Legends of America Newsletter, November, 2004


Legends Letter	November, 2004
Ohmagosh, am I stuffed! Enough turkey and dressing and mashed potatoes and noodles and green bean casserole, and homemade rolls, and more turkey, and punkin' pie and pecan pie, and, and, and, ad nauseum. Should be runnin' around the block or ridin' my bike up a mountainside, but the most energy I got for exercising is in these lil' ole' fingers here. In the meantime, I truly hope you'll had a great Turkey Day! Well, that's today. The rest of this last week, I've been havin' another one of my little parties! Yup, got another coup when Earthlink mentioned our lil' ole' website in their newsletter. I think it was bigger than when Yahoo made us their pick of the day! Geez, Louise, I don't know how many people they send that newsletter to, but as I was just sittin' here writing away, I suddenly began to hear that "swooshing" noise that my email makes when I get a new email, and it was going off about every 30 seconds. Lots and lots of new people visiting the website, sending me emails, signing the guestbook, and subscribing to the newsletter. My goodness gracious, the next day when I checked, I had more than 20,000 visitors in a single day!! Hey, thanks Earthlink!! And welcome aboard to all of our new Earthlink readers!!! If you're new to Legends of America, we focus on travel destinations that appeal to the nostalgic and historic minded. Not really interested in the glitter and glitz of the big cities, we hunt out those places with a little "elbow room," lots of history, and hidden attractions. I truly hope you enjoy the newsletter and the website!! Kathy Weiser, Owner/Editor	In this Edition: New Additions to the Website Flagstaff - City of Seven Wonders Featured Book- Christmas In The Old West Roadside Attractions Old West Words & Phrases Coming Next Month: St. Joseph, Missouri Arizona Ghost Towns New Old Tyme Recipes A Coupla' Christmas Links: Christmas Music North Pole Christmas Village
New Additions to Legends of America
Ready for Christmas? Gonna sneak up and bite you if you're not! Which brings me to what I've spent the last month on -- building up the Rocky Mountain General Store! Have you taken a look lately? We've got a bucket load of new products! From the Chuckwagon, we got old fashioned soups, breads, dips and more! From the Country Store, you can find a new Apothecary (that's a "fancy" for pharmacy) products -- bath, health, beauty products and such. The Country Store also features a variety of gift baskets, vintage toys, stuff for the home and more. We also gathered up some items just for the holidays - check out "A Lil' Bit of Christmas." At our new and updated Route 66 Mother Road Emporium, you'll find a boodle of new stuff, including what we're most proud of -- our very own line of Route 66 products. We call them Kickin' Asphalt on Route 66! Check them out, they're great! (well, we think so anyway) Ok, ok, it's not all about the Rocky Mountain General Store. In order to get in the Christmas spirit I wrote a new article titled, A Pioneer Christmas. Every wonder how those old time settlers and cowboys celebrated? Well, now you can read all about it. After Halloween, we continued to get a bunch of feedback on our ghostly legends and took a visit to Sallie's House in haunted Atchison, Kansas. Sallie - the Heartland Ghost, has been featured on such shows as Sightings, Unsolved Mysteries and more. Though we think the ghost is gone from there now, you can check out our update. We also heard, from one of our readers, about a haunting at the Museum Club in Flagstaff, Arizona. So, that obviously led to writing about the City of Seven Wonders ( Flagstaff), as well as doing our own research on the ghost of the Museum Club. Finally, we got a hair-raising story from one of our readers about the Haunted Bethlehem Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. Check it out! Remember last month I was on a postcard frenzy? Well, it's always something, and this month, it's a book frenzy. You see, I had a bunch of books on the Old West, and Ghostly Legends, but what of our Treasure Tale Fans, ghost town enthusiasts, and Route 66'rs? Well, I've rectified that situation and now everyone should have a book or two that suits their fancy! p.s. I gave my bookstore a silly name - I call it the Book Shelf. In the meantime, I better get back to Kickin' Asphalt ! See ya next month!	What our readers are saying about Legends of America: `What a great website. Having been born and raised in Colorado, I miss living there. Your site has filled a void. I look forward to visiting often. - Barbara` `Hi, This is my first visit to your website! I absolutely love it. I have just spent almost two hours going through you treasure hunting articles. They are the most captivating stories, whether true or not, that I have read in years. I am 56 years old, and not in very good health, but it makes me want to grab a rock hammer and head for the hills again! You never know, I just MIGHT! - Daniel` `This is a fascinating website. I love this kind of history; the offbeat, as you say, quirky stuff. I will visit this website often! Thank you. - Linda` `I wish I had more time right now to read everything on your website, I am fascinated by the Old West and Ghost Stories as well. I will be back to visit often! - Naomi` *Tell us what you* think!**
Featured Travel Destination
Flagstaff, Arizona - City of Seven Wonders -- Sitting in the midst of the Coconino National Forest, Flagstaff is surrounded by the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon, Walnut Canyon, Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater National Monument, and the San Francisco Peaks. This quaint and charming city well deserves its moniker as the City of Seven Wonders and then some! From prehistoric pueblos, to cliff dwellings, to a volcano and a meteor crater, 100 year old trading posts, dozens of Route 66 icons, and a ski resort, Flagstaff is way more than a stop over on your journey to another destination. Flagstaff is a destination, in and of itself! Plan on spending at least a week in this historic area as you take a side trip to Wupatki National Monument where you can see 800 year old prehistoric pueblos. Then see some 700 year old cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon National Monument. Take a spiritual quest to nearby Sedona, Arizona and a "must see" side trip to the Grand Canyon, just some 75 miles north. Settle back into Flagstaff to explore dozens of vintage Route 66 motels providing numerous photographic opportunities, and put your boots on to catch some great live country music at the historic Museum Club, where you might just run into a ghost. And, don't forget your metal detector when visiting Flagstaff! Dozens of hidden treasures are said to be buried in the vicinity.	From the Rocky Mountain General Store Route 66 Bumper Stickers - Show the world your enthusiasm and support of Route 66 with our new Route 66 Bumper Stickers! Made of durable vinyl and measuring a generous 10" x 3" these stickers are made for adding style to any surface. Printed using UV resistant inks means no fading in the sun or bleeding in the rain. Click HERE to see them all!
