Pacific

Now in an expanded and updated bicentennial edition, Traveling The Lewis And Clark Trail by travel author Julie Fanselow is an invaluable and "user friendly" resource that modern-day enthusiasts can use to retrace the route of the two famous early American explorers commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson after acquiring the Louisiana Purchase from the French. Filled with from cover to cover with authoritative information concerning activities, attractions, recommended itineraries, maps, black-and-white photographs, and more, Traveling The Lewis And Clark Trail is a comprehensive and enthusiastically recommended guide for any vacationer seeking to retrace footsteps of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their companions.

As others have noted, a well researched and well organized guide. There's now a competing publication endorsed by Stephen Ambrose, whose book "Undaunted Courage" sparked renewed national interest in Lewis and Clark. After browsing that one, published by Montana Magazine in a magazine format, I can report that 1) it has advertising, and 2) it omits details found in Julie Fanselow's book. Stick with Julie.

I do hope she has an updated edition in the works for the upcoming Lewis and Clark bicentennial. A few points of information need to be added or changed to keep pace with developments. For instance: starting in 2003, access to the Lolo Motorway, the L&C route from Montana to Idaho, will be by permit only.

A friend and I did the L&C trail last summer. We took this guide and some others. This was *by far* the best guide. We literally would not have been able to find some sites without it. We came to trust its advice so much that we consistently asked each other what "Julie" had to say about various parks, campsites, etc. I can't imagine doing the trail without this book.

Over the last several years, I've hiked most of the trails described in "100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon." Sullivan's diving directions, trail descriptions and maps have always been perfect and immensely helpful.

The trail descriptions are both concise and crystal clear. Sullivan does not meticulously describe each detail, which leaves much to discover on your own and allows for a more personal hiking experience. He writes eloquently, and often includes great tidbits of scientific and historical information that add context to your hike. For example, he might briefly describe how a specific area was geologically formed, and point out some evidence that you'll find along trail.

Sullivan's practical advice is invaluable. If he tells you that a trail passes poison oak, you better wear long pants! If he tells you that a trail is open from July to October, don't show up without snowshoes in March! Clearly, he knows these trails well. Readers should not overlook the preface, where he provides an equipment checklist, low impact camping guidelines, contacts for trail conditions, and other useful information.

The one downside of this guide is that so many people use it. If a hike is within an hour of Portland, and is featured in this book, you can count on a crowded trailhead on a nice weekend. Plenty of the featured hikes are off the beaten path, and still consistently provide solitude. Just plan on driving for awhile.

Anybody who hikes in Oregon should consult "100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon," or one of Sullivan's other books. I also frequently use his Oregon Coast and Central Oregon guides, and they too are first rate.

Just a quick additional note: When you do hike, always leave no trace! If you see trash, pick it up! Always be respectful of our Earth, and all of its creatures.

I bought this book two years ago to add to the many guide books in my library. After two years of hiking many weekends in northwestern OR and southwestern WA, it's become clear that this is the book that get's used the most. Most of the trails are suitable for the whole family. We've hiked into the crater of Mount St. Helens, eaten wild huckle berries in Indian Heaven Wilderness, hiked every slope of Mt. Hood, visited water falls in the Columbia river Gorge that we didn't know existed and more.

Many of the trails are suitable for the occasional dry weekend in the winter months as well. Sullivan provides many low elevation trails which extend the hiking season year round.

If you live in southwestern Washington or northwestern Oregon, you should own this book.

I bought this book prior to a trip to Oregon in hopes of finding some beautiful hikes. This book was a valuable tool in my search. Every hike was accurately described from details on finding the trailhead to distances traveled including the level of difficulty and points of interest along the way.

Recently we visited California for the first time. We covered San Francisco, LA and San Diego in one week. We had planned everything before-hand using the National Geographic Traveller and our experience is it turned out very useful in that respect. It exaclty tells you what is a must see and what looks good from where. So we were prepared and we expected certain things. For e.g. this book says that the views from Coit Tower are breathtaking and they really are so. We had to walk up from China Town to Coit Tower on the very steep streets of San francisco. But once we were at Coit Tower the views of the city were excellent. This book also mentions some driving tours which are very useful. One thing I would like to mention here. We had rented a mustang convertible to drive the Calif Highway One along the coast. Our friends recommended to take the 17 mile drive on our way and we were surprised why it was not mentioned in this book. But after driving through the seventeen miles we continued the drive along Highway One. And let me tell you the 17 miles drive is nothing compared to the gorgeous views on Rte One. If you ask me, please avoid the 17 miles drive it is just a rip off of 8 bucks. There is much more beauty ahead on Rte One. We should have listened to the book, the book was right by not mentioning it!

