1 comments about From Santa Fe to O'Keeffe Country: A One Day Journey to the Soul of New Mexico (Adventure Roads Travel).

1. RE: From Santa Fe to O'Keeffe Country: A One Day Journey... the seven-hour 162-mile New Mexico sightseeing trip. I expect this book has some useful information, and as a disclaimer, I have not read it yet. That said, I cannot imagine how one can "do" this itinerary in 7 hours. On my last trip to the area I drove from Santa Fe to Abiquiu and toured O'Keeffe's home, and then drove on to Ghost Ranch where I shot some photos and took in that astounding landscape, and then a short stop in the gift shop. From there I drove back to my casita in Santa Fe. It was an all-day trip, with a leisurely lunch in the middle in Abiquiu. So how can one possibly do as the authors suggest and see the opera, Native American pueblos, Anasazi ruins, village towns, and the homes and studios of GOK in seven hours? I visited the Anasazi ruins many years earlier, climbing the rocks and seeing inside the caves. That too was an all-day trip from Santa Fe. I think Georgia would laugh. Sign me, Mystified.

No comments about A Journey into Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico (ArtPlace series).

5 comments about Soul of Nowhere: Traversing Grace in a Rugged Land.

1. Like other reviewers, my first exposure to Craig Childs was through his book The Secret Knowledge of Water, which is excellent. Soul of Nowhere doesn't move me as much as Secret Knowledge, but it's still a great read.
   
   The first book focused on his adventures looking for water sources in deserts of the southwest. In this book, the focus is more on finding archaeological relics in the deep desert. In some cases it's ruins, in others jars or petroglyphs. One can sense his desire to find evidence of and connect with long vanished people of the desert.
   
   I thought the inclusion of the other people was interesting. It places Childs in a social context - we encounter others who share his passion, and they're memorable characters. Other reviewers have said that Childs shares way too much here - it may not be to their taste, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. In any event, he shares some fascinating stories with us. I will definitely be reading more of his books.



2. Craig Childs is an excellent writer, and the prices for used books of his were great. I could buy copies for all my friends.



3. I loved this book not so much because of the difficulties and delights Childs experienced in the wild but because of the journey of his spirit as he bonded with the wild places. I've read many books of true adventure written by people who were brave and sensitive and articulate, but this book goes far beyond anything I've come across. It speaks to my soul, so evocative, so intense that I feel I have journeyed with him. It's almost frightening to be drawn so far into the mind of another human being I don't even know. He is undoubtedly brave as a lion in his explorations, but his true bravery is revealed in the opening and dissection of his own soul. His eloquent words describe the feelings I could not articulate for myself in my travels in the southwest deserts. Now I know why I went back to them time after time.



4. One reviewer cited "pseudo-intellectual mumbo-jumbo that gives the reader the impression that he is just trying too hard to write a "serious" book" regarding Childs' "Soul Of Nowhere". I must agree. I have spent a good part of my life in the deserts of the Southwest and beyond, and am a professional archaeologist, so I expected to like this work more than I did. It felt a little bit too forced, as though the author were trying to convince his readers that what he was experiencing was somehow more profound than it actually appears to be on the surface. I wasn't buying all of the forced weightiness ascribed to what amounts to rather mundane situations. I must follow up by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed "House of Rain" despite some extremely irresponsible behaviour on the part of the author. "Soul of Nowhere" was a disappointment.



5. I read this book with a highlighter pen, marking passages about the places, and comments about humans relating to their inner soul and to nature. I found it deeply personal and, therefore, may not be everyone's "cup of tea". The writing at times was amazing and then just good.
   This is a collection of the author's experiences, both interior and exterior. It is called the Soul of Nowhere! and documents his exploration of places, the soul of such places and his own soul in relation to the Soul of Nowhere.
   This is not really a travelogue or a documented adventure. It is a man's journey, spiritually and physically.

2 comments about The Lightning Field: Travels in and Around New Mexico.