Featured Travel Guides and Books
Christmas in the Old West, by Sam Travers Far away from the tinsel, eggnog, and colorfully wrapped packages of civilized life in the East, explorers, mountain men, and pioneers usually celebrated Christmas with homemade gifts and humble fare. Christmas in the Old West: A Historical Scrapbook, a mosaic of stories, reminiscences, recipes, photographs, newspaper clippings, magazine advertisements, and more, brings alive the spirit of Christmas on the American frontier.	Bumper Sticker Wisdom Santa’s Elves Are Just A Bunch Of Subordinate Clauses My Idea of a White Christmas is a White Sand Beach Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. Why does Scrooge love Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Because every buck is dear to him
Roadside Attractions
Quirky Amarillo, Texas - Yes, I know that a lot of you are aware of the Cadillac Ranch, a Route 66 icon. Built by eccentric millionaire, Stanley Marsh, the Cadillac Ranch stops travelers everyday on their way west of Amarillo, Texas. But, did ya know about Marsh's other eccentric art? From mesas that look they're floating in the air, to football field size pool tables that are constantly moving, to an array of road signs that say things like "Pigsty" and "Up To Her Armpits In Legs", Amarillo, Texas provides some quirkiness that is for sure worth checking out! Merry Widow Mine in Basin, Montana - Who could possibly figure that people actually submit themselves to high level radioactive waves? Well, at the Merry Widow Mine, they not only "submit" but come in flocks to partake of the "healing effects" of atomic radiation that is 175 times the federal safety standard for houses. Got arthritis or another chronic disease that just can't be healed. Hustle on up to Basin, Montana and get it all fixed up!	Hey, if you like the newsletter, forward it on to your friends!! They too can receive updates when we add new content, provide product specials from our Rocky Mountain General Store, and more! Click HERE to sign up for the newsletter.
The Old West
Old West Words & Phrases - What in the world is a bazoo, a berdache, crowbait, or a hoosegow? What about a benzinery, a pecker pole, a curly wolf, or a poppet? What would you rather be? -- "roostered" or "above snakes?" Well, depending on your point of view, you might want to be both! When is a coffee boiler not something to make coffee in? When you're in the Old West!! Back then, a shirker or a lazy person was often called a "Coffee Boiler," 'cuz they'd rather sit around the coffee pot than pitch in and help. Are you ever watching an old western or maybe reading an Old West book, and just can't figure out what in the world they're talkin' about. Then you go look it up in a dictionary and, of course, it isn't there? Well, we've compiled a whole list of these old time words, so now you'll know. You know, the weirdest thing is, I grew up in West Texas and I was using a lot of these words when I was "between the hay and the grass," and many of them, I continue to use today. Now, I'm either showin' my age, or perhaps just ignorance, but geez, I sure already knew what a lot of those words meant. Come to think of it, back when I was working in New York City here a few years back, I now understand why those folks didn't think I was "cuttin' too much of a swell" when I first met them. Shoot, they'd come into my office and ask me to go to lunch maybe, and I'd say somethin' like, "I'm fixin' to finish this up, I'll be there directly." Then, they'd just stand there with a look of "shindy" on their face and "shin out." I'd go meet them for lunch and they'd be long gone. Well, I "pulled in my horns" and didn't "take on" about it, and after a time they began to "cotton to" me. Ended up working in "the old states" for about eight months. Go figure.	Legends of America is heading to ...... From one of our new readers, Carol: `Will you be letting us know where you are going so we can keep tabs of you on our map?` Great idea Carol!! Here's what's in store: December: St. Joseph, Missouri - One of the most historic cities in the state - home of the Pony Express and the place where Jesse James was killed. January: Albuquerque, New Mexico to Flagstaff, Arizona along Route 66. Exploring the Mother Road, with side trips everywhere in between, I'm sure to come back with a bucket load of new articles and photographs! My Vision: One of these days, I'm gonna get me a big fat sponsor, like Winnebago, National RV, Fleetwood or someone like that and roll across the country with Legends of America and my sponsor emblazoned across the side of the RV. Can't ya just see it? Whadda ya think?
Feedback and Suggestions
We always appreciate feedback about the website and our newsletter. Do you have a suggestion about content that you would like to see, or perhaps, would like to contribute a photograph or a story? We would love to hear about it! We also want to hear about suggestions for improvement. See a link that doesn't work or a picture that doesn't appear -- please let us know. Just drop us a line at our Email address and tell us what you think. This newsletter is copyrighted© 2004 by Legends of America. Our reader's e-mail addresses are never sold, rented or otherwise made public.	Legends of America A Travel Guide for the Nostalgic & Historic Minded P.O. Box 19423 Lenexa, KS 66285 913-708-5119 Kathy Weiser Owner/Editor www.legendsofamerica.com Email