One More For The Road

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<title>One More For The Road: Thursday, April 25, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

One More For The Road: Thursday, April 25, 2024

 When you see something on the Internet, chances are it's easy to replicate....

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

The Powder River at Arvada in Sheridan County has essentially stopped flowing for nearly a month, encapsulating severe drought conditions persisting across the West.

The river’s flow levels there have been sitting at zero to near-zero cubic feet per second (cfs) since mid-July, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) communications specialist Cheryl Miller told Cowboy State Daily.

When the river hits 0 cfs, “there could be a little pool there, but it is not moving," Miller said. "There is no water going downstream from there.” 

The Powder River's main steam flows for 375 miles from the Bighorn Mountains into the Yellowstone River near Terry, Montana. It is susceptible to wild fluctuations because it is one of the last free-flowing prairie river systems in the country.

During a typical year, the Powder at Arvada is flowing at 135 cfs, Miller said. 

[{"type":"text","text":"On June 16, it was at 17.5 cfs."}]

When the river reaches zero cubic feet per second, native fish such as sauger, channel catfish and sturgeon chub have evolved to survive in deeper pools.

“This is not unheard of for that site," Miller said of zero cfs, "but it is uncommon.” 

Records dating to 1930 indicate the Powder River has hit a standstill at Arvada about a dozen times, though there are no records for length of time at zero flow. The Powder also reached 100,000 cubic feet per second in 1923.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Why So Low?"}]

Unusually light snowpack coupled with a relative lack of rain during the spring and summer have contributed to the scarcity of water this summer, Miller said. Irrigation has also taken water from its tributaries, 

fishing guide Gene Pruett told Cowboy State Daily.

Dry ground along the upper stretches can absorb some of the river’s runoff.

The main Powder River’s tributaries include the North, Middle and South forks, which are still flowing.

The Middle Fork is typically fishable until late June or early July, when the water becomes too warm for responsible angling, said Pruett, owner of the Thermopolis-based Wyoming Trout Angler fishing guide service.

He guides anglers on the North Fork in Outlaw Canyon above Kaycee.

Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart recently told the Legislature’s Select Water Committee that this is one of the 

“Over 83% of the state is in severe or extreme drought,” he said. "Luckily, no parts of the state are under exceptional drought, as of right now.” 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Time To Stop Fishing"}]

Flows along the upstream forks of the Powder River is “generally low,” said Mike Cassidy, fishing guide with Rock Creek Anglers, based out of Saddlestring in Johnson County.

It is probably weakest on the South Fork, he told Cowboy State Daily.

“We shut down our fishing on the Middle Fork because of high water temperatures,” he said.

Stretches of the North Fork on private property remain “fishable” because cold water from tributary springs has kept water temperatures lower, he said.

As a general rule, it’s best to stop even catch-and-release trout fishing once the water temperature hits 68 to 70 degrees because of stress to the fish, Pruett said.

In addition to shutting down his operations on the Middle Fork, Pruett said he’s limited trips to early mornings only on other rivers because of rising water temperatures.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department hasn’t mandated catch-and-release fishing shutdowns but is asking anglers and guides to suspend their fishing on numerous waters.

On the Bighorn, the Green, the Salt, the Snake, and the New Fork rivers, there are voluntary closure signs everywhere,” Pruett said.

“I think it’s the guides’ and the anglers’ responsibility to preserve the resource” and refrain from catch-and-release fishing when the water is too hot, he said.

As for the Powder, it was still near zero cubic feet per second at Locate, Montana, but picked up some water by the time it reaches Moorhead, where the flow was 10-12 cubic feet per second Thursday. 

Arvada 8 13 26

<title>Under Severe Drought Conditions, Wyoming’s Powder River Has Completely Stopped Flowing | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Powder River in Sheridan County has completely stopped flowing for nearly a month due to severe drought conditions and irrigation. During a typical year, the Powder at Arvada is flowing at 135 cubic feet per second, now it's at zero cubic feet per second.

Under Severe Drought Conditions, Wyoming’s Powder River Has Completely Stopped Flowing

Coy Knobel

Don Day Weather

Partly to mostly sunny in Wyoming on Friday with a chance of rain. Chance of rain overnight. Highs near 70 to mid 80s. Lows from the upper 30s to low 60s.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Central:  "}]

Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 83 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 10 p.m., a low near 54 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. 

