One More For The Road

Now let's all watch a marksman shoot a Red Bull can from a mile and a half away.....

Mix Collage 15 Sep 2024 08 32 PM 3350

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>One More For The Road: Monday, September 16, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

One More For The Road: Monday, September 16, 2024

 Now let's all watch a marksman shoot a Red Bull can from a mile and a half away.....

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Wyoming Life

Penny Counts was showing her boyfriend around the Alcova area on Sunday when she saw something she’d never seen: someone bungee jumping in Fremont Canyon.

“We just happened to be out there when that guy was up on that rock,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “I saw him rigging up, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! He’s gonna try jumping!' And he made the jump, swinging back and forth and hollering all the way.”

Counts filmed the jump with her phone. She said watching it was “insane.”

“The video doesn't give justice to how steep that canyon is,” she said. “Somebody to actually want to jump off of it with that type of rigging is insane. I was worried he’d swing back and smack into the wall, but he knew what he was doing.”

Amid her shock and surprise, Counts admitted it’s something she might have tried in her youth.

“If I were younger, I'd have tried it, but I guess I lost my Peter Pan complex a long time ago,” she said. “But not now. Broken bones and bad wishes on that one.”

Bungee jumpers continue to leap off the 112-foot bridge despite a tragic and notorious history that goes back more than 50 years when a young girl was pushed to her death in 1973, and her sister died at the same spot nearly 20 years later.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Bungee Glee"}]

Like many outdoor recreation activities, bungee jumping is becoming increasingly popular in Wyoming.

Eric Lyman is the owner of Over The Edge Bungee in Idaho Falls, Idaho. For several years he has taken people to bungee jump off the Fremont Canyon Bridge, a span 112 feet above the North Platte River about 40 miles southwest of Casper.

“We're always looking for new bridges,” he said. “I had a friend that lived there who stumbled on that bridge and sent me a picture. I was there a month later, and that’s that.”

Over The Edge Bungee travels to bridges in several states to provide optimal experiences.

As bungee jumping becomes more popular, more people are looking for a memorable experience. That’s been the foundation of Lyman’s business for 35 years.

“The beauty of bungee jumping is that you jump from a complete standstill in perfect silence,” he said. “It’s not an airplane that's buzzing at 100 miles an hour. We pick up where skydiving leaves off.  It’s just a great experience.”

Lyman described the Fremont Canyon Bridge as ideal for bungee jumping. There’s low traffic, incredible scenery, and the bridge is an excellent overhead anchor for his retrieval systems.

Beyond that, the same things that made bungee jumping so insane from Counts’ perspective enhance the experience.

“It’s a fairly narrow canyon,” Lyman said. “When you jump, the bottom drops out a lot faster, and the peripheral views intensify the free fall even more. The ground rush experience is intensified, since you can see the water coming straight at you. There's a nice deceleration before you get there, a bounce that shoots you up underneath the bridge, and another big bounce just as lively as the first.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Freedom To Jump"}]

Lyman visits Fremont Canyon once or twice a year for bungee jumping, but not just because it’s a long haul from Idaho Falls.

“We've got a lot of other bridges, here and there, that we jump as well,” he said. “When we come out to Casper, we’re there to see the great things in that area. It’s our way of sharing something we do with the locals.”

That’s not to say that someone has to wait for Lyman to go bungee jumping off the Fremont County Bridge. That’s another perk of the bridge and the experience.

“It’s not illegal, and nobody’s asking for a permit,” he said. “It’s pretty straightforward. You have the anchor right above where you intend to jump, so it's easier to calculate the range and know where you’re going to be.”

Lyman wasn’t anywhere near Fremont Canyon on Sunday, so whoever was bungee jumping there was with another outfit or on their own. He and his clients also jump straight off the bridge, rather than the canyon wall.

“What (the man in the video) was doing was a pendulum swing,” he said. “We do those on occasion, but not at this bridge. When we jump, you climb over the rail of the bridge. It’s awkward and scary, without a lot of fanfare, and then you jump.”

To each their own. Lyman can see the allure of a pendulum swing, but thinks Fremont Canyon offers a thrilling-enough experience with a traditional jump.

“That's a unique-enough activity in the area that people are pretty anxious to give it a try,” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Not Jumping The Gun"}]

There’s another reason why Lyman limits his Fremont Canyon trips. The area is a largely undiscovered gem, and he would like to keep it that way.

“We're not interested in mass production,” he said. “I think there would be a lot more demand if we got the word out, but we don’t let it. It’s still an adventure, not an assembly line or amusement park.”

