photo by Chris Pilaro 

 fall 2006
about us

from the editor

Autumn is the Wood River Valley’s most perfect season.

As the blistering days of August fade into the balmy month of September, the crisp mountain air reclaims its rightful place and begins its task of slowly luring the tender green leaves to their fiery death.

For Stanley, my wirehaired pointing griffon (a breed you will learn more about in our feature, A Griffon’s Tale, on page 50), and I, autumn is our favorite season. It’s when my husband, Brian, is finally released from the rigors of the summer’s wildfire season and can join us for hikes on the now less-crowded trails and lazy days fishing along slumbering creeks.

In this issue of the Sun Valley Guide we celebrate this perfect season with retired Idaho Mountain Express Editor Ken Retallic’s reflections on one of the valley’s most sublime of outdoor spaces. The author of four books on fly fishing, Retallic reminisces about three decades of Silver Creek Preserve, two of which he has personally experienced.

We also explore two views of the land to our north. From the terrifying experience of a father and son trapped on the side of a mountain to the intriguing perspective of a famous East Coast photographer, who spent two years chronicling life in one of the most remote parts of the West. Laura McPhee’s stunning work is currently on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her photographs explore the delicate balance between man and nature, life and death, and use the vast landscape and small community of the Sawtooth Valley to present the dilemmas of a nation.

The mission of this magazine is to reflect upon, celebrate and inspire life in and around our valley. From an examination of Wood River High School’s burgeoning football program and a reflection on the tuneful career of Sun Valley Resort’s resident pianist, to revealing the valley’s new favorite canine and probing Michel Rudigoz for the secrets of the Christy’s success, we hope you enjoy these slices of Wood River Valley life.

— Jennifer Tuohy, Editor
editor@sunvalleyguide.com

contributors

Michael Ames is the author of The World Beard and Moustache Championships and is a multi-purpose writer for the Sun Valley Guide. This fall, he is on political hiatus from the Wood River Valley, but hopes to return. Meanwhile, he plans to spend as much time on the Idaho road as possible and enjoys tooling around the state in any vehicle available. He is also an avid hiker, but tries to avoid overnights on exposed mountainsides.

Betsy Andrews has lived in the Wood River Valley for nine years. She earned a degree in art history and English from Mount Holyoke College, and moved to Hailey for a job as a technical writer. After two years, she promoted herself to the position of waiter, bartender, gallery assistant, receptionist, cyclist and skier. Her writing has appeared in local and national magazines, including Mountain Living and Sunset.

Ken Retallic: The journalism career and fly fishing avocation of Ken Retallic, who retired in June from his role as editor of the Idaho Mountain Express, have progressed in tandem for more than 35 years. The lessons learned from Silver Creek’s scholarly trout should serve him well in future explorations in the golden circle of trout fishing: Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. He’s also fortunate to be living near the intersection of highways 93 and 20, which will lead him to even more blue highway fishing adventures, border to border and coast to coast.

Terry Smith joined the Idaho Mountain Express this past spring to write about sports and crime, which, he says, are basically the same stories with different nouns. He has 20 years experience in journalism, the bulk of it in public relations for the nuclear industry. Tired of the corporate world, he returned to his roots as a reporter. He likes to ski, write poetry, gaze at the stars and listen to The Pretenders. Smith and his cats live in Elkhorn, where they plan to stay as long as possible.

staff

publisher
Pam Morris

editor
Jennifer Tuohy
editor@sunvalleyguide.com

copy editor
Barbara Perkins

writers
Michael Ames, Betsy Andrews,
Betty Bell, Dana DuGan,
Salongo Reis Green, Ken Retallic,
Terry Smith and Megan Thomas.

photographers
Todd Kaplan, Paulette Phlipot,
Chris Pilaro, Kirsten Shultz
and David N. Seelig

art director
Evelyn Phillips

production manager
Tony Barriatua

ad production
Heather Van Houten and Rich Trevillian

web site designer
Rich Trevillian

business manager
Connie Johnson

marketing/sales director
David Thouvenel

advertising executives
Randy Carroll, Gayle Kerr,
Rita Marie, James Mitchell,
William Pattnosh and Jerry Seiffert

Idaho Press Club Awards, 2005
1st place General Excellence
1st place Serious Feature, Gregory Foley
1st place Light Feature, Jennifer Tuohy
1st place Photography, Chris Pilaro

Idaho Press Club Awards, 2004
1st place General Excellence
1st place Light Feature, Dana DuGan
 

The Sun Valley Guide is published spring, summer, fall and winter by Express Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 1013, Ketchum, ID 83340.
For advertising and content information, call (208) 726-8060. Find us at www.sunvalleycentral.com. ©2006 Express Publishing Inc.