4 comments about National Geographic's Guide to Small Town Escapes.

1. For anyone who enjoys the out-of-the-way small towns and villages, this guide book is a must. It is so well-written that the unique feeling you get about each place compells you to make an actual visit there. A perfect example is the story about Cutchogue, Long Island, New York. After reading so much about the movie stars, the Clintons and other glitterati in the Hamptons on the South Fork of L.I., I was utterly amazed that there is such a small undisturbed rural paradise (at least until this Guide was published)on the North Fork across Great Peconic Bay. The wineries, farm stands, historic sites and great seafood restaurants made our brief weekend visit a true delight. The Guide gave just enough data to locate Cutchogue and its environs to make the drive easy. The Cutchogue residents we encountered were amazingly friendly and helpful in giving directions to a few haunts of the locals that made this a definite "come again" destination. I trust the other places listed in the Guide are equally as wonderful as the one we experienced.



2. Are you one of those people who hates crowded, commercialized destinations? My idea of a vacation is NOT fighting traffic and waiting in lines and seeing row upon row of tacky giftshops that are all the same.

   If you want to get off the beaten track a bit (but not totally away from civilization), this is the perfect book to help you plan your family vacation! It lists 77 towns - the maps are great of course, the pictures are captivating, and they tell you what's so great about the town, where to stay, where to eat, and even where to shop, if you're so inclined.

   I can speak for only two of the destinations listed in the book, but both of them are fantastic. We've been to Ephraim, Wisconsin (in Door County) twice now and we're going back too! The other town we've been to is Ouray, Colorado. Even though we were just passing through there, and only got to stop for lunch, I can see where this town is a great destination all its own.

   Get this book, pick a location, and pack up the car and you'll have a great vacation!

   Happy traveling!




3. Escape for a Season or So
   
   Every so often someone comes along who tells me that if they won "the Lottery" one of the things they would like to do is travel. Well, I would, too, except that I want to
   do more than just pay a visit, I want to stay a while... perhaps a season or so.

   This book just whets my appetitie for such travel. I have been to a number of the towns in this book. Just for one example, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is as good as it gets. If you visit Eureka Springs in the Autumn, the trees of the Ozarks are gorgeous. Coming in from the west, you might even see a cloud in the one of the valleys below. You'll probably pass by Thorncrown Chapel which is one like no other. Once in Eureka you'll find the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway and the only church in the world through which you will enter through the bell tower, St Elizabeth's. Ripley's Believe It or Not once mentioned this story. You'll want to stay for more than a visit
   to Eureka Springs because nearby is the Pea Ridge Civil War Battlefield just to mention one.

   This book is about places like this one from one coast to the other. I have visited some of them and they are all just as fascinating. I wish that I could see them all.




4. This was one of our "most valuable" books when we took our year long adventure around the USA. The towns they describe are really worth exploring -- they are the way towns used to be in this country. We came back from our adventure and wrote "Live Your Road Trip Dream" to help other road trippers actually get move from the dreaming to the doing for their trip of a lifetime.

4 comments about Led Zeppelin Crashed Here: The Rock and Roll Landmarks of North America.

1. Chris Epting has once again made a book about all the places behind the history. As with his three other book I've purchased ("James Dean, "M. Monroe" & "Elvis Presley") it's a collection of cool facts about the historical value of the PLACE, in addition to the event. If you are a person that looks at a physical location (like a liquor store on the corner of 7th & Main in L.A.) and says "Wow! That is where U2 made that iconic video 20 years ago), then all of Chris' books are for you. There is just something about staring at an otherwise boring street corner in San Franciso and realising that you're gazing at one of the most famous album covers of the past 50 years. In a time when our imaginations are used very little, this author has really given mine a workout.



2. Lots of great stories about the places that were made famous by the big names in rock and roll.
   I was a concert promoter for many years and was able to relate to a lot of the events and places. One theatre that was left out of the book (The Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ) I co-found. I emailed the author of this book. He called me within a few hours from California. He said he was very sorry for the oversight and would put the Capitol Theatre in the next addition of the book.