Slight chance of rain after noon, partly sunny today with a high near 79 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 53. 

  Slight chance of rain after 2 p.m., partly sunny today with a high near 81 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 57.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Southwest:  "}]

  Chance of rain mainly after noon, partly sunny today with a high near 71 and mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain after midnight and a low near 43.

   Chance of rain mainly after 1 p.m., partly sunny today with a high near 75 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 7 p.m., a low near 48 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

 Chance of rain mainly after noon, partly sunny today with a high near 73 and mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 45. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Western Wyoming:  "}]

 Rain likely, partly sunny today with a high near 69 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before 10 p.m. and a low near 40.

 Rain likely today with a high near 71 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 39.

  Chance of rain, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 71 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 38 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Northwest: "}]

 Rain likely, partly sunny today with a high near 69 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before 10 p.m., a low near 43 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. 

  Rain likely today with a high near 72 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 39.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

:  Chance of rain, becoming mostly sunny today with a high near 64 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 35.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Bighorn Basin:  "}]

Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 79 and mostly cloudy overnight with rain likely and a low near 54.

:  Rain likely, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 71 and cloudy, gradually becoming partly cloudy overnight with rain likely before 1 a.m. and a low near 52.

  Chance of rain mainly after 5 p.m., gradually becoming mostly sunny today with a high near 78 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 56.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"North Central:  "}]

   Chance of rain, partly sunny today with a high near 70 and mostly cloudy overnight with rain likely and a low near 56.

   Chance of rain, areas of fog before noon, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 74 and mostly cloudy overnight with rain likely, areas of fog after midnight and a low near 51.

:   Chance of rain, areas of fog before 9 a.m., mostly cloudy today with a high near 72 and mostly cloudy overnight with rain likely, patchy fog after midnight and a low near 53. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Northeast:  "}]

Gradually becoming mostly sunny today with a high near 77 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain, a low near 53 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

   Gradually becoming mostly sunny today with a high near 79 and wind gusts as high as 17 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with rain likely, a low near 57 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph.

:  Chance of rain, cloudy during the afternoon today with a high near 75 and wind gusts as high as 18 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain, a low near 54 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Eastern Plains:  "}]

  Chance of rain after 3 p.m., increasing clouds today with a high near 87 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 60.

   Patchy fog before 9 a.m., slight chance of rain after noon, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 82 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 57.

  Patchy fog before 9 a.m., chance of rain after noon, becoming sunny today with a high near 86 and mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 62. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Southeast:  "}]

   Rain likely after noon, increasing clouds today with a high near 80 and cloudy, becoming partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 57. 

  Chance of rain after noon, increasing clouds today with a high near 76 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 51.

  Mostly sunny today with a high near 78 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 50.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"South Central:  "}]

   Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 75 and mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 54.

   Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 75 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 49.

   Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 76 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 51. 

Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 83 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 10 p.m., a low near 54 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Slight chance of rain after noon, partly sunny today with a high near 79 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 53.

 Chance of rain mainly after noon, partly sunny today with a high near 73 and mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 45.

:   Chance of rain, areas of fog before 9 a.m., mostly cloudy today with a high near 72 and mostly cloudy overnight with rain likely, patchy fog after midnight and a low near 53.

  Chance of rain after 3 p.m., increasing clouds today with a high near 87 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 60 

  Patchy fog before 9 a.m., chance of rain after noon, becoming sunny today with a high near 86 and mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 62 

   Rain likely after noon, increasing clouds today with a high near 80 and cloudy, becoming partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 57.

  Chance of rain after noon, increasing clouds today with a high near 76 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 51. 

  Mostly sunny today with a high near 78 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 50. 

   Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 76 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 51.

Daycap small 8 14 26

<title>Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Friday, August 14, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Friday, August 14, 2026

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Friday, August 14th.  I’m Mac Watson.

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":"–"}]

The Wyoming's Turn PAC that has been attacking Sen. Eric Barlow in his run for governor is the state's biggest-spending PAC in the primary election. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that’s nearly $1 million more than last cycle’s top spender.

