CONTRIBUTORS
MANDY FABEL
Writer
Mandy Fabel lives in Lander, Wyoming with her husband and two-year old son Stokes. Her wedding took place on top of Pingora Peak in the Wind River Mountains and just about every weekend in the winter you will find her riding her snowmobile somewhere in fresh snow. Along with being the Executive Director of Leadership Wyoming, Mandy and her husband Brian run a YouTube channel called Granola & Gasoline where they feature their adventures.
BLAINE LIMPUS
Writer
Originally from Indiana, Blaine moved out west to climb and enjoy living on mountain time. Climbing has been the obsession of his life and driving force for 13 years now. After meeting Mel, the two of them moved around the Rocky Mountains until settling in the best town, Lander, Wyoming. They climb, hike, camp with their cat, Poots, and enjoy the adventurous life the west has to offer.
MELANIE FABRIZIUS
Graphic
Design
Melanie grew up on a farm in Montana and is currently living in Billings. Her life-long love of art led her to a career as a freelance graphic designer. Melanie enjoys ATVing, camping, rockhounding and watching the sunset with her two dogs, Comanche Sue and Pistol Annie. Check out her designs at www.FancyMF.com.
AMY GRISAK
Writer / photographer
Amy Grisak is an award-winning freelance writer and the author of The Nature Guide to Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks. She is based out of Great Falls, Montana and loves sharing her decades of outdoor experience with her readers. Find more of her work at amygrisak.substack.com.
HAYLEY WHEELER
Editor
Hayley Wheeler is a legal assistant in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she spends her days drafting and editing legal documents. Raised in Lander, she took a brief hiatus from the mountain west to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Purdue University. When not professionally proofreading, you can find Hayley hiking or snowshoeing with her husband and dog, taking a pottery class, wrangling the cat, or reading a good sci-fi/fantasy novel.
PUBLISHER
MELANIE LIMPUS
(406) 860-9636
EMAIL: publisher@ adventuresinthewest.com
COPY EDITOR
HAYLEY WHEELER
EMAIL: haywheele@gmail.com
ADVERTISING
MELANIE LIMPUS
(406) 860-9636
EMAIL: publisher@ adventuresinthewest.com
DESIGN
MELANIE FABRIZIUS
EMAIL: ads@raisedinthewest.com
ADDRESS
Adventures in the West Magazine
P.O. Box 1009 Lander, WY 82520
OUT & ABOUT
5.
1. My cool ride this spring. 2. Tax season… need I say more?
3. Grateful for Blaine’s dad who came out to help us with the build this spring.
4. So nice to see our dear family friends, Paul and Diane, out west!
5. Poots taking in the views of our window wall.
PETER
Anyone who likes to spend a little time wetting a line knows that the Rocky Mountain West is an angler’s paradise. Fremont County, specifically, is a true gem for a widely diverse amount of fishing.
The Wind River Range boasts more than 1,600 alpine lakes and is the headwaters for three major drainage systems in the United States. There are wilderness streams, crystal clear lake waters, and rivers that weave and bend through the Wind River Valley. However, perhaps the most unique part about Fremont County is not its pristine waters or numerous varieties of fish, but the local anglers that work so hard to protect them.
Established in the late 1980s, the Popo Agie Anglers have led cold water conservation in Fremont County for over 35 years. Serving as a Trout Unlimited chapter, this local group of anglers works to conserve, protect, and restore Fremont County's cold water fisheries and their watersheds.
Trout Unlimited has thirteen chapters in Wyoming that work on rivers to help communities recover from wildfires and floods, as well as helping farmers and ranchers improve their operations and look after the rivers running across their land.
George Hunker, the Treasurer of Popo Agie Anglers, has been an active member of the club since 1991. He’s been a professional fishing guide for the majority of his life and offers guided fishing trips into the Wind River Mountains.
“Originally, we weren’t part of Trout Unlimited. It was just a fishing club that got together, whose mission statement was to do good things for fisheries in Fremont County,” George said. “These guys had a strong sense of fly fishing in Fremont County and it was important to them and future generations.”
Right from the beginning, Popo Agie Anglers hosted banquets and auctions to raise money for projects around the county, even funding scholarships for local students planning to attend college to study natural resources, fisheries, and other related fields.
The procurement of Luckey Pond was one of the first projects that the Popo Agie Anglers initiated to establish a clean and safe place for kids to learn how to fish. George explained that their goal was to find a place for a fishing pond that was within biking distance from Lander. Partnering with the Wyoming Life Resources Center, the pond was established in a draw that would naturally collect water.
“It was exactly what we were looking for,” George said. “It was surprising, once the pond was built, to see how many people use that space, even if they’re not fishing. It’s a spectacular view of the Wind River Mountains. People go out there to walk their dogs and look for birds. Some just go out there for a nice place to eat their lunch!”
