No comments about At the Cottage.

1 comments about A Fork in the Road: Tales of Food and Travel.

1. Anik See seems to have a gift for reaching into the hearts of the people among whom she travels and being welcomed into their homes. These tales of hospitality in rich and fascinating places warm the heart and leave the taste of spices lingering on the tongue. A rich embrace of a book, it lures you to travel and taste and even dust off the stove and get those pots bubbling as you began your own adventure with the recipes she has brought back for you.

5 comments about Culture Shock!: Canada (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette).

1. Culture Shock, Canada I found to be a very useful book which gave me an excellent background to Canada. The book explores the people, the history, the terrain and almost every other issue which makes Canada, Canada and Canadians, Canadians. An essential book to gain a complete understanding of Canada and it's people. I am immigrating to Canada and found the book to be very interesting background reading.



2. I ordered this book because my husband & I are soon moving to Canada. He is Canadian & we have been married 2 years, the same amount of time he has been living here in the U.S. We are in the middle of my immigration to Canada process and I wanted a quick history of & info about what will be my new country. I have visited Canada & since I am married to a Canadian I know that the tone of this book is quite misleading. I'm not sure what countries it's aimed at, but I know it cannot be the U.S.! The authors make it sound like Canada is a backward country full of bingo players who stay home all winter long! It's become a humourous book to me, even the words they say are "Canadian", such as "tad".....my family has used this word since I can remember & so do many others around here (maybe Oregon is too close to Canada?). Read this book with a grain of salt, IF you must read it.....I don't recommend it as much of a correct vision of Canada and Canadians.



3. I was in the process of immigrating to Canada and this book was among the two most helpful ones. The other one was "Live and Work in USA and Canada". After reading them I had a pretty good idea what Canadian culture is like - things that you won't normally see on CNN. Both books are highly recommended.



4. I live in Maine and am somewhat familar with the Canadian culture...perhaps this is why I gave this book such a poor rating. But I found it to be so general in its information that I too wonder just what audience this book is written for? Most of the content seemed just common sense to me and if your from the northeast then a basic sense of climate and its effects can guide you. I had hoped it would have delved greater into the social/family culture and more on their views of American or contrasts of other cultures than the brief page it offered. I will however now subscribe to Macleans magazine, the Canadian equivalent of the Times or Newsweek here in the states, and also the national newspaper from Toronto, The Globe and Mail, to further my knowledge of this great neighbor to the north.



5. This book is quite good for the American thinking about living in Canada. However, there are three essentials which the writers have left out:
   
   1) Do NOT even imply that Canadians are so much like Americans that Canada might as well give up its independence and become part of your home country. There is very little that will lead the average Canadian to violence (well, outside of an NHL contract), but that might do it.
   
   2) Canadian kids are taught from the time they learn to walk that it's dirty and boorish to wear shoes indoors. Consequently, if you visit Canadian friends, you must remove your shoes once you enter their home. This is the case even on a sunny fine day. Strangely, being barefoot is not considered anywhere near as crass or thoughtless as wearing shoes indoors, but most people do think to put on socks before visiting others, even if they don't usually wear socks.
   
   3) A common mistake among Americans moving to Canada is to buy a house in the suburbs thinking they're safer and more child-friendly than the inner cities. However, in many Canadian cities the inner cities have better schools, higher quality housing, less crime, and more pleasant neighbourhoods than some of the suburbs. This is especially true of Calgary and Toronto.

3 comments about Dogfriendly.com's Campground and RV Park Guide.

1. I was looking for a resource that would highlight camping areas that cater to dogs, rather than ones that merely allow them, so I didn't find this book that helpful as the information here can be obtained elsewhere also. There are differences between campgrounds with a small, neglected "pet area" and those that have areas that are large, attractive, has trails or play areas, etc, but this book doesn't distinguish between them, nor does it rate campgrounds in terms of dogfriendliness. Still, I'll bring this book with me on the road as does at least let you know if a campground allows dogs. It also includes sections at the back listing which campgrounds off which highways, and another for dog parks by city.



2. My Woodalls guide also contained dog friendly information. This book just weeded out all of the RV places that didn't mention pets or were not dog friendly. I will use it on some of our short trips. Nothing worse than traveling one day and finding out your furry children are not welcome.



3. Campground guides can be encyclopedic, or selective and detailed. With its title, this guide would appear to be aiming at the latter model -- but it falls oddly short. With only a small selection of campgrounds covered, the book nonetheless doesn't give any indication of why the editors have chosen those few spots: the descriptions list things like specific regulations (numbers of dogs allowed, extra fees, etc.), but no sense of why you might want to be in most of these places with your dog (or even without it). Some descriptions provide more detail, but that unevenness of coverage just makes the plain-Jane listings look odder.
   