“That PAC spent about $1.4 million in this election cycle last year. Some of the biggest spenders we saw were right about half million, or actually closer to 300,000, 400,000. This year we saw Make Liberty Win, often a top spender with just over half million, and so they got beat by the big governor's PAC. There is also a PAC that's spending around $200,000 that has been attacking Degenfelder.”

 reports receiving over $1.5M in contributions this year, meaning it has a little over $95,000 remaining in the final week before Tuesday’s primary election.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"–"}]

The mother and grandfather of a 2-month old baby found dead in a sweltering, feces-filled camper pleaded not guilty Tuesday to numerous charges surrounding the infant's death. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that caseworkers did have contact with the family earlier in the year.

“DFS had tried to go and see inside of the camper and check on the baby's welfare, and Travis' study basically told them to leave his property and would not give them access to come inside. After a high risk pregnancy, the baby soon lost 11% of its body weight. When one caseworker went to the house, she noticed signs of debris everywhere, including a strong odor of cat urine coming from one of their vehicles. DFS tried to make contact, and when they came up to the camper, Travis Study told them to leave and would not give them access to come inside or to check on the baby.”

Both defendants have pleaded not guilty. 22-year-old Destiny Study faces only misdemeanors, and she will have a pre-trial conference in November. 57-year-old Travis Study also pleaded not guilty, so now the case awaits the trial date.

The national social media influencer Libs of TikTok blasted a Laramie High School counselor on Thursday for saying he wishes Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman had been aborted. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports the influencer wrote, “Would you want this person in charge of your kids' mental health?”

“She blasted a commenter who also happens to be a Laramie High School counselor for saying he wishes House Speaker Chip Neiman had been aborted. So Neiman said the comment was horrific, undermines the pro-choice argument. But he also said he feels for the counselor.”

When asked to comment about Jason Uitterdyk’s post, Albany County School District No. 1 declined to comment via its communications coordinator Madison Green.

A dimwitted tourist posted a video of himself illegally climbing above the Upper Falls of the Grand Canyon in Yellowstone earlier this week. He bragged about the “risky view” and how it gave him adrenaline. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that the unidentified, for now, hiker’s Instagram post could result in charges.

“You are not allowed to go off trail in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Off-trail travel in that area is prohibited, and climbing onto the perch over the upper falls of the Grand Canyon is considered off-trail travel. Climbing falls under that jurisdiction, so certainly should not have been where he was. And the worst thing you can do if you're going to do something like that in Yellowstone is post about it on social media, which he also did. So not only is that discouraging because it might encourage other people to do the same thing, it's self-incriminating.”

Rock climbing isn’t prohibited in Yellowstone, but going off-trail is. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is one of those areas. The exact language of the prohibition can be found in the 

Yellowstone Superintendent’s Compendium

, which is reviewed annually and updated as needed. 

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"   "}]

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"– "}]

The Bureau of Land Management plans to round up about 1,800 mustangs in the Red Desert Complex of central Wyoming this fall, claiming that overpopulated horses are at risk for starvation. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that wild-horse advocate Carol Walker doesn’t believe that.

“The BLM starting this fall, maybe in October, they want to go in and their end goal is to round up about 1,800 horses out of there and get their numbers back down. Their claim is if we don't get in there and reduce that population significantly, some horses could start starving. I talked to a wild horse advocate who told me that in her words, she says that's baloney. She said that from what she's seen out on the range, the horses are all in good shape. They're all looking fat and looking like they have plenty to eat.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The roundups are set to begin in the fall."}]

Hulett's Ham and Jam is supposed to be a one-day party. Ride in, have a Bloody Mary, eat a pork sandwich, and roar off into the distance toward Sturgis. But Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that the event has become such a popular event, the 30,000 bikers who visit every year have extended their stay.

“It's a great, beautiful ride in Wyoming's northeastern Black Hills, and so in order to attract more of those riders, a lot of the towns that are on this loop, like Hewlett, have come up with you know things to attract some of the Sturgis rally goers. Captain Ron, the guy that owned Ron's Rodeo Bar, came up with the idea to serve a free pork sandwich to Sturgis rally goers at his bar, and he had free music and you know, of course, drinks you buy, but free pork sandwich.”

Captain Ron’s Rodeo Bar server Kelly Maher-Wolfensperger has just a few rules for the annual Ham and Jam party that happens in Hulett each year. She tells Cowboy State Daily, “We do not mince, muddle, or blend – so don’t ask.” Her no-nonsense rules mean the bar doesn’t make Old Fashioneds, mojitos, or mules during the weeks of the Sturgis rally. 

