2 comments about Pedaling Northwards: A Father & Son's Bicycle Adventure from Virginia to Canada.

1. This book made me wish my knees were not so creaky. In this time of point-to-point travel (skipping everything in between) it is wonderful to be on the land with this father and son as they make their way north. Their adventures and misadventures have the immediacy of real-life experience. I recommend it to arm chair travellers and bike-seat travellers alike! It is suitable for young adult readers as well as adults. My children loved the audio version!



2. I heard about the book and read it with great interest,and passed it on to my son,who was age 19 at the time. We both enjoyed it,and moved on to other interests. The next year, my son traveled by auto to Alaska(from Virginia) and upon his return,he said to me,"Dad, this is a beautiful country,but you can't see it very well from a car. Why don't we go on a bicycle adventure from Richmond to Toronto like that father and son did in "Pedaling Northward" . At the time I was 48 and son was 20, and we were targeting the following summer. I looked him in the eye,and said, "Sounds like a good idea to me." We did it in 12 days inclusive, and 10 days of cycling. We followed the same course as the author until Elmira,NY at which point we headed northwest toward Buffalo and Niagara. We stopped along the way to talk with people Lind had met ,and learned from his mistakes. We were luckier with the weather...it was cool and dry. I recommend the book as a guide for any father and son who want to enjoy the beauty of this country, the power of bonding, and who want to create a memory that will last a lifetime.

No comments about 103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia.

5 comments about Apple's America: The Discriminating Traveler's Guide to 40 Great Cities in the United States and Canada.

1. Apple's America is a God-send for the traveler who is in town for just a day or two but really wants to learn what makes each city tick. No more excuses for just "grabbing dinner" or just passing through on business. I could spend days exploring each city but with this book I've been able to learn more about cities than in years of visiting for business. I've been sending this book to friends of mine to take on business trips and vacation. I prefer Apple's America to any guide out there.



2. I had a wonderful time reading this book. Not bad. Go's into some interesting topics and covers the bases for the most part.



3. Hands down, this is the best travel book I've ever read -- and I enjoyed reading it cover to cover, unlike many travel books. It's a combination of where to eat, stay and what to see as well as a fascinating history/commentary that really gives you a sense of what a city is like, the pulse. Apple is a fantastic writer and I trust his restaurant recommendations over any other writer/critic out there -- in the cities I know well, he's definitely included the best of the best eats, both high brow and low brow. I really hope he can update and re-publish his European guide soon. I don't want to travel anywhere without his guidance any more!



4. I always thought that Johnny Apple was the model correspondent. The insights, the historical perspective, and the narrative drive he brought to his dispatches were unique. This book, an assemblage of his writings about North America, reflects his wonderful style. Johnny died in September 2006, a victim of thoracic cancer. But his writings live on -- through this book, his earlier, "Apple's Europe," and, of course, 43 years of reports for The New York Times.



5. Lots of terrific info for near to home travelers. I gave it as a gift & the receiver (30's male)was thrilled.

No comments about Insight Compact Guide Cambridge and East Anglia (Insight Compact Guides).

2 comments about ABACA Flows Over Niagara Falls.

1. I knew nothing about Niagara Falls before our visit, I purchased this book for my two kids. I learned so much from the ilustrations and the text that it was neat to see the places when we went to the falls. I am glad we read this book over and over again before and during our trip.
   
   My kids really liked the characters in the book.



2. What an educational book! We purchased a couple of books on Niagara Falls before visiting them and really enjoyed the book. This one was by far the most informative and thorough kid¢s book of the books we read on the falls. I hope anyone planning on a visit to the falls, reads this book!
   
   
   
   Kim
   
   A proud mother
   
   New Jersey

1 comments about Discovering Eden: A Lifetime of Paddling the Arctic Rivers.

1. Alex Hall has translated his knowledge of and love for Canada's Thelon River in this excellent book. It is not a "how to" book, as the adventures he takes are not of that sort. On their own very few people could cobble together the support and equipment, and then find a survivable route given the scant mapping available. Alex's years in the North have given him the skills and connections to pull off successful trips. Alex writes an account of how he puts it all together and travels the river with groups of visitors. His love for the Barrens, the Thelon, and the North shine through and make the reader appreciate his adventures. It also makes you want to go on one with him.