The Fremont County Bridge is a notoriously tragic symbol to Casper residents as the spot where Amy Burridge, 11, was 

Her sister, Becky, was violently assaulted and pushed off the bridge as well. She survived, only to die at the same spot on July 31, 1992.

[{"type":"text","text":"That tragedy is what brought Counts to the area Sunday."}]

“I've always considered it a bridge of tragedy,” she said. “I was showing my boyfriend what had happened out there and how far the drop was.”

[{"type":"text","text":"That said, Counts wasn’t taken aback by the bungee jumper."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"“It was mind-blowing because I’d never seen it before,” she said."}]

 of and sensitive to the bridge’s tragic symbolism, but he said he feels it’s a place where many others have and continue to find happiness through outdoor recreation. One can be respectful of the past while finding memorable moments for themselves, family, and friends in the present.

“There’s camping, boating, and climbing in Fremont Canyon,” he said. “Lots of people do swings and climb on the walls. I feel (bungee jumping) fits right into the crowd and their level of adventure.”

From his experience, Lyman described Casper as “a pretty adventurous crowd.” He’s sure he could find a lot more business offering more bungee jumping off the bridge, but he has no intention of doing so, both out of respect for the bridge’s history and the desire to keep the experience special. 

“I don’t think we’d ever be overrun in that spot, but we don’t want that,” he said. “Fremont Canyon is a very positive area with a lot of great activities, and bungee jumping fits right in.”

Bungee Fremont Bridge Screenshot 2026 08 05 at 3 16 36 PM 8 5 26

<title>Tragic History Doesn’t Keep Bungee Jumpers From Leaping Off Fremont Canyon Bridge | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Bungee jumpers keep leaping off the Fremont Canyon Bridge or the cliffs below it despite a tragic history that goes back 50 years. “Somebody to actually want to jump off of it with that type of rigging is insane,” said a woman who got video of a jumper.

Tragic History Doesn’t Keep Bungee Jumpers From Leaping Off Fremont Canyon Bridge

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Agriculture

While Wyoming cattle appear to have endured the state’s 

, a recent heat wave in neighboring South Dakota has killed upward of 2,000 cattle, threatening producers’ livelihoods in an already tough market.

A combination of scorching temperatures and high humidity proved deadly, depleting herd numbers and highlighting just how vulnerable livestock can be during extreme weather.

While not as extreme as in South Dakota, Wyoming ranchers say heat stress has been common this summer.

"We see it all the time," said Trad Williamson of Williamson Land and Cattle in Moorcroft. "Absolutely, we keep a closer eye on our cattle because of the heat."

However, Wyoming ranchers said they aren't aware of widespread cattle deaths. That’s because the state's drier climate, cooler nighttime temperatures and relatively small number of feedlots appear to have spared producers from the catastrophic losses seen to the state's northeastern neighbor.

July's heat wave shattered records across Wyoming. Worland reached 110 degrees on one day and Sheridan climbed to 109, both all-time highs.

"Heat is just as much of a risk in Wyoming as it is in other states," Williamson said.

Although he hasn't heard of Wyoming cattle dying, some of his customers in South Dakota have suffered devastating losses, including one producer near Midland, South Dakota, who lost more than 100 cows and calves.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Deadly Combination"}]

The losses in South Dakota came from a one-two punch of extreme heat and unusually high humidity.

Warren Rusche, a feedlot management specialist with South Dakota State University Extension, said warm overnight temperatures prevented cattle from cooling off after enduring sweltering afternoons. Limited airflow with little wind compounded the problem.

"What that ended up causing was a pretty significant death loss," Rusche said.

Reports of additional losses were still coming in Wednesday, but Rusche estimated the death toll would exceed 3,000 head of cattle statewide.

"It was really a tough deal in terms of financial impact and the stress of trying to care for the livestock," he said.

The losses come as the U.S. cattle industry is already coping with historically tight supplies. The nation's herd is at its lowest level in roughly 75 years after years of drought, high operating costs and continued strong consumer demand for beef.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Why Wyoming Fared Better"}]

Most of the deaths occurred in feedlots, where cattle are larger, heavier and nearing slaughter weight.

Most of Wyoming’s cattle spending much of their lives grazing open range. 

"Wyoming doesn't have a huge footprint with feedlots," said Todd Fornstrom, a Laramie County rancher and president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau. "The cattle ready to go to a harvest facility are more prone to dying from the heat."

