Allana Salmon
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Welcome to , where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We’re on the radio and we’re also on podcast platforms. And you can check us out This week I visited with Allana Salmon from Ohio. Allana teaches horsemanship and rock climbing, but it was on a trek with friends toward a climb called Listerine Girl, in the Red River Gorge, when she experienced what she wanted to share here. Allana told me that before three years ago, she was her own worst enemy. No one disliked her more than herself, she said. Since then, she’s done a lot of work, including therapy,...
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Joe Morris, III
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Welcome to , where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We’re on the radio and we’re also on podcast platforms. This week we wrap up our short visit with rancher from California. Joe thinks deeply about his work, literally and figuratively. While many of us are looking at what’s in front of us, Joe has learned to see beyond. Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us at awenice.com. We thank knives and salt for their generous sponsorship. Music is by my friend,...
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Cooper Hibbard
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Welcome to , where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. This week, I visited with Cooper Hibbard from Montana. Cooper runs the which is part of the in Helena, Montana. The Co-op, with has beef, lamb, and other offerings from five central Montana ranches, is committed to transforming the status quo of beef production to a more regenerative, giving-back model. They’re doing some really cool stuff and I encourage you to check them out. Cooper traveled far and wide - to South American and Australia, to name a few places - before coming back to take the reins of his...
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Joe Morris, II
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Welcome to , where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We’re on the radio and we’re also on podcast platforms. And you can check us out at awenice.com. This week we have another visit with Joe Morris from California. Joe runs and is an award-winning of environmental stewardship and regenerative ag. This second moment involves the cattle. The connections we have – with other animals and with the land – become more and more apparent when we can pause and pay attention. The connections are full of energy and communication. There is often an...
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Carol Von Michaelis, II
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Welcome to !, where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We’re on the radio and we’re also on podcast platforms. This week, I visited again with Carol Von Michaelis from Arvada, Colorado. Carol runs which seeks to bridge the gap between agriculture, the outdoors, and urban residents. Lots of people visit and when they do, they are likely greeted by Pepsi, a mini donkey that came into Carol’s life when the two were paired for a burro race. What’s a burro race? Glad you asked! Pack burro racing is the Colorado’s official summer heritage sport....
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Joe Morris, I
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Welcome to , where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We’re on the radio and we’re also on podcast platforms. This week I interviewed from California. Joe is a horseman raised in the vaquero tradition and part of an accomplished, multi-generational line of ranching in his family. He learned holistic management practices from , who many say pioneered the field. Joe told me he sees the animals and the land as one community, a whole. We have three short moments from Joe. The first involves a young horse he started years ago when he was working on a large...
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Erin Nissen
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Welcome to , where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We’re on the radio and we’re also on podcast platforms. And you can check us out at awenice.com. This week I interviewed Erin Nissen from Mosca, Colorado. Erin farms in the San Luis Valley which is known many things, but in our case, potatoes. Idaho may lead the nation in production, but the Valley still contributes mightily – some two billion pounds of potatoes a year. Just a bit of vocabulary: the words “bin” and “plenum” refer to a specialized building where potatoes are stored. Thanks to...
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Carol Von Michaelis
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Welcome to , where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We’re on the radio and we’re also on podcast platforms. And you can check us out at awenice.com. That’s a-w-e-n-i-c-e This week, I visited with Carol Von Michaelis mc haylis from Arvada. Carol grew up around Golden and it was there as a high school student that she volunteered for the local ambulance. That work evolved into EMT work she served for some time on wildland fires for the forest service. Over time, she got her nursing degree, then her physician’s assistant degree, and, for good measure, a PhD...
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Robert Eversole
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Welcome to where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. My name is Maddy Butcher and this week we are giving another nod to the 2026 Lunar New Year, the Year of the Horse. I interviewed Robert Eversole, also known as the for his expansive horse camping and trail riding website and for his many clinics he holds on traveling safely with equines. Robert and his two mules live in Washington and here he describes an outing in the Pasayten Wilderness, in Washington, near the Canadian border. Elevation about 7,000 feet. After recording, Robert and I talked about all...
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Jeremie Forman, III
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Welcome to where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. My name is Maddy Butcher and this week we are giving a nod to the 2026 Lunar New Year. It’s the Year of the Horse. Jeremie Forman returns with a story that’s fitting to the celebration. Aside from his work in law enforcement and his running a horse facility, Jeremie is mayor of the small town of Francis, Utah. Population about 2,000. Every year for many years, Jeremie has run the town’s summer rodeo. One year, as he recounts, he wanted to do something special as a presentation to open the rodeo. For his...
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Welcome to Awe Nice!, where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We’re on the radio and we’re also on podcast platforms.
This week, I visited again with Carol Von Michaelis from Arvada, Colorado. Carol runs The Community Farm which seeks to bridge the gap between agriculture, the outdoors, and urban residents. Lots of people visit and when they do, they are likely greeted by Pepsi, a mini donkey that came into Carol’s life when the two were paired for a burro race.
What’s a burro race? Glad you asked! Pack burro racing is the Colorado’s official summer heritage sport. Runners and donkeys pair up for races of varying lengths. All donkeys must be loaded with a pack, which includes mining gear. The race Carol and Pepsi ran was about 15 miles and started in Fairplay, elevation about 10,000 feet.
It was a bit of a blind date as sometimes goes with people who have donkeys but don’t run and runners who are donkeyless.
I was so glad to hear that Pepsi ultimately landed at the Community Farm.
Carol told me that Pepsi also serves as a mascot for the Colorado School of Mines, where he specializes in meeting fans and having photo opportunities.
Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us. We thank Kershaw knives and Redmond salt for their generous sponsorship.
Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link to Forrest as well as an Awe, Nice! donate button here.
Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.