No comments about Rand McNally Harley Davidson Ride Atlas of North America: U.S., Canada, Mexico with Map.

5 comments about Breaking the Limit: One Woman's Motorcycle Journey Through North America.

1. Breaking Limit was an awsome book to read. She describes her trip where you can feel your there. Having family that have gone to Alaska and being adopted myself, I was able to relate to what she was feeling on her trip. I myself ride a bike and Karen's bike from what my husband says would be a hard trip that long and that far.Karen gives an amazing travel journal with the roads she chose and gives someone the ideas of what to expect on a bike trip.My husband enjoyed the book aswell.Any bike rider would enjoy it and relate to it. Ladie riders it will give you the confidence and encouragement that us gals can travel and do it.



2. Don't waste your time reading this review ... man or woman, find and devour it as I did.



3. What an incredible read by an amazing woman. The book is intelligently written, including bits of history in her descriptions of areas traveled and her encounters with strangers. I also ride a "SPORTY" and men are amazed that I have ridden over 10,000 miles on it, much less a "short distance" trip of 450 miles in one day. I am in complete awe that this women did it on a model that was not rubber mounted as is mine. Have shared excerpts with my husband and he is interested in reading the book also. And being the man that he is, knowing I would enjoy a solo/soul searching journey of travel, encouraged me by stating he would "hold down the fort" so I could have a similar but shorter experience. Definitely recommend this to all women who ride.



4. This book was first brought to my attention as an amazon reccommendation. Just from reading the excerpts I thought this might be a good read. I will say, (again,) this was exactly what I had hoped for. Karen's journey from New Jersey into Alaska and back, using almost all back roads, was a detailed account of what it might be like as a woman traveling throughout the united states. She stayed at, for the most part, campsites or hostels, only rarely staying in a hotel, thats over 14000 miles. An incredible review of the journey, and not so much the destination.
   The first thing you might ask while reading this, as I did and do, is, how did she remember all these details? She must of taken notes every night before she camped. The roads she took, the people she met at gas stations or coffee houses, their names, what they were wearing, the expressions on their faces, all of it. She of course doesnt account everything, the book would be monsterous, but she gives you a good idea of the whole aspect of the journey. If your into adventure, motorcycles, and possibly getting an idea on your next summer road trip, I say read this book.



5. The story is excellent .you get the feel of riding a motorcycle through her words.

2 comments about American Map 2008 United States Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico.

1. Very comprehensive map guide. huge spiral-bound book occupies much space but the content is invaluable. Buy this!



2. A very comprehensive atlas. It is a must if you travel a lot by car!

4 comments about Michelin Road Atlas 2008: USA, Canada, Mexico.

1. I have been using the Michelin Road Atlas for about 4 years now. I buy a new one every 2 years because new roads appear about that often.
   
   I travel frequently, and I used to find the map size and amount of detail very good for my needs. For 2008, Michelin has reduced the page width side-to-side by about an inch per page, with about a 10% reduction in scale. The print is starting to get a little small for easy reading. I wish they had kept the original size.
   
   Having said that, I still find that the atlas fits nicely in the door pocket of my vehicle. The page-to-page organization is very logical and easy to follow, with good overlap from page to page. Michelin has done a good job on this atlas series.



2. The key feature of this atlas is the maps division principle. Michelin divides the whole US into equally-scaled rectangular pieces and puts each such piece on a page. This means that they don't put each state on a separate page. This way you get a more logical, uniform organization of maps with predictable transitions between them. The overlaps between the maps are large enough to make it easy to find where you were on the previous map. There are special large-scale maps for the East Coast region, also nicely arranged in an overlapping manner. And of course, many city maps. The atlas also contains a lot of useful information, such as mileages, scenic routes, etc. Be aware that the atlas is smaller than the RandMcNally's big one, I think it is about the size of the smaller RandMcNally atlas, the one which is supposed to fit into the gloves compartment (it does, actually, in my car). I give four stars to the atlas rather than five stars because it is a bit small so the fonts are not large enough to be easily read when driving. But in all other aspects the Michelin atlas is better than its competitors.



