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Candy Moulton: New Trails and New Stories

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Candy Moulton: New Trails and New Stories


Except for my computer and my camera (and of course the electricity to charge them), I could be comfortable living in an earlier period – say about a hundred years before I was actually born. In my half a century of writing about Wyoming, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to experience a taste of that time.

First with Jason Goodman, a teenager from northern Wyoming, and later with Morris Carter and his four teenage daughters, and then with Ben Kern, I have ridden more miles in a wagon as a working journalist than any other in my generation. When I add up the miles, I might even have more wagon road time than Mark Twain who is best known for his classic book, “Roughing It.”

On my first wagon adventures as part of the Wyoming Centennial Wagon Train, and subsequent journeys on the Oregon, Mormon, and California trails for their sesquicentennials, I slept in a tent – rain or shine, wind, cold, or stifling heat.

I’ve also slept in the two-room log cabin that was my grandmother’s homestead house. I have quite unsuccessfully tried to bake a pie in a wood stove in that cabin, but rather marvelously have celebrated the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve with four generations of my family in those old hand-hewn walls.

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The cabin originally stood on the ranch where I was reared, outside of Encampment. Nearly 20 years ago, we moved it to our property just up the road. By then the cabin was in rough shape and it took a lot of time, dedication, and just plain hard work to restore it. Full disclosure here, my husband Steve did most of the work; my sister, brother-in-law, a handful of other relatives, and I helped.

When my grandmother arrived in Wyoming in March of 1903 and moved into that two-room cabin her first husband had built, she must have believed her life in the American West would be better than what she would have found in her homeland.

Certainly, they had more land on his homestead than they could have imagined in Bruges and the surrounding countryside of northern Belgium, where she had been born and lived. Peter Verplancke, her first husband, had been the first of the Belgian immigrants to claim land along Antelope Creek, in southern Wyoming. He was on the Wyoming land by 1893. Other homesteaders already lived in the area.

Peter grubbed sagebrush so he could begin raising hay and grain. With neighbors he hand-dug irrigation ditches and built reservoirs to store water. In 1903, when Emma came with him to the homestead southeast of the then booming town of Grand Encampment, she was twenty-one years old. She had skills honed in her native land that would serve her well: she knew how to raise a garden and turn cabbage into kraut. She could make Belgian bobbin lace, or render a hog. She could kill and dress chickens, or make a dress for her daughters.

Even though her life on the homestead began forty years after the first homestead was claimed in America, she faced some of the same issues as earlier settlers: isolation, hard work, and in her case, difficulty understanding the language of her new home.

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For my grandmother, the American Homestead Act provided opportunity just as it did for 1.6 million other people who claimed more than 270 million acres in the West.

Her life was not easy. She had five young children when she lost her first husband, Peter, in an accident with a wagon and team. But quite fortunately for me, she married my grandfather and then they had seven more children. The youngest was my dad.         

My sister, brother, and I grew up on the homestead, living next door to our grandparents and one aunt and uncle with their two daughters.

Sundays, however, the ranch was the gathering place as dozens of aunts, uncles, and cousins converged. There was always food, music, and what I liked best: storytelling.

My only regret about those great and wonderful times is that I didn’t start writing earlier.

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These days writing is both my work and my hobby. I tried retiring a couple of times and it didn’t take. So here I am, off on a new trail and a new adventure. I hope you’ll join me as we explore Wyoming and the American West.

Candy Moulton can be reached at: Candy.I.Moulton@gmail.com



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6 Colorado, Wyoming hot springs worth the drive this winter

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6 Colorado, Wyoming hot springs worth the drive this winter


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  • Colorado and Wyoming offer numerous natural hot springs resorts for a winter getaway.
  • Locations range from a two-hour drive from Fort Collins to over 300 miles away.
  • Amenities vary by resort, including tropical atriums, geothermal caves and cold river plunges.

Weary of winter already?

Kick back in one of the many natural hot tubs our area has to offer.

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Colorado and Wyoming are sprinkled with natural hot springs, with various resorts each offering something different — think untouched natural scenery, tropical plant-laden atriums and cold riverside plunge pools.

Virtually dip your toes in with this list and see if any stick out to you for a future winter getaway.

Hot springs to visit in Colorado, Wyoming

Strawberry Park Hot Springs

Where: 44200 County Road 36, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Need to relax? Head to Strawberry Park Hot Springs where you’ll find thermal mineral water pools surrounded by Steamboat Springs’ natural beauty.

