November 5, 2024 • 21 mins
Discover Wyoming's stunning natural landscapes and rich culture with Ryan Hauck, Executive Director of Cody Yellowstone. From the eruptions of Old Faithful to the vistas of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We also journey through the Shoshone Forest, and discuss the diverse wildlife that inhabit these lands, including tips on securing lodging and camping spots.
We delve into the folklore, and climbing opportunities of Devil's Tower, learn of treasures at Fossil Butte National Monument, and explore the authentic Western charm of Cody, Casper and Cheyenne. We also talk about the Wind River Indian Reservation, where you can connect with Native American culture through wild horse tours and more. Join us for a heartfelt exploration this and more, uncovering Wyoming's beauty and heritage.
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Ryan Hauck is executive Director of Cody Yellowstone.
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Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, and has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and 'one of the top 100 Indie books of the year'). She has contributed to many guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles.
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Our award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, has dropped over 100 travel episodes! New podcast episodes drop on the first Tuesday of the month, on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen.
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Travel vlogs of featured podcasts-- with video and graphics -- now drop on YouTube in the middle of every month! Please subscribe, like, and comment.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Lea Lane (00:00):
In the early 1800s, after the United States gained
territory through the LouisianaPurchase, traders and trappers
began to explore the land thatnow comprises the state of
Wyoming.
It first became a territory in1868, and in 1890, congress
declared Wyoming the 44th state.
Wyoming's nickname, theEquality State, stems from its
(00:22):
early advancement of women'srights, some of which were
established before its statehood.
Wyoming was the first state toallow women to vote and the
first to elect a female governorin 1925.
Wyoming is the 10th largeststate by land area and the least
populated, under a millionpeople.
Nearly half of Wyoming's landis owned by the federal
government and 10 destinationsare managed by the National Park
(00:44):
Service.
We'll be talking about theseWyoming wonders and more with
Ryan Hauck, executive Directorof Cody Yellowstone.
Welcome, Ryan, to Places IRemember.
Ryan Hauck (00:54):
Thank you so much for having me, Lea.
I appreciate you letting mejoin you today.
Lea Lane (01:02):
We're very excited to have you talk about your
beautiful state.
We have to start withYellowstone.
More than 95% of YellowstonePark is in Wyoming, a fraction
is in Idaho and about 3% inMontana.
Tell us a bit about the historyof Yellowstone.
Ryan Hauck (01:13):
Yeah, well, of course Yellowstone's claim to
fame is it was the firstnational park, not just in
America but in the world.
Teddy Roosevelt really helpedbring that to fruition and today
it still brings in justmillions of people.
They just ooh and ah over thegeysers, the wildlife, the
thermal features.
It's just spectacular, and asmuch as we try to talk about it,
(01:34):
you really have to see it inperson to really experience what
we have here.
It's like no other nationalpark anywhere.
Lea Lane (01:40):
Absolutely Tell us why it's called Old Faithful
the geyser.
Ryan Hauck (01:45):
Because it's faithful.
It shoots off about every 90minutes.
It has gotten slower over theyears.
Lea Lane (01:50):
It used to shoot off.
Ryan Hauck (01:51):
Oh yeah.
Lea Lane (01:52):
Yeah, it used to shoot off, like all of us, right.
Ryan Hauck (01:55):
It used to shoot off about every 60 minutes and
through the years it's nowcloser to that 90 minute mark,
plus or minus 15 minutes.
But yeah, it is faithfullygoing off every 90 minutes,
every single day.
It's pretty cool.
Some people think that it's onsome sort of humanized timer or
something like that, but it'snot.
It's just the way that thewater boils up and it shoots off
, like I said, about every 90minutes.
Lea Lane (02:17):
So I've been there and it's quite something to stand
there and see it, because yousee it in pictures.
But it's not the same unlessyou stand right in front of it
or close to it.
Ryan Hauck (02:26):
I wouldn't say right in front of it, yeah no, it is
pretty cool and you knowsomebody who gets to see it
every single day.
I get a little bit desensitizedto it, but it's always so
special to watch somebodywitness it for the very first
time.
Their eyes light up.
It's obviously the signaturefeature for the park.
Lea Lane (02:41):
It's also the largest hot spring in the United States
and the Great Canyon that manypeople don't know is there.
It's like the little GrandCanyon, right.
Ryan Hauck (02:50):
Yeah, it's called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
It's actually my favorite partof the entire park.
So of course, you have theupper falls, which is this
gorgeous waterfall, but thesignature piece is the lower
falls.
The lower falls is over a 300foot waterfall, where you can
view that from the brink of thewaterfall right where it starts
to fall down.
Or my favorite part, which isat Artist Point, which lets you
(03:11):
see it through these gorgeouspainted canyon walls all the way
into the waterfall.
Usually there's mist flying up,so there's like a rainbow at
the bottom of it.
It's just a spectacular spotand, honestly, when you take
pictures of it it looks fake,like you doctored it.
No Photoshop needed, it's justgorgeous by itself.
Lea Lane (03:29):
It is.
What wildlife can you expect tosee there?
Ryan Hauck (03:33):
You know, Yellowstone, outside of its
thermal features and waterfallsand everything else, is really
known for its wildlife, so youcan see pretty much anything
that you would expect to see.
So of course, grizzly bears arealways super important.
We were just in the park theother day saw 11 grizzly bears
just in the Mar Valley.
Of course the wolves those arealways a hot topic.
Of course people love to seethe wolves.
(03:54):
You can see those early in themorning or late at night.
But there's moose, there's elk,of course there's the American
mammal bison, tons and tons ofbison.
There's foxes and coyotes,there's bald eagles, golden
eagles, cutthroat fish.
I mean, you name it, we kind ofhave it and it's not if you're
going to see it, it's just whenyou're going to see a lot of
those things.