3. This atlas is easy to use and very comprehensive. The pages are by sections rather than by state, which is quite good when you are traveling across state lines. I highly recommend it to anyone who travels by car.



4. My wife and I went on a long road trip - I have a navigation system in the car but it's nice to have a paper map handy so you can easily see what's a few hundred miles ahead.
   My only complaint with this atlas, and any paper atlas for that matter, is going from page 96 to 52 to 46 to whatever; that's a lot of page turning and you'd better have someone in the passenger seat or you'll have to pull over to the side of the road.
   But, overall this one is nicely laid out with more detailed maps of the larger cities.

2 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.



2. A comprehensive coverage but reviews focus more upmarket. Little coverage of the good small b&b's.

3 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.



3. just spent 10 days in the canadian rockies and this guidebook made the trip great. it's an amazing area and information in this book is well organized and let's you plan your trip well. one thing we did find off was the grading system for hikes, some "easy" hikes were definitely not. outside of that this guidebook was very complete and accurate, from sights, to restaurants and lodging. one of the best travel books i've ever used.

2 comments about Frommer's Banff & Jasper National Parks (Park Guides).

1. The key feature of Frommer's guides is their "what to do if" pages. While I was on a tour which took us to certain attractions, there was sufficient free time to explore others. Having someone to guide you to the most worthwhile attractions depending on how much time you have available is helpful when visiting for the first time. I took some of their suggestions, but also found others just as interesting. The guide book is targeted for the mainstream adult audience rather than youth or those on a frugal budget. The pages of need to know items as well as items such as where to find bookstores and other make it very handy. The pages concerning accommodations and restaurants are as current as can be.
   
   I highly recommend it for its target audience
   
   Jonathan



2. Nice concise descriptions and good details of places to see, visit, and things to do. Easy to follow format and the index was surprisingly good. Good tips for hiking in the Canadian Rockies. Nice small size made it easy to keep this resource in a backpack pocket.

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 Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, and Lies.

1. I grew up in Niagara and still visit about twice a year. This book covers a topic I know very well and I still learned a lot. Not only is it a great read but this book really captures Niagara.
   
   Niagara of course has great physical beauty: The falls themselves, the islands in the upper Niagara River, the lower Niagara with its gorge and rapids, and of course the great lakes of Erie and Ontario are all spectacular. However, this book also captures the darker side of Niagara. Maltreatment of Native Americans, Love Canal, disposal of toxic waste and Niagara's major role in the Manhattan project are all discussed here. Many other lesser known but important and fascinating aspects of Niagara Falls are described here.
   
   If you are looking for a detailed scholarly history then this is not the book for you. This book does not deliver extensive explanations of Niagara's geology or natural history. Nor does it give deep technical explanations of the engineering behind the modern day harnessing of Niagara for power.
   
   The author visited Niagara and became fascinated with the place. She started learning more about it and discovered Niagara had a rich, layered and sometimes bizarre history. In this book you accompany the author as she peels off the layers of the history of Niagara Falls.
   The focus here on the American side of the falls. Niagara's history is tightly interwoven with American history as a whole. Niagara has a major role in the French and Indian war, war of 1812, Underground Railroad, WWII, industrialization and urban renewal.
   
   If you want to learn more about Niagara Falls, its history and why it is the way it is today should read this book. Anybody planning to visit Niagara would be well served to read this book as well. For that matter, it is a good read period.
   