3. It was pretty cool seeing the local sites and history. I am sure the book won't let me down - if it is 1/1000th as good as the story on TV, I'll be happy.



4. Useful for dipping in and out of. Probably need to have the other books in the series.

5 comments about A Viking Voyage: In Which an Unlikely Crew of Adventurers Attempts an Epic Journey to the New World.

1. meant to bring attention to the author, who previously had placed second in the Louisiana Oyster Eating Contest. (I'm not kidding. The author says so.) He realized he needed to come up with something better than that if he was to gain wide public recognition and managed to talk Land's End into putting up a million or so to back him. The account's not very well written, and the author admits he knows little about the sea or sailing or the Norse. Not surprisingly, many of his "facts" are wrong. It's not completely worthless, just not very good. Such a voyage should have made wonderful adventure reading.



2. To some, Americans are best examplified as a people "blundering into success". This book is certain to reinforce that view. Carter relates the assembling of an "unlikely crew" to duplicate a "Viking" voyage from Greenland to North America. The voyage required two attempts [as you learn from the map preceding the text], and succeeded only after hilarious and desperate adventures. But it did succeed.

   Carter's account is intensely personal as he explains his motives to duplicate the "Viking" [apparently Carter was never taught the word "Norse"] voyages leading to the "Vinland" landings. Long debated, "Vinland" became a real place with the revelation of a Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland-Labrador in the 1960s. With Norse voyages to "Vinland" recorded in 1000 CE, Carter's target date of exactly one millenium later seemed appropriate.

   The only hitches were that Carter didn't know how to sail, didn't know anything about the Norse, their history, their boatbuilding techniques or their navigation methods. A shaky start compounded by a crew of similar qualifications. During the voyages, personality clashes make their inevitable appearance. Although discussions about the route to follow are understandable, the debate over toilet paper use seems almost a diversion. The primary issue of discussion is the rudder - it's shape, use and mounting. That question remains fundamental since the rudder determines as much as the winds which track is best.

   By the time you close the final page of this book, it's difficult to avoid feeling emotionally soiled. Carter reaches his thirty-sixth birthday on this voyage. The writing, however, is more in line with that of a sixteen-year old. Carter spends so much time at whingeing about missing his family, self-abasement over his inadequacies as a "leader", recounting the losses of wives and girlfriends by his mates, that reaching the Newfoundland coast seems anticlimatic. That this inept and mismatched team survived a journey that once took countless lives is hardly reassuring. If ever the gods were arbitrary in their machinations, they seemed to have proved it here. That an amatuer crew survived an expedition against all odds is a mildly entertaining read, but hardly an inspirational one. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]




3. Carter is the man. The priggish "extreme sports" types and those who fancy themselves "authentic" risk takers will no doubt miss the boat on this one. WIth the world fully wired and mapped, the notions of conquest and exploration must be experienced through a different lens. Carter provides a comical contemporary description of his journey- part historical reenactment. part adventure (with rational modern back up), and part philosophical investigation of modern life. A terrific read.



4. Hodding Carters boyish enthusiasm and matched only by his ignorance of all things nautical, lays the ground work for this humorous tale of reenacting a Viking oddysey. Carter relentlesly pursues Viking history to gain knowledge for building a recreation of Leif Erikssons square rigged knarr. Dogged determination coupled with old world craftmanship, brings the boat to life and Carter assembles his crew for the voyage to Greenland. Carter candidly re-counts the personal difficulties experienced with his fellow 'vikings' but tended to bore the reader with his introspection and worries (particularly towards the end of the trip). Nevertheless, a great adventure that takes you to the most unspoiled territory on earth and a pretty good read.



5. As a long-time enthusiast of Viking culture and Viking lore, I found this story inspiring, moving, and fun. The author's attention to the details of daily living on a knarr made me feel, at times, that I was part of the crew. Hodding Carter has the heart of an adventurer and the pen of a poet.

