Paul Vlachos is a New Yorker who understands The West. And he is a New Yorker who understands New York. Wherever Paul goes, he finds signs of life… I’m going to grab a coffee now, then just get on I-95…
It can be problematic writing about how we grew-up, about people we met in our younger days, and about those places that meant something to us. Essentially, many of us believe we are not capable of objectivity when reflecting upon…
“The Devils Garden Overlord & Cactus Ed” (photos by the author except where noted) Author’s Note: For more than three years , I have spent most of my keyboard time writing “informational/investigative” long form articles (some might suggest ‘long-winded’) about excruciatingly…
Early in July 1891 a young scientist from Sweden, Gustaf Nordenskiöld, showed up at the Wetherill family’s Alamo Ranch near Mancos, Colorado and requested that they guide him to Mesa Verde to see the cliff dwellings. This was the beginning…
Rebecca Benally and Rob Miller are civic-minded: Benally, as a Navajo deeply engaged in developing a more prosperous San Juan County, Utah, and preserving her heritage independent of powerful forces beyond the county that, in her opinion, would permanently damage…
Two weeks ago, many of us remembered and commemorated the 30th anniversary of Edward Abbey’s death on March 14, 1989. What would Ed think of our world in 2019? And what would the World think of him? Here are a…
(from the 2008 archives) Note: This is Part one of ‘A Sentimental Tour.’ It was first written in 2008 and is re-published here. Look for the sequel or sequels to it in upcoming issues of the Zephyr… The demise of…
As we approached our 30th anniversary, we asked some of our readers how long they’ve been reading The Zephyr and how they first found us. Here are some of the responses. We’d like to add your memories to our list.…
For 20 years, The Zephyr was a print publication. We needed almost $5000 in revenue each issue just to break even. The printing cost alone, for 15,000 copies, was over $2500. Consequently, we had to sell a lot of ads.…
The Chamber of Commerce calls it “The City Different.” Different from what? Different from the typical American city, the chamber means. But more and more Santa Fe comes to resemble every other city, and not only American cities in general,…
Click Here to Read the Previous Installments of Brave New West (The Comic Strip)… Jim Stiles is Founder and Co-Publisher of the Canyon Country Zephyr. To comment, scroll to the bottom of the page. Don’t forget the Zephyr ads! All…
To comment, scroll to the bottom of the page. Don’t forget the Zephyr ads! All links are hot!
For 30 years, I’ve been cartooning Zephyr readers’ great faces and some of them are featured more prominently on another post in this anniversary issue. Many of them were from Moab and Grand County but many more extended beyond Southeast…
The Zephyr Backbone is what keeps us alive! Click Here to Join! *Note: The Cartoonist screwed up in Feb/March. In a subconscious attempt to escape the world’s news, he changed one of our Backbone Member’s names from “Michael” to “Richard”…
“It’s our stuff. We made it and we know best how to use it and care for it. And now we’re going to get it back.” John Pretty Man, Crow Indian “The entire corner of Utah is a stronghold of…
(photos by the author except where noted) Author’s Note: For more than three years , I have spent most of my keyboard time writing “informational/investigative” long form articles (some might suggest ‘long-winded’) about excruciatingly serious topics…Moab politics, San Juan County politics,…
I’ll tip my hat to the new constitutionTake a bow for the new revolutionSmile and grin at the change all aroundPick up my guitar and playJust like yesterdayThen I’ll get on my knees and prayWe don’t get fooled again “Won’t…
As I have written about before, at stake in the Bears Ears controversy is the nature and pace of rural restructuring in San Juan County. As the residents of the county continue to grapple with their predicament, it becomes clear…
Paul Vlachos is a New Yorker who understands The West. And he is a New Yorker who understands New York. Wherever Paul goes, he finds signs of life… This may not be my first piece for the Zephyr on Florida.…
In 1956, Irving Stone published Men to Match My Mountains: The Monumental Saga of the Winning of the American Far West with a chapter named “Giants Stalk the Land.” Both titles are appropriate, in modified form, for this chapter. Here…
