1 comments about River Runners of the Grand Canyon.

1. From Front Jacket:
   
   "'There is nothing else quite like it,' writes David Lavender, 'a deeply entrenched water corridor 280 miles long through a desert wilderness of almost overwhelming beauty. No other American river offers, in one unbroken stretch, as great an aggregation of rapids.'
   
   When John Wesley Powell ran the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1869, he did not have such forewarning - nor may he have suspected how many others would follow in his wake. Taking to the river by boat has become as much a lure to adventurers as climbing a mountain 'because it's there,' and guided trips through the Canyon now test the mettle of 15,000 brave souls every year.
   
   Today's river rats are linked to Powell by a colorful chain of individuals who braved then-unknown perils of water and rock. David Lavender has traced this history of adventure, beginning with legendary prospector James White who might even have preceded Powell through the Canyon when he was forced to flee Indians on a makeshift raft. A subsequent century of river running has seen the exploits of such individuals as Robert Brewster Stanton, who wanted to build a railroad through the Canyon's Inner Gorge and lost three men in his surveying expedition; trapper Nathaniel Galloway, who perfected a technique for running rapids - by entering a rapid with his boat stern first; the Kolb brothers, who made the first films of running the river; and Georgie White, the 'Woman of the River,' who by introducing rubber rafts ushered in the modern era of river running."

2 comments about Hidden Baja: Including Tijuana, Ensenada, Mulege, La Paz, and Los Cabos (Hidden Travel).

1. Not a bad book if you looking at the areas of Northern Baja and the Cabo San Lucas area. Out of 258 pages about 130 pages cover these area while only 58 cover the remainder. There are much better books out there.



2. Richard Harris' updated third edition Hidden Baja covers everything from beaches and lodging to outdoor adventure travel in Baja, providing details on a wealth of outdoor activities for those who are oriented toward adventure travel. Lesser-known byways of the region are the focus in a title packed with tips on travel through the region.

No comments about Fodor's Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque, 2nd Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

2 comments about The Yucatan: A Guide to the Land of Maya Mysteries Plus Sacred Sites at Belize, Tikal & Copan (Tetra).

1. Stay away from this. A much better choice is "An Archaeological Guide to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula" by Joyce Kelly. This one by May is inconsistent in delivery and descritption. It is a waste of money. The book by Kelly is a far better one.



2. If you have any respect for the Maya world, please do not stoop so low as to support the author of this drek. Constant comparisons to oriental architecture (and even using "Chariots of the Gods" as a reference!) are constant reminders of the authors complete ignorance of ANY Maya history.

No comments about The State Parks of New Mexico (Coyote Books).

No comments about Mexico North East Map by ITMB.

No comments about The royal road to Mexico: A travel log--an interpretation--a plea for friendship.

5 comments about Knopf Guide: New York (Knopf Guides).

1. We used this book on our first visit to Manhatten and found the book to be very helpful. After preparing for our visit with this book, I felt comfortable and a familiarity with the city.



2. folks, this is the best idea for a tourbook/map that i have stumbled across yet. i'm not prone to raving, but this will garner praise from me until the cows come home (bearing foot & mouth) no doubt.

   so, why is this so great? first of all, it's simple and well designed. the city is broken down into sections. you turn to those pages and there is a brief description of places to eat, shop, etc. the pages then open up into a map of the section with a description of major sites in the area.

   brilliant! no fumbling around a big map trying to find your street. no squinting to figure out where you are. it's easy to find landmarks, metro stops, etc.

   the card stock is nice and heavy and has lasted well even in my back pocket. the descriptions have been helpful without being too lengthy. and at this price, it's quite competitive with other maps while providing much more.




3. If you are traveling to NYC, and spending your time in Manhattan, this is the only map book you will need. It's compact, and will fit in your pocket, and is easy to use and to read.

   It starts with a map of Manhattan, which is divided into several sections. Each section has a corresponding map. When you open the book to a section, you will see some text and small pictures showing some of the highlights that you may want to see in the area. Then, the page folds out to a detailed map that is large enough to read easily, even while your walking, but still quite compact. The paper is very heavy, and after ten days of extensive use, my book has no torn maps, or even battered edges.

   The back of the book has both bus and subway maps, and although they are pretty small, you can still use them to get around on public transportation. The only thing I used to supplement this book was a compass, which helped when we emerged from a subway tunnel, and needed a quick direction.

   The cost of this book is only slightly more than a traditional map and is, in my opinion, an incredible value for the money. As a first-time visitor to NYC using this book, I was amazed that I never got lost; not even once!




4. It's the most handy guidebook I ever used. It tells you all the attractions in Manhattan and it doesn't flood you wth words. It organized into sections, so you don't have to fold the map over and over to find where you want to go. If you love to travel by yourself and you don't want to carry a big book around and look like a tourist, you should get this book.

   It's only good for Manhattan though.




5. These Knopf Guides are fantastic. They are beautiful little books, they are not quick guides, they are conscious and indepth. The images are well presented and the text highly informative. This book on New York is especially good, New York is unique and lends itself well to a guide of this kind. Highly recommended.

No comments about My Fellow Americans....

2 comments about Gift of Yucatan: A Different Mexican Cuisine.

1. Ms. Sauri has made a wonderful contribution to the world of cooking. What makes this book unique is how she relates the recipes to a specific region of the world, thus giving the reader a feel for the daily life of the Yucatecan. Alternately, she shows ways to make some of the recipes using shortcuts, or more "modern" touches. She organizes the recipes by menu, reinforcing the glimpses into life in the Yucatan. The recipes are much too difficult for children to attempt unassisted, but do lend themselves easily to family participation.



2. A fun book of recipes for Mexican cooking. The directions are clear and concise and the accompanying photos tantalizing. Children- and adults - will be inspired to try these delicious-sounding recipes. As with all cooking, children will need some help in the kitchen. As they work alongside their parents and perform hands-on tasks they can actually complete, the together effort will foster a time of family fun and create a beautiful dinner at the same time.