No comments about Along the Santa Fe Trail.

No comments about Mosaic of New Mexico's scenery, rocks, and history: A brief guide for visitors (Scenic trips to the geologic past).

No comments about American Auto Trail-New Mexico's U.S. Highway 70 (American Auto Trail).

3 comments about Guide to the Hiking Areas of New Mexico (A Coyote Book).

1. My fiancée and I bought this book before we moved to New Mexico in March of 2000. It has proven to be a fantastic guide and we believe that it's the only book you need to explore the state on foot. Well organized by area with great trail descriptions and maps. A wonderful book!



2. There are several books available on hiking in New Mexico. This was the one I wound up using the most on a recent trip to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Others, such as Parent's book, were also useful and I would therefore suggest having a look at all available guides. However, Hill's work includes legible photocopies of USGS topographic maps, and most of the newer hiking guides tend to feature homemade maps which give the user far less information.
   In my particular case, the material on trails in and around the Guadalupe Reef was most helpful, as Bill Schneider's recently re-released book on the Guadalupe Mtns and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks doesn't include information on the trails in that part of the Reef in between these two parks, certainly worth visiting for those who are lucky enough to get to this area.
   That the book is ten years old is an obvious drawback; things happen, even in a state like New Mexico that has so much public land. For example, a very hot fire had burned up most of the north face of Capitan by Roswell, rendering the trail up the NE side pretty faint. But of course, if you're not willing to ask questions of the locals in this fairly genial state, and do a bit of poking about yourself, you probably don't belong in a place with such rough and potentially lethal geography anyway.



3. I purchased this book in 1996 while moving to attend UNM in New Mexico and learning (by asking) as a fairly new comer where to go and how strenuous the hikes were for a Jersey transplant. While building up my lung capacity on the Sandia Crest hike, I referred to this book over and over again to plan my hikes and really see this beautiful State from the trails. And I still recommend it to those folks traveling to New Mexico for the first or the 10th time. It is the best book written by a local devout hiker and used by local devout hikers. You can not go wrong with this book-it will show your topo maps, truly rate the hikes and give you the details needed to plan, it will be a treasured addition to your library and a good travel companion for beginners and seasoned hikers. Don't forget your water & happy trails, enjoy!!!!

5 comments about Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel & the Yucatan 2001.

1. This book is pretty much what you would expect from Frommers. A good book showing what to do, with a certain kind of audience in mind. I would have to say its not for the backpacker type or the budget traveler. But good if you are a don't get your feet wet kind of a person. ....



2. So many guidebooks! If you're going to the area, how do you know which to get? I just spent an hour flipping through all of the Cancun/Cozumel/Yucatan books at a local bookstore, and this looks like the best all-around for our trip to Cozumel. So for all you shoppers out there: I haven't been on the trip yet, but for what its worth, an hour of browsing determined this book the winner.



3. Just back from two weeks in Cancun and I found this book to be indespensible! The Maps were very acurate and I found the resturant rating system to be reliable. I can't say much about hotel ratings as I stayed at the same place the entire time. I think it would be hard to find a better all around guide book. Also check out "A Tourist in the Yucatan" fun thriller



4. I spent the last three weeks in the Yucatan (and I had a wonderful time!), and found this to be a reliable guide. The rating system is dependable, the maps helpful, and for the most part the info is up to date. I will say this, you might concidering more than one guide book as all of them seem to have some defficincies. This would be most important for the independent travler and the travler who is planning to get away from the major resorts. You might also consider buying good maps.



5. I am not sure the person who wrote the chapter on Isla Mujeres is familiar with the metric system. "1 km or 1.6 miles." The back of the book has a conversion chart showing that 1km = .62 miles. They make this conversion mistake all throughout this chapter.

No comments about My Life in the Mountains and on the Plains: The Newly Discovered Autobiography.

No comments about Rest Area Review: Southwest Edition: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

No comments about New Trails in Mexico (Southwest Center Series).

4 comments about New Mexico's Continental Divide Trail: The Official Guide (The Continental Divide Trail Series).

1. I have used the companion volume on a hike along the Colorado stage of the Divide trail. The format of that guide was excellent and the route description, although brief was accurate and most useful. My main criticism's of the Colorado volume are reserved for the Maps, reproduced from USFS sheets and inadequate in topographical detail, and the weight that for a trail Guide was rather heavy(too many nice photos, interesting but not essential bakground information, and heavy weight glossy paper).