A grizzly and wolf initially had a tense standoff over a bison carcass in Yellowstone, but opted to resolve it peacefully. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that the photographer who filmed the interaction said they're smarter than people think because the animals know fighting could be costly. 

“I talked to a photographer, Marcela Herdova.she just got some cool footage of a wolf and a grizzly bear. There, there was a carcass nearby, and they were kind of getting close to each other and posturing and doing the tough guy thing, but they didn't actually fight.  More often than not, it turns out how it's shown in that video, where the animals will posture and kind of you know puff up and then one will eventually give up and walk away. Fights are risky, you know. If a person breaks an arm, you go to the doctor to get it fixed. If a wolf breaks his leg in a fight, then he's screwed. Probably going to die, you know. And they seem to know that.”

The worst it got was the bear giving the wolf a grumpy “side eye,” Herdova tells Cowboy State Daily, who was among numerous visitors who saw the drama in Yellowstone's Hayden Valley. 

Two South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers were nearly struck by lightning while on a manhunt Wednesday evening. Body cam video captured the lightning strike followed by an immediate yell. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that lightning struck a little too close for comfort for the troopers.

“The South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers were not injured, though it was the shock of their lives. They were only a few yards away from the lightning strike. It does tend to be true that lightning strikes the tallest point in an area, but that's not a guarantee. It strikes ground all the time, as we see in Wyoming. That's how we get wildfires. The best thing you can do if you're in an area where you're anticipating a lightning strike because you hear thunder, it's not to go prostrate on the ground. Don't do that. The goal is to make yourself as short and as small as possible. So crouch down and get it so that only the slightest bits of your toes are actually touching the ground, because then you're conducting less electricity.”

The troopers were searching for someone with “a purple shirt” when lightning suddenly struck the ground just south of Rapid City, according to a video the highway patrol posted.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"—"}]

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 8 14 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Friday, August 14, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Friday's headlines include:
* Anti-Barlow PAC top spender
* More Idiots In Yellowstone Emerge
* BLM Wants To Round Up 1,800 Wild Horses

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Friday, August 14, 2026

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Politics

The national social media influencer Libs of TikTok blasted a Laramie High School counselor Thursday for saying he wishes Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman “had been aborted.”

Jason Uitterdyk’s Facebook page commented on a Wednesday post by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus that 

n, R-Hulett, advocating this session for the Human Heartbeat Act.

That’s the latest of four years’ worth of Wyoming abortion bans, all of which have been blocked in court.

“Ladies and gentlemen I will say this today,” said Neiman in the video. “I would have fought for you too … At what point did you become human? At what point would you have been glad to have somebody fight for you?”

Under the post, Cowboy State Daily has confirmed, Uitterdyk’s Facebook page wrote, “I wish this guy would have been aborted.”

Libs of TikTok blasted the screenshot of the comment and of Uitterdyk’s profile photo to their audience of 4.7 million. As of Thursday afternoon, nearly 100,000 people had viewed her 

The influencer also included a phone number for Uitterdyk’s employer, Laramie High School.

“Would you want this person in charge of your kids’ mental health?” she wrote.

Uitterdyk did not respond by publication to a Thursday-morning voicemail and text message.

Laramie High School administration did not return a voicemail. Albany County School District No. 1 declined via its communications coordinator Madison Green to comment.

Neiman told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday morning that he was not aware of the Libs of TikTok post or Uitterdyk’s comment.

Reacting to the outlet’s recitation of the comment, Neiman said, “I would never wish that on him. I’d fight for him and am fighting for him.”

Neiman said the comment is "horrific" and undermines the pro-choice argument, which Neiman called the “anti-life” position.

“I feel for the guy, I really do,” he said. “I feel awful for somebody that would have that attitude.”

Neiman said matters around Uitterdyk’s employment are “a local control issue” for the school district.

The school district's website and Uitterdyk's Facebook page say he is a counselor at Laramie High Shcool. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Abortion is a fraught topic in Wyoming."}]

Led by the Legislature, the voters passed a health-care autonomy clause into the Wyoming Constitution in 2012. Rhetoric around the amendment cast it as a way to combat the Affordable Care Act.

The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled Jan. 6 that the clause also makes abortion access a right protected by the highest level of judicial scrutiny in constitutional law.

