Subscriber Cari Brown from Airway Heights, Wash., wrote me a letter recently asking about how to attach a stampede string to a cowboy hat—without ruining it with too many holes. To get expert advice on the stampede string (a.k.a. hurricane strap, chin string, head holding tie down), I contacted Trent Johnson of Greeley Hat Works (greeleyhatworks.com).

I stow the shears and often grow a beard in winter to stay warm, but this is something completely different... A new reality television show debuts tomorrow (August 5) on IFC about "competitive facial hair growing" called "Whisker Wars." Set your TIVO!

This article about altitude sickness in cattle (a.k.a. brisket disease) by Dan Frosch ran August 1 in the New York Times. Very tricky conditions for ranchers to deal with...

For tourists traveling into the mountains, altitude sickness can be an uncomfortable reality. The lightheadedness. The nausea. The vicious headaches.

The letter below was posted today by Janet Arness, widow of "Gunsmoke" actor James Arness. He died today (Friday, June 3, 2011). He was 88 years-old.

The staff at American Cowboy, based in Boulder, Colo., is paying close attention to the outbreak of the Equine Herpesvirus/Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy. With numerous recorded cases in our county and surrounding counties, we're watching for the latest from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, as well as national veterinary experts.

An interesting new Western debuted this weekend. Meek's Cutoff is a solid, if spooky, addition to the genre. Michelle Williams (of Brokeback Mountain-fame and Heath Ledger's widow) plays a pioneer woman, who, along with her husband and two other couples, points her wagon West and follows mountain man Stephen Meek through eastern Oregon to cross the Cascade Mountains.