No comments about Touring New Mexico Hot Springs.

1 comments about Compass American Guides: New Mexico, 5th Edition (Compass American Guides).

1. The Compass American Guide series is excellent and I found the guide on New Mexico to be a great resource. New Mexico has a rich history of native peoples and Spanish exploration and colonization. The guide offers a brief but useful history of the area, including the chaotic period of struggle between Mexican and Anglos before statehood.
   
   The book has a separate section on Albuquerque and the surrounding environs; a section on Santa Fe and Taos and then the rest of the book is divided into 5 large geographic areas. This was especially useful on our trip where we spent 3 days in Albuquerque, 3 in Santa Fe/Taos and then spent the rest of the time going to more remote sites to explore this beautiful state.
   
   Albuquerque is a mixture of old and new and the guide helped us navigate in Old Town as well as find our way in the suburbs that move from downtown to the bottom of the Sandia Mountains. Old Town is a shopping delight, especially if you are shopping for Native American jewelry, weavings, masks, and pottery. I found the lay-out of the central square to be very pleasing and central park allowed a place to sit and watch.
   
   We visited the Rio Grande Nature Center which offers shady walks along the river. We also visited the Petroglyph National Monument, which lays on the edge of town, and is a great hike with interesting rock drawings etched into the mountain.
   
   There are two ways to reach the top of the Sandia Crest; either in a gondola lifting you high above the city, or you can drive around the mountain and take the twisty mountain road up through the evergreen forrest to the top. We selected to take our car and the drive around the base of the mountain and through the forrest was wonderful. The views from the top are spectacular, especially at sunset.
   
   We drove the back roads between Albuquerque and Santa Fe which was very interesting. Santa Fe has a tremendous art market and there are 50 or more art galleries that represent nationally known artists. The downtown museum was informative regarding the history of New Mexico. There is a museum complex on the edge of the city however that should not be missed. First there is a museum of colonial Spanish history with beautiful furniture, carvings of saints, weapons, costumes, decorative arts, and paintings. The museum is elegant and serene in design. Second is a museum of folk art collections from around the world. This museum is a must see. There were collections of African American artists, Asian, South American, etc. The collection was extensive with thousands and thousands of items on display (I am not kidding - in one large display room with dolls from every country, there were over 10,000 items all on display). Third is a museum of the Native Americans of New Mexico. The museum was obviously designed and maintained by Native people, the displays were very respectful and educating. The restaurants in Santa Fe are superb.
   
   We moved on to Taos where we visted the homes and studios of many of the artists who moved to New Mexico after World War I. The home of Oscar Blumenschien was built 250 years ago and the home contains many of his works. The Fechen museum was incredible containing many of his paintings and displaying the amazing home he built himself, carving doors throughout the home.
   
   We took a side trip to Abiquiu to go to Ghost Ranch. The terrain gradually becomes more and more red as you drive from Santa Fe to Abiquiu. When we arrived at Ghost Ranch, a very polite lady told us that the vast area had been donated to the Presbyterians. When we asked to see Georgia O'Keefe's home,she told us that someone lived there and they did not give directions so as to preserve this person's privacy. She offered us maps to around 15 hiking trails. We hiked the Chimney Rock trial high above the Ghost Ranch valley. The view from atop the mountains was spectacular and worth the drive from Santa Fe.
   
   We drove to the Jemez Muntains and Bandelier National Monument. This is another highlight of New Mexico. One trail in the park will allow you to see the cave dwellings of the early native people. The climb up the long wooden ladders into the shallow caves was great fun. We then decided to take a second hike after lunch and went down to the Rio Grande river, another enjoyable afternoon!
   
   The Fodor guide was excellent, we did not have to buy other guides or books because so much of New Mexico was detailed in the guide. There are many maps, photographs, essays, and travel ideas.

2 comments about Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains.

1. This is an outstanding book.
   Anyone who lives in Albuquerque or within sight of the Sandia Mountains ought to own this. Not only is it co-written by Robert Julyan--who is among New Mexico's most articulate, most knowledgeable, and generally all-around BEST authors--but it's loaded with full-color photographs, bound in such a way as to ensure it will last for years (no matter how many backpacks it's shoved into), clearly organized, and as complete as you could ever ask a book for a general audience to be.
   I recently wrote (and compiled photos for) a book about the histories of the towns of the Sandia Mountains, and this field guide was an essential tool in my work.
   "Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains" covers the geology, the flora, the fauna, the human history, the place names, and so on, and I don't think I could recommend it more heartily.
   Buy it, and let it introduce you, truly introduce you, to the mountains in your backyard.



