NEWS FROM THE PARKS: Ride Menor’s Ferry at Grand Teton National Park

WY Beef Summer WLM 2015

FROM GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK:  Ride Menor’s Ferry & Experience Early Method of River Crossing on the Snake

MOOSE, WY — Ever wondered how Jackson Hole’s early settlers crossed the Snake River before bridges? Beginning Monday, July 20, visitors can take a ride on a replica ferry boat and experience crossing the Snake in the same fashion provided by Bill Menor through his routine ferry service of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Park ranger naturalists will offer free rides daily from 9:00–10:15 a.m. and 1:15–2:15 p.m., as well as before and after the ranger-led program, “A Walk into the Past,” that occurs each day at 2:30 p.m.  Call 307.739.3399 for additional operation times.

The wooden ferry boat serves as a central feature of the Menor/Noble Historic District, located just north of the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Grand Teton National Park.  Ferry rides transport visitors across the Snake River from Menor’s general store on the west bank of the river to Dornan’s on the east bank—and back.

 

Menors Ferry July 2015

Menor’s Ferry consists of a wooden platform deck placed upon two pontoons for flotation. The ferry is tethered to a cable system that spans the river and operates by directing the pontoons toward the opposite riverbank, allowing the power of the current to push the craft across the river channel. The system uses river power—rather than motor power—to push the ferry across the water. This type of river travel existed in ancient times and was widely used throughout the United States.

Menor’s Ferry played a vital role in providing safe transport for passengers over the swift-flowing Snake River before construction of a bridge. Prior to the ferry’s existence, the Snake River was essentially impassable from Wilson to Moran—except during low water periods in the fall and winter months. As a man of vision, Bill Menor saw the need for a more convenient access across the Snake River and consequently built and operated his ferry from 1894 until 1918 when he sold it to Maud Noble. Maud operated the ferry until 1927 when its use became obsolete after a steel truss bridge was constructed across the river, allowing for vehicles and foot traffic to cross without the assistance of a ferry service.

Although transportation has changed over time, Menor’s Ferry offers a chance to step back into the past and experience a bygone time and historic mode of river passage.

 

  Menors Ferry July 2015 2

Menors Ferry July 2015 3

COWBOY TOUGH ADVENTURE RACE

WY Beef Summer WLM 2015

CHECK OUT ALL THE TEAMS AT THE CAMECO COWBOY TOUGH ADVENTURE WEEK WEBSITE:  http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/#!teamroster/c1aam

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cOWBOY tOUGH RACE 2015

FROM WIND RIVER COUNTRY TOURISM:

Cowboy Tough Adventure Race, Here We Come! Lander Athletes Represent Wind River Country at the 2015 Cowboy Tough Adventure Race (July 16 –July 19)

 

Wyoming – “So what are you up to this weekend?”

“Oh we’re just headed to Buffalo to do a little trekking through the Bighorns, some mountain and fire road biking, a little Class III whitewater boating, and a touch of orienteering with 100 athletes from over the globe for an 84-hour adventure race ending in Casper.”

Here in Wind River Country, chances are you know one: your neighbor, best friend, co-worker, or even you and your partner are considered an “adventure athlete.” Whether you weekend-warrior up to Wind River’s Stough Creek for a 21-mile fishing excursion, wake up at 5am to run the Tomato Loop, bushwhack with topo maps through the Red Desert to find petroglyphs, ride at-skis/fat bikes/stout horses through the backcountry—there’s a familiar, prevalent breed of (and unspoken camaraderie among) outdoor-forward humans throughout Fremont County.

No surprise that Fremont County has its own adventure race team, for its second year, competing in Wyoming’s 2015 Cowboy Tough Adventure Race. Sponsored by the Wind River Visitors Council, Team Wind River Country is a coed team of four, all residents of Lander.

Captain Charles (Chuck) Schuster crunches 0’s and 1’s by day for Wyoming Life Resource Center. He and his Cowboy Tough teammate and wife Karla Wagner, a local OB/GYN physician, originally got the adventure racing bug at the annual Leadville 100 MTB (mountain biking) race. (Where they spend over ten hours biking 100 miles over 14,000 feet of elevation gain. Each year. On a tandem bike. For fun.)