The pools are open to both its day visitors — admission costs $20 per person for a two-hour reservation — and overnight lodgers. It also offers up massage options and aqua therapy in private pools.

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Located about 165 miles from Fort Collins, Strawberry Park Hot Springs is a roughly 3.5-hour drive away. From Nov. 1 through May 1, four-wheel drive with snow tires or chains are required to get to the hot springs. To avoid tough road conditions, Strawberry Park encourages contacting its shuttle partners to schedule drop off and pick up.

Pets, outside food, glass, alcohol and smoking are prohibited.

Minors are not permitted after dark, and clothing is optional after dark.

Hot Sulphur Springs

Where: 5609 Spring Road, Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado

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Soak your worries away at Hot Sulphur Springs Resort & Spa. The resort — once used as a winter campground for Native Americans — is now home to 20 manmade pools supplied by a handful of natural hot springs that flow through the resort and into the Colorado River, according to its website. Located about 130 miles away, the springs are a roughly 3-hour drive from Fort Collins.

Its pools — which run from 98 to 112 degrees — are open yearround and welcome walk-ins. Adult day passes cost $30, senior day passes cost $23 and children’s passes (ages 4-11) cost $16. Towels and robes are also available for rent.

Pets (except trained service animals), outside food, glass containers, alcohol, smoking and vaping are prohibited.

Indian Hot Springs

Where: 302 Soda Creek Road, Idaho Springs, Colorado

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Located the closest to Fort Collins on this list, Indian Hot Springs is a quick two-hour jaunt down Interstates 25 and 70. Once there, you’ll find a large indoor mineral water swimming pool and tropical plant-strewn atrium as well as private baths, outdoor tubs and geothermal caves.

Regular admission to the indoor swimming pool costs $30 per person Monday through Thursday and $35 per person Friday through Sunday. Caves are open to visitors 18 years old and older and can be accessed for $35 per person Monday through Thursday and $40 per person Friday through Sunday. Prices are different when “summit pricing” is in effect. Check the calendar on the Indian Hot Springs website for those dates.

Private baths and outdoor tubs can be reserved for varying rates. For more information, or to make a reservation, visit the Indian Hot Springs website.

Glenwood Hot Springs Resort

Where: 415 E. 6th St., Glenwood Springs, Colorado

At more than 200 miles away, Glenwood Springs is a bit of a hike — but that hike comes with beautiful scenery and, of course, hot springs. Try its Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, a fixture since 1888 that offers up a collection of hot springs pools, including its historic Grand Pool, an athletic club and other amenities.

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Day passes range from $38 to $55 for adults and teenagers and $27 to $34 for children, with pricing varying based on off-peak and peak times. Reservations are not required. For more information, visit the resort website.

The Springs Resort

Where: 323 Hot Springs Blvd., Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Located more than 300 miles away in Pagosa Springs, The Springs Resort is a worthy weekend trip contender instead of a day drive. But despite its distance, it has plenty to offer — more than 50 hot springs pools, cold river plunges, a waterfall, steam grotto and more.

You can either stay at its resort or reserve a day pass to visit its pools, with general admission passes costing $69 for adults and $37 for children ages 3-12. For more information, or to make a reservation, visit the resort website.

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Hot Springs State Park

Where: 51 US Highway 20 North, Thermopolis, Wyoming

Colorado can’t have all the fun. While located quite a ways away — 350 miles from Fort Collins — Wyoming has some impressive natural hot springs of its own in Thermopolis’ Hot Springs State Park. There are three soaking pools and a free and open-to-the-public Wyoming State Bath House. The bath house is open 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12-5:30 p.m. Sundays in the winter. For more information, call 307-864-2176.

Want more Fort Collins development news? Subscribe to The Buzz, the Coloradoan’s weekly dive into local business, development, real estate and restaurant news.



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Cowgirls play at Minnesota on Sunday

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Cowgirls play at Minnesota on Sunday


LARAMIE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Cowgirls will return to action Sunday with their final non-conference game of the season when they travel to face Big Ten foe Minnesota on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.

Wyoming is coming off a 58-46 loss at Colorado on Dec. 7. Malene Pedersen and Henna Sandvik led the Cowgirls with 11 points each in the loss, while Kelly Walsh High School grad Logann Alvar also finished in double figures, with 10 points.

Madi Symons had a solid all-around game, grabbing a team-high five rebounds while also leading the way with four assists and blocking a pair of shots.

The Cowgirls recorded 12 assists on 18 made baskets against the Buffs and have assisted on better than 65% of their made field goals this season. Wyoming is averaging 14 assists per game in 2025-26, good for fourth in the Mountain West.