Lea Lane (04:13):
Right, Of course there are rules to stay away from the
grizzly bears and so forth, butI've seen the wildlife.
It's amazing.
And the Shoshone Forest nearthere is an area filled with
wildlife as well, adjacent tothe park, correct?
Ryan Hauck (04:28):
Yeah, yeah.
So luckily the wildlife doesn'tknow where the park starts,
starts and ends, and so yeahthere's tons and tons of
wildlife all throughout theNational Forest as well, which
really borders mostly the EastGate there, which is our side of
the gate.
Lea Lane (04:40):
Right, tell us about lodging and camping in and
around the park.
S s it hard to get areservation?
I would imagine.
Ryan Hauck (04:48):
Yeah, yeah.
So Yellowstone has done verywell, especially post-COVID
this summer specifically,they're actually already 90%
booked up for the year.
Trying to get into Old Faithfulor Lake or Canyon can get a
little bit tough.
They do have a newly renovatedcampground called Fishing Bridge
for a very long time, but nowthey have some 80-foot spots,
even more options than ever.
(05:10):
So there is lots of campingavailable, some lodging
available, but really if youwant to book something within
the next month of you being here, you'll probably have to book
outside of the park more thanlikely, I would say so.
Lea Lane (05:23):
But if you are going to Yellowstone, please consider
all of this, because you want tohave a nice lodging when you're
there as well.
Let's talk about another parkthat's absolutely beautiful,
Grand Teton.
It's only 31 miles away fromYellowstone.
It's linked by John DRockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway,
so it's possible to enjoy bothof these parks in one trip.
It's nicer to spend more time.
Ryan Hauck (05:44):
Of course, what makes Grand Teton special?
Grand Teton has those viewsthat you see in all the
postcards and just pictures ofthe West.
Grand Teton National Park hasthose beautiful pointy mountains
with big peaks on it.
That largest peak is actuallycalled the Grand.
It's just spectacular.
What's also nice about GrandTeton National Park is it also
(06:04):
has lots of wildlife.
So you're going to see grizzlybears there.
Better chance of seeing moose,for sure.
And then what Grand TetonNational Park is known for as
well is just the abundance ofincredible, world-renowned
hiking trails.
Such a fun park to hike aroundand just see some cool parts of
the backcountry there.
Lea Lane (06:21):
Right, You've got Oxbow Bend, you've got Taggart
Lake.
You have many areas ofexceptional beauty all in this
one area.
Let's go to something that hasbeen in the movies a lot.
It's called Devil's Tower.
It's the first nationalmonument in the United States.
Tell us what that is.
Ryan Hauck (06:38):
Well yeah, Steven Spielberg really put that on the
map with 'Close Encounters of aThird Kind.
" There's no aliens out there,luckily, but Devil's Tower is
spectacular.
It looks like a petrifiedvolcano.
It was the first nationalmonument in the country, So
what's cool about Wyoming?
We had the first national park,the first national forest,
which is Shoney National Forest,and, of course, the first
national monument, which isDevil's Tower, which became the
(07:00):
first national monument back in1906.
What Devil's Tower is reallyknown for, especially nowadays
with it being so trending, arejust the dark skies that are out
there.
The skies are so dark, thestars shine so brightly and
there's even some guided toursto experience some of that out
there with the park rangers.
Lea Lane (07:19):
Very special.
Yeah, I know that's verypopular right now.
Ryan Hauck (07:22):
Very much so.
Lea Lane (07:23):
Very precious.
Ryan Hauck (07:24):
It is, yeah, and what's cool about Devil's Tower,
too, is there's a lot of tiesthat are Native Americans out
there, too, a lot of folkloregoing on with how it is, and why
it is the way that looks likeit does They call it Bear Lodge
right?
Lea Lane (07:35):
Why is that?
Ryan Hauck (07:36):
One of the stories out there is-- and it's a long
story so I'm going to kind ofshorten it down a little bit
--but b essentially some of theNative Americans were trying to
escape this giant bear and asthey did, they prayed and prayed
and all of a sudden Devil'sTower started forming, started
rising them up in the air andthis giant bear was clawing at
Devil's Tower and that's why yousee these huge grooves inside
(07:57):
of the rock is because it wasthe bear's claws clawing away,
trying to get to these NativeAmericans as they rose up into
the air.
Lea Lane (08:02):
I love it.
There are lots of rock climbers.
I know that.
Is it available to climb?
Ryan Hauck (08:07):
It is, yeah.
Yeah, it's usually a bucketlist spot.
It looks hard, but it isn't oneof the hardest things you can
do, hat's easy for you to say.
Yeah, it's not easy, but it'snot the hardest thing.
If you're a local, you alwayswonder what's at the top of
Devil's Tower.
Lea Lane (08:24):
I always get jealous of those climbers that can go up
there.
Ryan Hauck (08:25):
Well, at the top it's just some grass, honestly
some grass.
I've even heard of some snakesbeing up there.
How they got up there, I haveno clue.
Yeah, it's just like a grassyplains up there.
Lea Lane (08:34):
I think I'll stay at the bottom and look at it that
doesn't sound like it's worth itto me, but I think for a rock
climber it's probably great.
Ryan Hauck (08:41):
It's cool.
Yeah, definitely one of thosebucket list destinations for
climbers.
Lea Lane (08:44):
Well, I love finding fossil sites and I've been all
around the world doing it, andone of the very best in the
world is in Wyoming Fossil ButteNational Monument.
It's 15 miles west of Kemmerer,Wyoming.
I know Wyoming even has a statedinosaur, the Triceratops,
which was chosen in 1994, livedall around this large freshwater
(09:05):
lake in the area, and so it'sworld renowned.
Can anyone dig there, or is itjust to look at?
Ryan Hauck (09:13):
Yeah, so Fossil Butte actually does have public
digs.
