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Rock Slide Again Closes California’s Big Sur Coastal Highway 1

Mother Nature once again indefinitely closed the fabled California Highway 1 coastal route Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, due to a major rock slide 25 miles south of Big Sur.

Heavy winter rains swept into Central California Sunday, drenching the rugged and steep hillsides, loosening tons of rocks and debris. This current major rock slide is near the small town of Lucia, and closed Highway 1 (Post Mile 22) near Limekiln Creek in both north and south direct...

Yosemite Launches Lottery System for Half Dome Cable Climbing

Yosemite National Park will use a lottery system to allocate Day Use Permits for climbing the Half Dome cables during the summer 2012 season, with the preseason drawing conducted through www.recreation.gov .

"We are trying to eliminate (permit) scalping, and to make the process as fair as possible for park visitors," Yosemite National Park spokesperson Kari Cobb told OldWestNewWest.com Travel & History Magazine .

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california

Entangled Elephant Seal Freed from Deadly Plastic Strap

"Mr. Elusive" now has a new lease on life thanks to volunteers and staff members from Point Reyes National Seashore and The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) who were able to catch the elusive northern elephant seal and remove the plastic strap entangled around his neck.

On Jan. 10, 2012, the happy ending was achieved when park rangers from Point Reyes spotted the elephant seal nicknamed Mr. Elusive near Drake's Beach above San Francisco and called vete...

New Uranium Mining Banned Around Grand Canyon

New uranium and other hardrock mining around Grand Canyon National Park has been banned for the next 20 years by the Department of the Interior.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced his decision on Jan. 9, 2012 ans said the move is to protect the iconic Grand Canyon and its vital watershed from the potential adverse effects of additional uranium and other hardrock mining on over 1 million acres of federal land.

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grand canyon

Gila Cliff Dwellings Reopen to Park Visitors

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in New Mexico reopened to the public Jan. 10, 2012 following completion of repair work to the West Fork Bridge on Highway 15.

The repairs were necessary due to damage caused by flooding in 2008 and 2010, said Gila Cliff Dwellings. Superintendent Steve Riley.

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other nps

Colorado Snow Sculpture Competition Creates Outdoor Art Gallery

Fifteen teams with artists from 11 countries will compete in the 22nd annual International Snow Sculpture Championships Jan. 24-28, 2012 in Breckenridge, Colo.

During the competition, each team creates an enormous work of art from 12-foot-tall, 20-ton blocks of machine-made Colorado snow. Artists achieve finished pieces after a total of 65 intense hours of work without the use of power tools, internal support structures or colorants.

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winter fu...

Have Coffee with George Washington Carver

The staff of George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Mo. is inviting visitors to have "Coffee with Carver" at 10 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2012, inside the visitor center.

This new program will feature a different topic of conversation each third Thursday, from January through March.

January's conversation is the "Usefulness of All Things." A park ranger will give a short talk showing examples of how George Washington Carver found value and b...

Original Homestead Act To Be Displayed at Homestead NM in Nebraska

Four pages of American history which changed the shape of the nation will be on display at Homestead National Monument in America located in Beatrice, Neb. from April 25 through May 28, 2012.

Those four pages made up the Homestead Act of 1862, which is considered one of the 100 most important documents in the National Archives. When not on display the document is housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

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January 2012 Issue

1/8

Travel

Hawaiian Airlines Launching Daily Flights to New York

Hawaiian Airlines will launch daily nonstop service between New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Honolulu starting June 4, 2012.

"We are bringing Hawaii to New York," said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian's president and CEO. "We're the a...

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Union Pacific’s Historic Steam Locomotive No. 844 to Tour the Southwest

National & State Parks

Yosemite Launches Lottery System for Half Dome Cable Climbing

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Entangled Elephant Seal Freed from Deadly Plastic Strap

Places to Visit

Annie Oakley Collection at Buffalo Bill Historical Center grows

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center (BBHC) in Cody, Wyo., now has one of the largest collections of Annie Oakley memorabilia in existence, thanks to a bequest from the family of the late Hollywood actor/producer, William E. "Bill" Self.

Self's daughter...

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Discover George Washington Exhibition Now at Fort Worth Museum

History of the West

Scottsdale’s Native Trails Celebration Marks 10th Anniversary of Free Noontime Festivals

Native Trails, a series of free outdoor festivals held in Scottsdale, Ariz. honoring the Native American cultures of the Southwest through song and dance, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2012 with an extended season of 19 performances.

Prese...

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Native American Heritage Days Set for Grand Canyon’s North Rim

Things to Do

Rock Slide Again Closes California’s Big Sur Coastal Highway 1

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Colorado Snow Sculpture Competition Creates Outdoor Art Gallery

People & Lifestyle

Grand Canyon Ranger Lisa Hendy Receives National Park Service’s Top Honor

Lisa Hendy was driving through Wyoming in a blizzard when she received the news that she had just been awarded the National Park Service's (NPS) 2011 Harry Yount National Park Ranger Award for excellence, in effect dubbing her as the best ranger in t...

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Roundup! Book Signing a Good Excuse to See WWA Friends

Restaurants

French Dips: History on a Bun, a Window into Early Los Angeles

We love French dip sandwiches - carved slices of just-roasted beef piled on the bottom half of a fresh-baked French roll, a slice of Swiss or provolone on top of that, with the top of the bun quickly dipped in beef au jus and gently pressed on top of...

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Good Comida, Early California History on Los Angeles’ Olvera Street

Camping / RV's

Winnebago Unveils 2012 Winnebago Sightseer 30A

New for 2012, Winnebago Industries has unveiled its Sightseer 30A, a gas-powered Class A coach with plenty of space for long trips or snow bird wintering.

"The 2012 Winnebago Sightseer 30A is simply an amazing floorplan," said Winnebago Industries' Vi...

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Winnebago Launches ‘ONE’ Travel Trailer Series

OldWestNewWest.com: History & Travel Magazine

Rock Slide Again Closes California’s Big Sur Coastal Highway 1

Yosemite Launches Lottery System for Half Dome Cable Climbing

Entangled Elephant Seal Freed from Deadly Plastic Strap

New Uranium Mining Banned Around Grand Canyon

Gila Cliff Dwellings Reopen to Park Visitors

Colorado Snow Sculpture Competition Creates Outdoor Art Gallery

Have Coffee with George Washington Carver

Original Homestead Act To Be Displayed at Homestead NM in Nebraska

Hawaiian Airlines Launching Daily Flights to New York

Yosemite Launches Lottery System for Half Dome Cable Climbing

Annie Oakley Collection at Buffalo Bill Historical Center grows

Scottsdale’s Native Trails Celebration Marks 10th Anniversary of Free Noontime Festivals

Rock Slide Again Closes California’s Big Sur Coastal Highway 1

Grand Canyon Ranger Lisa Hendy Receives National Park Service’s Top Honor

French Dips: History on a Bun, a Window into Early Los Angeles

Winnebago Unveils 2012 Winnebago Sightseer 30A

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