Ok, may be not the best - who judge, but very close too. Do not think, just buy and enjoy reading and traveling.

As expected, this book has some of the best photographs and illustrations available. What was more surprising in a travel guide was the quality of writing, the great social insights, and the historical contextualization. While Critser touches all the necessary points of interest, he also discovers hidden marvels from excellent cheap restaurants to the often unsung corners of L. A. If you are going to buy one guide, this is it.

I'm hesitant to leave a review because some of the locations listed in this book are still peaceful and unknown, but this book is so invaluable when hunting for a good paddle spot that I felt compelled to sing it's praises....as long as it's just canoers who purchase this great book and not power boaters! The directions are easy to follow and accurate. The camping information is extremely important when traveling with children, like we do.The lay out of the book is perfect in helping to select drive times and specific locations. I came back to Amazon to purchase the book for a friend but see that it is out of stock. Hopefully this is just temporary. If not, buy it used!!

Coale goes into just enough details so that you get a feel for the area and its surroundings. He also gives suggestions for where to camp. There are advisories for a variety of items: seasonal accessibility, powerboats, potable water, overcrowding, campground closures, etc. Each lake description also comes with high quality images and a map. The images are very impressive. I don't see any bylines for the photographs, so I'm assuming they were taken by Coale. In the back of the book there is a spreadsheet of all the lakes with the following columns: Natural Lake, Paddle-In Camping, Lakeside Camping, Winter Access, Long distance Paddling, No Motors/Speed Limits, Exquisite Beauty. I have no complaints about CTCH and I think it will be very helpful in designing some 4 day trips this summer. I give the book 5 stars ***** :)

dear john coale-congradulation on creating a book that anyone not even interested in paddling would enjoy. the pictures are breathtaking and succeed in capturing the feelings of the moment,such beautiful scenery. i wish your book great success. sincerly, lia medina,mill valley

I thought Kauai was the best Hawaiian Island and now I'm convinced it's the Big Island. If you take one guidebook make sure it's this one. For starters is puts the huge land mass into perspective, mapping it down into sections so you can economize on gas - $2.30 a gallon. Hiking the volcano area ranks high above all the hikes I've ever taken. No other island has flowing lava and huge petroglyph fields and wild beaches and I even swam with turtles. It was an amazing vacation. Hiker friendly and carefully engineered, it was a good choice.

Although we had rain, my girlfriend and I managed to make every day count with the help of Hawaii Trailblazer. The driving tours filled in the days when the trails were too wet. The Onomea Scenic Drive was green quintessential old Hawaii, bring alot of film.
We've used these books before on the islands of Kauai and Maui and like the classy way they lay out all the juicy stuff blended with a nice mix of legends and photos. There's enough stuff in this one to keep you going for a year and we wish we could have stayed three weeks instead of two.
Note for campers: there are separate maps for mountain biking and camping with routes and treks. We're already making plans and getting equipped to return in September.

A energetically presented and highly recommended resource guide, Hawaii - The Big Island Trailblazer by Jerry and Janine Sprout is a thoroughly "user friendly" travel guide featuring truly great locales in which to hike, snorkel, surf, bike, or drive anywhere in Hawaii. Specifically for families wanting shared recreational experiences, and ideal for solitary vacationers seeking memorable do-it-yourself adventures, Hawaii The Big Island Trailblazer is enhanced with 9 maps and over 200 black-and-white photographs; a "Kids Only" section; driving tours; safety trips; resource links; information on Hawaiian culture and history, and a great deal more.

The title above is what my great-uncle inscribed on the inside cover of this book. He is the Tommy Morris whose story is told in the pages of this book. Like many more famous sailors and soldiers, Uncle Tommy (who died only two weeks ago after a long decline, for those readers who might be interested)used to tell me and my grandfather (Tommy's brother) that it was impossible for him to think of people as "civilized" having seen how we turn our new discoveries and technology so easily to the unhappy task of killing each other. He also said to me once that his role in the Quincy sinking was that of a "damsel in distress".. which description was follwed by that sort of masculing deep-seated chuckle which only come forth from heroic men who have seen hell on earth.

I am biased, but I wer I not, I would still think this an excellent book!

Gary Morris

Between August 1942 and February 1943, a land-sea and air battle was waged for an island in the south pacific called Guadalcanal. The six-month long battle for the island would be one of the definitive battles of the war. It was also one of the costliest. Thousands of Allied and Japanese soldiers died. And a channel north of the island had so many ships go down there that it was renamed Iron Bottom Sound.