5 comments about Guide to North American Railroad Hot Spots (Railroad Reference Series).

1. I like this book very much. It has all the information I needed for planning a trip to some hot spots. Besides that it has beautiful color photos as well and therefore it is a pity that the paper is rather thin and the size rather small.
   But OK, the book had to be a guide in the first place and therefore limited in size and weight, but the book is also nice to watch the pictures.



2. I like this book very much. It has all the information I needed for planning a trip to some hot spots. Besides that it has beautiful color photos as well and therefore it is a pity that the paper is rather thin and the size rather small.
   But OK, the book had to be a guide in the first place and therefore limited in size and weight, but the book is also nice to watch the pictures.



3. This is a great guide with complete information for the railfan. It includes items such as how many trains to expect at the site, what types of trains, radio frequency the railroad is using to communicate, etc. I bought three of these books, one for me, and one for each of my adult sons to use while traveling, so that they can show my grandsons all about trains.



4. Fairly complete on where the location is how to get there. Is some-what complicated, although they also inform you exactly where to go (public parking on south side of street). There are two sections dealing with location: 'Directions' and 'Remarks'. The directions are complicated at best but, they make up with the remarks section. However, the directions are listed towards the begining of the article and remarks are towards the end. Should have had them next to each other.
   Liked the fact that they give you what you are likely to see, when to see it, and how often you are likely to see the trains. Also, liked that they give you radio scanning codes, places to eat and things to do, close by.
   HATED the fact that they could not make up their mind as to wether use page numbers or the 'hot spot' number. The 'hot spot' table of contents lists the spots according to alpha state and gives the page number. No indication as to what the 'hot spot' number is. Then you turn to the map page, and everything there is listed by 'hot spot' number, NO page numbers. So, you are left thumbing through the whole book anyways, trying to find the dang 'hot spot' number. Even then the 'hot spot' number is listed on the inside of the odd numbered pages so you can NOT see the 'hot spot' number. And like I said the table of contents lists only the page so there is NO WAY to associate the page to the 'hot spot' number. VERY DUMB. Map should have used page numbers.
   Also, kinda small in size but, i guess that is so you can store the book in your glove box for traveling.



5. HOT SPOTS is a beautiful and useful book, but it has gotten a little long in the tooth since Kalmbach published it in 2001. Time for a revised edition IMHO.

1 comments about National Geographic Atlas of Natural America.

1. This book is great if you're looking for 1-2 page descriptions of plants, animals, trees, lakes, wildflowers, glaciers, canyons, mammals, fish, and deserts of parks in North America. The pictures are wonderful. And there are many national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges listed in the book. The map at the beginning of the book clearly pinpoints where each of the parks are located.

2 comments about Rock-Art of the Southwest: A Visitor's Companion.

1. An especially well written,comprehensive book on Native American petroglyphs, pictographs and geoglyphs. Detailed sections in clear, uncluttered language explain what Rock-art is and how and by whom it was created. A fine collection of illustrations show the variety of subject matter and the skill of Rock-art artists. Included are helpful listings of special resources and Wed sites. This slim volume is loaded with information. The authors admire Native American Rock-art and express their concern that it be respected and protected. Sensitivity to this art form will be heightened with the reading of this book.



2. After reading this book, I have a better understanding of the types and distribution of rock-art in the Southwest. I will be carrying this with me whenever, I travel.

5 comments about Pennsylvania Mountain Vistas: A Guide for Hikers and Photographers.