You can't keep any of thefossils that you dig up there,
but if you do find some, theyallow you to take pictures with
it and do what you want to do,but you do eventually have to
give it back.
Wyoming as a whole actually hastons and tons of complete
skeleton fossils all over thestate.
Actually, a lot of the bigT-Rexes and Triceratops and
(09:36):
complete skeletons that you seein Smithsonian affiliate museums
.
ypically a lot of those havecome from Wyoming or Utah or
Colorado.
They're all from this area.
What makes Fossil Butte soincredible, though?
It's actually based on a 50million year old lake bed, so
there's tons and tons of fossilsthere, and more than likely you
will find some.
Lea Lane (09:55):
Yeah, two million year old fossils.
Ryan Hauck (09:57):
Yes.
Lea Lane (09:59):
And we're not talking about the tourists.
Ok, now, besides the beauty,which is obvious, let's talk
about a few of the cities.
In Wyoming, Cody, I know, isyour home, which is one of the
top summer travel destinationsin the United States, Tell us
what makes it special and tellus about its namesake, Buffalo
Bill Cody.
Ryan Hauck (10:20):
Of course.
Yeah, you can't talk about Codywithout talking about Buffalo
Bill Cody.
Our town lets you know that bythe many statues we have of him
everywhere.
Lea Lane (10:27):
What was he like?
He was a character I know.
Ryan Hauck (10:30):
For back in the day he was a taller guy, just a
stature, already brought apresence.
But yeah, at a certain point intime he was actually the most
famous man in the world-- - andhe truly, truly was.
Yeah, he brought in many famouspeople right here to Cody to
just showcase Yellowstone andhis town that he loved so much
that he named after himself.
(10:51):
But yeah, Buffalo Bill reallywas a forward-thinking guy.
Earlier he talked about B beingthe equality state.
He really fought for women'srights.
He also fought to have betterrelationships with the Native
Americans in the area.
We're proud even today to callhim the namesake of Cody.
So beyond Buffalo Bill, whatCody is today, I will say what
we're really known for are justour authentic Western
experiences and yes, we are atourist town, but the
(11:14):
experiences are not touristy,they are truly immersive Western
experiences.
Such as we have 14 guests indude ranches.
You can really experience thatWestern lifestyle.
We have the only place in theworld that has a rodeo that
happens every single night.
And this is not (every night?
every single night, and we'renot talking just a buck a bull
(11:36):
or a bronc.
This is every event everysingle night all the way from
June 1st through the end ofAugust.
When people think of the West,they typically think of firearms
as well.
So we have a place called theCody Firearms Experience that
lets you actually choose from 70different period correct guns
that you can shoot yourself.
So you walk in.
It looks just like a museum.
The only difference is you cantake those guns off the wall and
(11:59):
shoot them.
So that could be a flintlockrifle, that could be a Colt 45
like John Wayne used to have,and then all the way to a
Gatling gun, the one that youget to kind of crank . (Do you
have to have a license to do it.
Not at all.
If you've never even seen a gunall the way to Expert Marksman,
you can go in there and youhave a great time.
Our number one attraction,though, that we have is called
the Buffalo Bill Center of theWest.
(12:20):
That is, five Smithsonianaffiliate museums all under one
roof, and it truly is five fullsize museums.
So we have the Draper NaturalHistory Museum, which is all
about the greater Yellowstoneecology.
You have the Whitney WesternArt Museum, which features the
largest collection of Westernart west of the Mississippi.
You have the Indian PlainsMuseums, obviously talking about
(12:40):
all the Native Americans thatwere in our area well before the
settlers came over to this area.
You have the Buffalo BillMuseum, aptly named after our
town founder Buffalo Bill, andthen you have the Cody Firearms
Museum, which is the largest andmost diverse collection of
firearms in the world, actuallyright here in Cody Wyoming.
Lea Lane (13:01):
So pretty spectacular, pretty spectacular, definitely
a place to spend a few days ifyou're going to Yellowstone,
without question Now, Cheyenneis Wyoming's capital.
What are a few places travelersshould seek out there?
Ryan Hauck (13:16):
You know one of the hot spots over there and it is a
little touristy.
You have to do it.
It's the Terry Bison Ranch.
When you're in Cody or you'rein Yellowstone, you don't want
to 'pet the fluffy cow,' that'swhat we always say.
Right, you don't want to getclose to those bison.
But when you're at Terry BisonRanch you actually can feed the
bison there.
(13:36):
You take a little train and ittakes you through their ranch
and you can actually give thempellets.
They also have a wide array ofother animals that you're around
.
There's some food options overthere.
But yeah, Terry Bison Ranch isreally cool.
In late July you have to go toCheyenne Frontier Days.
They call them the daddy ofthem all.
It's one of the greatestoutdoor rodeos in the country.
Huge names that play music outthere.
The rodeo happens every singleday.
(13:57):
It truly is the best of thebest.
Lea Lane (13:59):
Sounds great.
There's also a beautifulbotanical garden which has a
labyrinth in it, which is verypeaceful, and of course you can
visit the historic governor'smansion and the Capitol building
.
They're built in the 19thcentury and well worth looking
at, and it's a little bit of achange from the Wild West, You
know stately, let's say.
Ryan Hauck (14:18):
It is, yeah, and our Capitol actually just went
through a huge renovation and isworth a stop all to its own.
It's absolutely gorgeous.
Lea Lane (14:25):
One thing I like.
You have a collection ofstagecoaches at the Old West
Museum.
They're wonderful pieces ofAmericana from the 19th century.
Ryan Hauck (14:35):
Yeah, exactly.
Lea Lane (14:36):
Now Casper is in central Wyoming on the North
Platte River.
It's the second most populouscity in the state.
What would we want to see there?
Ryan Hauck (14:44):
Yeah, it's funny, you talk about the second most
populated city.