   The New Mexico volume is in an identical format and so it remains on the heavy side. I will have to pare it down into individual segments and post them ahead to post offices along the trail to be collected. However the maps are a great improvement as they are reproductions of Topo Sheets with all the necessary detail of topography and land forms to engender confidence in route finding when bushwacking. As with Colorado, waymarks are included that use latitude and longitude so entered on a GPS set it can be used to keep you on Trail. All the necessary information for re-supply and access to and from the Trail is included although I will have to test its accuracy when I am on Trail this spring. There is some complexity in the route choices along Stages 19 and 20 North of Pie Town that make for difficulty in following the sequence of pages but I guess that this will resolve itself when on trail. There is an inconsistency in continuity between the Guides as the New Mexico volume is written assuming a Hike proceeding Northward while the subsequent Colorado volume assumes a Southward going trek. Incidently the Wyoming guide reverts to a Northward progress again. I expect this guide to be an essential purchase for any thru hiker for it establishes a definitive route for the CDT through the state. I will comment again on opinion of the book when I get back from the Hike when I have had real use of it.




2. I have used the companion volume on a hike along the Colorado stage of the Divide trail. The format of that guide was excellent and the route description, although brief was accurate and most useful. My main criticism's of the Colorado volume are reserved for the Maps, reproduced from USFS sheets and inadequate in topographical detail, and the weight that for a trail Guide was rather heavy(too many nice photos, interesting but not essential bakground information, and heavy weight glossy paper).

   The New Mexico volume is in an identical format and so it remains on the heavy side. I will have to pare it down into individual segments and post them ahead to post offices along the trail to be collected. However the maps are a great improvement as they are reproductions of Topo Sheets with all the necessary detail of topography and land forms to engender confidence in route finding when bushwacking. As with Colorado, waymarks are included that use latitude and longitude so entered on a GPS set it can be used to keep you on Trail. All the necessary information for re-supply and access to and from the Trail is included although I will have to test its accuracy when I am on Trail this spring. There is some complexity in the route choices along Stages 19 and 20 North of Pie Town that make for difficulty in following the sequence of pages but I guess that this will resolve itself when on trail. There is an inconsistency in continuity between the Guides as the New Mexico volume is written assuming a Hike proceeding Northward while the subsequent Colorado volume assumes a Southward going trek. Incidently the Wyoming guide reverts to a Northward progress again. I expect this guide to be an essential purchase for any thru hiker for it establishes a definitive route for the CDT through the state. I will comment again on opinion of the book when I get back from the Hike when I have had real use of it.




3. I completed the southern-most segment of the CDT, along with 4 other backpackers from Middle of Somewhere Expeditions. We (myself and the other trip guide) found the book to be as complete as possible, given the difficult current circumstances of the Bootheel area. The problems we encountered were mostly due to problems with the trail markings, or the complete LACK of a trail at all - not the book. Writing is excellent, and most all the information present was current. The "official" route chosen for that section was only established with the publishing of this book - in fact, our group were among the first people to navigate it. The bootheel section is an adventure - barbed wire fences, scrambling through deep canyons and over ragged peaks with no trail to follow, a wide variety of (sometimes dangerous) desert creatures, and spectacular scenery. Julyan's book (along with a GPS unit and some MapTech maps) got us through - and that's pretty impressive. Don't believe me? Try hiking that section.



4. This is a guide to a dream that is still unrealized -- a trail from Mexico to Canada that follows the Continental Divide. Like the Appalachian Trail which took decades to complete the Continental Divide trail is still in the making. Thus, the many complexities of finding a trail that in some places doesn't exist -- and in others has several alternatives for finding your way.
   
   The maps, the photography, the detailed descriptions, the elevation profiles all combine to make this an outstanding guide. The guide divides the 700 miles of the CDT in New Mexico into 28 segments and describes each in detail for the hiker going south to north. You'll nead the description, especially near the Mexican border where "trail" is an exaggeration. Time to learn to use that GPS that's been gathering dust in my desk drawer.
   
   The guide is a a bit heavy, so if I were carrying it on the trail I would tear out the needed sections. Also, it was published in 2001 and perhaps a new edition is needed. One would hope that there have been improvements in routing and marking the trail since then. As with the Appalachian trail progress toward completion is slow and opposition from landowners along the route is intense. It's a noble endeavor, however, to create what may become the longest and finest wilderness hiking trail on this planet.
   