   I haven't tried the dog park listings, which might be very helpful. I did try the "campgrounds along major Interstate routes" section, which in theory is a GREAT idea: I'm traveling with my dog, and need to know where I can stop for the night. The only problem is, the editors' definition of "along an interstate" is, in some cases, 50-some miles away! Campgrounds may not be conveniently clustered at highway exits like motels, but the "along a route" organizational concept would seem to acknowledge that people are, in fact, moving in a direct line, and would like to stay somewhere near it. There are also no maps included, so users have to look at the names of towns listed, go to an atlas, look them up, then repeat for the next listing. This is frustrating and time-consuming.

5 comments about Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies, 3rd edition.

1. Many of the peaks visible from your car as you drive through the rockies have relatively easy routes to their summits,that is - routes that can be done with only hiking equipment.Those that do are likely to be described in Alan Kanes book. Some are not much more than a walk-up others require a fair degree of experience and nerve to accomplish. Route descriptions in guidebooks often make for rather dry reading,but many of these are spiced up by bits of interesting historical,geological,and other info as well as by the authors offbeat sense of humour.



2. Wow...what can I say, other than this book has had a major impact on my life. From a valley bottom, trail dweller, "Scrambles" has shown me how to reach the heights without having to bother with the burden of carabiners, ropes, etc... If the essence of this guide book could be summed up in one word...that word would be FREEDOM. The Canadian Rockies are not a heavily travelled area (except for the main street of Banff!). With the exception of a few popular peaks, one is unlikely to encounter other people of most of these scrambles. Alan's route descriptions are concise and accurate, which is of great importance, especially under less than ideal conditions. There is a magical world waiting to be discovered in these mountains and "Scrambles" is the perfect passport to many adventures, here in the Canadian Rockies



3. I just recently got this guidebook, and let me just say that it blew away all my expectations. Seriously, this is the finest mountain guidebook I've ever seen. Pictures for every mountain, great descriptions, introduction, etc. Bravo. Well worth the money. I had to try hard to keep myself from drooling on the book because it's an x-mas gift to my dad. There are certainly some great peaks to climb in Canada.



4. The author, Alan Kane, does a great job of putting this guide together. This version is much better than the previous edition. Lots more peaks included. For the most part the peaks are all in alberta. Some in the south, others a bit more towards the north. Each hike includes difficulty level and other relevant information.

   Alan has climbed every one of the peaks he described. The route descriptions reflect that intimate knowledge that the author has with each route. The details are excellent. Moreover, he really gives you a feel for the climb and from my experience reading the routes made for fewer unwanted surprises on the actual climb.

   I'll also say that the book has a nice variety when it comes to difficulty of the scrambles. The concept of scrambling in many ways represents the highest degree of freedom you can have while climbing. This is because you needn't be weighed down by lots of gear (protection, climbing rope, chocks, etc) to do these scrambles. Yet they are more difficult and exciting than a regular walk-up. Kane has all the bases covered here. For a guide to scrambling in the canadian rockies, look no further. However, don't just take my word for it...Alan has a website where you can see some of the routes described in the book. I think it will give you a good idea of what to expect.




5. This book is gold. Alan has made a guidebook, that has everything you need to know about a route, right in front of your eyes. From Elevation gain, approximate round trip time, difficulty, the map needed, route photos for every peak and a completely detailed description of the route. Also he has a colored mini photo album at the beginning of the book that shows some pictures of what you will encounter. He has included over 150 mountains that range from tiny hills that I could take my pet hampster up(jokingly), to glaciated masses of rock that can take a rope and multiple days. This book should be in every climbers pack. I erge you to buy it. It's well worth it.

5 comments about Magnetic North: A Trek Across Canada.

1. This is a marvelous adventure story with a tragic aftermath. David Halsey was 21 years old when he set out to cross Canada's remote wilderness by foot, canoe, and dog sled, a 4000 mile journey that would take him several years to complete. For most of the trip, he was accompanied by a friend and a dog named Coy, who wandered into Halsey's wilderness camp in British Columbia one night, and thereafter became a permanent member of the expedition. Diana Landau did a wonderful job editing this book, which was no small task considering its author died in his 20's several years previous to her launching into the project. David Halsey was gifted with a pen however, and left behind enough raw material in journal notes and reflections that Landua could put together a cohesive reminiscence of his fantastic journey. This is one of those books that will remain with you always. Read it -you won't be disappointed.



2. Dave had a dream - and set out to live his dream. The book presents an excellent account of his trek across the Great White North. It makes you feel like you are living, breathing and feeling it with him. What a tragedy that he wasn't able to do more. He had so much to give and wanted little in return. An excellent account in survival and a lesson in human nature. Highly recommend!