   P.S. Go to the author's website for more photos and information: www.gingerstrand.com



2. If you live in the US or Canada, I would imagine that you would be in the minority if you say that you have never been to Niagara Falls. According some sources, over 2 million people visit the Falls every year. But what you see is just a small portion of the area. Ginger Strand, in her book, Inventing Niagara, shows you Niagara Falls and the surrounding area in a way that no travel guide will; She debunks the myths, shows you the environmental damage, takes you behind the scenes of the massive power plants, and introduces you to the many people that have shaped the area. And when I say "shaped," that is exactly what you see - men who have turned a natural wonder into something fake. At the end of the book, you have to wonder if Disney had something to do with the Falls, as what you see is manufactured realism.
   
   Contents:
   Introduction: Down the Memory Hole
   Chapter 1: White Man's Fancy, Red Man's Fact
   Chapter 2: The Eighth Wonder of the World
   Chapter 3: Skipper the Two-Legged Dog
   Chapter 4: The Other Side of Jordan
   Chapter 5: Free Niagara
   Chapter 6: King of Power, Queen of Beauty
   Chapter 7: Sentiment in Liquid Form
   Chapter 8: The Bomb and Tom Brokaw's Desk
   Chapter 9: Boulevard of Broken Dreams
   Epilogue: The Voice of the Landscape
   Sources and Acknowledgements
   Index
   
   Starting the book with a critique of the "Maid of the Mist" mythology, Strand moves along to other historical figures such as the early explorers, the indigenous Indians, and the developers. One of the stories that amazed me was the spectacle of the schooner Michigan, which is curiously omitted from all current guide books. In 1827, two businessmen contracted to have the schooner Michigan towed to currents above the falls with a crew of caged animals. At the appointed hour, the schooner was cut loose and a crowd of up to 20,000 watched as it plunged over the falls and was smashed to bits. Only a bear and a goose survived the ordeal. As time moves on, things don't get better for the area. As men realize the unlimited hydroelectric potential of the falls, water is diverted from the falls, reducing the flow to the minimum for the tourists. The resulting factories dump their toxic chemical and radioactive waste into the Niagara River. Or they create Superfund sites like Love Canal (Love Canal is but one Superfund site in the area, there are many others). Or they create giant landfills. The memories that travel guides omit are brought to the light by Strand, made more compelling by her interviews with people that actually lived on the land or worked in the factories.
   
   From the opening pages, you understand that Strand has an obsession with Niagara Falls. And it is a good thing, too, as she has written a very good book on the dark side of the falls. While 99.9% of those 2 million visitors only look at what is in front of them, enjoy the casinos, or the tourist mecca that is Clifton Hill, there is much more to experience and know. Not all of it equals a happy and relaxing visit, but it is a view of the real falls. The fact that only a small percentage of the Niagara River flows over the falls and is controlled and manipulated very carefully by the power authorities is just as amazing as the history of Goat Island and the American Falls. You finish the book realizing that what you see isn't real, it is man-made. This book hasn't deterred me from visiting again, it has shown me some sites that I would like visit. And it puts into context why you see what you do. Knowing that, I can still have a pleasant visit, but it will not be spent only on the Canadian side of the falls. There is too much to do on the American side and it will be important to share those sites with the family. I can't wait to relate to the family the history of the Robert Moses Parkway or how a small band of Indians lost their land because they didn't do anything with it (this is a point that probably has some merit in today's society). The only issues I had with the book are probably trivial: Strand's overuse of the word "sublime" and the casual tone. But it is a very enjoyable, interesting book.
   
   Be sure to read the Sources and Acknowledgements. Strand adds more personal tidbits amongst her sources, especially an anecdote concerning Norm Stressing, supervisor of operations at the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant.



3. This book, although well-researched, doesn't give the whole story of Niagara. It focuses great indignation upon the abuse of this natural wonder in the name of such evils as progress, commerce, and electrical power generation. The author's fascination with her own thought process, and her diary-like recounting of her everyday experiences in researching the book, does little to advance the cause.
   
   On the positive side, I felt the book was factually honest, and it's probably useful, and certainly convenient, to have this material gathered in one place. Hence, three stars (a neutral, not a negative rating) overall.