Each year, on the first Saturday of June, the Popo Agie Anglers partner with Wyoming Game & Fish to sponsor Annual Kids Fish Day where kids can enjoy a fun, free day of fishing at Luckey Pond. Additionally, the club participates in the Wyoming Outdoor Weekend, which takes place at the end of May every year. Educational Friday is a subevent of that weekend teaching kids about the outdoors, wildlife, and fishing, focusing on fish anatomy and aquatic macroinvertebrates.
As a small group, they make a mighty impact – focusing on an
Peter Cella is the current President of Popo Agie Anglers. Splitting his time between planning the next meeting or community event and working full time as an HVAC Journeyman for Baker Heating and Air, he often sneaks out to fish the occasional stream or river. His favorite part, though, is in the educational aspect that the club provides.
“We have eight people on the Board and our group consists of some really talented fly tiers and world class anglers,” said Peter. “But my favorite part of this club is the educational pieces.
When we put up a booth at Wyoming Outdoor Weekend or work with students on how to cast a fly rod, it’s incredibly rewarding.”
John Burrows, former President of Popo Agie Anglers, agreed.
JOHN BURROWS
GEORGE HUNKER AT LUCKEY POND
many projects in the works, the Popo Agie Anglers also have their Bi-Annual Meeting coming up on May 3. The Bi-Annual Meeting takes place at The Inn at Lander and includes allday presentations, a feature film at 7 p.m., raffles, and more. This event is also open to the public.
“This club is an opening to give back, teach ethics to younger folks and people who are new to angling, and give back through time and volunteer efforts to improve the habitat,” said Peter.
“If we touch one person anytime that we’re out doing anything, that’s important,” George concluded. Every once and a while, I’ll run into someone that I taught years ago and they’ll tell me that they’ve been fly fishing to this day ever since. It makes it feel worthwhile by modeling something that you enjoy that can bring joy to somebody else.”
J-HOOK AT CITY PARK
with Blaine
As summer encroaches closer and closer, I begin to think of friendly gatherings after a long winter hibernation. That means snacks to eat and beers to drink. One of my all time favorite drinking snacks is a Scotch Egg.
Traditionally, Scotch eggs are soft-boiled eggs wrapped in breakfast sausage, then breaded and fried. Some say it's breakfast food. Some say it’s pub food. Maybe I just drink earlier than you? Either way, there is nothing finer than a runny egg pouring out over sweet pork filled with warm, English spices. And you mean to tell me it's deep fried to golden brown? Get out of town; that’s ecstasy.
Like most of my recipes, I couldn’t just do a traditional Scotch egg. Instead, I curated a Hors D'oeuvres styled treat of this all-time classic. I used quail eggs because they create a bitesized version, which is way more appealing for an evening of friendly debauchery amongst your fellow comrades. The next twist I threw at this was using elk meat instead of pork. I know plenty of you reading this have a freezer full of elk. As always though, if you can’t get quail eggs, or you don’t have elk meat because your scope was off (that’s what I’d tell everyone as well if I were you), then just make a standard Scotch egg for a party, cut each one into quarters, and people will be amazed.
Shout out to Elizabeth Zepeda for providing the Fremont County markets with these cute little buggers!
SCOTCH QUAIL EGGS
WITH SIMPLE MUSTARD
directions ingredients
Spices:
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp peppercorns
1 tbsp marjoram
1/2 tsp sumac
1/2 tsp mace
Zest of nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp)
Protein:
1 dozen quail eggs
1 pound of pork or elk meat
2 chicken eggs lightly beaten
Pantry:
Panko breadcrumbs
Mustard Sauce:
1/4 cup mayo (preferably Dukes)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Squeeze of lemon juice
Songs to cook by
Talking Heads: Psycho Killer
Dead Boys: Sonic Reducer
The Zombies: Summertime
Smashing Pumpkins: 1979
The Sonics: Have Love Will Travel
Pearl Jam: Yellow Ledbetter
The Runaways: Cherry Bomb
1. Throw your mustard seeds, peppercorns, and coriander seeds in a spice blender or coffee grinder and pulse to a nice powder. (If you have the time, try toasting these beforehand for a more developed flavor.) In a bowl, combine this powdered mixture with sumac, mace, marjoram, and nutmeg. Pour the spice mixture over the meat, shove your hands in there, and start combining. Mix thoroughly.
2.
Now it's time for those adorable little eggies to get a bubble bath. In a large pot, add water and a splash of vinegar to help peel the shell off. Get the water to a simmer – a true simmer where the bubbles forming in the bottom just barely begin to break to the surface. (Remember that old saying about a watched pot never boils? Throw that to the window.) Since these are such small eggs, they will cook tenfold faster than a normal egg.
