LIVING UNDER WESTERN SKIES

One month ago today my dearest friend and I were at Schiphol Airport bidding adios to a dear friend and the Netherlands as we closed out one of the most amazing adventures of our life. This morning as a stunning Technicolor Arizona sunrise unfolded over the shoulders of the Hualapai Mountains the anniversary of that odyssey promoted a bit of reflection and a longing that can only be described as a homesick feeling this morning .

For a man who has spent most of his life under western skies, and who is hopelessly in love with the vast empty places of the southwest where mountains frame the horizon, I am quite amazed that a rainy, damp, flat, emerald green country has grabbed my heart.

Interestingly enough, that trip also seems to have energized me. Since our return I completed the book for History Press, have embarked on a journey of self publishing, completed the first chapter for that project (a detailed guide to the sites of Kingman), negotiated a contract for a joint project with Joe Sonderman, crafted a few project ideas for the Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative steering committee, and am eagerly pursuing various ideas for serving the Route 66 community and earning a living in the process.

Meanwhile incoming requests for meeting with tour groups and individuals traveling Route 66 continue to fill the calendar. This is always a highlight of our year, and for more reasons than one, am glad to see tour companies purchase my books as souvenirs for their clients.
If you would like to arrange for me to meet with your or your group, please drop me a note. And if you just happen to stop in Kingman and would like me to sign a book for you, or arrange for a walking tour of the historic district my suggestion is to inquire at the Powerhouse Visitor Center. If I am in town they generally know how to contact me.
Surprisingly the travel schedule for the year is relatively light. Of course it is only February and in my world this is subject to change at a moments notice as evidenced by the recent announcement that the conference in Edwardsville had been canceled which in turn altered our October plans.
That leaves an even in Holbrook in March, and another in June. In April we have the Sean Evans guided tour of Two Guns that will be shared with friends from the Netherlands.
None of this means we won’t be busy this year. On the Kingman events page you can see it will be quite busy in my neck of the woods this year. If the decision is made that we just have to have a Route 66 adventure, the Events on Route 66 website is morphing into quite a source of inspiration.
To close this out, I thought sharing the theme song for today would be appropriate.