4. When most Americans conjure up an image of Niagara Falls what most likely comes to mind is artist Frederick Church's iconic 1857 painting. In those days the Falls really were wild and wonderful and although a certain amount of development had already begun to take shape in the surrounding area those who loved revelling in the spendor of nature were likely to make a trip to Niagara a top priority. But unbeknownst to most of us what we see today at Niagara Falls is largely a mirage. The powers that be in New York state and Canada literally have the ability to turn the Falls completely off if they choose to! Just what has occurred over the past two centuries that has led this venerable natural wonder to be degraded so dramatically? Ginger Strand has had a lifelong fascination with Niagara Falls. In "Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power and Lies" Strand traces the largely unknown and unreported history of this national treasure. What you will discover will likely surprise and greatly disturb you.
   I certainly had no idea of the long and diverse history of Niagara Falls. Although my wife and I have visited the Falls twice in the past 15 years we were totally unaware of just how much of the scene we were observing was being manipulated. For nearly 200 years vastly competing interests have been vying for economic advantage at Niagara Falls. In the pages of "Inventing Niagara" you will be introduced to many of the key players in the ongoing saga of the Falls and the adjacent communities. With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 the Falls area immediately became a popular tourist attraction. It was fun reading about so many of the offbeat amusements that sprang up in the area during the middle of the 19th century. One of the most popular attractions was a colorful high wire artist named Blondin who wowed audiences for several summers with dramatic jaunts across the gorge. You will also discover how the long lost mummy of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses I wound up in the popular Niagara Falls Museum. A fascinating story! Another important slice of Niagara history is that Harriet Tubman ran her Underground Railway System from Niagara before the Civil War. Later on in the nineteenth century a group of well-heeled individuals emerged who had other ideas about how to best utilize the enormous hydro resources at the Falls. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing and power was badly needed to turn the wheels of industry. Soon chemical factories appeared all over the area spewing their toxic fumes and waste and forever altering the landscape. Sadly, in the 1940's thousands of workers at these plants were exposed to radioactive materials as they unwittingly did work on "The Manhatten Project" for the U.S. Department of Defense. You will also learn how the Army Corps of Engineers and an assortment of other state and federal agencies and private industry interests would come to be involved in altering and reshaping the Falls.
   Author Ginger Strand brings a boatload of important new material to light in "Inventing Niagara". Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews she succeeds in bringing to life the checkered history of this once beloved region and speculates what the future might have in store. It turns out that Niagara Falls was so much more than merely "the honeymoon capitol of the world". This is a book that grabbed my attention in Chapter One and just would not let go. I simply could not put it down. One of the surprise hits of 2008! Highly recommended!



5. Ginger, I am being quite informal here, is a self described fanatic about Niagara Falls. So am I. Thus, while reading her book I felt like I had found a long lost friend. We could converse (although she could not hear me!) the many subjects about the lost Niagara, the damaged Niagara,the changed Niagara, the abused Niagara; well I could go on and on. (I wish someone could force the power companies, for one lousy day, to let the water flow naturally but I digress......)
   
   Here's what I suggest. If you are one of these people that goes to Niagara Falls and can look for a few hours and be content to move on to the casinos or Clifton Hill entertainment (ie Ripley's, haunted houses, water slides) then you are not going to appreciate this book very much. However, if you really want to know some real "geeky" (my kids word for me, alas) stuff about hydro power, chemical landfills, misplaced mice killed by radiation, etc. then you will probably adore this book, as I did. The book scores on many levels.

2 comments about Rand McNally Nova Scotia, Canada: Provincial Map.

1. Just came back from a 2500 mile car safari around the Maritime Provinces. This map was useful and up to date. Note that the map includes all of Prince Edward Island and much of New Brunswick as well as Nova Scotia which makes it extremely handy.



2. Came in very handy on a recent trip to Nova Scotia. Was detailed enough for the country side. Cities required a more detailed city map (obtained locally from tourist information centers).