2. ... is how the editors described their work. And indeed it is. Fortunately there was significant community support for this project, in the Albuquerque area, to underwrite the cost of this superlative production, so that the book would be affordable for the many recreational users of these "signature mountains" that form a dramatic backdrop to the city.
   
   The editors assembled a true field of experts from across a spectrum of disciplines to write the various chapters. There are chapters on the ecology, weather, fire issues, geology, flora, fauna and human presence in the mountains. Flora and fauna are subdivided into different chapters, each with its own expert. The editing is superb, rendering a consistent style among the various writers. The book's layout is also superlative, with numerous sharp color pictures of the birds, flowers, insects and trees of the mountain. Particularly thoughtful and useful was grouping the flowers by color that minimizes the search when one is trying to identify a particular flower in the field. The page edges are also color-coded, for faster reference. There are excellent charts, maps, and pictures which explain the geology. The cover picture was selected via a contest.
   
   There is a brief chapter at the end on the hiking trails, but this book is not really a hiking guide (that is a separate volume.) There is also a section at the end for personal notes, as it will be assumed that this guide will be used on numerous occasions, which is certainly one of the "bennies" of living in Albuquerque. The quality paper and spiral binding means that the guide should last as long as the user.
   
   This is the essential Sandia mountain guide, and I cannot envision improvements. The aspens will again be turning, high on La Luz trail, in around a month, and I'll be seeing them, guide in hand. Thanks to all involved in this wonderful "labor of love." It has enriched the lives of the many repeat visitors as well as those who see it only once in a lifetime.

1 comments about The Prairie Schoolhouse.

1. For those who cannot view the Smithsonian traveling exhibit of the same title, this is an excellent substitute. The 60 plates depict the schoolhouses, diplomas, playground equipment, teaching aids, and housing quarters. The text also chronicles the rise and ruin of these schoolhouses, most of which are now gone.

4 comments about Glen Canyon: Images of a Lost World.

1. Anyone will find the pictures breathtaking. If you have an interest in the southwest rivers and canyons you will especially enjoy this book. If you are interested in seeing what they stole from us by the construction of Glen Canyon Dam then this book is required reading. Hayduke lives!



2. This is the best collection of photos I have seen on the now drowned Glen Canyon. Unlike some other books covering the area, this collection was clearly taken by a professional photographer. These pictures could easily be mistaken for Ansel Adams and I believe Mr. Nichols lists him as a big influence on his work. If you are like me and a lover of canyon country, it will definitely make you a little wistful thinking that this area has been lost--probably irretrievably. I just wish there were a comparable collection of color photos of Glen Canyon to supplement this wonderful work.



3. I have been researching Glen Canyon and Lake Powell for years now, for a book I'm working on, and my wife had always taken a very passive interest in what I was doing. She'd listen to me talk and add a comment or two, but it wasn't until I got this book that she realized just what I'd been rambling about.
   The photos are just like that.
   The black-and-white photos of sinuos, twisting, sandstone places like Dungeon Canyon and the Cathedral-in-the-Desert will take your breath away; they will make you ache to see the places the photos are of, and then they will break your heart when you realize all those places are currently underwater.
   Whatever your position on Lake Powell and Glen Canyon is--whether you think that Glen Canyon Dam is a giant, concrete Satan, or that it's a great source of employment, water, and electricity for the people of the West, you will have to admit these photos are beautiful, and of a beautiful place, and that something irreplaceable has been drowned and hidden away.
   By all means, get this book.
   And get Eleanor Inskip's full-color "The Colorado River through Glen Canyon: Before Lake Powell." Both books are excellent.



4. Tad Nichols (memory eternal!) left us a treasure: powerful images of a beautiful canyon now buried under water and mud. The art is amazing, very much in the tradition of Ansel Adams. The loss is stunning: it's difficult to imagine how even hardened landwasters could have condemned this wonder to a watery grave. Now all that's left to us are photographs and memories ... of a world most of us will never have the privilege to see. Enjoy!

No comments about The Royal Road: El Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe.

No comments about The Navajo Nation: A Visitor's Guide.

No comments about Touring New Mexico Hot Springs, 2nd (Touring Guides).

No comments about Santa Fe Impressions (Impressions (Farcountry Press)).

1 comments about Pueblos of the Rio Grande: A Visitor's Guide.

1. If you plan to travel in the Santa Fe/Taos/ Albuquerque area and want to see the Pueblos, this is a must. It is concise but complete.

   Each Pueblo is described and history given. You'll even know how to pronounce the names properly. such as Cochiti or Acoma.

   You'll know where to buy pottery, jewelry or art work.

   See the beautiful Southwest.