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The Road Wanderer |
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The Road Wanderer |
Site updated:30 June 2012!!! |
Welcome to Western Trails, a historic cyber tour of the lost byways, historic highways and legendary journeys that are all around us! Here you will find great pages to explore in cyberspace including Shadows of Old Route 66, My Favorite Ghost Towns, Indian Petroglyphs, Historical Towns and a virtual tour of my Magnolia N Scale Railroad Layout. Plus I've assembled larger versions of some of my photographs that you can download for your own desktop wallpaper in my Western Americana Gallery! So come on in and stay awhile... |
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Growing up out west was an adventure in itself. My father was involved with aero space during the boom years of the 1950's and 1960's and we moved around quite a bit. From California, Texas and Colorado I learned to love the west with its varied history and geography. This web site is a culmunation of years of exploring the landscape and history that can be found all around us if one takes the time to look. I dedicate this site to all the "Road Wanderers" who take that road less traveled. Those who know that life begins at the end of the Interstate off-ramp. For you kindred spirits that understand that it's not the destination that counts but the journey along the way ~ ENJOY! |
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ROUTE 66: Take a trip down the Mother Road, to a simpler, slower time in our
history. Route 66 is a road destined to live on in our collective memories like the old
Oregon or Santa Fe Trail. To the dustbowl immigrants of the 1930's, or a nation on
the move after World War Two, Route 66 was the gateway to the golden Pacific. I remember
Route 66 from my very early youth, the motel courts and those glorious roadside businesses
full of rubber tomahawks, moo cans, and treasures all made in Japan. Many of the
towns along Route 66 have become modern ghost towns as the high speed Interstate passed
them by and it is my hope to be able to capture some of these shadows of the old highway
before they are all gone. [California Route 66] [Arizona Route 66] [New Mexico Route 66] |
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One of the most exciting things to happen on Route 66 in a long time! With the support of HamptonŽ Hotels Save A Landmark program Jim Conkle of the and I went on a 66 day journey of Route 66 from Santa Monica to Chicago that started April 29th, 2003. I chronicled our adventures (or misadventures as the case may be) down the Mother Road and posted day by day happenings on the Route 66 Caravan web site. Click the logo to the left and check this site out. This site was updated almost daily from the road as these historic events happened. |
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MY FAVORITE GHOST TOWNS: I learned to enjoy exploring old mining camps at an early age. Coming from the "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza" generation, these ghost towns were a romantic place to me. Over the years I have taken many pictures of these old Ghost Towns and I present you with a small sampling of them. Some of these sites are no longer with with us, having fallen victim to weather, age, and development. |
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INDIAN ROCK ART: Long before the first Europeans settled this country this land was home to another people. The southwest is a haunted land; when you least expect it echoes of these ancient ones can still be experienced. Many times I've taken refuge in the cool shade of a lonely canyon wall, to sip from my canteen and take a break from hiking, only to glance up and see a message pecked in stone from one who came this very way thousands of years earlier. The Rock Art page is a photo collection of some of my favorite ancient petroglyphs. |
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BOULDER, COLORADO: A pictorial history of Boulder, Colorado at the turn of the last century. Spending my High School years in Boulder gave me an appreciation for the beauty and history of the Rocky Mountain area. Boulder was truly a wild west town once (and I'm sure some residents of Boulder today still think it is). Historical Boulder also provided the inspiration for my model railroad, The Magnolia N Scale Layout, be sure to visit that site too |
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MAGNOLIA N SCALE MODEL RAILROAD LAYOUT: A fictional Rocky Mountain mining community I created as an N Scale model railroad layout is open for your inspection. It represents the fascinating transition period of steam to diesel locomotive power of the 1940's through 1950's. I've had a lot of fun building this layout so far, but there's still more to do on it. This layout is a work of love in progress. Please come in! |
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