On Saturday, February 8, Charene Herrera and Helen Wilson headed to Dubois for Stage Seven of the 2025 Pedigree Stage Stop Race. The race has been taking place since 1996, and this year, it had stops in Jackson Hole, Pinedale, Big Piney/Marbleton, Kemmerer, Lander and Dubois.

Dubois was the final stop, and activities included a Musher Meet & Greet, Winterfest, Dogsled Demonstrations, Movie Night and, of course, the Pedigree Stage Stop Race.

In this podcast, Charene and Helen chat with numerous people, including Sara Anderson, Liam Conner (Canada), Cathy Rivest (Canada), Anny Malo (Canada), Alix Crittenden and sister Jessie (Wyoming), Dan Carter (Race Director), Suzanne Osegueda (Dubois Chamber of Commerce) and Dave and Liz Furman (Dubois). Charene and Helen also hopped on a dogsled for a ride with Continental Divide Dogsled Adventures. With blue skies, fresh powder and some very eager dogs, it was a howling good time.

On Saturday, January 18, Charene Herrera headed to the ice to celebrate winter at the Boysen Ice Fishing Derby. This event is an annual tradition that has brought anglers together for generations.

In this podcast, Charene chats with John Bass, Park Superintendent of Boysen State Park. John highlights winter recreation in Wind River Country and the importance of the Derby. Charene also speaks with Rich Mittlesdorf and Georgia Epperson, the owners of the Boysen Marina Campground Bar & Restaurant and Bruce Davidson and Jackie Stone of the B&K Shoreline Stop. They talk about the event, the Marina and keeping tradition alive.

Grab your warm coat, hat and gloves, and take a listen.

On Sunday, December 1, Charene Herrera and Helen Wilson headed to Dubois, Wyoming for their Dubois Cowboy Christmas event. The evening included a parade and lighting ceremony, as well as a friendly competition amongst Dubois Chamber of Commerce members to see who could decorate the best plywood Christmas tree cut-out in true western fashion. These trees will be displayed through January 2. The weather was incredible, and hot chocolate with all the fixings (and the smiles that accompanied them) made the evening cozy.

In this podcast, we chat with the chamber’s Executive Director, Suzanne Osegueda and well as Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Locals, visitors and the Mayor explored the downtown area and its restaurants and shops, as many stayed open late to participate in the festivities.

The Wind River Visitors Council wishes you and yours a very happy holiday season. See you in 2025! For more information on events and adventures in Wyoming’s Wind River Country, visit windriver.org.

This special Thanksgiving podcast dives into the wonderful world of local food in Wyoming’s Wind River Country. Charene Herrera visits Lander to chat food with the Meadowlark Market & Kitchen team, Annelise Wright (Market Manager), Joanne Slingerland (Member Education and Outreach Coordinator) and Bridget Pokorny (Meadowlark Kitchen Intern).

In Riverton, Charene visits Fremont Local Market to catch up with Jack Schmidt, who shares his knowledge about the Wyoming Food Freedom Act. He discusses how this legislation enables markets like Fremont Local Market and Meadowlark Market & Kitchen to thrive.

Of course, a podcast on local food wouldn’t be complete without some tasty sourdough bread, and local breadmaker, Alma Law, talks about ancient sourdough-making techniques while sharing insights on the art of traditional sourdough.

The Wind River Visitors Council wishes you and yours a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season!

“Do you believe in ghosts?” is the question that was asked at the beginning of a tour of the haunted history of Riverton with local educator, historian and collector of ghost stories, Alma Law.

Alma greeted us in the Riverton Museum holding a doll named Amelia, and while Amelia’s mysterious history points to a potential haunting, there was something quite captivating and beautiful about her.

After taking a deep dive into the history of the Riverton Museum, we traveled to the Masonic Temple, where Ken Watts joined us and added his insights and stories to the haunted history narrative of the Temple. Then we made our way to the old jail to meet with Bart Ringer, who worked as a sergeant at the jail for many years. Bart and Alma talked about the jail’s spooky past and the role that it served in the community.

Grab a warm beverage, a cozy blanket and your favorite mysterious doll, and listen along as Alma tells stories of people from long ago, an orange tabby cat and a mysterious jogger. And then you can decide, “do you believe in ghosts?”

For more information about Alma Law’s haunted downtown walking tours, contact Alma directly at (307) 240-9403. Tours are available year-round.

On Tuesday, September 10, Charene Herrera, Michael Morris and Helen Wilson headed underground into the Boulder Choke Cave with Skylar Sargent and Ella Sokolowski of Sinks Canyon State Park.

The ⅛ mile long cave system, which ranges from 20 to 100 feet deep, was discovered in the 1990s by a Sinks Canyon State Park staff member. It is a series of limestone caverns that flood and drain every year with the spring melt. The entrance is hidden in a nondescript pile of boulders, and it requires both flexibility and bravery to squeeze through the 16” x 16” opening. Once adventurers are through the initial squeeze, they must crawl through a 20 foot tunnel before the cave system opens up to a room large enough to hold a group of 10 people comfortably. The largest room is over 80 feet wide, and includes a view of the Popo Agie River, as it flows underground.

In addition to exploring the various rooms, Charene, Michael and Helen also had the opportunity to see fish living in the underground pools. These fish live with a complete absence of light and have therefore lost their pigment, so they appear white.

Cave tours are available from mid-August to mid-April. The tour includes all caving gear, protective clothing, safety equipment and a trained cave guide. Participants learn about the geology of the cave system, unique microbial life forms called snottites and what it’s like to experience an absolute absence of light.

Listen along as Charene, Michael and Helen explore the Boulder Choke Cave. For more information on cave tours, visit https://www.facebook.com/SinksCanyonStatePark/.

On Saturday, Aug. 10, the Riverton Museum hosted a Jeffrey City Adventure Trek as part of the Wind River Visitors Council’s Adventure Trek Series. Trip Leader, Zach Larson, who completed his thesis on uranium and the uranium mines in Wyoming, guided the tour.

Jeffrey City was originally called "Home on the Range," and during the trek the group visited the original homestead, where they met the current owner, Bob Adams. Jeffrey City was once Fremont County’s third largest town—a bustling mining town complete with restaurants, a bowling alley, a movie theater and a swimming pool. The town saw an explosive growth beginning in the late 1950s and had an ultimate decline in the early 1980s. The town is now home to a few dozen residents, and a welcome stopover for cross-country cyclists.

The Wyoming Jade Festival was taking place during the trek, which brought an unusual number of people to Jeffrey City, a contrast to its typical desolation. The group explored old lots that once housed hundreds of homes, most of which are now long gone. The remnants of Jeffrey City's once-vibrant community were starkly evident.

The group discovered a charming bike hostel and took shelter there as the heavy rain began to pour. This hostel is a reminder of the area's lingering hospitality, despite its ghost town status. Tune in to step back in time to a once vibrant Jeffrey City.

For more detailed information on Jeffrey City’s history and the uranium boom, visit Exploring Rural.

On Saturday, May 25, Sinks Canyon State Park and the Wind River Visitors Council hosted a community celebration to recognize Sinks Canyon State Park’s recent designation as an International Dark Sky Park, which is the first designation of its kind in Wyoming.

In this podcast, Jessica Moore, Superintendent of Sinks Canyon State Park, talks about why dark skies are important and how this designation was achieved. Kendall Jacobs, a mathematics instructor at the Casper College School of Science, and Dr. Andrew Young, a physics instructor, also at the Casper College School of Science, led a constellation tour, shared some historical perspectives and talked about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a Nova explosion, which is visible in Wyoming until the end of September.

Additional dark sky events are in the works, including an event on August 12 from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. with astronomer Allen Corey and Sinks Canyon State Park staff. For more information, call (307) 332-3077.

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