Returning for a second round, Wind River Country teammate Shad Hamilton is principal at Fort Washakie, a husband, and father of two. Having met in 2006 at the cycling club, Shad has joined Schuster-Wagner on several Leadville races and adventures through the backcountry. Hamilton paddled a canoe singlehandedly across Boysen Reservoir for one leg of last year’s Cowboy Tough to keep the team rolling through an injury and brief and unofficial checkpoint in the Emergency Room. Shad’s wife jokingly refers to Chuck as “that friend” (who drags him out for days and hours of insanity.) We’re not sure if that’s better than a weekly game of poker with the guys or not.

Brad Young is a husband, father, Army veteran, and the newest member of Team Wind River Country. A behavioral therapist at the Wyoming Life Resource Center, Brad was inspired by Chuck’s endeavors over office water cooler conversations, and effectively turned curiosity into action. After surviving his “first date” with the team at the Teton Ogre Adventure Race in June 2014, Brad has been training and on board for Cowboy Tough ever since.

The 2015 Cowboy Tough race-course this year is set for a start in Buffalo, a gentle meander through the Big Horns (ha) and finish line in Casper. 360-430 miles of trekking, paddling, orienteering, fire road biking, single track biking, mountain and road biking, and plenty of checkpoint challenges over the course of four days. Teams are completely independent and self-sufficient for food and water, and are allowed one tote box on an eighteen-wheeler for transition stations. What does that mean? Racing “re-starts” each morning at 7am and even if you rolled into the transition station at 2am, you have to get your food, sleep, and gear ready to start all over again.

Paula McCormick, marketing director of the Wind River Visitor’s Council was adamant about supporting the team in its second year. “Wind River Country is known for its mountains, rivers, trails, and unparalleled terrain from high desert to alpine. Even more so are the people that live here. There’s a pool of adventure athletes who are ‘Cowboy Tough’ and we are thrilled to support them… and have Wind River Country represented at an international (and Wyoming) competition that receives global exposure. These are the people we run by on the trail or see out on the mountain pass. They are our own.”

To get a sense of what this year’s race looks like, look at the video and photos from last year’s race that started in Fremont County. http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/ – !media/c9v9

You can track Fremont County’s team during the race on posts on our Wind River Country Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/WyomingsWindRiverCountry?fref=ts

Related Links: Lander Chamber of CommerceRiverton Chamber of Commerce, Dubois Chamber of CommerceDestination Dubois

ON THE CALENDAR: 75th Annual Laramie Jubilee Days

LJD red logo

It’s the 75th annual Laramie Jubilee Days this year, and we LOVE this annual event in our hometown! We’re very excited to be sponsors this year – look for our logo at the rodeos, and we hope to see you in the stands! Also our Laramie Dance & Arts Center will be in the Jubilee Days parade on Saturday morning, kicking up our boots – we hope to see you there, and buzz us at 307.742.6767 if you’d like to join our swing dance group at Friday night’s street dance! (We’ve got some great classes for all levels!) Next Line Dance Party night is Friday, July 31!

LJD-2015 proof

Calendar of Laramie Jubilee Days Events for Thursday – Sunday, July 9-12 …

Thursday, July 9th
10 AM — Mr. T Bull Riding Golf Tournament, Laramie Country Club
4:45 PM — Flaming Gorge Jalapeno Contest, Downtown Laramie
5:30-Midnight — Live Music, Downtown Laramie
7 PM — Mr. T Extreme Bull Riding, Albany County Fairgrounds 

Friday, July 10th
6-9 AM — Jeff Thompson Pancake Breakfast hosted by DLBA and Kiwanis, North Depot Park, Downtown Laramie*
7 AM — PRCA Rodeo Slack, Albany County Fairgrounds
11 AM-2 PM — Wyoming State Celebration, Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site*
                          Live Music, Downtown Laramie
3 PM — Farmer’s Market, Downtown Laramie*
           Maurice’s Fashion Show, Downtown Laramie*
2:30-5:30 PM — Live Music, Downtown Laramie Stage
6:30 PM — PRCA Rodeo Performance, Albany County Fairgrounds
6-8:45 PM — Live Music, Downtown Laramie
9:15-Midnight — Live Music, Downtown Laramie 