3. A great book. It wasn't long enough is the only complaint, and that's if you force me to complain.

   This is a great yet tragic story about a man/boy who was meant to be in the woods. The book is, as you can guess, a trek across Canada by foot, canoe, and dogsled. Those that like the outdoors and wonder what the world was like before cell phones, pavement, and the flood of civilization need to go no futher than this work. The beauty is that this trek happened in the late 70s.

   This book, from cover to cover, makes you yearn to be out in the wild and to wish you were there, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel (well some of it. The near dying stuff is best left alone). The wilds of Canada call to you as you turn each page, realizing that these travels are really not that far removed from the US/Canada border.

   One gets a great perspective in reading this book through the words of Halsey and with the notes of Diana Landau, who does a marvellous job walking us through the rough parts of the story that were not completed before David's death. In fact, it could be argued that the reader gets a more complete picture in this, essentially a 2 author affair, than if only Halsey would have done it.

   Truly Halsey is a man who was born to be in the outdoors and it is a shame that he did not remain in one of the nooks or crannies that he had crossed on the way. While there was a sense of inexperience in both travellers, it's hard to not feel for them and see their learning as the trip wound on.

   The book is out of print, so it will be hard to come by. But if you can find it, do so.




4. I have read David Halsey's Magnetic North repeated times for it's pure display of passion and adventure. Halsey was a man both before and beyond his time. He knew the importance of keeping his expedition a journey by primitive means, it was important to himself. His passing is a tragic tale, but not unlike many other great explorers and adventure writers of the 19th and 20th century. Within the pages of his account, there is more than a story. There is a compassionate soul bound to the wilderness, paddling his way through waters that had not been traversed by a white man, and a grievous attempt to return to modern society. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever dared to dream, not of greatness, but of a life lived in the wild to satisfy a yearning heart.



5. Much has been accomplished in this book. Dave Halsey not only traveled from one end of Canada to the other, but he lived with the Indians for a few months during 40-below degree winter season. He shares his experiences in both the hot and frigid, both the rapid and inch-by-inch travel. He has also been through inspiring and mind-blowing experiences. Plus, this book is wonderful for nature admirers and outdoor campers & hikers alike.

No comments about Backroad Mapbook Kootenays Rockies BC (Backroad Maps, 4).

5 comments about Interstate Exit Authority, 2000.

1. We have traveled to Florida and to Yellowstone this year. The Exit Authority was the most helpful book for traveling I have ever used. We were able to plan all our stops, get gas, find a restaurant, pick a campsite, you name it Exit Authority has it listed. I wouldn't go on any trip without it. Only one problem and it isn't with the book, I live in Pa and we still don't have the correct numbers on our exits. We had the most trouble right in our own state. Otherwise, buy it and enjoy your trip!



2. We travel often during the year to NASCAR races and pull a 24ft trailer. The eXitSource is a MUST to find stores, gas stations, RV parts stores and ESPECIALLY where the to dump the bathroom and water tanks. There are many states where the dump stations are not provided so to find one ahead of time is important in the planning. We have used the Exit books for years and would not be without it.



3. I had previously posted a review and provided incorrect information concerning the listing RV dump stations in the eXit Source, they are in fact listed in the Trailer Life Directory which is another must for any travelers with RV's. Trailer Life is great for looking for Camp Sites ahead of travelling.



4. I have the 2000 edition of "Interstate Exit Authority" and found it very helpful during my Summer of 2000 road trip to and from California. The book is detailed yet easy to read and use- it covers every exit on every interstate and major highway. Before the road trip, the book saved me time and resources during the planning stages. During the road trip, looking up information was fast and easy. The book was a huge 600+ pages, yet easy to carry and handle, and overall very durable. I'd like to see it back on the market, with new editions every 12 months.



5. Have found alot of missing businesses, book needs updating. Is there a 2005 coming?

No comments about Atlantic Canada Map.

5 comments about American Map Road Atlas 2005 United States, Canada, Mexico (Atlas).

1. This is the best Road Atlas that I've have ever seen.
   Great product!! Great Price!! and you can't beat Amazon's Great service!!



2. Most atlases have entire states on only one page. Consequently, many smaller towns are omitted. Most states in this atlas are on two (if not more) pages. Larger print. Easy to use.



3. THis is a pretty good looking road atlas. The spiral binder makes it less likely to end up like the glued and stapled atlases. The large scale maps are easy to read, even across the cab so you can see what she is telling you.



4. Without a doubt the best road atlas you can buy. Spiral binding makes it so much easier to handle without destroying it.
   
   Exceptional detail on State, County and other secondary roads. Larger size and scale provide much improved readability when you're on the move (of course I never try to read the map while driving). Excellent detail on city maps and way more notation of landmarks and points of interest than the other brand.
   
   Why waste your money on Rand McNally when this is available?



5. This atlas is suppose to be large print but the print is much too small. It was very disappointing.