Pacific

I recently had the honor of meeting the 80 year-old Hone at a poetry reading in Christchurch (New Zealand). To me, a New Zealander, Hone Tuwhare I regard as a living prophet. Open any New Zealand book of verse and Hone will fill a good twenty pages. It is impossible for me to say how important this man is to our country. His poetry is mystical, political, romantic - he captures the landscape and its people like no-one else ever has. You don't have to be a New Zealander to enjoy these either - they will be, I assure you, the most beautiful, energetic, natural, informed poems you will ever have the pleasure of reading. and in no way am I going to be able to put across the sheer wisdom that is "Deep river talk" with a list of adjectives. Its like cummings got lost in wilderness with Thomas Wolfe and built a monastery and they all came out drinking and laughing and singing Maori spirituals. Hell - just read it for yourself.

As a long time visiter to the Owens Valley I found this book to be excellent. Its great for the first time traveler or the person who has been to the valley many times. Its section on side roads is good for those passing through the area and wanting to explore a bit. The history and geology areas are current and answer those questions that arise when encountering the vast numbers of different geological features. While no one guide does it all this book comes close. A great book for those who want a general guide to the valley, its history,geology,flora and fauna.

Denali Journal, a Thoughtful Look at Wildlife in Alaska's Majestic National Park allowed me to relive my experience in Denali!

On my flight home from a recent trip to Alaska, I began reading this book and thoroughly enjoyed Tom Walker's experiences and interpretation of Denali National Park.

This book is written in "diary form" so you can see the difference each month has to offer.

I took the all day bus ride the book refers to. Even though I was not fortunate enough to see girzzles, moose or caribou up close, I was excited to read that the seeing Mt. McKinley's snow capped mountain surrounded with beautiful blue sky and viewing a red fox, right by the road, were both very rare!

Reading this book makes be want to go back to Denali and spend a few days camping, hiking and experience some of the times he had while getting away from the road.

What better experience can you receive from a book than to "be right there" and that is just how Tom Walker makes you feel!

Erwin and Peggy Bauer's Denali provides a stunningly beautiful portrait of the park by two wildlife photographers. An essay describes the park's history but it's the photos which captivate in this small but powerful offering.

I have enjoyed other books in the "story behind the scenery" series and wanted to share with my children the riches of Lake Tahoe before we go there for another vacation. This book was wonderful! We have been there before, but we learned things about Lake Tahoe we had never heard before. The pictures are beautiful and true to the real place. The kids asked so many questions from the pictures that it was great that all the answers were available in the pages. We are now interested in visiting specific sites and participating in certain activites because of the thorough information and history covered in this book. Anyone interested in the history of the Lake Tahoe area should give this book a read!

William McKenzie is a former Northern Pacific Railway employee who has created this delightful narrative of the NP's dining car history, complete with numerous priceless photographs of gorgeous dining cars created by the Pullman Company and furnished with the finest of mahogany, crystal, Irish linens, etc. This is not a dry recitation of historical facts; the author has a gift for story-telling. A wonderful bonus to this historical jewel is a list of 150 NP recipes personally tested and modified for the reader by the author's wife. There is also a modest list of drinks and cocktails which the author assures the reader "Have not been tested"! This book will appeal to far more than the typical railfan; all those who enjoy good writing, especially of historical Americana, will find this a delightful discovery.

If you're a history buff, a parent who wants to plan interesting weekend excursions, or a "travelholic", this is an excellent resource. In particular, motorcyclists will find that this book provides excellent answers to questions like "where would I like to ride today?".

The book has state historical markers, points of interest, places of historical content and "fun things to do". It's hard to imagine anyone actually travelling to all these places; this book must have been a true labor of love.

Two issues. One, I wish the index were more comprehensive. It's sometimes difficult to find a particular item. Two, I wish the maps were a bit more detailed. It would've been nice to have a state map showing all the regions at the front of the book. On the other hand, you should *always* have a real map on any trip you take.

This book is truly wonderful and I highly recommend it for history buffs and travellers in California.

Little light is shed on many of our great land's smaller towns, such as the ones featured in this book. Who are these people, is one question that pops to mind. Why do they stay in such little towns when you have Vegas and L.A. and Chicago and Miami and NYC? This book helps answer that question. Superb writing, says this observer. Drank a bottle of scotch outside the town limits of Madrid, NM after I read this book. In the company of a Santa Fe woman, of course. "Why do you read that stuff?" she asked. "...because I care," was all I could think to say. You have another one in the works, I hope...

This guidebook can used as either a coffee table gift book with its multitudes of beautiful colored photographs or a guide to suggested hikes in Oregon's Wilderness areas. The author, for years a resident of Oregon, gives you one hundred of her favorite hikes to some of the Oregon's wild areas. The pictures in the book, like the two-page layout that shows a hiker on the Cooper Spur Trail in the Mt. Hood Wilderness viewing Mount Adams and Mount Rainier, or the close-up head shot of a common garter snake eating a bullfrog, are stunning. All photographs in the book were taken by the author, a renowned scenic and wildlife photographer. She describes Oregon's 36 wilderness and provides photographs that will entice you to visit them. The author has hiked every trail described in the book and provides the reader with information of the trails length, difficulty, highlights, elevation gain, maps required, best season, if permits are required, management contacts, highway directions, and trail information to the tenth of a mile. The author, who has written several Oregon hiking guides, knows what she is talking about, so if she says these are her favorite hikes you just to believe that they are going to be special. Don't take her word or mine, you will have to see a copy for yourself to appreciate its value.

This book is like a nice walk with a good friend who has a talent for telling great stories. You go along for the pleasantness of the walk, and find yourself transported right into the middle of the story. Here you are, some forty feet above the current level of the sea, standing on a shelf of land that contains the perfectly preserved remains of a coral reef. In another area, some 260 feet above sea level you come across a fossilized seabed jammed with the shells of thousands of oysters. Ancient shark teeth litter the ground on top of a 130-foot high mesa. Your friend walks on a few yards and, with infectious enthusiasm, reads the next chapter of the story to you.

Six hikes around the Punta Chivato area on Baja's Gulf coast introduce you to the fascinating story of Baja's geologic history. If you love Baja, love geology, or just love a nice hike, you'll LOVE this book!