I think it's about 60,000 now.
Lea Lane (14:49):
Right, I didn't want to say that.
Not very crowded.
Ryan Hauck (14:52):
No, no, it's cool.
So Casper is known for two mainthings.
First of all, world-class troutfishing.
That North Platte River isabsolutely stockpiled full of
massive rainbow trout rainbowand browns I guess.
But y it's , a flyfisherman's paradise over there
and you can really go any wayfrom where the lakes really
start, which is a lake calledAlcova, all the way through the
(15:15):
middle of town in Casper, allthe way to the next lake, which
is over in Glendale.
So we're talking miles andmiles of world-class trout
fishing.
And it's dammed at certainportions all the way through.
So you can always count on goodwater levels, you can always
count on just nice easy flows.
So you can just put a driftboat in there actually.
So no motor or anything likethat, you put a drift boat in
(15:36):
there and you can count on someamazing trout.
Another thing that Casper isreally known for on the
historical side of things isthat's where all the pioneering
trails converge, is right therein Casper, Wyoming.
So you have the Mormon Trail,you have the California Trail,
you have the Pony Express.
Lea Lane (15:54):
Tell us about the Pony Express.
I've heard that that was just afluke.
It wasn't a real thing.
Is that true?
Was that?
Ryan Hauck (15:59):
a.
Lea Lane (15:59):
Buffalo Bill thing.
Ryan Hauck (16:01):
No, no, it was real Buffalo.
It's funny you mentionedBuffalo Bill.
He was actually one of theriders for Pony Express.
Lea Lane (16:05):
Yeah, I know.
Ryan Hauck (16:07):
Yeah, so no, the Pony Express was a real thing.
It was a real thing Talkingabout Casper.
What's cool about all thetrails converging there is?
(16:27):
There's two ways you canexperience that.
First is the National HistoricTrails Interpretive Center.
So it's not just a museum, it'san interpretive center.
It's there to touch, feel, see,do.
There's some really coolexperiences that you can have.
The other way is actually witha gentleman by the name of
Morris Carter.
He runs a company calledHistoric Trails West where he
takes you out on a realConestoga Wagon pulled by
horseback, will take you out onthese trails.
(16:49):
If you do one of his longertrail experiences, he'll end it
with a dutch Dutch oven cookoutright there on the North Platte
River, and they'll dress inperiod correct clothing for you
and everything else.
Lea Lane (16:59):
Lots of beans, right.
Ryan Hauck (17:00):
Exactly right, yep.
Chuck wagon, yeah.
So he does a great job foreverybody.
Scenery out there is also greatIs there any way.
Lea Lane (17:08):
You can stay overnight , have lodging in any of these
wagons or a tour group thatprovides that.
Ryan Hauck (17:16):
No glamping options over there in Casper or Cheyenne
.
Here in Cody we do have someglamping options where you can
actually stay in.
Either teepees or sheep wagonsare two different options for
you.
Lea Lane (17:23):
Right, I do want to talk about one upscale town that
skiers know about.
It's Jackson.
Wyoming's Jackson Hole Valleyis the gateway to Yellowstone
and Grand Teton National Parks.
It's one of the world's mostchallenging ski areas.
It's very beautiful.
I like the town square, whichfeatures arches made of shed
antlers from the nearby NationalElk Refuge.
(17:43):
Really different and there's aNational Museum of Wildlife Art
that has works by Andy Warholand Georgia O'Keeffe.
And even if you don't ski, youcan.
whitewater raft.
Fall is a beautiful time,especially because it isn't so
crowded and relativelycomfortable.
Wyoming has been home to manyNative American tribes,
including the Cheyenne, the Crow, Sioux and Ute tribes.
(18:04):
Today, both the EasternShoshone and the Northern
Arapaho live on Wyoming's WindRiver Indian Reservation with
over 2.2 million acres, it's inthe central part of the state.
Can you visit a reservation andpartake in powwows and that
sort of thing.
Ryan Hauck (18:20):
Yeah, actually where I'm headed.
Even this weekend over down inLander, you can do some wild
horse tours down there on thereservation that is run by the
Native American tribe.
Absolutely spectacular way tolearn about their culture.
Also, get around some wildlife.
They are truly wild horses.
You're not hand feeding them oranything like that.
That's one of the reservationsthat is more public facing and
(18:41):
something that you can bookyourself.
Lea Lane (18:42):
Yeah, we always like to promote natural travel and
heritage travel.
It's a way to learn about yourcountry and to appreciate the
heritage.
Well, Ryan, the name of thepodcast is Places I Remember.
Would you please share aspecial Wyoming memory?
Ryan Hauck (18:59):
You know, when you're born and raised in
Wyoming, one of the main thingsthat you're always enjoying is
the outdoors, and one of thebest things to do outdoors, I
always say, is fishing.
For a number of years Iactually moved away from Wyoming
and when I came back, one ofthe first things I did it was a
big family friends trip back inthe Bighorns, which is just
outside of Cody.
So there I am, I'm fly fishingon one of the streams in the
(19:21):
Bighorn Mountains and sureenough, I see a big old mama
moose pop out of the trees rightthere, and right next to her is
her little baby moose.
And then to my left I see aporcupine kind of come out of
the bushes.
And then to my left I see aporcupine kind of come out of
the bushes, and then to my rightI see a big old herd of deer
(19:42):
right next to me and I'm justthinking as I'm fishing, I'm
thinking, holy cow, this is themost Wyoming thing I have ever
seen in my life.
I couldn't even make this upSurrounded by the natural beauty
of the bighorns, tons ofwildlife all around me, it was
just such a cool thing.
I just felt like, you know, I'mback home again, this is where
I'm meant to be, and it just wasfantastic with my little boy
right behind me, fishing too,and it was just such a cool
memory that I'll always haveonce again.
