Two of them are gems. Rather than rodeos or mining demonstrations, we should, Quillen suggests, have hamburger- flipping competitions, plus bussing tables and washing windows demonstrations. After all, we re not cowboys, miners or ranchers. Most of us are urban refugees who took any job we could find when we first arrived in the Mountain West. It s a skillfully crafted account of a fairly common experience.
Newcomers begin as poor renters and over time become property owners.
Sooner or later they find themselves regarded as high-class landowners despite the fact that they d just as soon get rid of an extra house or plot of land. The West has a growing divide between the haves and have-nots. It s generally not much fun for either side. After all, Quillen suggests, many of us came here to live quality lives, not to get rich. Other subjects covered in The Runaway West include wildlife, firearms, Indians, Hispanics, Edward Abbey, living single, developers, ranchettes, fences, politics, trailer parks and wilderness.