Let's Talk Wyoming

Why Pat Summitt’s Story Still Challenges Us To Show Up

Wyoming can look calm from a distance, then hit you with heat, wind, and the kind of dryness that makes everyone watch the horizon. We start with a boots-on-the-ground check of Wyoming weather as March closes out: low 70s, strong gusts, red flag warnings, and that uneasy feeling when fire reports keep showing up across the region. From Hot Springs County to the Bighorn Basin, we talk about what people are seeing, what they’re worried about, and what a little moisture could change.  Next, we step into two subjects that stick with you for different reasons. One is the ongoing debate around “chemtrails,” sparked by a striking checkerboard sky seen over rural Wyoming. The other is water, from irrigation canals and sprinklers to low river levels near Thermopolis and what that could mean for fly fishing, tourism, and fish survival if summer arrives hot and shallow. If you care about drought, wildfire risk, and the realities of living with extreme weather in the Mountain West, this part will feel familiar.  Then we slow down and tell a bigger story about grit: Pat Summitt. From washing uniforms and driving the team van on a $250-a-month salary to building the Tennessee Lady Vols into an eight-title powerhouse, her career becomes a case study in standards, leadership, and showing up when it’s hard. We also face the reality of Alzheimer’s and dementia, including a personal reflection on how a therapy dog can bring peace when words fail. We close with Wyoming history and the 1856 Mormon handcart tragedy, when late-starting companies meet blizzards, starvation, frostbite, and rescue on the Sweetwater and beyond.  If this mix of Wyoming weather, Western history, sports leadership, and Alzheimer’s awareness matters to you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What part of the conversation stayed with you most?

What Happens To Wyoming When The Snow Does Not Come

March is acting like May across Wyoming, and the timing couldn’t be more worrying. We’re seeing 80-degree warmth, wind, and bone-dry conditions that turn grass and rangeland into quick-burning fuel. As fires continue in the region and red flag style conditions loom, we talk through what this early heat signals for Wyoming wildfire season, rural safety, and the communities that depend on stable spring moisture. From there, we zoom in on water. With low snowpack in spots like the Lander area and thin inflows into Boysen, irrigation decisions may have to come before any real runoff arrives. We unpack what that means for the Bighorn Basin, canal timing, and the uneasy feeling of “unknown territory” that starts to sound like a Dust Bowl warning. It’s not just weather talk, it’s a practical look at how drought stress can ripple into forage, livestock losses, and long-term recovery when the rain just doesn’t show up. We also connect the weather to Wyoming’s economy. Rising fuel prices can change travel plans, and tourism is now a lifeline for many towns. We touch on Thermopolis, Hot Springs State Park changes, the Star Plunge closure, and the surprising strength of the fly fishing boom, while also noting how low water levels could threaten a blue ribbon trout experience. Then we shift into Wyoming history with territorial education and the early goals that shaped the University of Wyoming, before riding into classic Old West territory with the Hole in the Wall and the outlaw legends that still define the landscape. If you value grounded Wyoming weather updates, practical drought talk, and local history that actually connects to life today, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review. What are you seeing where you live right now?

From Sideways Snow To 80 Degrees In Wyoming

Wyoming can give you sunshine, ice, and sideways snow in the same breath and lately it feels like the wind never stops. We kick things off by breaking down the latest Wyoming weather whiplash: brutal gusts, a sudden cold snap, icy roads, and then a forecast that swings right back toward 70 and even 80 degrees. If you live here, you know it’s not just small talk, it changes how you travel, work, and plan your week. Then we zoom out to what’s happening around us, including Nebraska wildfires tearing through dry grassland under low humidity and high wind. When you hear how much land is burning and how hard it is to stop, it puts our own conditions in a new light, especially for anyone watching fire risk in Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. We ask the plain question a lot of folks are thinking: when does this pattern ease up and when do we finally get calm, soaking moisture? From there, we turn to Wyoming sports as winter wraps up and spring sports begin. We talk state basketball, track, soccer, and what participation could look like in the next decade as activities compete for the same students. We also dig into the money side of youth sports, the pressure parents feel, and how pay-to-play tournaments and big facilities can shift the whole point of athletics away from teamwork and life lessons. We close with two stories that stick with you: a WWII-era account of Myrtle Forney stepping into railroad work traditionally held by men and earning equal pay, plus a thoughtful look at the Bighorn Medicine Wheel and the Four Directions and what it teaches about balance and the circle of life. If any of these topics hit home, subscribe, share the show, and leave a review. What are you seeing in your corner of Wyoming right now?

Wyoming Fall, Sports, and History

A sharp wind, a packed bleacher, and a story that won’t sit quietly—that’s the arc we ride this week across Wyoming. We open on a cold, gray morning and the kind of 65 mph gusts that flip trailers and test patience from Chugwater to Casper, pivot into homecoming pride where the Bobcats edge Lyman 14–7 and the FFA plates out ribs, sweet corn, and pie, and then barrel into Laramie for a 35–28 Cowboys win that swings on a tipped-ball touchdown and a jailbreak run to the end zone. It’s the electric stuff that keeps towns humming when days get shorter and the harvest stalls in wet fields. Then we lean into the deeper ledger of the place. Territorial food reads like survival poetry—jackrabbit and trout on sticks for Jim Bridger, antelope steaks in survey camps, summer vegetables hawked by Evanston’s Chinese gardeners, and the rare luxury of oysters on ice from faraway coasts. Medicine was slim; the railroad was dangerous; communities did what they could with what they had. And finally, we sit with the “Trouble at Lightning Creek”—a five-minute gunfight on October 31, 1903, between a sheriff’s posse and Oglala families traveling with passes to gather herbs. Eyewitness accounts conflict, jurisdiction was shaky, and the legal backdrop of the Racehorse decision complicated hunting rights. Seven people died, including a boy and the sheriff; charges didn’t stick; newspapers inflamed and backpedaled. The stain remains, asking us to learn, not look away. Across weather, sports, food, and history, we hold two truths at once: the joy of local wins and the responsibility to remember hard chapters. That balance feels like Wyoming—tough, grateful, unsentimental, and proud. Ride along with us, then tell a friend, hit follow, and leave a review to help more neighbors find the show. What part stayed with you the longest?

When Roosevelt's Tree Army Built Wyoming

Wyoming faces growing concerns about data centers consuming excessive power and water resources while potentially turning the state into a nuclear waste repository. Fall brings cooler temperatures, hunting season preparation, and community events like Apple Fest at Ten Sleep's Circle J Ranch. • Wyoming weather transitions to fall with cool mornings and warm afternoons • Cheyenne emerging as Wyoming's data center hub raises energy consumption concerns • Renewable energy implementations consistently correlate with higher consumer power bills • Bill Gates' nuclear project in Kemmerer generates skepticism about Wyoming becoming a nuclear waste repository • Wyoming Cowboys showing defensive promise despite offensive struggles against Utah • Early beet harvest underway with favorable weather conditions • Apple Fest coming to Ten Sleep's Circle J Ranch on September 27th • Hunting season preparations begin with rifle season starting around October 1st • The passing of George, a beloved 12.5-year-old Chihuahua-Jack Russell mix • The Civilian Conservation Corps transformed Wyoming during the Great Depression, building infrastructure still in use today As per the code of the West, we ride for the brand and we ride for Wyoming.