It is possible that more men died in the waters off Guadalcanal then on the island itself. But for many years, most of the ships were out of reach to divers and eventually were all but forgotten. Then, in 1992, Oceanographer Robert Ballard, who had found the Titanic and the Bismarck, decided to explore the area using the latest in technology. It is quite an experience to see a past battlefield on land like Normandy, Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg or Guadalcanal itself. But the battlefields were obviously cleaned up afterward and don't look the way they did when the battle concluded. But time knows no boundaries in Iron Bottom Sound. The paintings by Ken Marshall and the photographs show many of the ships still upright on the ocean floor; Their guns and torpedo tubes still trained outward as if firing at a long gone enemy. But some of the ships are not so beautifully preserved. The Battleship Krishima, for example, lies upside down in two pieces on the ocean floor. And the Destroyer Barton is broken in half and lying on its side from two torpedoes. Nevertheless, most of the ships appear ready to rise up and continue fighting.

Lavishly illustrated and with a detailed text, The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal will make a welcome addition to the collection of any War, Naval or Shipwreck enthusiast (If you can find a copy that is).

Dr. Bob Ballard discovered the Titanic in the mid 1980's using cutting-edge underwater technology. For this book, he turned that skill and knowledge to lead an expedition to examine the wrecks of one of the bloodiest naval battles of World War II, one so full of death and destruction that veterans of the battle gave the waters of Gualdalcanal the nickname of "Iron Bottom Sound" because of the number of ships and aircraft that lay underwater. Guadalcanal was the linchpin of American and Japanese military strategy for control of the south Pacific islands. The Americans controlled the airfield, but the Japanese controlled the island and the waters around it. The Japanese couldn't resupply its army because of attacks to its freighters by Allied aircraft and the Americans couldn't resupply its airfield because of attacks to its fleet of ships. In one single battle in the pitch-black darkness of night, the mighty Japanese fleet engaged a weaker American destroyer group where American guns were aimed by radar and Japanese guns were aimed by looking for the flashes from the American weapons. The American fleet was destroyed but it was a Pyhric victory because the Japanese supply ships failed to reach the starving Japanese troops on the island. Dr. Ballard does a remarkable job of capturing both the essence of the battle and the essence of underwater archeology to create a wonderful book filled with full-color pictures of the wrecks and period black-and-white pictures of the war. He also includes the fantastic paintings and maps in the style that has adorned his other books to show how the wrecks would look if there was absolute clarity underwater and with a "God's Eye". This book is one of the better ones I've found that deal with the ships of Guadalcanal and underwater archeology. I've noticed copies adorning the workbenches of many model-ship builders (including mine). Its a great gift idea and sure to please anyone interested in great battles, maritime history, WW2, underwater exploration, or tales of bravery (by those who fought and those who study the ocean).

I would make one small addition to the other reviews. Lunchtime Walks in San Francisco, Gail Todd, is as useful for tourists as is it for residents! It became a permanent addition to our library after we were able to flip through a copy at the Rand McNally Store in San Francisco. For those not having the opportunity to peek first, this is a wonderful resource for trip planning. The walks aren't too long (about an hour for most), are centrally located, and a handy map is included with each. Information is provided on the history and the architecture of the area, shops, restaurants, picnic areas (yes, even in San Francisco there are areas for relaxing and enjoying your lunch in the great outdoors), and gorgeous views. Perfect for the visitor wanting to take some delightful jaunts including the 'must see' sites in a city that is made for walking. We've already book marked several of the 33 walks for our next visit to the city by the bay.

Now that Spring is here, Gail Todd's walking guide to San Francisco is indispensible for anyone living in the City and looking for a new way to explore it. Beautiful pictures, detailed maps, tons of great ideas for lunchtime walks -- this guide has it all.

As a 20-year resident of San Francisco, I'm pretty jaded when it comes to guidebooks about my city, but this book is a real treat! The author's fresh approach and clear, concise information makes this book a pleasure to read. Buy two and give one to a friend.

My husband and I have been visiting our children in Seattle for 12 years. How delighted we were to receive a copy of Nature in the City:Seattle, and to discover that nature is literally bursting out of every corner of the city. I can't wait to take our grandchildren to Discovery Park this November to listen for winter owls. Then maybe we'll have time to stroll around Dead Horse Canyon to look for medicinal plants while imagining smoky longhouses formerly along Lake Washington's shore. With this wonderfully composed and arranged book, Maria and Kathryn have given Seattle a new look.

This book has lots of great ideas on how to spend an hour or four in and around the city. It's easy to read and has interesting info interspersed in with the specifics of each adventure. I now have new fun facts and things to look for on a walk I've taken many mornings on Queen Anne Hill, I learned about the Peregrin's that I've seen perch on my downtown office windowsill, and the bike ride along the Duamish was a nice alternative to some more common routes. I look forward to trying them all.

