2 comments about Pacific Crest Trail Data Book: Mileages, landmarks, facilities, resupply data and essential trail information for the entire Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada.

1. I can't think of anything this guide has left out. It provides not only thorough trail descriptions and maps for each segment that are detailed and clear, but also a history of the trail, both natural and historic, advice on planning your trip, and a complete list of agencies to contact for trail permits. I appreciate the details regarding flora and fauna, as well as advice from everything to supply stations to how to deal with bears. I don't believe that I have ever seen a more thorough and complete trail guide.



2. It's got the bare essential data you need for the hike.
   Mileage, water sources, post offices, grocery stores, etc.
   Don't leave your domicile without it.

1 comments about Frommer's Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands & the San Juan Islands (Frommer's Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands & the San Juan Islands).

1. Frommer will never dissapoint you. If you have limited number of days and want to see as much as possible, this is the right guide. IT also details all essential services and key WEB sites. For this price tag, just keep it in your backpack.

1 comments about Frommer's Niagara Region.

1. We used this little book extensively on our recent fall Niagara Trip. Gives valuable information to optimize your visit so you don't waste time doing things you know you wouldn't enjoy. It alsos gives tips on interesting things to do in the entire Niagara region. People with varied interests can find many things to do.

2 comments about Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island (Regional Guide).

1. We used this during our trip and enjoyed it a lot, most especially their restaurant recommendations. Their choices in Halifax and Charlottetown were right on. Their B&B recommendations were good too. I recommend carrying this with you on your trip.



2. This thing saved my butt last year.
   I took a trip to Boston, and drove from Boston to Inverness, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island.
   I went the scenic route, cutting through Maine to Calais / St Stephen, where I crossed the border into New Brunswick.
   I had an atlas, I had maps, I had been studying maps of the entire Eastern seaboard for months and months. This was a solo journey so I wanted to be prepared. I decided to get the Lonely Planet guide on a whim. I figured I couldn't have too much information!
   The thing about the Maritime Provinces that outsiders don't know, is that it's nearly impossible to get any good information on them from the conventional sources (internet, etc). Enter Lonely Planet guides.
   The biggest way this book helped me was when I was in Saint John, NB which is where I stayed overnight between Boston and Cape Breton.
   First of all, Saint John was surprisingly cute. I wish I would have had more time there. Secondly and more importantly, on the way through to CB, I stayed at a slightly crappy motel just outside of town which while not terrible, was not fantastic and I didn't feel entirely safe (just paranoia I think, but still...) That motel was NOT listed in the book, FYI. So on the way back, I decided to look elsewhere - in my book! Lo and behold, I find in the book the contact info for the summer dorm rental program at the University. Why yes, I'll gladly shell out $20 for a safe, clean room! I just needed a place to sleep after all, and it was perfect.
   The book also gave me some great info on tiny little St Stephen, where I had a few minutes to stop before crossing the border, and I hit a chocolate shop recommended in the book. Divine. Wouldn't have had a clue without my guide book.
   I'm quite sure my journey would have been entirely different, and less enjoyable without this thing.
   Lonely Planet books are priceless. Get one.

5 comments about Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation.

1. This book proved to be a big help in determining native plantings for my yard. The latin names helped eliminate "look alikes" in plant catalogs. It is worth the money



2. For anyone in the Northeastern part of the USA, this book will become a well thumbed reference. The developing of a web of life based upon the system of native flora and fauna is clearly and compellingly presented. In a world where native plants are often thought of as weeds, this book is a fresh look at what makes the Northeast its own special region.



3. I know how to garden in Kansas, Maryland, Australia, South Texas and Florida, but now I'm learning what plants work for New England. This book is a life saver with descriptions of ferns, grasses, wildflowers, vines, shrubs and trees suited to the region.
   The photos are good, full-color, but aren't always on the same page as the description. Each plant is listed with its scientific name, followed by its common names and family group. It gives the zones, soil requirements, and light needs plus a short description. There are propagation tips for each and notes for special information and an indication of the plant's natural range. It is really a pretty exhaustive book.
   Some helpful lists at the end includes:
   Plants that tolerate wet soil
   Plants that tolerate dry soil
   Plants that tolerate shade
   Plants with flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds
   Plants with fruits that attract birds
   Plants with fruits that attract mammals
   This can be used as a wildflower identification book or to select plants for special needs in your northeast garden.



4. The book is a good list of plants, shrubs and trees for the area. I find the text to be a little technical for the novice/intermediate gardener.



5. Very informative and chocked full of valuable material pertaining to specific types of plants you may desire for your garden. I have only one complaint - the pictures of shrubs and trees show only, in most instances, just the branch containing the leave or flower. I wanted to see pictures of the entire shrub or tree since I desired to observe the fullness or lack thereof of specific species for my garden. In other words, to get an idea how the plant would look when it is in place.

2 comments about Moon Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks (Moon Handbooks).

1. Using Amazon and local bookstores, I checked out all the recent Canadian Rockies guidebooks I could find before choosing this one. It has good explanations of geology, flora, and fauna found in this area. We took many of the suggestions for lodging, food and things to do, and was not disappointed with any. I'm not a hiker - I walk - so I can't judge the suggested hikes, with the exception of one, rated "easy" near Banff. Not easy. For un-hikers who want to "hike" I recommend Graeme Pole's "Walks and Easy Hikes in the Canadian Rockies". It rated the Banff walk as "harder" (that is the toughest of his ratings).



2. 2007's "Canadian Rockies" is the latest Moon handbook on the swath of wonderful parks that straddle the Canadian Rockies from Jasper through Banff to Waterton on the U.S. border. Packaged in a convenient size and packed with a variety of information, "Canadian Rockies is a superb guide for planning a vacation in a area full of opportunities.
   
   The guide covers Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, and Waterton National Parks, along with the Kannaskis Country provincial parks just west of Calgary. Information is provided on a range of accomodations, restaurants, museums and tourist exhibits, and opportunities for recreation. The guide includes a nice selection of maps and photographs. Segments on local history provide context for each area. The guide includes information on access to the parks and cautionary warnings on interacting with the abundant wildlife.
   
   Depending on the season, the Rockies offer hiking, camping, boating, biking, golf, or skiing at a variety of venues. For example, each park narrative includes a representative sample of day hikes and longer hikes. This reviewer and his family are frequent visitors to the Canadian Rockies and found unsurpassed opportunities for hikes to spectacular terrain accessable in few other places in North America.
   
   This guide is very highly recommended to those planning a vacation in the Canadian Rockies.

4 comments about Montreal & Quebec City (City Guide).

1. I'm impressed by the amount of detail, all the stories and know-hows have matched to what a well traveled friend says of Montreal.
   Highlights dinning, lodging, and sites for each section of the city.



2. This guide proved to be very helpful, informative and insightful for my recent 9 day trip. Nicely organized and up to date material.



3. This guide was invaluable during my recent trip to Montreal- the maps were great- having the reviewed places marked on the maps made life a lot easier. I just wish it were bigger.



4. I find Lonely Planet guidebooks the most practically useful of all travel guidebooks. I find the Montreal/Quebec City to be definitely no exception. Just the maps in the book make it extremely worthwhile...no other maps are needed. Interviews with Montreal/Quebec City residents provide informative and real insider information about the cities, as do sections on history, culture and the arts. Information is adequately up-to-date. I highly recommend this book for anyone making a trip to one or both of the cities.

1 comments about Fodor's Nova Scotia & Atlantic Canada, 10th Edition: With New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. My fiance and I are going to Nova Scotia on our honeymoon this summer. This guide was the best one I've found. We're also going to Prince Edward Island and this book covers all of the Atlantic provinces. It even has sample itineraries which have been helpful because we are creating a honeymoon registry. Great buy! I would also recommend requesting free information from the tourist office of NS, they send out an informative brochure/book.

No comments about Rand McNally 2009 Road Atlas & Travel Guide (Rand Mcnally Road Atlas and Travel Guide: United States, Canada, Mexico).

5 comments about Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo.

1. "Mean and Lowly Things" is a phenomenal account of the trials and tribulations of herpetological field work in one of the most remote places of the world. Jackson tells her story of collecting amphibians and reptiles in the swamp forests of the Northern Congo without bias and in a way that highlights and accentuates the reasons why someone would long to camp in a secluded swamp forest to catch these creatures. "Mean and Lowly" gives down-to-Earth and easily accessible insight into the little-known area of herpetological field work. Jackson shows exactly how mundane things such as drinking water and dry clothes can be hard to come by in the field, yet how tenacity, passion and curiosity can overcome just about any seemingly insurmountable odd. From impossible government bureaucracies and maggots that grow in your skin, to traditional village customs and published scientific data, "Mean and Lowly" truly covers everything one has to deal with as a scientist in the field in an easy and enjoyable read meant for anyone. It is a wonderful and tantalizing book filled with stories that will make you want to leave for the rain forest tomorrow.