1. Just like in his 2004 offering "Pennsylvania Waterfalls," here Scott E. Brown has created a great resource for both hikers and outdoor photographers. However, in that earlier book Brown mainly focused on natural attractions that are easily reached by car or via short leisurely rambles. In contrast, here he has created special hiking routes to natural overlooks that are often quite difficult to reach without serious hiking. That's because Pennsylvania's surprisingly rugged topography creates many great vistas but most of them require real foot power to reach. So in his quest for the most photogenic mountain vistas, Brown has created a guide that includes in-depth hiking information as well as technical specifications for the professional or aspiring photographer. This results in an exceptional guide that will inspire hikers to visit many previously unappreciated vistas with or without their cameras, while shutterbugs will appreciate the rewards of hiking and a love for nature while en route to incredible shots.
   
   There are also a few surprises in Brown's recommendations to photographers, and by extension, hikers. For each vista, Brown includes the best times of day for the ultimate shot, which is often sunrise or sunset. Thus, there is some incredibly useful advice for hiking at night. There is also some good advice on winter hiking and the consequent care for photographic equipment, because winter nature photography has its own unique rewards. In general, Brown offers very specific technical advice for getting the best shots in each selected location, surely with the goal of training photographers to challenge his own works. And those shots by Brown are the best aspect of this book, with great examples throughout. Highlights include several snowy landscapes, glowing fog over a barn, a moonrise, and a stupendous panoramic composition of Pine Creek Gorge. This informative and visually attractive book will inspire anyone with an interest in hiking or photography, or both, to explore the best of Pennsylvania's surprising outdoor wonders. [~doomsdayer520~]



2. Scott Brown's earlier book, Pennsylvania Waterfalls, was an exceptional guidebook to rare and beautiful locations in PA, and this book is the same. There are so many wonderful vistas in Pennsylvania that no book could possibly cover them all, but Brown cherry-picked the best ones for inclusion in this work. His outstanding pictures are a joy to behold, and his photographic instruction will be useful to novice and accomplished photgraphers alike.
   
   I've spent lots of time researching Pennsylvania vistas and overlooks, and I've even created a web site to document them. This book certainly aided my research. I've visited a number of vistas included in this work, and Brown does a great job describing the hikes, the views, and how to capture them on film. Other information about each location, such as the field of view, elevation, and GPS coordinates are icing on the cake.
   
   My job takes me around the state on occasion, and I'm definitely going to make it a point to seek out the vistas highlighted in this book. I highly reccomend this work to anyone who's into viewing or phtographing the beautiful mountains of the Keystone state.



3. This book is very well organized and thorough. Directions and descriptions of sites are complete and easy to understand. A great tool for anyone who wants to hike to overlooks in Pennsylvania.



4. I've owned this book for just a week and already have corners folded and details highlighted. Inclusion of Mr. Brown's photos from these vistas just whets the appetite to experience the scene in person. Anyone who has ever tried to convey the beauty of a valley or mountaintop on film knows that even the most perfect shots don't convey the true experience unless you have been there yourself. This book will travel the state with me, year round. How long will it take me to experience each of these fantastic mountainscapes in all four seasons?



5. Very good guide to all the photogenic spots in the entire PA as opposed to only specific parts of PA. There is very in depth suggestions for the serious photographers (of which I am not) that "point and shoot" photographers are really not going to use, but can at least use his recommendations for site location for the scene. I found the rating system very useful to help me decide which hikes were worth my time seeing on limited time.

No comments about The Log Home: Classic Log Cabins Of North America.

No comments about Time Out Vancouver (Time Out Guides).

5 comments about America's Living History - The Early Years (A Traveler's Guide).

1. What can you expect from America's Living History-The Early Years? Definitely not just another "coffee table" book! The stunning photographs may catch your eye, but you'll want to pick up this book and use it.
   
   Have you ever wanted to visit the historic Jamestown site in Virginia? You can view hundreds of artifacts discovered from the first permanent settlement there.
   
   Do you remember the story about Washington crossing an icy river to attack British forces? Been to the place it happened? Did you know that every year on Christmas Day, hundreds of re-enactors cross the river to commemorate this Revolutionary War triumph?
   
   Know where you can find incredible Native American petroglyphs? Sites in New Mexico and Nevada are mentioned in this book.
   
