JH Underground – news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Galactic arrived in Teton Valley to a spring snowstorm yesterday and enjoyed a day off. “Hanging in lovely cold Victor ID,” the band Tweeted.

Things will get considerably warmer tonight when the New Orleans funk ensemble takes the stage for a sold-out show at the Knotty Pine. The log cabin club will resemble a sauna straight out of Frenchmen Street in the Big Easy.

With an extra day of rest, band members could ride some of the nearly 2 feet of powder that has blanketed the Tetons, or delve into the Kansas City barbecue served by Knotty Pine owner Brice Nelson — “the best food we’ve ever eaten at a venue,” saxophonist Ben Ellman proclaimed during the group’s last visit in 2009.

Either way, the band is likely to come out roaring. On this tour Galactic again is joined by trombonist Corey Henry, along with singer Corey Glover, former frontman for Living Colour. The group just released a new album on Mardi Gras Day, Carnivale Electricos, featuring a host of guest musicians.

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Posted under Food, Music

Tags: funk, galactic, jazz fest, knotty pine, new orleans, teton valley

Continuing our series on alternatives for a dry winter, now that the lakes are snowed over, another option has emerged for keeping active: skate skiing.

This is shaping up to be a season when a pair of skinny skis will come in handy. And one of the best venues for nordic exploring is Grand Teton National Park.

The inner Teton Park Road is groomed periodically for cross-country skiing, classic and skate. While investigating whether conditions were smooth last weekend, I came across a helpful phone number that has managed to elude me over the years: 307-739-3399, the visitor center desk. In this age of annoying automated menus, it’s a relief to be able to speak with someone.

Although the road was supposed to be groomed, the park staffer warned that it was pretty rough, based on his experience. That’s to be expected; after all, the park is a wild place and not a nordic center.

And thanks to the rain that fell before New Year’s, a hard crust has formed over much of the snow in the valley, so skate skiers can cruise wherever they like — a phenomenon that usually doesn’t happen till spring.

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Posted under Food, Sports, Weather

Tags: beer, grand teton national park, skiing, wolves

While working on a story recently for the new Jackson Hole food magazine, Dishing, I learned that agriculture is making a comeback in Teton Valley, Idaho. As the real estate market has imploded, landowners are turning to raising pigs, beef and even goats to help feed their families and earn a few extra bucks.

Groups such as Slow Food in the Tetons, which hosts its SlowToberFest beer and appetizer tasting tonight at Q Roadhouse, have nurtured this movement, which holds promise for any semblance of a “sustainable” lifestyle in these parts.

On his blog A Vivid Eye, photographer David Stubbs has posted a photo essay from a summer spent documenting brothers Chase and Cody Lockhart on their Jackson Hole Hereford Ranch. Once a stream monitor for the Forest Service, Stubbs re-evaluated some of his perceptions about ranching and its impact.

“Here was a small family business conserving open space and wildlife habitat by producing local food on some of the most valuable rural real estate on earth,” he writes, “a unique piece of Jackson history evolving from its roots with two fifth-generation ranching brothers — legitimate, local cowboys.”

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Posted under Economy, Environment, Food

Tags: cowboys, david stubbs, grand teton national park, photography

In what could be hailed as the second coming of LeJay’s, Bubba’s Bar-B-Que will be open 24 hours a day on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, beginning tomorrow.

The popular eatery will serve from a “graveyard menu,” composed of breakfast, lunch and dinner items, our waitress, Stacy, explained this morning. Half the dining room will be closed off, and there will be no late-night salad bar.

“We’re going to see how it goes,” she said, a little leery.

Jackson has lacked a 24-hour eatery since the closing of LeJay’s Sportsmen’s Cafe, now home to The Garage, in 2003. LeJay’s was a classic hangout known for the Rogues Gallery, a collection of paintings on the wall, and Larry Turner Special, an omelette with just about everything you can imagine, smothered with chili.

Earlier, Jackson had The Elkhorn, which the late Bill Warren operated from roughly 1972 to 1989 on West Broadway.

Posted under Business, Food

Tags: coffee, history, restaurants

Tonight is the Palates and Palettes Gallery Walk, which kicks off the Fall Arts Festival but also means the masses get to descend on downtown’s snooty galleries and ransack them of free food and booze.

I know, not all galleries are snooty. We graciously will clean those out. The wine tasting and hors d’oeuvre crawl is from 5 to 8 p.m.

Here is a list of some of the participating galleries/eateries:

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Posted under Art, Economy, Food

Tags: bears, festivals, restaurants, skids, wildlife