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Roundup! Book Signing a Good Excuse to See WWA Friends

2011-01-03T01:11:36Z

One of the great fans - and friends - of Western writing is Larry Siegel, community relations manager for Barnes & Noble's North Scottsdale, Ariz., store. Larry not only enjoys a good tale about the Old West, he's also a big supporter of Western authors, and in particular, the Western Writers of America (WWA).

So when I got an email from Miles Swartout, one of the WWA's members telling me Larry and the WWA were setting up a December book signing for Roundup! - the Western Writers of America's latest Western anthology - well, I had to be there.

Airport Patdowns and Full Body Screenings

2010-11-22T10:00:00Z

First off, let me tell you that I don't like to fly anymore. I used to enjoy traveling by commercial air carriers, but that was before the airlines started charging for every little thing that used to be included in the price of a ticket.

I enjoyed those days when my friends or family waved me goodbye from just outside the doorway to the tunnel passageway to the airplane, then directly walking onto the aircraft and being warmly greeted. Once airborne I felt welcome when the stewardess asked if I wanted a pillow, maybe a blanket, or a magazine to read. How about a cup of coffee? Maybe a cocktail?

New! Exploring the West’s Scenic Highways

2010-11-01T03:35:46Z

This month we're starting "Scenic Drives" - a new section for OldWestNewWest.com Travel & History Magazine, and you told us it's a feature you really want to see.

Our first best Scenic Drive is an overview of central California's Big Sur Coastline, Highway 1 between Monterey and San Simeon, home of Hearst Castle.

Exploring the Mother Road, Route 66, and Del’s: Part Two

2010-09-27T02:33:18Z

No longer a part of the United States Highway System, Route 66 today is a highway of legend. During its short lifetime Route 66 was the popular path westward from Chicago to Los Angeles, winding its way through seven states.

In 1985 it was decommissioned, bypassed by the faster, straighter, wider Interstate 40 and other concrete highways. Portions remain however, and tourists and fans will find those bits and pieces if they look for the Historic Route 66 designation.

Exploring the Mother Road, Route 66

2010-08-27T02:40:54Z

Author John Steinbeck called it the "Mother Road," and while Route 66 no longer is part of the interstate highway system it remains a highway of legend and dreams and a very big part of the West.

Earlier this summer I took one of my seasonal drives through the West, I-40 to be exact. I like I-40, because it's pretty straight, and going through parts of Arizona and New Mexico (weather permitting) legally I can drive at 75 miles per hour. Stops basically are for gasoline and a restroom.

Three Museum Treats Waiting for You

2010-01-03T23:18:16Z

If you plan on visiting California, New Mexico, or Oklahoma in the near future, three of the West's great museums - the Autry National Center, the New Mexico History Museum, and the National Cowboy Museum - are presenting outstanding exhibits that you really should try to go see.

Here's a quick overview of each to tantalize you into traveling.

How can we better serve you?

2009-12-04T22:34:47Z

Sure, I know, it's early December and you've lots on your mind. Probably you've yet to pick out a tree, put the outside lights up, and remember where you put the illuminated, plastic made-in-China Santa Claus that traditionally goes in the front yard.

The list in front of you is almost too much to think about. Where will you find the new Super Mario Bros. Wii game that Junior wants? Can you get the spare bedroom cleaned up before jolly Aunt Molly arrives for her week-long stay?

A River of Money from Congress, a Trickle for Grand Canyon

2009-11-22T22:14:33Z

Politics is the art of making yourself look good, so maybe that's why there's so much finger pointing about how many jobs really have been created by the borrowed money flowing from Congress.

Think about it. It's like a river of money, or should I say, a river of red ink. A torrent of billions of dollars cascading out of Washington, D.C., feeding a variety of bureaucratic streams with millions of greenbacks, and the millions then flowing into numerous regional creeks, brooks and rivulets that trickle tens of thousands of bucks into local work projects. And, of course, someone says he or she was responsible for the bounty.

Grand Canyon National Park’s Dia de la Familia a Grand Success

2009-11-09T21:38:32Z

Wow! Who ripped a couple of months out of my calendar?

Here I was, smugly thinking I had everything under control, and wham! Today, Nov. 9, starts the second week of November, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner.