5 comments about Alaska by Cruise Ship: The Complete Guide to Cruising Alaska with Giant Pull-out Map (5th Edition).

1. We are going on our dream trip...An alaskan cruisetour.We are investing a lot of time and money...we needed help with details...I am so grateful that we found this perfect guide book. It is helping us choose excursions and educating us to the opportunities available.We have such a little amount of time to see so much..we have to choose wisely..and with "Alaska by cruise ship" we can.Alaska by Cruise Ship: The Complete Guide to Cruising Alaska with Giant Pull-out Map (5th Edition)



2. Very detailed maps of locations and ports of call.
   Informative...even as to what side of the cruise ship
   to book for best views while sailing north or south...
   something I would have never thought of...nice glossary
   of ships sailing Alaska.



3. If you have absolutely no idea what you want to see, or where you want to go, then this book could help you. However, if you shop on Amazon.com, you can get the same information this book provides at any of the cruise websites.
   
   The information in this book is basic and cursory, and it provides no real helpful tips. I was looking for hints on what shore excursions to pick, where to eat in port, etc. I didn't find anything remotely helpful. I haven't read the other cruise guides, but certainly would NOT recommend this one unless you are starting to plan a trip and know absolutely nothing and don't like to read online.



4. We checked out a few Alaska guidebooks before planning our September/07 Alaska cruise and found most lacked the cruising information we needed to help us pick a cruise. We found Ms. Vipond's writing entertaining and thoughtful and her specific information on the types of Alaska cruises that are available (round trip or straight line) very helpful. She also goes into the region's history, native peoples, wildlife, port attractions with lots of detail on shore excursions which helped us sort out our choices.
   
   On the cruise, the guide's detailed port maps and the large Alaska pullout map at the back of the book were indispensable. And unlike many other guides, this one has hundreds of color photos which are useful to identify wildlife, spot attractions and gave us an idea of what we would see on various shore excursions. We never left the ship without it.



5. This is a wonderful and very useful book if you are planning an Alaskan Cruise! My favorite part is the breakdown for every port which includes a terrific self guided walking tour and a map of each port. Bon Voyage!

No comments about The Alaska Cruise Handbook: A Mile by Mile Guide.

5 comments about Alaska Atlas and Gazetteer (Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer).

1. We were on a driving trip in Alaska and wanted a map with details about the terrain as well as roads. This altas fits the bill. Our only complaint is that almost everyone in Alaska uses "milepost" numbers on the main highways as landmarks and even their street address in some places, and those reference points are not included along the roads on the maps. Even so, it was a big help for our trip.



2. Other than the fact that the scale is way to small at 1:250,000 this is a valuable resource that is very useful. I carry one of these for every location that I go.
   Go idea to tape the pages because the stable binding falls apart with use



3. We have used our first copy until it is ragged. Because we travel a lot within our state of Alaska, this is a perfect resource to have in the house. A must for tourists expecting to travel in our state.



4. This Atlas & Gazetteer is excellent. It is highly usable and the right scale for my use.
   
   I have used this product in two trips to Alaska. One was by cruise ship up the Inside Passage. It helped me understand the elevations and contours of the land we went through and explored.
   
   Our second trip was by road up the Alcan Highway. Again this product was helpful and educational. The retreat of glaciers are distinct compared to the date the map section dates. Combining this with our GPS made our trip much more interesting.
   
   Anyone driving to Alaska is well advised to buy this product.



5. the map has every detail that we need for planning a trip to Alasks. With this map, you don't need the 1x1 USGS map. However, this map book is kind of too big to carry on a light hiking.

5 comments about Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping: Alaska and Yukon Camping with RV or Tent (Traveler's Guide series).

1. Easy to read. Will be of great help in navigating the alaskan hwy. Small enough to take along.



2. This is a detailed and very useful and essential book to help making a motorhome trip to Alaska via the Alcan highway a pleasant experience. I think it is an easier guide to use for planning your trip than the Milepost.



3. This guide is a little dated (3rd edition - 2005), but it's not hard to cross reference the campgrounds in this guide with a more recent (Trailer Life) guide, so that's not a major problem. The campground descriptions are spot on, but the feature we relied on most was the "Big Rigs" symbol. We pull a 32' 5th wheel, so we're not really huge, but knowing you can maneuver before you enter a campground is worth it's weight in Alaska gold.



4. Since we will be camping most of the time while in Alaska, this book is a great guide.



5. This is great for the RV's not so good for tent campers and Motorcycle Adventure tourers.

5 comments about Alaska (Regional Guide).

1. We just returned from a month of exploring Alaska and found this book very useful in planning. It has a less commercial view, so we appreciated the suggested accommodations and reviews of things to see. They were always right on target with the less commercial things highlighted. Very useful.



2. It was bought as a gift and my Dad really liked the book. It was a great present for someone who is taking an Alaskan trip!



3. I just came back from the vacation in Alaska last night. I came from China one year ago and had this vacation all by myself. Thanks for this book, my trip was fantastic! I used this book for trip planning, like booking hotels. And I had it on my way always. Information in this book is very updated and really helpful. On the last several blank pages, I got some stamps of national parks, as well as contact information of many friends made in this trip. I'll keep this book, which will make me recall all the great details of my trip. And I will recommend this book all my friends who are interested in traveling in Alaska.



4. If you hitchkiking, backpacking or not using an RV that this is your book. If you using a RV, this book as little value.



5. Another really great book - typical of Lonely Planet quality. Shipped on time - I'm a happy camper.

2 comments about Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2008 (Frommer's Cruises).

1. Excellent book. Very useful for anyone traveling to Alaska whether on a cruise or land tour.



2. This is a very helpful guide for those taking an Alaska cruise; it helps you choose the right cruise for your objectives. It reviews the various landtours available but I particularly like the section in each port-of-call that suggests self-conducted tours with detailed maps, costs, and directions. For example, I will be taking a bus available near the pier to see Mendenhall Glacier (near Juneau); I can set my own departure/return time and save 70% of what the cruise ship company wanted to charge me for taking their (the same!) tour.

5 comments about One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey.

1. From 1970-74, I was an associate editor of ALASKA, the Magazine of Life on the Last Frontier, which was then owned by Alaska Northwest Publishing Company. I remember the day a stranger walked into our editorial offices in Anchorage and introduced himself as Dick Proenneke. Executive Editor Ed Fortier and I sat with him for a long time, listening, enthralled, as he told us of his experiences at Twin Lakes. Ed, who had built a log cabin of his own across Cook Inlet, was a sourdough journalist who understood the challenges this soft-spoken man had faced. I was especially touched by his account of the wolf pups he had adopted and raised, and by their farewell to him as they reentered the wild. Soon I was taking a stack of Dick's handwritten journals home with me to read, and to pull out article ideas for the magazine. My husband picked up those pages and was soon absorbed by the narrative -- so eloquent in its simplicity -- and became an instant admirer. Everything about Dick and his story are uniquely Alaskan. So when I happened to see the documentary, "Silence and Solitude" on tv last night, I was delighted to rediscover my old friend. I'm so pleased that Dick has been able to spend so many years at Twin Lakes and to continue sharing his experiences. I view him as something of a modern-day Thoreau -- reminding us all to "simplify" and to respect the lessons we can learn from Nature, while cherishing her incredible beauty.



2. This is a great book about Richard Proenneke that choose to live his dream. He is an honest good man enjoying the wonderful land of Alaska.



3. This book is a fantastic journal of one man's personal adventure.
   It is a daily log and seems to put you right into the day and time
   of every event. As you read it, you will feel yourself picking the
   blueberries, shaping each log and building a cabin. You will find
   yourself watching bears, listening to sounds of a river flow at night,
   the sounds of ice breaking from the frozen river.
   You will find yourself creating a batch of sourdough biscuits, cooking
   a pot of beans, to making friends with animals that arrive daily for you
   to feed.
   After I finished reading this book, I immediately started it again.
   It is fantastic. I am now picking up little bits of information that
   I somehow missed with first reading. It is definately a book that you
   will find yourself going back to, because it IS an adventure without
   ever leaving home



4. This is a must have for any handyman, outdoorsman, alaska lover, etc. You will be amazed by what this man does and the age he does it at!



5. I read this book cover to cover in less than two days - it's excellent!

3 comments about Frommer's Alaska 2008 (Frommer's Complete).

1. This will be my first visit to Alaska and I purchased the book to help me make the most of the trip.



2. This is an must for the tourist who wants to know something about the area they will be visiting. It is full of good info for a person going on a cruise. It has helped us to plan our days in the different ports we will visit. We highly recommend this book.



3. Frommer's Alaska 2008 proved to be as complete a vacation guide as we'd expected from previous worldwide books purchased under this name previously.

5 comments about The Milepost 2008 (Milepost).

1. If you are heading up through Canada to Alaska...this book is a must.....almost EVERY Alaskan has a copy as a means to plan their in-state trips. Once you get and use this book, you wish every other region in the world had the same format. A MUST HAVE BOOK.



2. The Milepost as always is a must have for the Adventure Motorcyclist. I contains all of the basic information for a trip through Canada and to Alaska.



3. This book is the best information I have found for helping to plan a trip to Alaska. Very up to date information.



4. Background - we have been planning a 2 month RV trip up the Alaska highway and around Alaska (Denali, Anchorage, etc) - we leave on May 15th but have been doing the planning for more than a year now. And I have been looking for all the info I can get - to help me prep for this wonderful event - hopefully the first of several trips to Alaska. We must have a dozen books that we have purchased read and used. And we first bought the 2007 to start our reading and then purchased the 2008 to have the most current informtion for our trip.
   
   There is nothing like the Milepost. Every mile, every highway, every trash can / pullout / restaurant / gravel section / etc. As close as you can get to someone who has driven every mile of every road and is telling you what you will experience - steep grades, gas stations, etc. Now, you have to read a lot - mile by mile by mile by mile - to catch references and hints at what interests you. But in the process, you also are made aware of confusing intersections, areas where Grizzley bears frequent, long (50 mile) stretches without any fuel stops. etc.
   
   I have 2 "weaknesses" about this book.
   1. You will work to get the information out of this "telephone sized" book. There is no big index section that will tell you about all the RV camps - nor all the BC parks, nor ... anything. You have to read mile by mile by mile to find what you want. The information is there and there is no other book like it.
   
   2. The only other omission in the Milepost is that it (by design) only covers attractions, events, that are on the highways. So if you want to do something that is not on a major highway, it may not be in the Milepost.
   
   Still, bottom line, if you are driving any of the Alaska, Yukon, BC highways, you should get this book and carry it.



5. We live in the lower 48 and have driven to Alaska four times over the past 19 years, but when we were getting ready to drive up again, we didn't hesitate at all, we purchased the "Bible" of travel to Alaska....The Milepost. We cannot even think of driving up there again without it in our truck. It is excellent. The material in this book is the best that there is. Period.

5 comments about Into the Wild.

1. John Krakauer's book got over 1,100 comments at Amazon.com and was made into a recent movie, so the story of Chris McCandless' death in the Alaska wilderness interests many.
   
   I connect with the story in several ways, as follows:
   
   1) A difficult father/son and inter-family dynamic can propel a young man on an outward "heroic journey." After college I moved 1500 miles from home partly from this desire to find an independent place apart from my extended family.
   
   2) Young people often desire a taxing travel journey as a means to self discovery. I've known many young people who took extended solo trips and my own cross-country journey from after college was this kind of journey that included the desire for new experiences and risks.
   
   3) The long-distance runner is accustomed to enduring pain in pursuit of victory. McCandless was a hard-core competitive runner who relished the challenge of enduring the accompanying pain in cross-country running. He refused to accept necessary survival equipment people offered him partly because he wanted to do things the hard way. Having run cross-country and track, I can relate to this "no pain, no gain" impulse.
   
   4) The individual who confronts wild natural beauty in solitude can secure deep inner rewards. Many of my pivotal memories involve solitary experiences with nature, so I understand the draw of the solitary encounter with the wild.
   
   5) Being destitute and at the mercy of circumstances allows us to connect with exhilarating experience - this weird juxtaposition of self-reliance and dependence on the kindness of strangers. I've experienced this several times when our car broke down far from civilization and people "miraculously" came along to help us.
   
   6) Some kids are just wired differently than "normal." McCandless was strong-willed and refused to let anyone tell him what to do, especially his parents. He also thought he was smarter than others. Some people just make up their mind what they're going to do and nothing can deter them.
   