3. Once simmering, carefully add in a couple eggs at a time. Keep in mind that you will be frying the egg later so don’t overcook them in the boiling phase. About two and a half minutes will give you a true soft boil where the whites are cooked fully and the yolk is still runny. When time is up, pull the eggs out and dunk them in an ice bath to stop the cooking and make them easier to handle. Repeat this process until all eggs are cooked.
Amy Jane David’s Heritage and Resilience
Amy’s skiing talents are on display in two feature films:
"Magic Hour" (2022) "The Way Back" (2024)
J U N E 1 3 & 1 4
merged her skiing prowess with her family heritage, riding horseback from her grandfather's original homestead into the Wyoming Range mountains to skiing challenging lines.
The film captured intimate moments, like her father cooking dinner at his childhood ranch and the serendipitous return of her Great-aunt Mary's saddle through a chance Facebook Marketplace post. Amy and the two other women featured in the film shared their own personal journeys of overcoming fears, both past and present.
Amy specifically chose the Wyoming Range because it’s where her family homesteaded and made a living. Her Great Grandpa Milt built some of the first trails on the route where they rode horses and skied. Her Grandpa Melvin later owned one of the first outfitter licenses and hunting camps on Horse Mountain as a way to financially supplement their small cattle operation.
Once the idea had been hatched, Amy and TGR decided spring was the perfect time of year to do the trip. Enough snow had melted at lower elevation to ride horses safely into the foothills and on the southern slopes. And enough snow remained at upper elevation to provide good skiing in the alpine terrain and north facing slopes.
“Spring was a beautiful time to be in the mountains filming with lots of daylight hours, birds, flowers, and corn skiing,” said Amy.
Amy went on to describe what the film meant to her, “There was depth to it, telling multiple stories woven into one short film. It was all about connecting our passions. There is a timelessness of moving through the mountains on horses, especially compared to the advancements in skiing and snowmobiling. Think about it, the western saddle has stayed nearly the same for 100 years. To be able to blend the history of my family and my own winter recreation pursuits was such a gift.”
Amy's philosophy – "If you're having these dreams, it's because it could be something that's meant for you" – resonates beyond Wyoming's mountains. Her journey demonstrates that success comes from continuing to show up, regardless of setbacks.
For Amy, it was never about fame or recognition in the skiing world. Like the generations before her, it's about a genuine connection to the mountains.
She reflected, "I'd rather have a cluster of eye wrinkles from squinting into the sun, cracked lips from getting pelted in the face by icy wind on cold, dry mornings, and a mind full of mountains. I'd rather be real, with eyes honestly showing the yin-yang of joy and sorrow from getting thrashed by the realness of pain and filled with genuine happiness and love. The mountains are the place for me."
The Value of Indigenous Knowledge
Institute of Tribal Learning at CWC
The Institute of Tribal Learning located on the campus at Central Wyoming College has served the tribal communities of the Wind River Indian Reservation since 2017. Working with respect to the sovereignty of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho as well as other nations, both tribal, non-tribal students and the faculty are educated on tribal history, particularly that which is not taught in textbooks.
The institute was developed by Ivan Posey in 2017, Tribal Education Coordinator for CWC, which delves even further into tribal history. Ivan also founded the Tribal Wisdom Society in 2022 to educate tribal students about the history and culture of local and regional Native American tribes.
“Most of our written tribal history wasn’t written by us,” Ivan said. “A lot of our stories and history have been taught orally and we want to expose our students to tribal traditions that they might be missing or had not learned.”
Tribal Wisdom Society teaches students about the history and government systems within the tribes and their exposure to societies. An emphasis on having an active role in their communities is also part of the program. But it’s more than that.
“The Tribal Wisdom Society is not a leadership academia as much as it is – what the Native Americans call ‘Good Medicine,’” Dr. Brad Tyndall, President of CWC said. “What does it mean to be healthy and whole? What does a bright future look like for these students and how can TWS help students find their role in society?”
Though the program is a separate part of the college, both Ivan and Dr. Tyndall feel it’s a critical part. Studies have shown that tribal students that are more familiar with their background and culture are far more likely to succeed in the educational system.
“From a tribal point of view, there are a lot of students that weren’t raised traditionally, and we offer an important aspect of tribal learning,” Ivan explained. “We need to educate ourselves on ourselves by understanding how family and tribal traditions made us who we are. We don’t want to lose that history.”
The Native American student population at CWC is predominately from the Wind River Indian Reservation, but Ivan is excited that students from other tribes are becoming more and more interested in furthering their education through the Tribal Learning program.
ivan posey
For Jerimiah Rieman, the line between work and play blurs on Wyoming's singletrack trails, where his passion for mountain biking weaves seamlessly into his professional life as Executive Director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association.
