Results tagged “Wyoming” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Former National Geographic Books editorial assistant Hunter Braithwaite spent his vacation helping former laboratory research animals in a Wyoming sanctuary.

We wake at dawn to black coffee. A murderous sun will soon beat down. Vultures, wafting in the carrion breeze, cast the only shadows. In the distance is a persistant howling. But all is well on the Kindness Ranch: it's pool day for the pigs.

My girlfriend and I spent July volunteering on this 1,000-acre Wyoming sanctuary for research animals. At the moment, this unique institution is home to 55 animals. These dogs, cats, sheep, pigs, and horses have spent much of their lives in laboratories. Almost all of them are up for adoption. The ranch is obviously pro-animal, but the animal testing debate is tiptoed around. Since the primary goal is to better the life of an animal, criticizing laboratories doesn't lead to cooperation.

The Kindness Ranch is located off State Highway 270, about eight miles from the nearest town, Hartville (pop. 76).  All in all, it's a pretty straight shot from the East Coast. Just stay on Route 80 for the entirety of the Brothers Karamazov on tape.  

On the property are an arena, a barn, two yurts for the cats and dogs, six guest yurts, and a yurt castle belonging to the founder. My girlfriend and I came with the understanding that we'd be staying in the cat yurt, but somehow we were blessed with a vacant guest yurt. They normally go for $100 per night, a steal, but the price drops precipitously for those willing to clean up after the horses.

Contributing Blogger Cathy Healy got the scoop from naturalist writer and artist Emilene Oslind on when, where, and how to watch pronghorn antelope in Wyoming this June.



LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Pronghorn fawns will make you laugh, promises Emilene Ostlind, a former natural history photography coordinator for National Geographic magazine. "Fawns have these little snub noses and a funny poof of white hair on their butts that stands up when they get excited. Most does have twins and they're full of energy. If you're lucky, you'll get to see two fawns jump up from behind a sagebrush, drink some milk from their mother and run around, playing and chasing each other."

You can easily find pronghorn in Wyoming if you get off the interstates and onto Bureau of Land Management roads. The state has about half of the million pronghorn in the world, all of which live on North America's western plains. (Map).

While you won't need a four-wheel drive, you will need binoculars or a scope to observe the skittish animals, says Ostlind. Pronghorn are the fastest creatures in North America--they can run away from you at 53 mph. Not only that, but antelope have 270-degree eyesight and can spot movement from two to three miles away. Your advantage is that pronghorn are curious, so they might come closer if you're in your car and not on foot. Or, if you're watching from a hilltop a couple of miles away.

Contributing Blogger Cathy Healy chats with the curator of Wyoming's National Museum of Wildlife Art.


JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. -- The bronze elk stand alert at the snowy entrance to the National Museum of Wildlife Art, while across the highway, 7,000 live elk nuzzle hay in the National Elk Refuge, unafraid of the coyotes skulking their perimeter. I confess, I've driven by many times, staring back and forth, but never bothered to stop for the sleigh rides among the elk (looked really cold) or to revisit the museum (no excuse).


"People are surprised when they come in and see the incredible depth of what we have," said Dr. Adam Harris, curator of art. "They're expecting to see animals from this region in fairly representational form, but we really try to collect a broad range of art work...we have the great artists from America and Europe." [See video interview.]

The museum is year-around and so is the wildlife.

Spring may be on the horizon, but Intelligent Travel Contributing Writer Cathy Healy doesn't want you to pack away your skis quite yet.



JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. -- I was getting ready to tell you about how skiers of all ilk, including me, an impassioned green-run cruiser, can find their bliss in this valley of extreme skiing...when I discovered that the region is on sale. After a 60 percent drop in bookings over the bad-economy holiday season, Jackson merchants are hoping for a spring rescue, so negotiate. This may be the year you can afford one more ski trip.

What people often forget, and I count myself among them, is that there are four ski options at Jackson.

One: There's Jackson Mountain, of course, the big one, which offers the world-famous 4,139-foot vertical drop and a new tram that lifts 100 people to the top of the mountain in nine minutes. No greens up there, and most intermediate blue trails at Jackson are like blacks in other places. Good skiers love Jackson. Great skiers really love it. Check out their packages (many of which include airfare) here and here.