Lea Lane (20:03):
Yeah, he probably will remember it as well.
Ryan Hauck (20:06):
He will yeah, and moose?
Yes.
Moose can be mean.
They can be meaner than grizzlybears sometimes, but there was
a safe distance away and it wasjust such a cool moment that
just felt very Wyoming to me.
Lea Lane (20:16):
Well, thank you, Ryan Houck, Executive Director of
Cody Yellowstone, for sharingmany of the natural delights and
the fascinating history of yourhome state, your beautiful home
state of Wyoming.
Ryan Hauck (20:28):
Thank you so much for having me.
In the early 1800s, after the United States gained
territory through the LouisianaPurchase, traders and trappers
began to explore the land thatnow comprises the state of
Wyoming.
It first became a territory in1868, and in 1890, congress
declared Wyoming the 44th state.
Wyoming's nickname, theEquality State, stems from its
(00:22):
early advancement of women'srights, some of which were
established before its statehood.
Wyoming was the first state toallow women to vote and the
first to elect a female governorin 1925.
Wyoming is the 10th largeststate by land area and the least
populated, under a millionpeople.
Nearly half of Wyoming's landis owned by the federal
government and 10 destinationsare managed by the National Park
(00:44):
Service.
We'll be talking about theseWyoming wonders and more with
Ryan Hauck, executive Directorof Cody Yellowstone.
Welcome, Ryan, to Places IRemember.
Ryan Hauck (00:54):
Thank you so much for having me, Lea.
I appreciate you letting mejoin you today.
Lea Lane (01:02):
We're very excited to have you talk about your
beautiful state.
We have to start withYellowstone.
More than 95% of YellowstonePark is in Wyoming, a fraction
is in Idaho and about 3% inMontana.
Tell us a bit about the historyof Yellowstone.
Ryan Hauck (01:13):
Yeah, well, of course Yellowstone's claim to
fame is it was the firstnational park, not just in
America but in the world.
Teddy Roosevelt really helpedbring that to fruition and today
it still brings in justmillions of people.
They just ooh and ah over thegeysers, the wildlife, the
thermal features.
It's just spectacular, and asmuch as we try to talk about it,
(01:34):
you really have to see it inperson to really experience what
we have here.
It's like no other nationalpark anywhere.
Lea Lane (01:40):
Absolutely Tell us why it's called Old Faithful
the geyser.
Ryan Hauck (01:45):
Because it's faithful.
It shoots off about every 90minutes.
It has gotten slower over theyears.
Lea Lane (01:50):
It used to shoot off.
Ryan Hauck (01:51):
Oh yeah.
Lea Lane (01:52):
Yeah, it used to shoot off, like all of us, right.
Ryan Hauck (01:55):
It used to shoot off about every 60 minutes and
through the years it's nowcloser to that 90 minute mark,
plus or minus 15 minutes.
But yeah, it is faithfullygoing off every 90 minutes,
every single day.
It's pretty cool.
Some people think that it's onsome sort of humanized timer or
something like that, but it'snot.
It's just the way that thewater boils up and it shoots off
, like I said, about every 90minutes.
Lea Lane (02:17):
So I've been there and it's quite something to stand
there and see it, because yousee it in pictures.
But it's not the same unlessyou stand right in front of it
or close to it.
Ryan Hauck (02:26):
I wouldn't say right in front of it, yeah no, it is
pretty cool and you knowsomebody who gets to see it
every single day.
I get a little bit desensitizedto it, but it's always so
special to watch somebodywitness it for the very first
time.
Their eyes light up.
It's obviously the signaturefeature for the park.
Lea Lane (02:41):
It's also the largest hot spring in the United States
and the Great Canyon that manypeople don't know is there.
It's like the little GrandCanyon, right.
Ryan Hauck (02:50):
Yeah, it's called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
It's actually my favorite partof the entire park.
So of course, you have theupper falls, which is this
gorgeous waterfall, but thesignature piece is the lower
falls.
The lower falls is over a 300foot waterfall, where you can
view that from the brink of thewaterfall right where it starts
to fall down.
Or my favorite part, which isat Artist Point, which lets you
(03:11):
see it through these gorgeouspainted canyon walls all the way
into the waterfall.
Usually there's mist flying up,so there's like a rainbow at
the bottom of it.
It's just a spectacular spotand, honestly, when you take
pictures of it it looks fake,like you doctored it.
No Photoshop needed, it's justgorgeous by itself.
Lea Lane (03:29):
It is.
What wildlife can you expect tosee there?
Ryan Hauck (03:33):
You know, Yellowstone, outside of its
thermal features and waterfallsand everything else, is really
known for its wildlife, so youcan see pretty much anything
that you would expect to see.
So of course, grizzly bears arealways super important.
We were just in the park theother day saw 11 grizzly bears
just in the Mar Valley.
Of course the wolves those arealways a hot topic.
Of course people love to seethe wolves.
(03:54):
You can see those early in themorning or late at night.
But there's moose, there's elk,of course there's the American
mammal bison, tons and tons ofbison.
There's foxes and coyotes,there's bald eagles, golden
eagles, cutthroat fish.
I mean, you name it, we kind ofhave it and it's not if you're
going to see it, it's just whenyou're going to see a lot of
those things.
Lea Lane (04:13):
Right, Of course there are rules to stay away from the
grizzly bears and so forth, butI've seen the wildlife.
It's amazing.
And the Shoshone Forest nearthere is an area filled with
wildlife as well, adjacent tothe park, correct?
Ryan Hauck (04:28):
Yeah, yeah.
So luckily the wildlife doesn'tknow where the park starts,
starts and ends, and so yeahthere's tons and tons of
wildlife all throughout theNational Forest as well, which
really borders mostly the EastGate there, which is our side of
the gate.
Lea Lane (04:40):
Right, tell us about lodging and camping in and
around the park.