Wyoming also benefited from lower humidity and cooler nights, giving cattle a chance to recover after daytime temperatures peaked.

[{"type":"text","text":"Even so, the heat has kept ranchers on alert."}]

Black-hided cattle can be especially susceptible because their coats absorb more solar heat, Williamson said.

Still, cattle are generally better equipped to tolerate high temperatures than people, Fornstrom said, particularly when they have room to spread out and air can circulate.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"No Easy Solutions"}]

South Dakota producers did everything they could to protect their herds, Rusche said.

Some relied on portable shade structures — large tarps mounted on wheeled frames that can be repositioned throughout the day. But the structures can cost as much as $11,000 for a 30-by-40-foot unit, putting them out of reach for many operations.

[{"type":"text","text":"Even shade wasn't always enough."}]

Rusche said he heard reports of cattle being found dead beneath shade structures after animals crowded together in an effort to escape the sun, trapping heat within the group.

"This was a case where shade alone is not necessarily the silver bullet that will prevent all death losses," he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Planting trees isn't an inexpensive solution either, Williamson added."}]

"A lot of ranchers don't have the money and resources to build things for shade," he said.

Instead, many producers simply intensified monitoring of their herds, checking cattle more frequently and doing everything possible to reduce stress.

"This is one of the things I really want to stress — I know those ranchers were doing all they could," Rusche said.

Producers who suffered catastrophic livestock losses could qualify for assistance through the federal Livestock Indemnity Program, which helps compensate owners for deaths caused by eligible adverse events

Cattle in northsest Wyoming Buddy Mays via Alamy 8 5 26

<title>Drier Air, Cooler Nights Helped Wyoming Avoid South Dakota's Cattle Catastrophe | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Lower humidity and relatively cool nights helped Wyoming cattle endure a record heat wave, ranchers say. South Dakota wasn't so fortunate, losing as many as 2,000 head to heat and humidity at a time when America's herd is at a 75-year low.

Drier Air, Cooler Nights Helped Wyoming Avoid South Dakota's Cattle Catastrophe

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Around Wyoming

For much of the summer, residents in Pinedale watched smoke drift into western Wyoming from fires burning hundreds of miles away.

[{"type":"text","text":"Tuesday night, the smoke finally came from their own backyard."}]

"It was our first plume of the summer," longtime Pinedale wildlife photographer Dave Bell told Cowboy State Daily. "We've had smoke off and on, and the smoke's been thicker lately from other places, but this is the first smoke plume we've had in our surrounding mountain ranges all summer long. That's always a sad sight to see." 

The Bare Fire, burning north of Bare Pass and east of Bare Creek on the Big Piney Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, grew to an estimated 431 acres Tuesday after exhibiting active fire behavior that included torching and spotting.

The wildfire also spread from national forest land onto adjacent Bureau of Land Management property before moderating during the early evening, says the U.S. Forest Service.

[{"type":"text","text":"The cause remains under investigation."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Response Escalates"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"As the fire grew, the firefighting response expanded with it."}]

Resources assigned to the fire include one Type 1 helicopter, two Type 3 helicopters, smokejumpers, a suppression module, one water tender, one Type 3 engine, three Type 6 engines and additional firefighting personnel.

The U.S. Forest Service has also ordered a Type 3 Incident Management Team, a multi-agency organization of wildfire specialists used when a fire becomes more complex than local forest personnel can manage alone.

[{"type":"text","text":"Fire managers are using both direct and indirect suppression tactics."}]

Direct attack involves engaging the fire's active edge to stop its spread, while indirect confinement means firefighters work farther away from the flames to steer or contain the fire using terrain and firelines.

Wednesday, crews planned to strengthen an established anchor point before constructing a direct fireline along the north and south flanks of the blaze. Helicopters will continue dropping water to slow the fire's spread along its eastern edge.

The public is being asked to avoid Bare Creek Road (Forest Service Road 10046) and South Cottonwood Road (Forest Service Road 10050) while firefighters work. A forest closure order is expected.

Stage 1 fire restrictions remain in effect throughout the Teton Interagency Dispatch area, including the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge. 

Fire danger remains rated High, meaning new fires can start easily and spread quickly.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Double-Edged Sword"}]

Bell, who has spent decades photographing Wyoming wildlife and landscapes, said the fire is burning in one of his favorite corners of the state.

"The Wyoming Range is sort of Wyoming's best-kept secret," he said. "It's just a beautiful, beautiful area." 