1 comments about Wilderness Rivers of Manitoba: Journey by Canoe Through the Land Where the Spirit Lives.

1. I enjoyed this book and it is in many ways a very unusual book. It was written by Hap Wilson with the help of his wife Stephanie Aykroyd. They are experienced wilderness activists, canoe adventurers, and photographers. Hap has written other similar books and they live north of Toronto in Ontario, Canada (the province next to Manitoba) in a semi-wilderness and cottage area know as Muskoka. They are very passionate about their wilderness experiences and their various views on the environment and canoeing. I am from Manitoba originally, owned a canoe in that region, and know a little bit about the area. Having said that, this book covers some of the most remote areas of the province and the rivers - especially the most northerly - are rarely travelled by the general public. So this book is a bit of a pioneering effort and a great introduction. Some of the river trips last months.
   
   The book is a combination of personal philosophy about the use of wilderness areas, an introduction to river canoeing, river etiquette, photographs and maps. The book can be enjoyed even if you never leave home. After hearing about polar bears some will want to stay at home.
   
   Once we get passed the introduction, there is an approximate 25 page long guide to the climate, vegetation, and wildlife of Manitoba along with tips and techniques for camping and preparing for the river trips. This is mainly text and photos with a variety of hand sketches.
   
   Next they follow a formula approach where each river system is discussed and presented as a trip - which Hap and others have made - accompanied with a river guide, hand drawn sketches of the rivers down to the sub kilometre level to show rapids and boat paths through rapids, photographs, comments on rapids, portages, degree of difficulty, insects, wildlife, length, access, etc. This takes about 130 pages. They cover 11 rivers starting in the southeast with the Manigotagan that flows through a forested region and they continue northward, river after river, finally to the Caribou River that runs through northern rolling Precambrian plain to Hudson Bay. This river runs through a northerly region that has a July mean temperature hovering around just 13 C or 56 F, and is almost but not quite void of life. They go to great lengths and according to the authors it took years to produce detailed guide. They describe each river in detail, river by river, each river with comments so that one can use the book as a practical river guide - supported with additional maps.
   
   I have two minor complaints. The author likes to embellish the book with complicated words when simpler will do and because he is not John Updike it does not add to the book an some long words somehow feel out of place, i.e: "a landscape so discrete and multifarious as to beguile the senses", etc. just seems out of place when compared to the rest of the writing. My second peeve is the introduction. The author spent a lot of time and effort making the trips and doing the required research and making the maps, and detailing each river in a standardized format - all great stuff. But the introduction contains a lot of sentences and phrases that as I mentioned above seem out of place but shed little light on the subject and where the book will take us. It would be better to have a crisply written executive type summary at the start that summarizes where the book is summarized, saying for example, I travelled down the Pigeon River in 1998 in July with two other people during medium flow and warm and sunny weather. It took us 10 days. The trip down the Berens River was made a month later and took a week, etc. so we get a general feel for how long all the trips took and when and at what time of the year the trips were made. I read the book once and then found myself jumping back and forth to generate my own overview of the situation of what he did in terms of trips and dates. It is still not clear to myself. These are minor complaints but a better introduction/summary would help with simple English - constructive criticism - I hope.
   
   Otherwise this is a great book, I am glad that I purchased the book. It shows what and where a novice can do to start, and what river to take, and how to plan a trip. Also it alerted me to the fact that the authors have other similar nature books.

No comments about National Geographic's Driving Guides to America Canada (Nde).

1 comments about Prop Riders: 60 Years of Racing Hydroplanes.

1. A fantastic book that goes deep into hydroplane racing's past. A must read if you've ever had an interest in the history of hydros & boat racing. The book targets mainly the automobile engine, powered inboard hydroplane. And this is the best one, (and only one) written by an American author, who has spent his entire life around these fascinating boats. Added bonus are the tables on US National Champions, Speed Records, etc. This book is sure to be a collectors item.

1 comments about Darwin Wiggett Photographs Canada.

1. This book takes you around all of Canada and it centers in what Canada is know for "the outdoors". If you are looking for big cities and things, this is not the book for you. But if you are interested is seeing the big outdoors that Canada has to offer then this is the book.

   I have this books since 1998 and I am still impress by the great pictures that it has and it makes me want to go and visit Canada, just one more time.