Saturday, July 11th
10 AM — Parade, Downtown Laramie
11 AM — Hits 106 Chili Cook-off, Downtown Laramie*
11-2 PM — Live Music, Downtown Laramie Stage
11 AM-3 PM — Laramie Cowbelles BBQ, Downtown Laramie*
ACPE Ice Cream Social, Ace Parking Lot*
Noon-11 PM — Carnival, Downtown Laramie
1-6 PM — Downtown Laramie Brew Fest, North Depot Park, Downtown Laramie*
1 PM — Queens Luncheon, Cavalryman Supper Club
2:30-5:30 PM — Live Music, Downtown Laramie Stage
6-8:30 PM — Live Music, Downtown Laramie Stage
6:30 PM — PRCA Rodeo Performance, Albany County Fairgrounds
9-Midnight — Live Music
, Downtown Laramie
9:30 PM (after PRCA) — WPRA Barrel Racing Slack, Albany County Fairgrounds 

Sunday, July 12th
10 AM-3 PM — Jubilee Fest on the Ivinson Lawn, Laramie Plains Museum*
1 PM — PRCA Rodeo Performance, Albany County Fairgrounds

ON THE CALENDAR: Intl Climbers Festival in Lander July 8-12

WY Beef Summer WLM 2015

Intl Climber Fest 1

From the Wind River Visitors Council …

Lander, WY – The International Climbers’ Festival is a five-day rock climbing festival that brings together hundreds of people from across the country to Lander. The event includes rock climbing clinics, speakers, and plenty of fun for climbers of any age.

Located in central Wyoming, Lander sits at the base of the spectacular granite-filled Wind River Range, which has some of the best alpine routes in the country. Just outside of town are the legendary limestone-dolomite sport-climbing crags of Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris, where you can find single pitch sport and traditional climbing as well as bouldering with grades for the whole family.

Questions:   climbersfestival@gmail.com or visit www.climbersfestival.org

Image by Wind River Visitors Council
Image by Wind River Visitors Council

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8

  • Noon- Registration Opens at Wild Iris Store
  • Evening Events at American Museum of the American West, BBQ from 5:30-8:00pm
  • 6pm- Legends & Lore at the Museum of the American West
  • 8pm- Boulder Bash at Cabin Boulders (with lights!)

THURSDAY, JULY 9

  • 8am-Noon- Access Fund Service Project, with Support from the Trango
  • 9am-11:00am: Shoe Demo at Wild Iris Store (return to store as well)
  • Noon-4:00pm: Tour Lander Brewing on the hour @ the Cowfish
  • 3:00-5:00pm: Falcon Guide Writer’s Clinic
  • 5:00pm- Central Bank & Trust Art Crawl begins and will make stops at local businesses to see various art displays and scotch/beer tasting.
  • 7:00—11:00 pm- Opening Party, brought to you by La Sportiva and the Lander Bar at the Gannett Grill. Pull-Up competition starts at 7:00pm and band, Trout Steak Revival, starts at 8:00pm.

FRIDAY, JULY 10

  • 8:00am- Breakfast Burritos by Solid Rock Climbers’ For Christ in City Park
  • 8:30am-10am: Shoe demos in City Park (return to City Park as well)
  • 9:00am- Meet for clinics at City Park and carpool to Crag
  • 2:00pm-9:00pm- Trade Fair at City Park. Includes booths, exciting games, gear giveaways, and a Dyno Comp that starts at 6:00pm.
  • 9:00pm Peculiar Patriots playing at the Lander Bar

SATURDAY, JULY 11

  • 7:00-9:00am- Dolomite Dash Trail Run, sponsored by Elemental Gym with support from Dynafit @ Wild Iris Crag (21k at 7:00am, 5k & 10k at 7:30am)
  • 8:30 am- Crag Breakfast by the Middle Fork @ Wild Iris Crag
  • 8:30 am-10am Shoe Demos at Wild Iris Crag (return to Wild Iris Store)
  • 10:00 am- Clinics at Wild Iris Crag
  • 6:00 pm- Autograph Session with Athletes at Community Center
  • 7:00pm- Millet Keynote Speaker Series
  • 8:30pm- Closing Party and DJ Cut La Whut

SUNDAY, JULY 12

  • Coffee by prAna
  • 9:00 Slide Show by Hans Florine (City Park)

All Access Pass – $70
All presentations, $10 Art Crawl dollars, Trade Fair, T-shirt, and Clinics. Includes select free food and discounts for drinks. Your way to experience the entire Festival!

Children’s Ticket – $35
All Access pass, specially priced for kids ages 6-17. Kids under 6 are free!

 

Intl Climber Fest 3

Image from Wind River Visitor Center
Image from Wind River Visitor Center