   Readers will find the answers to innumerable questions about early American life in this book. Whether readers are interested in a day trip close to home or going cross-country, this is a great resource.
   
   From the plains to the coast, Alaska to Hawaii, nearly every state is represented in this guide. With three hundred destinations featured, a history buff or interested traveler couldn't ask for more.
   
   The authors have done a great job with tasteful and applicable photographs. They accent pages filled not just with contact information (although it's there for your reference) but with interesting facts, too. The book is separated into categories, including: America's Native Peoples, European Colonization, Road to Independence, and more. It also features destinations lists by region, to help you plan adventures if you are on a trip.
   
   The authors have obviously done their homework and it shows in this wonderful resource.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.



2. Suzanne and Craig Sheumaker have created an incredible resource for people looking to vacation in the United States in places where history lives. They profile 300 living history sites in the United States that cover American history from the time when Native Americans had empires and confederations to the 1840's. The Sheumakers provide excellent cross-references to aid people planning a living history vacation. However, this book is more than just a guide for people looking for an excellent place to vacation; this book is also a wonderful history book with factual tidbits sprinkled throughout.
   
   The beginning of this book provides maps of the profiled locations. These maps also divide the sites into categories described later in the book (more on that in a moment). Thus, if your focus is on European colonization and you are interested in traveling to the mid-Atlantic or the South, you will be able to quickly find the sites that are focused on this aspect of history.
   
   The Sheumakers organized this book into six historical categories; America's Native Peoples, European Colonization, Religious & Secular Groups, Road to Independence, Our New Nation, and Opening the West. Each section is color coded to more easily locate them on the previously described maps. Even better, each section has dozens of photographs, typically one per site, along with location information, fee information, and, perhaps best of all, the best available web site for the location. In addition, the Sheumakers sometimes recommend the best time of year to see special events and they typically provide information regarding the historical significance of the site.
   
   I have checked several of the sites recommended by the Sheumakers to see how accurate their information is. Consider Cahokia Mounds, in Illinois, described on page 38 of this book. There are two photographs. One photograph is of the largest mound on the site. The other is a photograph of a walk-through diorama available at the interpretive center. The Sheumakers include several pieces of information about the history of the site and its significance (a small portion of what you can learn at the site). Their information regarding the location of Cahokia Mounds matches the direction provided on the highways east of St. Louis, Missouri. The fee information is also correct (free), though the interpretive center suggests a $1 donation per person. The only flaw I found in the Sheumaker's description of this site is that they neglected to mention the miles of walking trails on the site.
   
   Other sites contain similar accuracy. I looked at Spring Mill Pioneer Village in Indiana, which is a wonderful place to visit (though sometimes it gets very busy). Historic St. Charles, Missouri is yet another wonderful place to visit, if you can avoid the distraction of the gigantic casino that is nearby. Ft. Osage in Sibley, Missouri, has been a popular destination for the nearby residents of Kansas City, Missouri, for decades.
   
   If there is a flaw in this book, it is that space limited the Sheumakers to only 300 destinations. There are many more living history places in the United States. However, the Sheumakers certainly picked many of the very best places from the era before the 1840's. Perhaps if this book is successful, they can write a follow-up book titled "More of America's Living History."
   
   This book is a phenomenal resource for people planning a vacation or seeking a starting point for a history paper. Teachers and other educators may wish to explore one of the living history sites near your school. You may just want to take a day trip to one of these sites. All of them are worth at least a day trip and some of them require days to fully explore.
   
   Traveler's guides seem to be a dime-a-dozen these days. Everyone is competing for shelf space and your attention. The Sheumakers have a unique approach, eschewing typical tourist attractions for those that focus on our (United States) history. It would be a mistake to call these sites tourist attractions, because many of them contain on-going historical research. For example, excavations continue at Cahokia Mounds. Regardless of your need, this beautiful, full-color book is a wonderful as a resource, a coffee-table book, or even just to read - I started it and could not put it down. Whatever your need or goal, if you appreciate the history of the United States and you are seeking an opportunity to immerse yourself further in that history, you need this book.
   