Unlike the neighboring Wind River Range, the Wyoming Range receives fewer backpackers because it lacks a federally designated wilderness area, Bell said.

[{"type":"text","text":"The thick timber also provides abundant fuel."}]

"You can tell the healthy forest from the old forest," Bell said, noting that previously logged areas have generally regenerated well. "A lot of fuel over there, as there is everywhere, and once they start, they're hard to put out." f

Although watching smoke rise over the Wyoming Range is difficult, Bell said wildfire also plays an important ecological role.

"Fire is a tragic event when it occurs, and it's kind of ugly for a while, but the net result is good for everything," he said. 

He said fire clears dead and downed timber, opens wildlife migration corridors and encourages new vegetation, including aspens, to sprout.

"Fire's ugly. It's dangerous, but you see some of these old burn scars with the kinds of vegetation that's coming up in them. It's kind of just how it works," he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Bell quickly added that he wasn't cheering for the fire."}]

"I'm not saying I'm welcoming this. Don't get me wrong," he said. "It's not all bad either." 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Watching The Mountains"}]

The Bridger-Teton National Forest and the U.S. Forest Service did not return Cowboy State Daily's requests for additional information before publication.

Based on the fire's location, Bell said he is not especially concerned about homes but noted ranchers with cattle grazing allotments in the area are likely watching developments closely.

Otherwise, he described the surrounding landscape as "just timber pretty much." 

Tuesday night, Bell drove out to photograph the fire beneath a clear Wyoming sky. While changing lenses to capture the growing blaze, he noticed something else.

"The Milky Way sort of dominates the sky," he said. "Then I got a meteor in the middle of it." 

[{"type":"text","text":"By Wednesday morning, the mountains themselves had disappeared from view."}]

"I can't see the Wyoming Range from my house this morning," Bell said. "It's completely gone."

Bare Fire dave 8 5 26

<title>Wildfire In Timber West Of Pinedale Expected To Bring National Forest Closures | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A wildfire burning in timber west of Pinedale in the Wyoming Range has grown to nearly 450 acres and is expected to bring forest closures. "I can't see the Wyoming Range from my house," said a Pinedale photographer Wednesday about smoke in the area.

Wildfire In Timber West Of Pinedale Expected To Bring National Forest Closures

Business

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect the proposed development isn't in a residential area, but in an area that was previously zoned for Industrial use and has been rezoned as Highway Business. Those representing Wyoming Downs at the meeting have also been added.

A proposed horse betting and bar facility on the north side of Interstate 80 in Evanston has cleared a key hurdle after the city's Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional-use permit for the project this week, but not without some vocal opposition from nearby residents.

They argue the development would bring casino-style gambling into the middle of a residential neighborhood, although the property is zoned Highway Business.

Supporters counter that the proposal meets all zoning requirements and would expand an established commercial corridor that has hosted off-track betting operations for decades.

The recommendation now moves to the Evanston City Council, which will decide whether to grant final approval.

If approved, Wyoming Downs LLC would build on undeveloped lots at 27 and 29 Allegiance Circle and 283 Wasatch Road, across the interstate from the existing Horse Palace Gateway near Exit 3.

The project has drawn sharp opposition from nearby residents. Supporters counter that the proposal meets all zoning requirements and would expand an established commercial corridor that has hosted off-track betting operations for decades.

According to a staff report obtained by Cowboy State Daily, the project would be built in two phases inside a single commercial building totaling 52,938 square feet.

At full buildout, it would include 520 gaming seats, 68 bar seats and 49 lounge seats, for a capacity of 637. The proposed bar would seat 27 customers.

Developers estimate the business would employ about 25 people during the first phase and roughly 125 employees once construction is complete. Customer traffic is projected to average about 400 people per day, although that would fluctuate depending on the season and time of day.

The plans also include on-site parking and lighting. No perimeter fencing or screening is currently proposed.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Long Road To Approval"}]

Monday's vote represents the latest step in a process that began last year.

In November, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended changing the property's zoning designation from Industrial to Highway Business and amending the city's comprehensive plan to accommodate an off-track betting facility. 

The Evanston City Council later approved those changes, paving the way for Wyoming Downs to apply for a conditional-use permit.

Michael Brown of Inberg-Miller Engineers and Wyoming Downs general counsel Traci Lacock represented the company during Monday's hearing.

The meeting was not livestreamed, and Evanston Senior Planner DuWayne Johnson declined to discuss the public comments presented during the meeting.

