Autumn comes differently to the North Platte Valley. It doesn’t arrive with much ceremony. There’s no official announcement, no ribbon cutting, and certainly nobody schedules it. One morning you just look toward the mountains and realize the aspens have turned gold, the air smells different, and you probably should have brought in that garden hose three days ago.

The Carbon County Traveler

Mike Armstrong

My buddy who brought me to Wyoming over 20 years ago and introduced me to Carbon County contacted me the other day to tell me he had just gotten a permit to climb Jade Mountain. Darby Doll lives in Taiwan with his wife and daughter.

The Carbon County Traveler

Mike Armstrong

My day on September 11 started getting our papers from Cheyenne and then hustling over to Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) High School to attend a flag burning ceremony that was combined with remembering 9/11.

Let's Talk

Henry Nicolle

Hello everyone! September is here. Our summer weather is growing cooler and autumn is approaching.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is forecasting a generally mild winter across much of the country, although Wyoming weather has a way of reminding us not to put too much faith in a long-range forecast.

The Carbon County Traveler

Mike Armstrong

I have known that living in Carbon County is a special place filled with people who are kind and helpful for a long time.

I write about it often enough, but I am not going to lie; there are times that I am still taken aback a little by people taking the time to help.

The Carbon County Traveler

Mike Armstrong

While at the Sinclair Music and Arts Festival, there was an amazing demonstration of native American culture by the “Little Sun Drum and Dance Group” out of Wind River.

Sandra Iron Stone spoke eloquently of tradition, culture and family.

I was entranced during the whole presentation.

Let's Talk

By Henry Nicolle

Hello again to my friends and neighbors in Rawlins and in our Carbon County communities! The primary elections are over and the general election will be held November 3.

My dinner was almost done and ready to be plated. It was this last Tuesday and I had just spent the day in Rawlins doing interviews and having a fairly full day meeting people.

I went outside to my patio to finish watering plants before sitting down to eat. I had the radio on and I was pouring water on my tomato plant; the news came on to tell me Dolly Parton died.

I was stunned.

Probably like the majority of Americans, if not the majority of the world.

Let's Talk

By Henry Nicolle

Howdy Rawlins and Carbon County communities! The mid-term elections are over. Did you get out and vote? Did your selections prevail? Good for you, if they did. If they did not, “Oh well.” 

The Carbon County Traveler

Mike Armstrong

When I was young and used to visit the farms of my different cousins who lived in Virginia, I was exposed to a fair amount of livestock. Dairy cattle and horses prevailed as what I was around the most. I guess chickens too since I was sent out to collect eggs a few times.

I did not see many pigs.

Something to Chew On

Virginia Parker

Dear Editor,

A decade or so ago I heard some troubling things about the way the Board of County Commissioners was handling the Library System during its last budget crisis.  I don’t remember what my beef was, but I reacted by passive-aggressively canceling my account with a business owned by one commissioner who was particularly outspoken on the matter.  She called my cell and demanded to know why.  

My friend and erstwhile opponent in the 2018 Primary for Governor approached me a few days before election day and said, “Mark, I might actually beat you.” He had good reason to think that. It had been a hard campaign.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I have talked about working on Capitol Hill when I was in my mid-twenties for a famous political analyst and two senators. I learned a lot about politics during those years and I guess if I had not gotten divorced and just wanted to get away from my life in Washington D.C., there is a chance I would have stayed in the political arena.

My last job in the city was working for the international director of the largest labor union in the world.