1. The true excitement of New Mexico is not the cities and hotels, which can be found elsewhere, but the unique way in which humanity, now and throughout a colorful history, has lived in and died in and related to the strikingly beautiful geography of New Mexico. Drive past the new suburbs of Albuquerque and you are suddenly confronted by the overwhelming presence of nature. This is both wonderful and scary (to a city slicker). If God were anywhere, he'd be here, and you'd probably feel like striking up a conversation. Robert Eaton has lived in the Southwest for many years, and has worked in such strikingly amazing places as Chaco Canyon. His book is an entertaining series of his personal experiences, each in a unique setting in the far reaches of New Mexico. Each experience is also an encounter with one or more colorful characters, including many native Americans, religious seekers, and loner forest rangers, not to mention rattlers, coyotes, and eagles. But place never leaves center stage for long. In fact, it is the interaction of people and place that Mr. Eaton captures with great precision and poetry. This book does not recommend hotels, restaurants, or other trappings of the comfortable life. Other books can do that. Instead, Robert Eaton shares his discoveries, collected over many years, so that we may gain a better sense of what makes New Mexico truly unique, not what makes it more of the same. If you have been to the places Eaton characterizes, as I have to some, you get to experience them again in a well-written account, even with a new richness. The adventurers among you will feel the rising urge to go and see these places first hand. (That is certainly the effect Mr. Eaton's book has had on me.) Those who prefer to experience these places in your mind's eye from the comfort and security of your plush reading chair will find that this book goes well with a glowing fire, warm dog, and perhaps a glass of Merlot.



2. i had to read this book for school... it was horrible. I dont think ive ever been so bored in my life. Who cares about lightening rods sticking out of the ground in new mexico? I dont... save yourself the time, money, and boredom... read something else!

No comments about Photographs of New Mexico.

No comments about The Naturalist's Guide to the Southern Rockies: Colorado, Southern Wyoming, and Northern New Mexico (Fulcrum Guides).

1 comments about View Finder: Mark Klett, Photography, and the Reinvention of Landscape.

1. The book under review gets FIVE stars, for its goal of spotlighting an American photographer. But the contents of the book was somewhat disappointing, and I think what is inside deserves only ONE star. In other words, although the goal of spotlighting a successful landscape photographer who uses a large format camera is admirable, it is questionable if the day to day traveling activities of this man is of enough interest to warrent formal documentation in a book format.
   
   The cover of View Finder features an attractive collage of three photographs. As is common in many of Mark Klett's photos, one of them shows part of his body (a hand). The title, View Finder, is a clever one. It has a double meaning, similar to the titles of A.D.Coleman's photography criticism books. For example, A.D.Coleman wrote a book called, "Light Readings." (Light Readings, get it? Get it?). Klett's attractive technique of self-inclusion is also shown in a desert campground photo featuring his shadow (page 126). View Finder concerns a re-photographic proeject where the goal was to re-photograph landscapes originally taken by J.K.Hillers, William Henry Jackson, and Timothy O'Sullivan, over 100 years ago. Another goal was to take de novo photographs, e.g., with streaks of speeding autos or motorcycles, or with the photographer's shadow cast in the desert sand. Although most of the photographs in View Finder are not really attactive, they might provide some fleeting amusement or a momentary engaging distraction. For example, we see a road sign peppered with bullet holes, where the sign reads DANGER ROCKETS MAY LAND IN THIS AREA DURING TESTS. We are provided with a description of a "station wagon of indeterminate make and age . . . its yellow body is spotted with rust and bullet holes." The spotted yellow station wagon is photographed and cleverly entitled "Cheetah." (Unfortunately, the photo is in black and white. It would have worked much better in color) (page 102 and 116). We see a photograph of a roadsign reading WONDER, located in a remote Nevada desert (page 110). We see an attractive photo of John Wesley Powell's book, open at a drawing of Horseshoe Curve, sitting on the ground before the real Horseshoe Curve, Utah, with Klett's hand on the book's page (page 259). We see a photo of Klett's hat sitting on a precipice at The Grand Canyon (page 192). There is an attractive photo of 25 tourists watching a Golden Spike ceremony at Promentory Point, Utah (page 271). We are provided with a homey, attractive photo of a teacup (a TEAPOT would have been better) perched on the roof of a car, with Teapot Rock in the background (page 281). But then, there are photographs of trash (page 115), and more photographs of trash (page 164), and more trash (164), and still more trash (page 292), and a leaf stuck in a fence (page 133). By "trash" I mean actual trash. The trash pictures are not at all attractive. There is some commentary on Klett's fund raising efforts: "Raising money for rephotography wasn't always an easy sell. The NEA panelists groused in 1977 that the proposed "then-and-now" project was nothing new . . . and that it was light on art. Still they granted enough funds . . . (page 139). Pages 248-251 contain interesting info on the harsh facts of photography economics, and we are provided with a number of reasons why photographic prints sell for under $1000 (this would not even cover expenses, in my opinion). The book under review is 309 pages long. The photographs inside do the job of revealing the subject matter, but they are too small and of only moderate quality, and don't allow the viewer to immerse himself in the image, don't allow the viewer to find solace in the image. The main focus of the book is not really photography criticism at all, but to chronicle the daily life of Mr.Klett and his helpers as they motor across Nevada and Utah: "First, we had passed by the geothermal plant and found ourselves at an unmarked intersection in the dirt. We picked what seemed the most used road, and Mark drew an annotated map . . . "(page 11). To give another example, "Wandering up the short ridge to the kitchen to make coffee, I watch the sunlight as it works down Mt.Davidson and into town. Mark joins me, and together we gaze east at the floodwaters . . ." (page 218). In my opinion, such a detailed account of the banal, hour by hour, features of an artist's life is more suited to a celebrity, such as Andy Warhol, John Lennon, Isaac Stern, etc. To conclude, in view of the fact, at least in my opinion, that the book does not include Mr.Klett's best desert photographs, and in view of the fact that there are way too many photographs of trash, I feel that View Finger might deserve no more than TWO STARS.
   