Calls and emails seeking comment from Evanston Mayor Kent Williams were not returned before publication.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Same Thing On The North Side'"}]

City Councilman Evan Perkes said the proposed business would largely mirror the existing Horse Palace Gateway across the freeway.

"It's going to be the same thing, on the north side of the freeway," Perkes told Cowboy State Daily.

He said Wyoming Downs hopes to attract visitors from Utah's Wasatch Front. Gambling is prohibited in the Beehive State.

"They're trying to appeal to the millions of people in Utah that can make the 70-mile drive and gamble," Perkes said.

Perkes noted that the property has remained vacant for years and said the proposal complies with the property's zoning.

"This meets all the zoning requirements," he said. "So, it's hard to turn something down when they meet all the requirements."

He added that if the project proceeds, the city and developer intend to orient lighting toward Interstate 80 rather than nearby homes.

Perkes also pointed to the success of Horse Palace Gateway, saying it has created jobs and remained busy since opening. The Horse Palace Gateway previously kept both its original, smaller betting facility and the its larger facility open simultaneously.

"The older one is a nice little, quaint little place for the locals," Perkes said. "They can go in there and sit at a machine and B.S. with their neighbors."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Nearby Residents Remain Opposed"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Not everyone is convinced the project is a good idea."}]

Wendy Kelly, who lives near the proposed site, said neighbors remain concerned about increased traffic, noise and diesel exhaust from trucks that may idle in the parking lot.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Needless to say, we're not happy,\" Kelly said."}]

She also questioned whether Evanston needs another gambling facility so close to the existing Horse Palace Gateway.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"We can't foresee that the town needs this,\" she said."}]

Kelly acknowledged she always expected the long-vacant property would eventually be developed.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"But another casino, opposite the other one?\" she said."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Familiar Use"}]

City planners noted that off-track betting has operated near Exit 3 for decades.

According to the staff report, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit in 1989 allowing Ladbroke Racing Wyoming Inc. to offer simulcast wagering at what was then the Weston Super Budget Inn on Harrison Drive, now the High Country Inn.

Several other off-track betting permits have been approved in the commercial corridor since then.

The city's Engineering and Planning Department reported receiving no complaints regarding off-track betting uses within the Highway Business district.

The City Council will have the final say on whether Wyoming Downs receives permission to move forward with construction.

Evanston and Wyoming downs inset 8 5 26

<title>Some In Evanston ‘Not Happy’ With Plan For Another Horse-Betting Parlor In Town | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A proposal for another horse betting and bar facility in an area zoned Highway Business in Evanston has cleared a key hurdle this week, but not without some vocal opposition from locals. "Needless to say, we're not happy," said one angry resident.

Some In Evanston ‘Not Happy’ With Plan For Another Horse-Betting Parlor In Town

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

Clair McFarland

Politics

Numerous Wyoming Republicans are propping their messaging this election season on trans sports bans. 

Which has prompted a debate about who gets credit for the Wyoming’s set of bans on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s school sports. 

The reflexive answer is the bills’ sponsor, Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston. But Schuler in her Tuesday phone interview chuckled at her fairness-in-sports-bills becoming high-profile campaign fodder for others, and said, “it takes a village.” 

Her first blanket trans sports ban failed the state House of Representatives in 2022. Her second ban, for grades 7-12, passed the Legislature with 79 Republican lawmakers in favor. 

[{"type":"text","text":"So did her third girls’ sports bill extending the ban to college. "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"What The Candidates, Or The PACs, Are Saying"}]

Secretary of State Chuck Gray has campaigned on sports fairness in at least one YouTube video in his bid for the GOP nomination to U.S. House. 

Also the Protecting Wyoming Values PAC, which backs Gray, dispatched a mailer this summer noting he co-sponsored one of the fairness bills. 

As of July 29, that PAC had raised nearly $1 million and was funded exclusively by Gray’s father, 

The mailer shows a heavyset, hairy male with an ample chest, wearing a crop top, grimacing down at a soccer ball while smaller females frown behind him. 

It also says Gray “made banning biological males from women’s college sports a top priority” and notes that Gray “blasted” politicians who didn’t sue over President Joe Biden’s trans-friendly reinterpretation of federal education laws. 

Wyoming sued over those rules in August 2024, three months after Gray lamented it hadn’t. 

Numerous Wyoming Republicans are claiming some degree of credit for a trans sports ban championed by Sen. Wendy Schuler.  Schuler says she's happy if they think they helped but it was the Legislature that got the bill "across the finish line.”

One More For The Road: Monday, September 16, 2024

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