2. Mean and Lowly Things is a gripping firsthand account of Kate Jackson's adventures as a herpetological fieldworker in the Congo. While the book provides the reader with scientific detail it's written in a style which brings the experience of conducting field research vividly to life, and as such it mirrors the best travel literature. Keen observations of culture and life are balanced by frank description of the frustrations, fears and feelings of inadequacy which all travelers undergo when venturing to the fringes of the map.
   
   It becomes obvious within the first few pages that Jackson passionately believes in the epigram from Aristotle that opens the book: "To understand the world, we must understand mean and lowly things." Every page of the book breathes the excitement of discovery and the wonders of the forest, and she returns again and again to the message that there is indeed great value in studying toads and snakes.
   
   The opening chapters deal with Jackson's early years of study and work in museum collections, which provides a fascinating insight into the world of hard science with a personal angle. But we really get into the meat when she finally organizes her own expedition to a remote field camp deep in the African Congo. The skills needed on such a venture weren't taught in graduate school. They were simply things that had to be figured out for oneself through a process of trial and error. And when dealing with venomous snakes, errors can be costly. We travel with her as she learns the ropes on a trip marred by civil war, cultural barriers, and a medical evacuation due to raging infection caused by a scraped leg that came into contact with contaminated swamp water. Despite this experience, she comes away with "an altogether irrational longing to return."
   
   Jackson goes back to the Congo for two more expeditions, which are also described in the book. Her focus is on the work and on the phenomenon that she observes, and in that sense, as well as in the way she brushes aside discomfort and understates real dangers, her writing style takes one back to the great 18th and 19th century explorers who first described Africa's mysterious interior. In camp she slept beneath a patched orange tarpaulin on a simple groundsheet, covered in a mosquito net: a situation that caused her Bantu guide to quit because the living conditions were too harsh. The inedible food prepared by her cook - bland manioc which tasted like "a cross between a chunk of wood and an overcooked potato", and soup made with smoked fish which was often half rotten and infested with maggots - caused her to lose 10 pounds in the course of 5 weeks. And then there were the seemingly insurmountable cultural barriers.
   
   But all of that discomfort and frustration is eclipsed by the wonders of discovery and by the thrill of the chase. It's a message of life lived passionately, with purpose, and to the fullest. All of us could benefit from that.



3. The reason that scientists don't know much about the reptiles and amphibians of the Congo, we learn in Kate Jackson's gripping Mean and Lowly Things is because it's a very difficult place to live and most scientists would rather work in places less remote. As a new Ph.D., Kate Jackson doesn't have much of a choice; she can go to the Congo and find snakes on her own, or she can play second, third, or fourth fiddle to some other researcher in a place with running water. Choosing the road less traveled seems to have made all the difference because Jackson turns out to be made of exactly the mettle needed for surviving in climates of perpetual damp, heat, bureaucracy, poverty, and, oh yeah, maggots, biting ants, malaria, sleeping sickness, foot long millipedes and of, course, cobras.
   
   Reminiscent of Raymond Ditmar's very out of print Snake Hunter's Holiday Jackson plunges into the submerged and remote forests of the Congo with a resolve and story telling ability that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Whether cheering along as she captures venomous snakes, or cringing as she describes discovering that maggots are growing under her skin, either way, it's a gripping and enjoyable book that makes you appreciate those people for who intentionally choose the difficult path, try harder when things seem hopeless, and persevere.



4. Kate Jackson is a much-accomplished scientist at a releatively young age. I do happen to know Kate on a personal level...yet her blend of skills still amazes me. She is one part curiousity, two parts courage, and three parts intelligence. Her most impressive skill to me (with my more literary bent) is her sure ability at narrative---her descriptions pull you into the jungle and make you feel your rotting socks in the jungle heat. I think everyone should read Kate's book, as I am sure you have never met anyone like her either.



5. "To understand the world, we must understand mean and lowly things." - Aristotle
   
   Kate Jackson recounts her expeditions with the flare of the best natural field scientists from Jane Goodall to Frank Buck - every bit as fascinating and courageous. Scientific exploration - hardships, danger, daring, mysteries, accomplishment, exotic cultural surprises. Including a glimpse into modern scientific camaraderie around the world and government bureaucratic malfeasance. Highly recommended glimpse of an intrepid person enjoying herself physically and intellectually.
   
   "No person who is enthusiastic about his work has anything to fear from life." -Samuel Goldwyn