Them on Us: Wild West horses; talk show golf; sad Rainbows

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

By Jake Nichols

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Tired of having your luggage temporarily lost by your air carrier? And, now, paying extra for that ‘luxury?’

The solution just might be High Country Shipping. The five-year-old, Telluride-based company just announced it will be expanding service to Steamboat; Aspen; Vail; Park City and Jackson. The company ships visitors’ luggage from their residence to the destination hotel, home or rental property using FedEx.

Company spokesman John Humphries said the costs are comparable to airlines’ fees. Book your bags at www.highcountryshipping.com or 877-231-1363.

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Picture this: Ken Martin is lying flat on his stomach in the badlands 20 miles east of Cody, squinting into a pair of binoculars. “There’s War Bonnet, Buck, Sonny Boy, Four Socks,” he tells a group of tourists who have paid to see wild horses. “Raven had a band of mares, but lost them to War Bonnet in a fight. They’re part of the Wild Bunch that is actually two bands traveling together.”

Wyoming is home to the second-largest wild horse population, behind Nevada. Martin turned his hobby of watching wild horses into a tour business seven years ago. Red Canyon Wild Mustang Tours booked nearly 1,700 tourists last year, offering clients a peak at some 200 mustangs in the 110,000-acre refuge of the McCullough Peaks.

Blood sample studies have determined a direct link to the horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century. How those horses made it to Wyoming is speculative. Some attribute that to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Others are linked to Buffalo Bill Cody. When he ended his Wild West Show days in 1918, Cody released many of his Cleveland Bays in the McCullough Peaks.

The story was covered initially by Philadelphia Daily Local News.

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Maury Povich is best known for his work as a tabloid television host and for being married to television star Connie Chung. But the 69-year-old Povich is also, apparently, a decent amateur golfer.

The News & Courier in Charleston, SC caught up with the host of the Maury Povich Show last weekend when he was in town to golf with his buddy Steve Spurrier, coach of the Univ. of South Carolina football team.

When asked about his best rounds, Povich said he’s never shot better than a 68, which he has done about 20 times. He was especially proud of shooting his age this year, however. The TV star said his ‘69’ came in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

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The Wyoming chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union contends the U.S. Forest Service systematically harasses members of the Rainbow Family when they gather annually on public land.

The ACLU investigated the July 3 incident at Big Sandy on the Bridger-Teton National Forest where law enforcement fired pepper balls to control crowds. Their report contends the attack was unprovoked.

John Twiss, national head of law enforcement for the Forest Service, said he strongly disagreed with the ACLU’s report. “There’s a lot of drugs at the gathering, a tremendous amount of drugs,” he told Casper Star-Tribune writer Ben Neary. “Which often leads to overdoses, violence and a tremendous amount of problems.” The agency wrote 139 drug-related citations and arrested eight people for drug offenses at the ‘08 lovefest, he said.

Dig the freak show internet video of the incident on YouTube: “Rainbow Family Peaceably Schools Police, Dissolves Roadblock.”

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News outlets around the country breathed a sigh of relief to their readers announcing the Jackson Hole Airport will not shut down over the law enforcement issues with Teton County Sheriff Bob Zimmer. A temporary agreement will mean business as usual at the airstrip. We were interested to see the various places the story showed up: Delaware Online, CheapFlights.com, and KULR-TV in Billings.

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Denver CBS News 4 is keeping a close eye on the Wyoming Game & Fish in Jackson Hole, who are keeping a close eye on signs of chronic wasting disease. Fearing the spread of CWD to state feed grounds and the National Elk Refuge, officials are again analyzing tissue samples from the heads of deer, elk, and moose harvested by hunters this season.

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Them on Us: Wild West horses; talk show golf; sad Rainbows | Planet JH News Article: General News

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