A sixth generation Wyomingite born in Lander, Jerimiah's connection to the state runs deep within his blood.
“Wyoming is a beautiful place with such wonderful and wild landscapes. It’s amazing how everyone has a connection to the land,” he said. “I think that builds self-reliance. But we are also connected to our small communities scattered throughout.”
Jerimiah’s first childhood memory involves doing spin outs on his Big Wheel trike until he had burned through the front tire. By age ten, his parents found a few community members willing to piece together a patchwork bike using a mix of mountain bike and road bike parts.
It wasn't until college that Jerimiah acquired his first proper mountain bike, which served as his only form of transportation. It also happened to be the foundation for a lifelong passion.
By 2014, Jerimiah had been riding trails throughout Wyoming for years. The only available guidebook on trails was nearly 15 years old and primarily focused on forest service trails and two-track roads.
Meanwhile, the mountain biking landscape across the state was evolving rapidly. Jerimiah saw an opportunity and decided to author a guidebook featuring mountain bike trails.
"Initially I thought it would take six months," he laughed, recalling his first modest plan to cover just southeastern Wyoming.
The project quickly expanded as he realized the need for a guidebook encompassing the entire state of Wyoming. His selfimposed rule was simple but demanding: he wouldn't feature anything in the guidebook that he hadn't personally ridden.
When Jerimiah first began the project, he was working full-time under Governor Matt Mead. He approached the Chief of Staff,
Kari Jo Gray, and Governor Mead to ask if he could take time off every third Friday to complete research at the library or explore trails across Wyoming. Imagine a state where you can ask your boss, the Governor, for time off to ride your bike. The Governor and Chief of Staff readily agreed.
"On workdays I would wake up at 6 a.m. and write at the kitchen table for an hour before going into the office," he recalled of his routine. “And then on my Fridays off, I would go ride trails to collect and compile the information I needed.”
All told, Jerimiah visited and represented 97 trails across 34 trail systems between 2015 and 2019. The final year of production focused on enriching the guidebook with photography. Jerimiah collaborated with professionals like Jay Goodrich from Alpine, who provided images to help readers envision themselves in these landscapes.
The project demanded sacrifices. "I spent a lot of time away from my family," Jerimiah admits. They took beach vacations without him while he traversed remote corners of Wyoming.
One particularly memorable adventure found him in the Wyoming Range, navigating the challenging Cliff Creek Falls trail. Halfway From firsthand experience, Jerimiah details 97 routes covering over 650 miles of singletrack throughout Wyoming along with e-bike accessible routes, bike parks, and winter fat bike trails.
When an injury or illness is serious enough for a trip to the emergency room, you want immediate, expert care from clinicians specially trained to quickly assess and stabilize patients. That’s why I’m part of the Emergency Room team at SageWest, a group of surgeons, physicians, nurses, caregivers, and support staff dedicated to treating emergency health needs in Fremont County.
At both our Lander and Riverton campuses, our emergency rooms are staffed 24/7 because health conditions don’t take nights or weekends off. Call 911 or head to the ER right away if you or a loved one have a medical emergency.
Water
Wisdom
A Hiker's Guide to Hydration and Filtration
SAWYER
SQUEEZE WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM
LARGE GRAVITY FILTER
Signs of Dehydration
✔ Dry mouth
✔ Headache
✔ Confusion & disorientation
✔ Dizziness
✔ Muscle cramps
✔ Energy loss
✔ Not urinating every four hours or so
✔ Dark-colored urine
✔ Fumbling your words
BOILING WATER TO PURIFY IT
To put it in perspective, Avery says, "Your hair is 17 microns. The largest hole (in the filter) is 170 times smaller than your hair. Nothing that makes you sick is smaller than a .2 micron. We have 28 million (people) using this filter, and no one is getting sick." This offers a lot of assurance, even when the water looks less than desirable.
One of the most significant considerations is when you fill your bottle or bladder, be careful not to have untreated water on any part of the filter or bottle where you might drink because you can pick up a contaminant.
Also, you need to backflush the filter with a large syringe to keep it clean. If you store the filter for the season, back-flush it with a capful of bleach per quart of water or an Aquamira (chlorine dioxide) solution to kill anything that might grow within it during long-term storage.
Do not allow the hollow-fiber filters to freeze if you’re backpacking out in cold weather. Avery
SERVICE ON YOUR SCHEDULE
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WYOMING TRUSTED FOR OVER 85 YEARS
Since 1938, Fremont Motor Lander has proudly served the people of Wyoming. We’re more than a car dealership; we are your neighbors, we are Wyoming—committed to the values and spirit that built this community from the ground up.
