own character. All orders for Strasser Log Furniture are custom orders.

Mike is looking for retail shops to sell his work at this time. Mike is a native Wyoming citizen. His parents and grandparents were in the timber industry, and Mike has kept that tradition alive with Strasser Log Furniture. Instead of harvesting timber for communities, Mike harvests trees for the household by putting log furniture in the price range that Wyoming residents can afford. Strasser Log Furniture products vary from coasters, candles, pet beds, full size beds, bunk beds, end tables, book shelves and custom military awards. Cost range from $10 to $1500. Contact Strasser Log Furniture directly via phone, email and their website regarding questions and to discuss orders.

SHOP WYOMING: Outlaw Rodeo Wear

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Outlaw Rodeo Wear of Ten Sleep, WY has new merchandise available – and they’re up for a FedEx Small Business Grant! Learn more below, and be sure to visit them via the links!

Originated in the rugged Big Horn Mountains in Northern Wyoming, Outlaw Rodeo Wear is dedicated to the rough and hell-raising lifestyles of the most famous outlaws such as Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, The James Gang, and especially some more current hometown outlaws. Named after the wild and crazy Beauty and the Beast Rodeo in Ten Sleep, Wyoming, Outlaw Rodeo Wear strives to bring you tough looking, great feeling rodeo and western wear. Designed by true cowboys and cowgirls, Outlaw Rodeo Wear will make everyone look and feel a little more outlaw.

visit them!  web  |  facebook

click here to vote for Outlaw Rodeo Wear in the FedEx Small Business Grant contest – and be sure to share it too!

NEWS FROM THE PARKS: Lost Skiers Rescued in GTNP During Major Winter Storm

Lost Skiers Rescued in Grand Teton National Park during Major Winter Storm

MOOSE, WY — Three skiers unintentionally ended up in Grand Teton National Park’s Granite Canyon backcountry on Friday, February 7, prompting a search and rescue mission by park rangers the following day during a significant winter storm. Despite a high and rising avalanche danger, park rescuers successfully assisted the three out of the Teton backcountry by 9:30 p.m. Saturday, February 8.

 

Tom Barry, 59, of Jackson, Wyoming, Zoe Tong, 49, and Dave Catero, 52, from San Francisco, California, left the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort boundary from Gate 1 at about 11 a.m. on Friday with the intention of skiing an area called Four Pines, adjacent to the ski resort. The three mistakenly skied into Granite Canyon instead, and became lost in Grand Teton’s more remote backcountry.

 

By 4 p.m. Friday, the three skiers realized they were lost, so they decided to dig a snow cave and stay put for the night. By Saturday morning, the group was out of food and water, and only one of them was carrying an avalanche transceiver. They decided to send a text message to a friend indicating they were lost and needed help.

 

Teton County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers received the call for help, and notified park rangers at 8:30 a.m. The skiers were able to provide their location by GPS coordinates derived from their cell phone, and through a text message, rangers determined that no one in the party was injured. Due to high winds and low visibility, a helicopter reconnaissance and rescue was not possible, so rangers prepared for a ground-based rescue.

 

Rangers spent most of the day weighing options to help the trio while analyzing the risk to rescuers. With concerns that the three might not survive a second night in the backcountry, rangers ultimately decided to attempt a rescue. If rescuers had encountered signs of slope instability, or if the avalanche danger had been any higher, rangers would not have attempted the rescue. Ultimately, four park rangers departed the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on skis at 4:00 p.m. Saturday and reached the party at 7:30 p.m. The group was then escorted out of the backcountry and back to the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

 

Rangers remind backcountry users and those who leave the ski resort boundary that a rescue is not guaranteed. Pursing these activities requires a high level of personal accountability and responsibility. All members of a backcountry party should have appropriate avalanche gear, including a transceiver, shovel, and probe.  Backcountry skiers and snowboarders need to be prepared to spend more time than anticipated by bringing extra clothing, high energy snacks and water. They should also consider their physical limitations and time restrictions when choosing a destination, and bring a map of the area and know how to use it before setting out.

 

The Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center reported the avalanche danger as “considerable” to “high” on Saturday with increasing danger due to strong winds, warming temperatures and abundant new snow. It’s important to note that the avalanche forecast center does not provide reports for extreme terrain. This was the first major search and rescue in Grand Teton National Park this winter.

WY FOODIE: New Recipe from WY Beef Council + Bin22 Jackson

visit our website & read the current issue

 

Looking for a fresh idea for dinner tonight? Check out this recipe from our friends at the Wyoming Beef Council! We greatly appreciate all the hard work they do promoting the advantages of beef – a Wyoming agricultural staple and the income for many of our friends & neighbors!

Mediterranean Beef and Salad Pita

Total recipe time: 25 to 30 minutes

Makes 4 servings

 

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1/3 cup crumbled herb-flavored feta cheese

1/3 cup prepared regular or reduced fat non-creamy Italian dressing or other vinaigrette

1/4 cup Kalamata or ripe olives, chopped

4 pita breads, toasted

 

Instructions

  1. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef and bell pepper; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking into 3/4-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Pour off drippings.
  2. Add lettuce, cheese, dressing and olives to beef mixture; toss to combine. Top pitas with equal amounts of beef mixture.

Test Kitchen Tips

Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef ‘doneness.’

JACKSON:  Bin 22

Bin22 in Jackson Hole reflects the sophisticated energy of New York City and the rustic elegance of the Italian countryside, all in a quaint space in the heart of Jackson. This cozy downtown addition flaunts a diverse selection of great value wines, craft beers and regional spirits unparalleled by any shop in the Valley. Adjacent to the libations lies a small grocer featuring homemade pastas, pizza dough, cheeses, salumi, ice cream and more. Venture beyond the specialty grocer and bottle shop to the intimate wine bar area and outdoor deck, open for lunch and dinner daily. Order from the extensive wine, beer and cocktail menu while enjoying Spanish and Italian style tapas and delectable desserts. Belly up to one of the community tables and get lost amidst the rustic wood surroundings or stop for a quick visit with the cheese monger pulling fresh mozzarella at the open kitchen window. Sip Wyoming Whiskey from the state’s first legal distillery, poured straight from the cask behind the marble bar. An experience for the senses, Bin22 offers a contemporary take on an old world culinary experience.

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