   7) Some young people, for whatever reasons, reject societal values and mores. History reveals examples of people who share this solitary inclination: highly intelligent, injured by others, idealistic, on a mission. Krakauer mentions medeival Irish monks as fitting this category.
   
   8. It is a quality of youth to think nothing is impossible and to be willing to take risks. Later in life after some risks have caused painful damage, we become more cautious and self-protective.
   
   9. People who are intelligent and capable often find that success comes easy. They get used to having confidence that they can overcome any obstacle. The harder the challenge, the more they relish the opportunity.
   
   So, I think McCandless had a mix of these qualities and characteristics, some positive and some detrimental. It's great to have confidence, so seek solitary connection with nature, to be willing to suffer pain and discomfort in the heroic journey. However, it is detrimental to be over-confident in refusing wise counsel.
   
   Sometimes these qualities can become a dangerous mix - the ignorance of youth mixed with the over-confidence of youth often leads to trouble. It is the fortunate young man who makes it through to his 30's without suffering damage. But when the dangerous qualities are present in extremes, it is usually a prescription for disaster, as was the case for McCandless.
   
   He was extreme in his cut-off from his family and from his past identity as an educated, comfortable, upper-middle-class person. He was extreme in his desire to do things the hard way, such as eating only rice for weeks at a time. He was extreme in refusing help or advice from people. His desire for solitary connection with the wild was extreme.
   
   Apart from these extremes, he might have survived as a rugged outdoorsman like many rock climbers, skiers and mountaineers. However, his extremes led him to tackle an Alaska survival project that included no safety net. The result was almost predictable. Was McCandless' journey heroic or suicidal? I don't think it was intentionally suicidal, because I think he realized he was placing himself in a risky situation. He knew enough to know he could die if things went wrong.
   
   He was smart enough to research hunting skills, but not smart enough or patient enough to gain actual hunting experience before placing his life at the mercy of his hunting abilities. He knew enough to take a gun, but not enough to know what kind of a gun was needed, much less how to be proficient in using a gun for survival.
   
   I've seen profiles of survival fanatics in Alaska who actually do what McCandless attempted to do - they live alone by their wits in wild Alaska. But to succeed, these people first gain years of wide experience in all manner of survival skills. They learn what it takes to survive an Alaska winter before they launch out to attempt it. This preparation and survival seasoning us what McCandless lacked and thought he could do without. His hubris cost him his life.



2. This was my first book by Krakauer. We were assigned to read it in highschool as a sort of "american dream" type novel. I heard a lot of bad press about it. I was not expecting to fall completley in love with this book. Many people say that Chris was dumb and should not have done what he had done but for people like myself who have always had that "live in the wild" call inside them for years this book is wonderful. He has done everything I have wished I could do (other than the dying part). The movie also does justice to the book, very well actually.
   
   Its a wonerful story- very touching and heartfelt. I have read it around 8 or 9 times.



3. Though this Jon Krakauer effort is not as thrilling as INTO THIN AIR, it had its moments. Nature lovers and literature lovers alike will find something to admire in the restless young soul of Chris McCandless. There's plenty of description of God's Country (Alaska, to us) and of Chris's tastes in authors (Thoreau and Tolstoy figure prominently). The problem is, at times we lose track of McCandless as Kraukauer gets sidetracked with storylines about other restless seekers from history who misjudged the wild and either lived to regret it or regretted to die because of it. While somewhat interesting, these chapters break the narrative arc as well as the interest built in McCandless as a protagonist.
   
   The story of McCandless was originally an article Krakauer penned for OUTSIDE MAGAZINE. Transforming it into a full-fledged book required not only the historical asides mentioned above, but even an autobiographical chapter about Krakauer himself (the author justifying it by a similar experience he had while climbing a mountain in his rash youth). If you read the magazine article and craved more details, you'll be treated to some updated theories on McCandless's demise. If the "padding" distracts you, however, skip those chapters that experience their own "wanderlust" and stick to the chapters about the protagonist.



4. I ordewr the book after seeing the movie. It arrived in perfect condition and I enjoyed the book as much as the movie.



5. Into the Wild is classic Krakauer - reads much like Into Thin Air. Brilliant, heart-breaking and lovely all at the same time.