2 comments about Hidden Pacific Northwest: Including Oregon, Washington, Vancouver, Victoria, and Coastal British Columbia (Hidden Travel).

1. I have the 5th Edition of this book, but, this can only be better I hope.

   It is a very personal review of the states and what they have to offer and as opposed to other books that are just boring and incomprehensible listings of attractions and dining and lodging .
   I actually went to some of the dining and hidden attraction recommendations from this book and it didn't fail me. All those places were certainly what the book said they would be or maybe more than that.

   The only drawback i can see is that there wasnt any mention of good campgrounds that car-campers could easily refer to. But for that, you can look up "the best in tent camping".

   Good Luck with your trips. I know mine was a great success.




2. This book covers three main regions including Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia and therefore does not go into too much detail on each region. I would recommend using this book as a good starting point for travel planning, but not if you are looking for lots of details. The book includes items that it describes as being "hidden" or off the beaten path, which could prove interesting for many travelers. The sections on lodging could be enhanced more to include additional suggestions. The book does include some useful maps that are very helpful. For more detailed travel information, you may want to read a guide book that covers one state.

No comments about Afoot & Afield Portland/Vancouver: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide.

No comments about The Rough Guide to Montreal 3 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

5 comments about Riding with Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books.

1. Although there were portions of this book that were good, many of them seemed uninteresting to me. I had hoped it would be a story that provided interesting details of both a bike journey and book collecting. In the end I feel like a got less than I hoped for either. He seems to gloss over many of his actual riding journey but spends a lot of time on details that added nothing to the story for me. Perhaps I am spoiled by Peter Egan.



2. As a reader and rider, I enjoyed this book as a motorcycle travelogue with all its arcane bits of literary data strewn throughout.
   If I have a small complaint it is that Bishop spends too much time in Austin and not exploring more of the places he is terrific at writing about. When we were traveling with him, he made some of those stops come alive and gave the book some fun and substance. When he halted (as he had to in order to do the archive research), so did the cycle action.
   However, with that being said, some of the book's best and most poignant passages are his ruminations on reading and riding - his description on p. 112 about the "readiness of books" has been accurate in my reading life. And the couple of pages (p. 124-6) about silence and listening were memorable.
   So is the line: "I wrote on the bike and I rode in the reading room. I'm sure it's the same in offices everywhere." He's right, of course, as I work while I ride and ride while I work in the form of a quick daydream. Nice to know others have the same feelings.



3. Not a mere travelogue or another bike adventure...Bishop escorts the reader through the very essense of riding in the most spiritual, thoughtful and surprisingly, visceral treat of a book...yes, this little book travels well: I took a ride to New Mexico and there it sat patiently on my nightstands in all the different hotels, motels and inns along the way...then, upon opening the book's pages, it (the book) merrily displayed its well-crafted prose to bring together this joy of riding a motorcycle and the sheer bliss at reading the power and majesty of word after word, woven together into images and concepts of both of these Life-sustaining activities...OK, so it is not for everyone, it is for me and that's what we're talking about here...if you Love either, read it, if you Love both, devour it...if you Love neither, God help you, 'cause you are missing out on Life at its finest and the "Now," the moments...love of riding, love of words, love of Life...another tapestry to bring form and content to our Loves...live on that edge and slip back to write about it...darn, I'm going for a ride now: "four wheel move the body, two wheels move the soul" and I feel the call of the wind...



4. When reading RIDING WITH RILKE it is easy to see that Ted Bishop, a good writer, loves books and Ducati motorcycles but for me this book felt a little flat. There are too many pages about minor characters and minor events that add nothing to the story. The book would be helped if the 261 pages were cut back by a quarter. I too love books and ride a motorcycle, a Harley Road Glide, so it gives me no joy not to rave about the book but still, I would recommend it even if you feel like skipping a few pages.



5. Disclaimer: I have been a librarian for 35 years, and a motorcycle rider for 46 years, so I can hardly claim to be a typical or neutral reviewer of this book. If Amazon permitted 6 stars, I would award them. It is a rare event indeed to find a work that so lovingly deals with both motorcycle riding and books.
   