   I just purchased Mark Klett's new book called YOSEMITE IN TIME (2005). This new book is a splendid one, and it contains some interesting manipulations of what otherwise might be traditional landscape photographs. Another book to buy, in addition to YOSEMITE IN TIME, would be Kathleen Gauss's New American Photography (1985) Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This book, unlike View Finder, does a decent job at setting forth what appear to be the best of Klett's desert photographs. Gauss' book also provides an articulate explanation of Mr.Klett's photography. Ms.Gauss writes: "Klett demonstrates the contrast of time between the transitory picnic [an actual picnic] . . . and the epochal, geological age of the canyon . . . the ephemeral poised against a millenial landscape." Regarding an image of a U-Haul truck in front of a row of spires in Monument Valley, Ms.Gauss writes: "He [Klett] has . . . baldly used the truck as a device . . . to emphasize the striking disparity among the various elements . . . Klett manipulates the scale reversing his more customary illustration of the relationship between man and nature." Gauss' New American Photography contains 14 reproduction of Klett's photographs, including: The Grand Canyon (1983), Checking the Road Map, Monument Valley (1982), and Car Passing Snake (1983). The quality of the images is quite good, and one can immerse oneself in the images and find solace in them. New American Photography, if one can find a copy of it, also contains sections devoted to each of a dozen other contemporary American photographers, including John Pfahl, the creator of Altered Landscapes.

5 comments about Fly Fishing in Northern New Mexico.

1. Having grown up, lived-in and travelled extensively in this area, this book is a must-have for any fly fisherman interested in Northern New Mexico. The maps, hatches and river recommendations are on the mark -- highly recommended.



2. As a new Fly fisher I bought this book when it was first published. This book has become an indispensible guide for my fly fishing. Recently I used the information for a stream in the Jemez Mountains and had a very productive day. The maps are very good. The information is right on as well. If you come to New Mexico to fly fish this is the book to have to increase your enjoyment!



3. This book is essential to anybody that is interested in fishing northern New Mexico. It gives you all the info that you could need including locations, best time of year to fish any certain location, fly patterns for certain rivers and lakes and much more. DO NOT look any further for all the information you need on fly fishing northern New Mexico.



4. Good descriptions, nice details, maps could have been a little more inclusive.



5. Great information from a man who has actually fished the waters. Don't get me started on catch - and - release...

1 comments about Guide to Bandelier National Monument.

1. Two friends and I recently went on a four day backpacking trip into Bandelier. While one guy dealt with the rangers to get the permit, I wandered the book racks and found two guidebooks. I asked the ranger which one he'd recommend and he indicated the Dorothy Hoard book. He was right. Good basic info about what you'll see in different corners of the park--plants, animals, etc. It also features excellent drawings of the terrain and trails, done in a three-dimensional style that clearly shows what you're crossing.

No comments about Rand McNally Easyfinder New Mexico (EasyFinder).