As a nature lover from Washington, DC and frequent visitor to
Seattle, I was fortunate to receive a gift of a book Nature in the City - Seattle by Maria Dolan and Kathryn True. With this
extraordinary guide in hand, I visited Kubota Garden and
Carkeek Park. The maps were particularly helpful to this visitor. I appreciate as well many beautiful photographs and
charming drawings. What an innovative and well-written guide...
September 4,03

A very well written account of the Japanese government in the last days of the 2nd World War especially on their difficult decision to surrender to the Allies.

As the Japanese never expected defeat, but as it became clear that they could not win, the surrender became one of the most difficult exercise for the Japanese government and for the Emperor to make. I have always thought it was a simple surrender but how wrong I was.

This book is a thriller, which pleasantly surprised me - it has the palace intrigues, asassinations, failed coups, sepukus, plots and sub-plots, acts of heroism as well as treachery. At times it became hard to follow and I had to re-read certain sections because so many characters were involved and so many discussions took place between them.

But in the end, it was well worth it.

Great explanation of the Japanese point of view, by the Pacific War Research Society, a group of Japanese scholars.

This book allows us to look into the violently conflicting decision-making processes among the leaders, eventually leading to the surrender of Japan. After you read this book, you will understand what a close-fought thing that surrender was. Many of the Militarists were so opposed to surrender that they were willing to kidnap or kill the Emperor, who was regarded as God in their belief system! They were willing to do anything--absolutely anything--in order to prevent the Emperor from making the Surrender declaration. The best way to describe the efforts of the Militarists to continue the war is: insane and inhuman.

Many of the leaders absolutely KNEW that they were going to be totally defeated, but they intended to keep fighting to the last man, woman, and child in Japan. They had saved up weapons, ordnance, and fuel for the final battles. They did not care if their resistance forced the Americans to flatten and burn every city, factory, farm, house, human, crop, and animal in Japan. What would come after the war was of no concern to them whatsoever. These leaders had been pleased by the fanatic defense of Okinawa wherein thousands of civilians gave their lives willingly, even as their soldiers and kamikazes killed thousands of Americans and sunk or damaged 300 ships. They expected an even more fanatic and glorious defense of the main islands. The guaranteed deaths of millions of their own citizens through battle and starvation meant nothing to them, compared to the twisted concept of honor that they worshipped.

When you see the forces arrayed against the surrender, you can understand that only the atomic bombs (both of them; read the book) could end the war in a timely manner and with far less loss of life on both sides. Many people judge the morality or necessity of the atomic bombings without considering any context at all, and conclude that we didn't need to do it or that we were horribly immoral for having done it. These events took place in the midst of a war, not a historical vacuum. This book provides the context of the beliefs and attitudes that drove the Japanese to fight rather than surrender. Thankfully, the Emperor was sufficiently demoralized by the atomic bombs that he made the courageous decision to surrender.

Do not miss this book! It is an exciting story in addition to being a major work of historical reporting. Someone should make a major movie from this book.

"Japan's Longest Day" is an invaluable historical resource for understanding Japanese wartime behavior, the end of the Pacific War and the decision to use nuclear weapons to end the war.

Much anti-A bomb literature is premised on Japan's supposed eagerness to end the war. This book shows the actual state of mind current in the Japanese military the week that the war ended. It also shows just how close Japan came to continuing the war even after the atomic bombings.

To understand how the war ended, one has to understand the ACTUAL conditions on BOTH sides. This book provides that context.

Born in San Francisco and still live nearby. Have found this a useful book for friends and travelers looking for a compact map of the city and reliable info on places to go, where to stay or places to eat. Like the format with a map of the neighborhoods, which makes the book very convenient when walking or driving and trying to find where to go. Descriptions are short accurate and helpful. I like the size and the format for oraganizing information that is used, and the typeface in the book makes it very readable. I carry one in my car for times when visit the city.

I have to say that this book is just cool. I just got back from my first visit to San Francisco, and I am so glad I had this guide with me. The fold out maps are very clear and helpful. Even though the book is small, it hits all the highlights. I visited several shops and restaurants listed in the back, and I was never disappointed.

I've lived in San Francisco for five years, but I still get lost when exploring a new neighborhood. The comprehensive pull-out maps found in Moon Metro are so detailed, that they even include those hard-to-find alleyways and cul-de-sacs. I had friends in from out of town last weekend, and I let them use my copy. They loved it! I definitely recommend this series.