   Ted Bishop captures vividly the essence of long distance motorcycle riding, including writing in one's head while riding, and the distraction to a writer to riding in one's head while attempting to write (a considerably less dangerous activity). His words took me back to an 11,000-mile ride that I made two years ago, along many of the same roads.
   
   Equally vivid are his characterizations of librarians and archivists who work in special collections, and of the process by which a scholar mines the books and papers in such collections for insights and publications.
   
   Bishop has a keen eye for irony, and I found myself laughing so hard while reading Riding with Rilke on a plane flight that I fear I was creating a disturbance for my fellow passengers.
   
   Riders who aren't especially interested in books may find too little motorcycle content in this book. Scholars and librarians with little interest in motorcycles may find too little about books and literature (and very little, indeed, about Rilke). For those few who are passionate about both motorcycles and books, Riding with Rilke is a rare treat.

1 comments about Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island For Dummies (For Dummies (Travel)).

1. Well presented material. I found in using other travel "Dummies" books that the information makes a difference in the enjoyment of the trip. This one was not an exception. Other travel books lack much of the wisdom and anecdotes contained in "Dummies" volumes.

1 comments about Pacific Northwest Camping Destinations: RV and Car Camping Destinations in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (Camping Destinations series).

1. I have traveled extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest and much of the U.S. This year travel will be limited to the Pacific Northwest. As a "native" Washingtonian and lifelong camper I've been looking for a new guidebook that combines travel info with the latest on campgrounds. There are new parks and new travel ideas - enough to generate enthusiasm and travel plans! Each listing has large icon keys that make it easy to find suitable camping spots, ie 50 amps, big rigs, activities and more. The book covers Washington, Oregon and British Columbia with everything from weekend to multi-week trip planning possibilities. Thank you to the authors for a great guidebook.

5 comments about Lost Cities of North & Central America (The Lost City Series).

1. There are two ways to read Childress. If you want to live in a button-down, straight laced world of academic archeologists, then every time Childress asks a question, just answer (to yourself) No! Then go about with your boring life.

   But if you want to live a little wild, to peel back the layers & pierce the veil, then answer (again, to yourself) Yes! to every one of his questions. Should you do that, you will have a gay old time figuring out how the world all fits together!

   Honestly, DHC's speculations are full of BS, but it sure is fun suspending your disbelief & reading these books. Someone mentioned that DHC really seems like a great guy, and you get that sense reading this book. Sounds like he would be a really cool guy to travel & chat with. His travel writing is straighforward, but exciting.

   Unfortunately, the book is full of typos & poorly done photographs. After reading 5+ of the Lost Cities series, I don't even notice anymore, but it will bug some beginners.




2. Much of this book is pleasant escape reading, and some of the things discussed are intriguing, such as tunnel systems associated with some ruins. The book was spoiled for me, however, when I came to chapters dealing with things I knew of firsthand. One major Northwest petroglyph site is placed in the wrong state. There are just enough wrongo facts to make me wonder how many others masquerade as reality in the text. I will reread the book in the future and enjoy the mysteries of past cultures south of the border, while keeping a salt block handy for the rest of it. His books certainly hold true to the basic instructions for finding lost cities - ask the locals. Few lost cities are truly lost to those who live in the area. They're just forgotten. Enjoy this as a tale told by a traveler, and a collection of some of the more interesting legends of American mystery archaeology. I don't really think there are Egyptian treasures in the Grand Canyon, but I would be delighted if they were real. The same holds true for the treasure-laden tunnels of Death Valley...



3. Of course, the reason others won't tell you those stories may be because the stories are patently false. I was looking for a book that would be a good read after "Collapse" -- something that would tell me about fallen civilizations. This isn't that book -- at least not from a rigorous, scientific approach. The author, for example, asserts that pterodactyls live in today's Arizona.
   
   The author believes that traditional academics are dismissing the truth because it doesn't fit in with their preconceived notions. The only reason I didn't rate this book lower is that it is clearly a great source for others who feel the same way. The rest of us, however, need to look elsewhere for scientifically grounded speculation into North American prehistory.