S s it hard to get areservation?
I would imagine.
Ryan Hauck (04:48):
Yeah, yeah.
So Yellowstone has done verywell, especially post-COVID
this summer specifically,they're actually already 90%
booked up for the year.
Trying to get into Old Faithfulor Lake or Canyon can get a
little bit tough.
They do have a newly renovatedcampground called Fishing Bridge
for a very long time, but nowthey have some 80-foot spots,
even more options than ever.
(05:10):
So there is lots of campingavailable, some lodging
available, but really if youwant to book something within
the next month of you being here, you'll probably have to book
outside of the park more thanlikely, I would say so.
Lea Lane (05:23):
But if you are going to Yellowstone, please consider
all of this, because you want tohave a nice lodging when you're
there as well.
Let's talk about another parkthat's absolutely beautiful,
Grand Teton.
It's only 31 miles away fromYellowstone.
It's linked by John DRockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway,
so it's possible to enjoy bothof these parks in one trip.
It's nicer to spend more time.
Ryan Hauck (05:44):
Of course, what makes Grand Teton special?
Grand Teton has those viewsthat you see in all the
postcards and just pictures ofthe West.
Grand Teton National Park hasthose beautiful pointy mountains
with big peaks on it.
That largest peak is actuallycalled the Grand.
It's just spectacular.
What's also nice about GrandTeton National Park is it also
(06:04):
has lots of wildlife.
So you're going to see grizzlybears there.
Better chance of seeing moose,for sure.
And then what Grand TetonNational Park is known for as
well is just the abundance ofincredible, world-renowned
hiking trails.
Such a fun park to hike aroundand just see some cool parts of
the backcountry there.
Lea Lane (06:21):
Right, You've got Oxbow Bend, you've got Taggart
Lake.
You have many areas ofexceptional beauty all in this
one area.
Let's go to something that hasbeen in the movies a lot.
It's called Devil's Tower.
It's the first nationalmonument in the United States.
Tell us what that is.
Ryan Hauck (06:38):
Well yeah, Steven Spielberg really put that on the
map with 'Close Encounters of aThird Kind.
" There's no aliens out there,luckily, but Devil's Tower is
spectacular.
It looks like a petrifiedvolcano.
It was the first nationalmonument in the country, So
what's cool about Wyoming?
We had the first national park,the first national forest,
which is Shoney National Forest,and, of course, the first
national monument, which isDevil's Tower, which became the
(07:00):
first national monument back in1906.
What Devil's Tower is reallyknown for, especially nowadays
with it being so trending, arejust the dark skies that are out
there.
The skies are so dark, thestars shine so brightly and
there's even some guided toursto experience some of that out
there with the park rangers.
Lea Lane (07:19):
Very special.
Yeah, I know that's verypopular right now.
Ryan Hauck (07:22):
Very much so.
Lea Lane (07:23):
Very precious.
Ryan Hauck (07:24):
It is, yeah, and what's cool about Devil's Tower,
too, is there's a lot of tiesthat are Native Americans out
there, too, a lot of folkloregoing on with how it is, and why
it is the way that looks likeit does They call it Bear Lodge
right?
Lea Lane (07:35):
Why is that?
Ryan Hauck (07:36):
One of the stories out there is-- and it's a long
story so I'm going to kind ofshorten it down a little bit
--but b essentially some of theNative Americans were trying to
escape this giant bear and asthey did, they prayed and prayed
and all of a sudden Devil'sTower started forming, started
rising them up in the air andthis giant bear was clawing at
Devil's Tower and that's why yousee these huge grooves inside
(07:57):
of the rock is because it wasthe bear's claws clawing away,
trying to get to these NativeAmericans as they rose up into
the air.
Lea Lane (08:02):
I love it.
There are lots of rock climbers.
I know that.
Is it available to climb?
Ryan Hauck (08:07):
It is, yeah.
Yeah, it's usually a bucketlist spot.
It looks hard, but it isn't oneof the hardest things you can
do, hat's easy for you to say.
Yeah, it's not easy, but it'snot the hardest thing.
If you're a local, you alwayswonder what's at the top of
Devil's Tower.
Lea Lane (08:24):
I always get jealous of those climbers that can go up
there.
Ryan Hauck (08:25):
Well, at the top it's just some grass, honestly
some grass.
I've even heard of some snakesbeing up there.
How they got up there, I haveno clue.
Yeah, it's just like a grassyplains up there.
Lea Lane (08:34):
I think I'll stay at the bottom and look at it that
doesn't sound like it's worth itto me, but I think for a rock
climber it's probably great.
Ryan Hauck (08:41):
It's cool.
Yeah, definitely one of thosebucket list destinations for
climbers.
Lea Lane (08:44):
Well, I love finding fossil sites and I've been all
around the world doing it, andone of the very best in the
world is in Wyoming Fossil ButteNational Monument.
It's 15 miles west of Kemmerer,Wyoming.
I know Wyoming even has a statedinosaur, the Triceratops,
which was chosen in 1994, livedall around this large freshwater
(09:05):
lake in the area, and so it'sworld renowned.
Can anyone dig there, or is itjust to look at?
Ryan Hauck (09:13):
Yeah, so Fossil Butte actually does have public
digs.
You can't keep any of thefossils that you dig up there,
but if you do find some, theyallow you to take pictures with
it and do what you want to do,but you do eventually have to
give it back.
Wyoming as a whole actually hastons and tons of complete
skeleton fossils all over thestate.
Actually, a lot of the bigT-Rexes and Triceratops and
(09:36):
complete skeletons that you seein Smithsonian affiliate museums
.
ypically a lot of those havecome from Wyoming or Utah or
Colorado.
They're all from this area.
What makes Fossil Butte soincredible, though?
It's actually based on a 50million year old lake bed, so
there's tons and tons of fossilsthere, and more than likely you
will find some.