   Smallchief

5 comments about The Guaymas Chronicles: La Mandadera.

1. Stuart's book is at once touching, funny, and heart breaking. It tells the story of his life in Guaymas, Mexico in 1970 and how his life was changed with the influance of a scruffy street urchin who he made his Mansasera. Although only 10 years old, she knew more about 'la movida' (the moves' than he ever expected. Together they enter busdiness and manage to 'do things for people'. Together with an assorment of other colourful characters, Stuarts portrait of life in Guaymas is one of those books that is contagious - buy it and get one for a friend.



2. I won't give any spoilers but this was a great book, full of emotions and well written.



3. As a chronicle, I would say the book is written exceptionally well. If it were a work of fiction, I would say the author failed to generate sympathy for the main character, himself. Because the chronicle is written so well, it may seem you are reading a fictional account that doesn't quite measure up. It is what it is. An exceptional recanting of a true story.



4. This is a genuine can't put it down and hope it never finishes, wonderfully intelligent, joyful, intense, sad, emotional, laugh out loud book. This is one of a very few books that I'll ever read a 2nd time - and a 3rd ... We came to San Carlos (15 miles from Guaymas) in 2005 and loved the area so much we are building a house here. We go to Guaymas several times a week and it's surely changed since the author's Chronicle days - but it's still a lovely little city. This is a true story - and that's why the characters and situations ring so true. Much recommended.
   Note - the titles are a little confusing but there is another "Guaymas Chronicles" book - the 2nd "half" of the story - Guaymas Chronicles - Zone of Tolerance.



5. I was given this book by the author, who is my cousin. He is an extraordenery person but I was stunned by the quality of his writing and the subject matter. This book missed winning a pulitzer and has not been made into a movie because of technical problems. His Mexican friends do receive stipends but this tragically underrated masterpiece and the gut-wrenching stories of those prostitutes need more exposure.
   I started by reading this book's sequel, "The Zone of Tolerence" (Red Light District), while David was visiting for a family reunion, so I asked he and his wife, Cindy several questions. She is the railroadman's daughter he became engaged to in this book. They later visited his prostitue and other types of friends mentioned in both books. Cindy was surprised that characters were real and that these bizarre tales were true. The Stuarts were not blessed with children so Lupita was David's only brush with fatherhood. David and Cindy have taken in strays from the University of Mexico. Foreign and domestic students drop out of colleges all over the county but because of this couple's compassion, many in New Mexico have been helped back on track by free rent and encouragement. Cindy was also trained in Archaeology but became a university administrator. Her doctoral thesis researches why students drop out and how a university can prevent this loss of talent and increase the certification of potential taxpayers. In my opinion it was fortunate that David did not marry Marta, the prostitute, or Iliana, the waitress made pregnant by another man. Judge this question for yourself while these books return you to that magical time of lust-fired first love and clouded judgement.
   I agree with the other reviewers. David acted in a way that later triggered catastrophic conquences. I acted the same way in the states but, in a location where people are barely surviving, small mistakes can push kids over the edge. Not having a 911 emergency system killed Lupita, not David. Ditto for the the victims of the auto accidents-- moaning while the police stole their luggage.
   What you also don't know is that David was assaulted and almost killed before he made his escape out of Ecuador. His notes were written in uncoded English so they could be read by the American educated elite who were doing the exploitation he was documenting. For starters, the peasents were sold with the land and a landowner's first rites with Indian brides was enforced. The horse rolling over him was another problem. While riding over the mountains on a mule train, Indian women would try and trade or sell their babies for food. David could not purchase food for these children because the packed food was for other starving people. Giving the women this food would only encourage them to try and escape the mountains and die on the way down. "No babies", was the non-negotiable rule of the mule skinners. This book is titled, "The Ecuador Effect", University of New Mexico Press.
   These two books about Mexico now serve as a documentary of what Mexico was like before drugs poisoned and altered its social fabric. The only other book that changed my attitude was "The Corner" by David Simon and Edward Burns which chronicles the lives of addicts on one drug corner of Baltimore. If you readers need a manicured happy ending without warts, best stick with boy-meets-girl fluff fiction. Pain-on-page is real life. I feel it is my duty to read these types of non-fiction books, even if there is little, or no chance of improvement. Books, like the ones I have mentioned, are not a part of American, light-impact, popular culture. Is that why our problems rarely get solved?