4. I thought I was a student of the esoteric but David Hatcher Childress makes me realize I am still only an alcolyte. History is a mystery and you can believe it because I told you so, just like your highschool history professor. This book will take you on the grand tour of North America and reveal some of the mystery that historians attempt to hide from us in their ivory towers. If you want to expand your mind without taking a lot of mind altering drugs try reading Mr. Chilress' Lost City books. He must have spent a lot of time in the underground book stores prior to his travels. That might be why he decided to hit the road in the first place, to find out for himself. Could America once have been a land of giants, or do pterydactyls still carry off unsuspecting travelers, or are there hidden books with knowledge from the ancients? Maybe, and maybe after reading this book, you will want to take a road trip and find out for yourself.



5. I loved the book. From the places I have been and the books I have read, this book hits the mark. We need more like it.
   
   Good Job!

3 comments about Hiking Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks, 3rd: A Guide to More Than 60 of the Area's Greatest Hiking Adventures (Regional Hiking Series).

1. I used this, along with Best Easy Day Hikes to plan a trip to Glacier. I wouldn't necessarily use it as the only reference guide, but it was a good start and was helpful for mileage and difficulty ratings for each trail. I also generally do quite a bit of research for my trips on the internet. This did come in handy one day we were trying to fill an afternoon with a shorter hike, though. It was good to have more detailed information about each trail to assist in that decision.
   
   One thing to be warned about at Glacier - especially if you go early in the season (we went 1st week of July)- information from Rangers is not always accurate or up to date. We were told several trails were closed due to snow that we found out too late weren't. We missed one very good hike due to this. We also were told the Highline trail would only take us a couple of hours. When we got to Granite Park Chalet (4.5 hours later) we found out the trail generally takes at least 4 hours. You will want to add in time for picture taking and possible traffic jams (by mountain goats and such) and if you go early in the season, crossing of snow fields. We also found out that several people were advised not to hike the Highline when we did due to some dangerous snow fields (narrow trail covered in slick snow with a sure to be dead drop off if you should slip). I guess my suggestion would be to ask several people instead of relying on advice from just one. It is a beautiful park that everyone should see once - I would recommend the Highline, Swiftcurrent, and Hidden Lake trails.



2. This edition is not what it used to be. Gone are the elevation profiles and maps that are easy to read and contained on a single page. Now you get maps that may be GPS enabled but they don't align across pages at all. Without the elevation profiles you don't have any idea of the hike, what gives?? If you can get your hands on an earlier edition do it and forget the new one.



3. Hiking Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks, 3rd: A Guide to More Than 60 of the Area's Greatest Hiking Adventures (Regional Hiking Series)
   
   We owned the "Revised" edition of this book, and misplaced or loaned it. When we started thinking about next year's hike, we searched high and low and realized we couldn't do it without this book! We went to the bookstore and purchased what we THOUGHT was the same book. WRONG! We purchased the 3RD EDITION, and it just was NOT the same! The index is about half as thorough. The real disappointment, though is that the elevation profile charts have been removed. They were invaluable in the revised edition. The 3rd edition has added some neat GPS compatible maps if that's important to you, but we'd gladly trade them for the Elevation profile charts.
   
   We took the 3rd edition right back to the bookstore. Luckily, we were able to find a revised edition on Amazon Marketplace for half the price!

1 comments about Top 10 Toronto (EYEWITNESS TOP 10 TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. Over the years, I have been very pleased with travel guides by DK Publishing, but this one was a big let down. We tried several of the recommended restaurants, and they were absolute disappointments. Whoever recommended these restaurants could not have actually tried them, as they consistently reflected poor quality food, service, and hygiene. Unfortunately, the most recent edition of this guidebook available in 2008 was published in 2005, so it was outdated. Several of the recommended restaurants are now closed. This confirms that they were probably not good restaurants in the first place. I wonder if the publisher is paid to put certain restaurants on the list? If I were to compile a list of the "Top Ten" restaurants in my home town, I feel quite certain that they would still be open in three years.
   
   As for other area attractions, the descriptions offer no real insight as to their real desirability or how long you might plan to spend at each location. There was no information on pricing for most attractions. Consequently, the book was useless in budgeting both time and money.
   
   Overall, this was a very disappointing guidebook.

No comments about Fodor's Vancouver & Victoria, 1st Edition: With Whistler, Vancouver Island & the Okanagan Valley (Fodor's Gold Guides).