Lea Lane (09:55):
Yeah, two million year old fossils.
Ryan Hauck (09:57):
Yes.
Lea Lane (09:59):
And we're not talking about the tourists.
Ok, now, besides the beauty,which is obvious, let's talk
about a few of the cities.
In Wyoming, Cody, I know, isyour home, which is one of the
top summer travel destinationsin the United States, Tell us
what makes it special and tellus about its namesake, Buffalo
Bill Cody.
Ryan Hauck (10:20):
Of course.
Yeah, you can't talk about Codywithout talking about Buffalo
Bill Cody.
Our town lets you know that bythe many statues we have of him
everywhere.
Lea Lane (10:27):
What was he like?
He was a character I know.
Ryan Hauck (10:30):
For back in the day he was a taller guy, just a
stature, already brought apresence.
But yeah, at a certain point intime he was actually the most
famous man in the world-- - andhe truly, truly was.
Yeah, he brought in many famouspeople right here to Cody to
just showcase Yellowstone andhis town that he loved so much
that he named after himself.
(10:51):
But yeah, Buffalo Bill reallywas a forward-thinking guy.
Earlier he talked about B beingthe equality state.
He really fought for women'srights.
He also fought to have betterrelationships with the Native
Americans in the area.
We're proud even today to callhim the namesake of Cody.
So beyond Buffalo Bill, whatCody is today, I will say what
we're really known for are justour authentic Western
experiences and yes, we are atourist town, but the
(11:14):
experiences are not touristy,they are truly immersive Western
experiences.
Such as we have 14 guests indude ranches.
You can really experience thatWestern lifestyle.
We have the only place in theworld that has a rodeo that
happens every single night.
And this is not (every night?
every single night, and we'renot talking just a buck a bull
(11:36):
or a bronc.
This is every event everysingle night all the way from
June 1st through the end ofAugust.
When people think of the West,they typically think of firearms
as well.
So we have a place called theCody Firearms Experience that
lets you actually choose from 70different period correct guns
that you can shoot yourself.
So you walk in.
It looks just like a museum.
The only difference is you cantake those guns off the wall and
(11:59):
shoot them.
So that could be a flintlockrifle, that could be a Colt 45
like John Wayne used to have,and then all the way to a
Gatling gun, the one that youget to kind of crank . (Do you
have to have a license to do it.
Not at all.
If you've never even seen a gunall the way to Expert Marksman,
you can go in there and youhave a great time.
Our number one attraction,though, that we have is called
the Buffalo Bill Center of theWest.
(12:20):
That is, five Smithsonianaffiliate museums all under one
roof, and it truly is five fullsize museums.
So we have the Draper NaturalHistory Museum, which is all
about the greater Yellowstoneecology.
You have the Whitney WesternArt Museum, which features the
largest collection of Westernart west of the Mississippi.
You have the Indian PlainsMuseums, obviously talking about
(12:40):
all the Native Americans thatwere in our area well before the
settlers came over to this area.
You have the Buffalo BillMuseum, aptly named after our
town founder Buffalo Bill, andthen you have the Cody Firearms
Museum, which is the largest andmost diverse collection of
firearms in the world, actuallyright here in Cody Wyoming.
Lea Lane (13:01):
So pretty spectacular, pretty spectacular, definitely
a place to spend a few days ifyou're going to Yellowstone,
without question Now, Cheyenneis Wyoming's capital.
What are a few places travelersshould seek out there?
Ryan Hauck (13:16):
You know one of the hot spots over there and it is a
little touristy.
You have to do it.
It's the Terry Bison Ranch.
When you're in Cody or you'rein Yellowstone, you don't want
to 'pet the fluffy cow,' that'swhat we always say.
Right, you don't want to getclose to those bison.
But when you're at Terry BisonRanch you actually can feed the
bison there.
(13:36):
You take a little train and ittakes you through their ranch
and you can actually give thempellets.
They also have a wide array ofother animals that you're around
.
There's some food options overthere.
But yeah, Terry Bison Ranch isreally cool.
In late July you have to go toCheyenne Frontier Days.
They call them the daddy ofthem all.
It's one of the greatestoutdoor rodeos in the country.
Huge names that play music outthere.
The rodeo happens every singleday.
(13:57):
It truly is the best of thebest.
Lea Lane (13:59):
Sounds great.
There's also a beautifulbotanical garden which has a
labyrinth in it, which is verypeaceful, and of course you can
visit the historic governor'smansion and the Capitol building
.
They're built in the 19thcentury and well worth looking
at, and it's a little bit of achange from the Wild West, You
know stately, let's say.
Ryan Hauck (14:18):
It is, yeah, and our Capitol actually just went
through a huge renovation and isworth a stop all to its own.
It's absolutely gorgeous.
Lea Lane (14:25):
One thing I like.
You have a collection ofstagecoaches at the Old West
Museum.
They're wonderful pieces ofAmericana from the 19th century.
Ryan Hauck (14:35):
Yeah, exactly.
Lea Lane (14:36):
Now Casper is in central Wyoming on the North
Platte River.
It's the second most populouscity in the state.
What would we want to see there?
Ryan Hauck (14:44):
Yeah, it's funny, you talk about the second most
populated city.
I think it's about 60,000 now.
Lea Lane (14:49):
Right, I didn't want to say that.
Not very crowded.
Ryan Hauck (14:52):
No, no, it's cool.
So Casper is known for two mainthings.
First of all, world-class troutfishing.
That North Platte River isabsolutely stockpiled full of
massive rainbow trout rainbowand browns I guess.
But y it's , a flyfisherman's paradise over there
and you can really go any wayfrom where the lakes really
start, which is a lake calledAlcova, all the way through the
(15:15):
middle of town in Casper, allthe way to the next lake, which
is over in Glendale.