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Defensively, UW has been solid all season long. The Cowgirls enter Sunday ranking third in the league in opponent scoring, surrendering 57 points per game. Wyoming also allows just 38.6-percent shooting from the field overall and 24.8-percent from 3-point range. Both marks rank third-best in the conference.

Although she missed her first free throw of the season in the loss, Pedersen is still shooting 94% at the line. She is also shooting just under 55% from 3-point range this season, a mark that ranks third in the country.

Entering the week, Pedersen was the only Division 1 player in out of 466 qualified athletes who was shooting 90% or better from the free throw line and better than 50% from 3-point range. On the season, Pedersen is second in the MW with 17.1 points per game and shooting 52.5-percent from the floor. Her 2.13 3-pointers made per game are sixth in the league.

Through eight games this season, Alvar and Sandvik average 8.3 and 8.0 points per game, respectively.

Payton Muma leads the team with 23 assists and 13 steals. Symons, meanwhile, leads Wyoming averaging 4.5 rebounds per game while Lana Beslic’s 4.4 boards per game and 19 assists are both second on the squad.

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Opinion | Gratitude and hope for Wyoming

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Opinion | Gratitude and hope for Wyoming


This month, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, is a fitting time for reflection. Our focus turns toward family and community, and the changing weather causes us to slow down. It is a good time to take stock of the society around us. The Thanksgiving holiday naturally turns our minds to what we are grateful for — what already exists that we cherish. Christmas is a holiday of hope, focused on the promise of what is yet to come. With these holidays in mind, let us reflect on what parts of our state we are thankful for and hopeful about.

Perhaps the thing Wyomingites hold most dear is our heritage. Culturally, we are descended from pioneers and settlers — or from those who came before — and we take that frontier heritage to heart. We value independence, community and overcoming challenges. We are willing to endure hardship to build a life that we want, and we are closely attuned to the natural world and the benefits that it provides. Above all else, we know that our perch in this place is still precarious. These are perspectives that are hard to find elsewhere. They set us apart. By embracing these values, we create a society that fits our circumstances. These ideas would not fit in other places, but they fit here, and for that I am grateful. 

I am also thankful for the good stewardship of our forefathers. Wyoming is a harsh place and it’s challenging to thrive here. Most of our land is arid and inhospitable, our physical conditions are difficult, and we are remote from most modern conveniences and luxuries. With poor planning or shortsighted leadership, this place could easily fall into decline. 

Fortunately, we have been blessed with the opposite. The state’s early settlers understood the importance of building the infrastructure that would allow for growth. When it became clear that natural resources would power our economy, our leaders decided to set aside large portions of the state’s mineral revenue to support us in perpetuity. The easy decision — the short-sighted decision — would have been to spend those dollars on the needs of the day. They certainly could have built some nice things, and those projects would have been popular. They also would have been fleeting. Because of wise leadership and decisions that focused on the long-term, we all benefit from our state’s bounty.

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Just as we are grateful for the good decisions of the past, we should be hopeful for the future. Despite our state’s challenges, there are many good reasons to have hope. First, our state is full of opportunity. We have space, natural resources, and the ability to be nimble when it comes to building regulatory structures that can support new industries. Our people are hard-working and determined. We have existing expertise in manufacturing and mining that is missing in many other parts of the country. Our climate and location give Wyoming an advantage in attracting computing facilities to locate here. If we take advantage of the opportunities in front of us, Wyoming is poised to thrive, and that gives me hope.

I am also hopeful because there appears to be a growing consensus on the issues we face, which allows us to better meet these challenges. In surveys and conversations about Wyoming’s future, the challenges of economic diversification and talent retention quickly rise to the top. We recognize where our weaknesses are, which is a significant part of the battle. Once we agree on the problem, we can work to find solutions. 

Finding a fix is often an easier undertaking than identifying the problem itself. Already, drilling into these challenges has helped us recognize the underlying problems connected to affordable housing, livable spaces, health care access and education. Understanding how these fit together and how improvements in one area can lead to improvements in others puts us on a much more manageable path. It will still not be easy to overcome our hurdles, but the fact that we must wrestle with difficult problems is not unusual or unique. We have answered big questions before. Now that we have a growing consensus on what those problems are, I am far more hopeful about our ability to move forward.

In this holiday season, we should take the time to contemplate the world around us. Self-reflection is important. We should look both behind us and ahead of us, toward the past and gratitude and the future and hope. Our state gives us plenty to consider on both accounts.

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