Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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When Donald J. Trump becomes president he has promised to build a wall along the Mexican/American border. As recently as his win in the South Carolina primary, Trump reaffirmed that “… we’ll do the wall, don’t worry. We’re going to do the wall.” I, for one, applaud this for several reasons. I would like to see America build more monuments. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is a wonder. Mount Rushmore is amazing. Crazy Horse is a labor of love, the Empire State Building is... Full story
I spent seven months of 2011 bush-whacking, boulder-rolling and timber-hauling my way through some of the most inaccessible and gorgeous parts of Maine. It was a strangely disjointed and financially treacherous period of my life. The trail work I did with the Maine Conservation Corps (MCC) was perilous, arduous and exhausting. I am convinced there is no better way I could have spent that spring, summer and fall. During my first week in Maine, I did not once see the sun... Full story
Dear Saratoga Sun, I would like to apologize to the patrons of the Rawlins Library. I was not there today to unlock the doors and welcome you. I was not there to help you with the computer, answer your questions, or direct you to the local businesses. At this point the Main library no longer has enough staff to operate, let alone provide services to the other seven branches. There is no one to process new books or items for any of the libraries. There is no one to order supplies; or pay bills. Being one of the 2 remaining... Full story
A couple years ago my husband enrolled in some entomology classes at the University of Wyoming. He would come home and say things such as, “All these years we’ve been calling ladybugs by the wrong name; they were actually ladybird beetles,” and “All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs. At first, I thought he was a little loopy, but the more he talked, the more interested I became. For class assignments, he was supposed to collect insects to aid in identification and classification. We started collecting insects on... Full story
I was walking around town the other night (because I am trying to get some exercise) and had gotten to the other side of town from my house (it’s not a big town) when I heard a repetitive and plaintive mewling. Being a cat guy (or a guy who will investigate any animal in distress), I walked over behind the abandoned building where the noise seemed to be coming from. When I got to the back door to the building I heard the meow a couple more times and thought to myself that t... Full story
We just ordered a new tent. It’s a really nice one, too, a good deal from Sierra Trading Post. It’s pretty heavy but it should be able to withstand just about any rafting trip, backcountry skiing excursion or camp in the woods. I got a new sleeping bag. I’m all set, just waiting to get a square aluminum dutch oven so I can make anything I want in a campfire. It’s probably not the best time for me to be making purchases like this, considering I’m leaving my job here at the pa... Full story
Pat and I attended the Michael Martin Murphy concert last night. It was outstanding and was another example of the quality of entertainment that regularly graces the stage at the PVCC. We were once again, however, disappointed by the number of empty seats. Over the past 50 plus years we have lived in cities ranging in size from Saratoga to Houston. In each city we have tried to take advantage of the performing arts opportunities that they offer. We have also had the chance to attend concerts and musical theater in cities such... Full story
As the dirt road got closer and closer to the ocean, I started itching to get sand back beneath my feet, and presently an opportunity presented itself. Fearful of a trespassing charge, I passed up a driveway leading to the “Western Ghana Palm Oil Research Institute.” A few hundred meters up the road, though, a sign pointed toward another coastal resort, and I made my move seawards. At first, the beach here was much the same as I had found at the Green Turtle Lodge – pleas... Full story
This is Part II of a three part story I began telling in a column on May 11. The story takes place in the summer of 2013, when I was a teacher for the Peace Corps in West Africa. I began hiking towards a lighthouse on a remote stretch of the Ghanaian coast, and adventure ensued. For the first half kilometer though the path exiting Akwidaa cut through the jungle it was never out of earshot of waves crashing onto the rocky beach. The undergrowth constantly rustled around me as... Full story
There are many things I have learned in my years in the west. As a “round peg in a square state” I have learned (and written) about hunting, fishing, hunting and fishing guides, gates and why you don’t want to sit “shotgun,” rowing a raft, snow and its consequences and much more. But never before have I written about cowboys. Before I get started, I want to warn you that I am, at some point in this column, going to make a joke so bad I pretty much guarantee you will groan aud... Full story
It was early, like it always seems to be for things like this. I had a vague idea of what I needed for the day, since I’ve been once before; warm stuff that’s not cotton for under my dry suit, gloves, my dry suit, fresh clothes for when we get off the river, and so on. It wasn’t warm outside, so I grabbed an extra wool sweater and stuffed it in the dry bag. Lunch was my job that morning, and with all the produce we had just gotten I decided to throw some stuff together that... Full story
Editor, There seems to be some confusion around our town about the cost the town bears for the Community Garden. I was not part of the ordinance developed by the last administration and Voices of the Valley in 2011 that created the Community Garden, but am an original member. The ordinance provided for development of the Town property where the Garden stands and a typical budgetary process and a Board. The Town put in the water tap and two frost-free water spigots and provides the water. The Town also volunteered to put up... Full story
Editor, Kudos to Mr. Winter and the town for handing what needed done to shore up the bridge prior to high water. Anyone who has looked at the North Platte River in the past month can see it has been carrying so much sediment that a few, or even a hundred, trips across it with equipment was not going to materially influence turbidly of the river to any significant degree. For a little perspective, we just need to think about what has made this river a great fishery. For over a hundred years ranchers have been working in the... Full story
At the last meeting of the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD No. 2) on April 18 in Hanna, Superintendent Jim Copeland notified the board that a group of people in Saratoga has asked the school district to consider donating land near Saratoga Elementary School (SES) for an expansion of the ExCel preschool. While Copeland said there was not a formal motion to the board to consider such a donation, he did say he wanted to bring the proposal to the board’s attention. ExCel preschool currently occupies trailers on land b... Full story
This tale took place during my Peace Corps service, when I took a two week trip to Ghana during my summer break from teaching at a school in Burkina Faso. This adventure begins in the least likely of places: a beach resort. Now, don’t get me wrong, beach resorts are wonderful locales to read on the sand, coax out a tan or savor a complicated cocktail. I did all of these things at the Green Turtle Lodge” on the southern tip of Ghana, and I enjoyed them greatly. Nev... Full story