[{"type":"text","text":"The court struck down Wyoming’s abortion bans."}]

Neiman sponsored another ban, the Human Heartbeat Act, banning abortion from the point at which a fetal heartbeat can be heard.

Consistent with history, a pro-choice coalition challenged the law.  

A Natrona County District Court judge paused it while the litigation unfolded. It’s still ongoing.

This law has a trigger component, however, so that when it was blocked by a court a post-viability abortion ban sprang into law.

Gov. Mark Gordon urged the Legislature this year to advance a new amendment to the voters to allow abortion bans through the state Constitution. The Legislature did not do that.

Chip abortion remark 8 13 26

<title>Libs Of TikTok Blasts Laramie School Counselor For Wishing Chip Neiman Was Aborted | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The national social media influencer Libs of TikTok blasted a Laramie High School counselor on Thursday for saying he wishes Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman had been aborted. "Would you want this person in charge of your kids' mental health?" she wrote.

Libs Of TikTok Blasts Laramie School Counselor For Wishing Chip Neiman Was Aborted

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

Business & Tourism

Kelly Maher-Wolfensperger has just a few rules for the annual Ham and Jam party that happens in Hulett each year, when 30,000 or so bikes roll into town for a free pork sandwich and the fixings from Captain Ron’s Rodeo Bar.

“We do not mince, muddle, or blend,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “And we have no carbless and we have no Twisted Tea — so don’t ask.”

Her no-nonsense rules mean the bar doesn’t make Old Fashioneds, mojitos, or mules during the weeks of the Sturgis rally. 

“I’ve got people coming in here asking me for Chardonnay,” Wolfensperger added with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘What about this says we have wine?’ I mean, yeah, we have some really bad Cab, but this is not a wine bar.”

What she can make, besides the best Bloody Mary on the Hulett side of Sturgis, is a scene. 

“I live for chaos,” she said, spreading her arms wide to take in a classic small-town dive bar scene that is about to host hundreds of guests. “I’m born and ready for it. I’m an Aries, so, hell yeah, I’m ready for it.”

Sleep, coffee, ibuprofen and DripDrop — not necessarily in that order — are what she relies on to get her through August and the Sturgis Rally week.  

“My daughter is a dietician for a Big Ten football team and that’s what they use to keep their football players hydrated,” she said. 

With that, and 10 cute outfits complete with colorful boots, she’s ready — and rarin' — to go.

Wolfensperger and the town spend months preparing for the Ham and Jam.

“I think you start planning next year like the day it’s going on,” Tom Coronato told Cowboy State Daily. He is a co-owner of the Ponderosa Cafe. “I’m already planning for how I do it differently next year, because it’s not a one-day event. I mean Ham and Jam is one day, but if you prepare for one day you get one day. So we prepare for 21 days, because that’s when business is up in the Black Hills.”

The community works together on the broader logistics of drawing thousands of bikers. That includes a row of porta potties, as well as road crew and traffic crews, who keep the bikers going in the right direction and ensure cars aren’t driving into the middle of the Ham and Jam. 

“The mayor and the town council will do the budgets in advance, in anticipation of how many porta potties they need,” Coronato said. “What kind of staff they need, how many extra security people they need, like for police presence and stuff like that. The rest is just a wing and a prayer that you have good weather and good attendance.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Things aren’t always smooth. "}]

“It’s a nightmare,” Brianna Gose told Cowboy State Daily with a chuckle and a sigh. “As usual. It’s just a lot of work, but I’ve got great employees.”

Gose said she will start cleaning out the beer garden at Captain Ron’s Rodeo Bar at least a month ahead of time.

“It’s just a lot of running to get ready and going places, picking up all the supplies,” she said. “We had to go to three stores to find beans this year. Sam’s Club didn’t have any big cans of beans this time.”

The bar, which started the Ham and Jam 37 or so years ago, will spend thousands on its signature, free pork sandwich with picnic sides.

Rain might fall, but nothing seems to keep people from coming back, year after year, to experience this scene in the Black Hills of Wyoming. 

Hulett's Ham and Jam is supposed to be a one-day party. Ride in, have a Bloody Mary, eat a pork sandwich, and roar off into the distance toward Sturgis. But it's become such a popular event, the 30,000 bikers who visit every year have extended their stay.

One More For The Road: Thursday, April 25, 2024

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