Ranches in Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin attract billionaires, celebrities and was the destination for a quick overnight stop for U.S. Secretary of Homeland Kristi Noem.
Noem’s Coast Guard jet landed at the Worland Municipal Airport at 1:30 p.m. Sunday from her home state of South Dakota and stayed overnight at a ranch in the Bighorn Mountains just outside of Ten Sleep.
She and her Secret Service detail left bright and early Monday at 6:30 p.m.
The Worland Municipal Airport was able to accommodate the de-icing and larger size of the Coast Guard jet Noem flew in on, which is similar to a Gulfstream 550.
“The reason she came to Worland is because she went out to a ranch near Ten Sleep for a little R&R,” said Josh Heyler of Heyler Avation. “I'm not surprised that she decided to come over.
She’s just right there in South Dakota and we have a beautiful mountain up here.”
Special Arrival At Worland
Heyler said that he had little warning that a special plane was coming, but didn’t realize that Noem was on board until she exited the plane.
He had received a phone call from the Coast Guard pilot about 90 minutes before the plane arrived.
He helped the crew find rooms in Worland and gave them a courtesy car to get around town, but declined to reveal which ranch Noem stayed at.
“There was quite a bit of Secret Service and the Coast Guard crew stayed downtown, went to local restaurants and had all their meals in town,” Heyler said. “When the airplane took it was well after dark.”
Photographer James Yule got word about the plane and arrived to get pictures, hoping to get a glimpse of Noem if possible without being intrusive.
“I was told Kristi Noem went to Ten Sleep, Wyoming, and she's going to stay for a bit to take advantage of Wyoming's natural resources,” Yule said.
He explained that she had flown in on a special military jet since she doesn’t get Air Force Two, Three, or Four, but still needs protection.
Anonymous Visitors
Heyler said the Worland airport hosts many high-profile guests.
“You'd be surprised at how many people of that caliber of person come up here,” Heyler said. “We do get a lot of billionaires flying in and going up. There's quite a few of them who own ranches up near Ten Sleep.”
The advantage of the Worland airport and visiting Ten Sleep is the anonymity offered to people, whether at their own private ranches or one of the local commercial guest ranches.
“In a small town in Wyoming, people can come to just evaporate themselves for a few days and then just go back to the madness,” Yule said.
Ten Sleep Mayor Ernie Beckley agrees that his community is a place where high-profile folks can come to blend in for a bit and enjoy themselves without the paparazzi dogging their every move.
He said he didn’t realize that Noem had been there until the next day.
“I can't give you names of our visitors because most of the time I don't know about it when they're coming through until after they are gone,” Beckley said.
In fact, Beckley said, one of the few times he knew such a person was arriving was when a film crew arrived with Kate Gosselin.
“The point of coming here is that nobody knows,” Beckley said. “They can just be themselves and not worry about being in the public eye.”
Beckley said that they value the privacy of their guests and Yule agreed, noting that was the reason he waited until Noem had left to share a photo of her plane on Facebook.
“When I posted the picture, she had just left the ground,” Yule said. “I waited because I knew it was a private trip.”
Lure Of The Big Horns
Beckley said that Washakie County has become an attraction for its privacy and activities.
“Kristi Noem is our neighbor in South Dakota and knew that she could come to a place that would be quiet and so she could chill out,” Beckley said.
At this time of year, there is also your deer, elk and antelope hunting as well as fishing, all activities that Noem is known to enjoy.
“There's just no better place to be,” Yule said. “It's just silence and the beauty of Wyoming.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
