Pacific

Freight Weather is the complete railroad book. You can enjoy it simply for the beautiful photos, or for the great writing, or for the details about trains. This is one of the few books that combines all three -- words, photos and info. I have looked at a lot of railroad books and I highly recommend this one. Well worth owning.

I now have all three of this author's books and this one is by far the finest of the trio. The photography is breathtaking and the anecdotes are quite interesting. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who likes trains or even anyone who just appreciates some of the fine scenery this country has to offer.

The story is easy to read aloud and the illustrations are rivetting. I bought this for my three-year-old son, but find myself using it as a teaching tool in my second grade classroom, as well. It is very similar to a story my grandparents (Quinault-Cowlitz/Coast Salish) used to tell me when I was growing up. The message about taking care of all our relations is an important one. The story ignited a new interest in volcanoes and pond-life in my son's imagination. His interest in volcanoes and caves became so keen because of this book that we spent hours in the volcano exhibits at the Natural History Museum and made a special trip to Carlsbad Caverns! Bravo Paul Owen Lewis.

This is a title that will entertain both the adult reader and the child. An adventure regarding stewardship of the earth. The dream-like images and intriguing story draw one right in. Would make a nice gift.

I purchased a bunch of travel books for my trip to California, and this is by far the best! Especially good if you want recommendations on moderate and budget lodging and dining, not just pricey stuff.

This is absolutely the most up-to-date book on California. I wanted to know a lot about where to go for wineries, and this was the perfect book. Plus it gives a neat, accurate description of accomodations and where-to-go's. A must have for all travel guide fans.

This book is the bible for anyone traveling to hawaii. You can plan your vacation based on the activities you like and you will not be disappointed by their recommendations. The hotel reviews are very accurate and I used the restuarant reviews exclusively. Even on my second trip I found the book to be extremely useful.

We are planning our first trip to Hawaii and have been amazed on the amount of information that is out there. This book summarizes all of the hawaiian islands and helped us plan our 3 week trip. It reviews not only hotels, but restaurants, activities and hot spots to see. All for less than $20! I feel that it is a must for any traveler to the island.

This book is a great resource for planning an Alaskan adventure. Area by area recommendations and descriptions are given to help the reader determine how best to meet his/her vacation goals.

Especially helpful are the web addresses for individual services and locations, as well as the recommendations for the slightly-lesser known and (in the author's opinion) less crowded activities and the corresponding suggestions for how to beat crowds and how to plan ahead to have the experience you want.

The general over-view information of each area also helps give the reader a good impression of the area and what the overall experience of the area would be like.

A very thorough book.

Of all the travel books we have used, this one of Frommers is the best. Its appeal, however, is for people who like recommendations of the best items - like best places to visit, best B&B's, etc. We find it saves us a great deal of planning time to FIRST focus on the section at the start of the book when we start organizing a trip. Later, we add items which we want to do which may not be as popular with everyone.

I'm pretty sure Marc E. Herman isn't the guy who worked on this book. I think Marc E. Herman is a hydrologist or something like that. The co-author of this book is a guy named Marc Herman. But I think his middle name is Robert and he doesn't know all that much about hydrology.

Really good book though.

Having moved to Reno three months ago, and overwhelmed by the vast expanse of national forests, parks, and monuments just over the border, I am finding this book extremely helpful. If there is an outdoor activity and it can be done in north cali, this book will tell you where to do it. Not only that, it is very well written, gives good critical commentary, and provides other interesting bits of knowledge along the way. It is also nice in referencing additional books that may get more specific in regards to a specific activity. This book should be useful for anyone who wants to explore the area but doesn't know quite where to start, whether looking for a serious, extreme adventure or quiet family weekend.

I used this book to plan a short weekend trip to Napa Valley from Los Angeles. This book packed with all sorts of great information for each different wine country city (napa, yountville, etc) from best types of hotels for every budget, nearby attractions, spas, picnic spots, restaurants, etc. And of course a concise review and rating of the wineries in each city.

I found myself taking the bag out of my bag during the trip to read up on different wineries and attractions I wanted to visit.

It is very small and compact so it's easy to take with you too.

There's a lot of detail packed into this small guide. I liked the winery reviews because they outline what kind of experience each winery offers along with the basics about their history and wines. And restaurant reviews were frank and on the money.

This book is a Gem! We found it highly informative, accurate, and useful on our recent trip to Seattle and Ocean Shores, Washington. The book provides the essentials without being too wordy. Interesting tidbits galore! One example of the book's usefulness was a recommendation to dine at Ocean Crest Resort in Moclips because "you won't find a more spectacular view anywhere on the Washington coast." Well, from the outside, this Resort is nothing special. In fact, were it not for the book, we never would have thought of stopping there. But are we glad. What a view! Dense trees, framing an ocean view, with a winding wooden staircase leading in erratic zig zags down to the beach below. It was worth the cost of the book! ....

I found this to be an excellent user friendly, tradtional tourist guide book. However, it was published in 1998 and would be better if updated. It offers "The best of" in more than a dozen categories such as restaurants, B&Bs, hikes, etc which gives good starting points for trip planning. Phone numbers and web site address are available to obtain more detailed information on areas of interest. A map of "Washington State Driving Times " was very helful since we have found that in unfamiliar locations, driving times are sometimes easy to misfigure based only on milage.

Like other Frommer's guide books that I have used, I find this type of advice the best because it lists good choices from expensive to budget. For an average family tourist, this book is an excellent general guide.

This book was a highly enjoyable read and really does the TV series justice. You get to share Palin's experiences throughout his journey in way that the TV series is unable to do. The little stories that he mentions like visiting the prison camp in Siberia, the offers from the "missie's" in China, and the references to his real life going on in the UK all create a memorable experience. Definetely my favorite out of all of his travelogues.

Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) is more than funny: he's a perceptive and compassionate traveller! I loved his first two BBC travel series and their companion books, so when one day in Seattle, I read in the paper that the next evening he would begin a third, I made sure to tune in. I wasn't disappointed; from a remote Alaskan island so close to the International Dateline that Palin writes: "The Russian soldiers staring at me across the water have already had the day I'm having" to "the southernmost place of worship in the world, outside of Antarctica", this one is as good an armchair journey as any the BBC has produced. Something special: the photography is, as usual, superb, and there's an underwater sequence in the Philipines that has to be seen to be believed. So, either take a year off yourself (that's about what it took Palin), pack your own forty-eight (!) suitcases and spend your own mint to do this trip of a lifetime, or just do it with Mike Palin. After all, that's what books are for, isn't it?

Copious notes on what activities and attractions are available and of interest to kids and other family members. Only shortcoming is minimal references to restaurants and accommodations. Author selects top 10 day trip ideas for each island and they were dead on for our family of five.

It is very easy to find age appropriate activities for your children. The book is arranged in an easy to follow format which allows you to find special stops coming up as you drive. A great quick reference that we used many times a day while vacationing on Oahu.