So we're talking miles andmiles of world-class trout
fishing.
And it's dammed at certainportions all the way through.
So you can always count on goodwater levels, you can always
count on just nice easy flows.
So you can just put a driftboat in there actually.
So no motor or anything likethat, you put a drift boat in
(15:36):
there and you can count on someamazing trout.
Another thing that Casper isreally known for on the
historical side of things isthat's where all the pioneering
trails converge, is right therein Casper, Wyoming.
So you have the Mormon Trail,you have the California Trail,
you have the Pony Express.
Lea Lane (15:54):
Tell us about the Pony Express.
I've heard that that was just afluke.
It wasn't a real thing.
Is that true?
Was that?
Ryan Hauck (15:59):
a.
Lea Lane (15:59):
Buffalo Bill thing.
Ryan Hauck (16:01):
No, no, it was real Buffalo.
It's funny you mentionedBuffalo Bill.
He was actually one of theriders for Pony Express.
Lea Lane (16:05):
Yeah, I know.
Ryan Hauck (16:07):
Yeah, so no, the Pony Express was a real thing.
It was a real thing Talkingabout Casper.
What's cool about all thetrails converging there is?
(16:27):
There's two ways you canexperience that.
First is the National HistoricTrails Interpretive Center.
So it's not just a museum, it'san interpretive center.
It's there to touch, feel, see,do.
There's some really coolexperiences that you can have.
The other way is actually witha gentleman by the name of
Morris Carter.
He runs a company calledHistoric Trails West where he
takes you out on a realConestoga Wagon pulled by
horseback, will take you out onthese trails.
(16:49):
If you do one of his longertrail experiences, he'll end it
with a dutch Dutch oven cookoutright there on the North Platte
River, and they'll dress inperiod correct clothing for you
and everything else.
Lea Lane (16:59):
Lots of beans, right.
Ryan Hauck (17:00):
Exactly right, yep.
Chuck wagon, yeah.
So he does a great job foreverybody.
Scenery out there is also greatIs there any way.
Lea Lane (17:08):
You can stay overnight , have lodging in any of these
wagons or a tour group thatprovides that.
Ryan Hauck (17:16):
No glamping options over there in Casper or Cheyenne
.
Here in Cody we do have someglamping options where you can
actually stay in.
Either teepees or sheep wagonsare two different options for
you.
Lea Lane (17:23):
Right, I do want to talk about one upscale town that
skiers know about.
It's Jackson.
Wyoming's Jackson Hole Valleyis the gateway to Yellowstone
and Grand Teton National Parks.
It's one of the world's mostchallenging ski areas.
It's very beautiful.
I like the town square, whichfeatures arches made of shed
antlers from the nearby NationalElk Refuge.
(17:43):
Really different and there's aNational Museum of Wildlife Art
that has works by Andy Warholand Georgia O'Keeffe.
And even if you don't ski, youcan.
whitewater raft.
Fall is a beautiful time,especially because it isn't so
crowded and relativelycomfortable.
Wyoming has been home to manyNative American tribes,
including the Cheyenne, the Crow, Sioux and Ute tribes.
(18:04):
Today, both the EasternShoshone and the Northern
Arapaho live on Wyoming's WindRiver Indian Reservation with
over 2.2 million acres, it's inthe central part of the state.
Can you visit a reservation andpartake in powwows and that
sort of thing.
Ryan Hauck (18:20):
Yeah, actually where I'm headed.
Even this weekend over down inLander, you can do some wild
horse tours down there on thereservation that is run by the
Native American tribe.
Absolutely spectacular way tolearn about their culture.
Also, get around some wildlife.
They are truly wild horses.
You're not hand feeding them oranything like that.
That's one of the reservationsthat is more public facing and
(18:41):
something that you can bookyourself.
Lea Lane (18:42):
Yeah, we always like to promote natural travel and
heritage travel.
It's a way to learn about yourcountry and to appreciate the
heritage.
Well, Ryan, the name of thepodcast is Places I Remember.
Would you please share aspecial Wyoming memory?
Ryan Hauck (18:59):
You know, when you're born and raised in
Wyoming, one of the main thingsthat you're always enjoying is
the outdoors, and one of thebest things to do outdoors, I
always say, is fishing.
For a number of years Iactually moved away from Wyoming
and when I came back, one ofthe first things I did it was a
big family friends trip back inthe Bighorns, which is just
outside of Cody.
So there I am, I'm fly fishingon one of the streams in the
(19:21):
Bighorn Mountains and sureenough, I see a big old mama
moose pop out of the trees rightthere, and right next to her is
her little baby moose.
And then to my left I see aporcupine kind of come out of
the bushes.
And then to my left I see aporcupine kind of come out of
the bushes, and then to my rightI see a big old herd of deer
(19:42):
right next to me and I'm justthinking as I'm fishing, I'm
thinking, holy cow, this is themost Wyoming thing I have ever
seen in my life.
I couldn't even make this upSurrounded by the natural beauty
of the bighorns, tons ofwildlife all around me, it was
just such a cool thing.
I just felt like, you know, I'mback home again, this is where
I'm meant to be, and it just wasfantastic with my little boy
right behind me, fishing too,and it was just such a cool
memory that I'll always haveonce again.
Lea Lane (20:03):
Yeah, he probably will remember it as well.
Ryan Hauck (20:06):
He will yeah, and moose?
Yes.
Moose can be mean.
They can be meaner than grizzlybears sometimes, but there was
a safe distance away and it wasjust such a cool moment that
just felt very Wyoming to me.
Lea Lane (20:16):
Well, thank you, Ryan Houck, Executive Director of
Cody Yellowstone, for sharingmany of the natural delights and
the fascinating history of yourhome state, your beautiful home
state of Wyoming.
Ryan Hauck (20:28):
Thank you so much for having me.
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