   This review is based on a copy of the book provided to me by the authors.
   
   Enjoy!



3. Say the words "road trip" and "history" and I get excited. Suzanne & Craig Sheumaker have written a wonderful guide book for people who love living history sites and museums. I've been to most of the places described in Virginia and I can say that they got their descriptions absolutely correct.
   
   I especially liked the photos. Most guide books have no pictures or annoy me with dinky little artsy drawings. When I'm in a car looking for something I don't want a drawing.
   
   The Sheumakers seem to really love what they do and their enthusiasm comes though in each chapter. I've always scorned the Jamestown Settlement and prefered to head to the real Jamestown down the road but after reading the Sheumakers section on it I think I'll give it a try.
   
   I particularly enjoyed the way that they split the book up. If you are interested in sites from the Spanish colonization years or the French or of course the English you can find chapters that deal just with that particular period. If you want to understand more about Indian life they have an exceptionally good section of sites dedicated to America's earliest settlers. Be sure to check out the Cherokee villiage in North Carolina. The book also talks about the Catholics, the Jews, Amish, Moravian, Shakers, Quakers and Mormons who came to America and the living history sites they left behind.
   
   If the Revolutionary period is what interests you most they have a chapter on sites to visit. If the sites of the new nation are your thing then they have a chapter for you. This is really a delightful book and is such a good travel companion I'd say that the best thing to do is to buy two copies. One for the coffee table and one to keep in the car. I hope this is the begining of a new series.



4. We are history buffs at home--both of us grew up in historic areas. Trips to Gettysburg, Independence Hall, The Old North Church and Washington, DC were in our childhood experiences. You could hardly take a daytrip without seeing some of America's oldest treasures. So we as children enjoyed historical sites and we still stop for historical markers as a habit when we are out touring any area.
   
   
   For people with similar tastes or who have children to educate, this is a wonderful resource. Some of the well-known and lesser known historical sites all over the US that date from the early years are laid out in a travel guide format.
   
   
   The book is organized by popular sites, subjects like religious movements, colonization, the Western movement, and the Revolutionary War and the times leading up to this watershed event. Each historical site has photographs, address and phone number and a synopsis of what is available for touring. The geographical maps show towns or cities of interest. The only thing missing would be day trip routes in some of the more densely-historical areas (Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, New Jersey.)
   
   
   
   But there are also timelines and write-ups of the history of the times (the Shakers, the Mormons, the battles of the Revolution and War of 1812, and the early contact with Native Americans.) So the book is not just a "what to see" but has important background and a good if brief overview of early American history.
   
   After I read this book, I immediately wanted to go see at least a half a dozen sites I had not visited that are not really very far from my, and added a list of places I want to see next time I'm out West.
   
   
   This is a very pretty book and one that home schoolers would find absolutely a treasure. My parents took us on endless daytrips on weekends and these are some of my fondest memories of childhood. If you have kids and an automobile, I'd put this book on the "must-have" list because you can build some excellent memories and give your kids a fine sense of where we came from as a nation. Big thumbs-up and I eagerly await more in this series.



5. If you like to travel and love history then you will greatly appreciate this excellent resource. This book provides information on the best Living History destinations in the United States from prehistory to the early 1840s. Instead of organizing the locations by particular area of the United States the authors have chosen to organize them by significant historical groupings. Examples of these groupings include a section on America's native peoples, one on religious and secular groups, one on the road to independence, and one on opening the West.
   
   Most destinations have between a half page and a full-page description of the location, its historical significance, and interesting facts about the location or a related history. The book is filled with excellent color photographs that give the reader a solid feel for what to expect. This is one of the most invaluable resources I have ever found for planning a trip focused on American history and the historical significance of various areas of the United States. Americans Living History is very highly recommended.