No comments about Train Stations : Whistle Stops, Rail Stations of North America.

2 comments about Streetwise New Jersey Map - Laminated State Road Map of New Jersey - Folding pocket size travel map (Streetwise) (Streetwise).

1. it's made of solid... paperboard? plastic? carfboard? well whatever it is, it's good quality. it's got a lot of detail. very useful.



2. This fold out laminated map is very good for seeing the major cities through New Jersey. It is compact but it's not exactly pocket sized.

1 comments about Looking for De Soto: A Search Through the South for the Spaniard's Trail.

1. This is a derivative work which is most enjoyable if one has a tiny bit of knowledge about De Soto. For budding De Soto enthusiasts, Looking For De Soto is a must read.

   Joyce Rockwood Hudson has written a lively and entertaining account of a six-week vacation she and her husband took in November-December 1984 where they followed the sixteenth century explorer De Soto's trail through the southeastern United States.

   You have to love people who shun the cruise ships and Disneyworld and Madison Avenue in order to tromp around in the mud of backwater swamps while on vacation.

   One might reasonably ask, who is this lady, and why should we care? She is the wife of noted anthropology professor Charles Hudson, and we should care because Professor Hudson has set forth an alternative route for the De Soto expedition, differing in important ways from the route as determined by the Swanton Commission (published by Smithsonian Press, 1939).

   The issue has not been settled - that of De Soto's precise route - but Professor Hudson's theories are interesting and taken seriously by academia as well as people such as myself who enjoy visiting historic places.

   If you are lost, don't feel alone. So are the Hudsons. That's the point. No one really knows where De Soto went, exactly, but the author ignites interest. She also describes in an engaging way a portion of the field work conducted while on "vacation", adding weight to Professor Hudson's theories.

   And remember, folks, this is only one theory of many. That's most of the fun. Those of us who consider ourselves southerners can relate. It is sort of like arguing whether Alabama's football team is number one, or Georgia's or Florida's...

   Only this stuff happened four hundred and fifty years ago, and the debate rages.

   These Conquistador fellows didn't ask for directions, they just snatched the first native American that came along and clapped him in chains if he didn't speak right up.

   Mrs. Hudson keeps you moving right along, with interesting detours about pecans, zinc mining, salt making, etc. She writes clearly, has a keen eye for the absurd, and knows how to deliver a punch line. I'm still laughing over the French colonial town of Smackover. I would also imagine that if you poke too many holes in her husband's theories, she might chew off your ear. A stand up lady.

   One or two fly specks in the book. A map comparing Hudson and Swanton routes would have helped enormously. You'll find yourself sorting through the Atlas and a dusty copy of the Swanton report. The author also fails to mention the name of a good rib place in Memphis. Unconscionable. The Afterword updates the reader on happenings through 1992, when the book was published.

   I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I wish De Soto would have had someone like Joyce Rockwood Hudson along. Even epic tales of death, disease, despair, and war require the female touch.

1 comments about Rock Art Along the Way.

1. I thought this book was very interesting and informative. I would recommend this to anyone interested in native american art.

No comments about Topographic Recreational Map of Colorado.

5 comments about Sacred Places North America: 108 Destinations (Sacred Places: 108 Destinations series).

1. Brad Olsen has come up with yet another special book. Sacred places covers a large number of sites and other attractions you won't read about elsewhere. Some (such as Elvis Presley's Graceland) are unexpected; others are natural areas such as Joshua Tree and Denali; still others are Native American religious landmarks such as Chaco Canyon. Even if you aren't the least bit "New Age" or "spiritual;" but just someone who appreciates nature and unusual places, you'll find Brad's book to be a great compendium. And directions are included!



2. Compiled and written by Brad Olsen (Editor, World Explorer), Sacred Places: North America offers the reader 108 spiritual destinations throughout North America, ranging from the Salt Lake Temple of Utah, to the Ellis Medicine Wheel of Alberta in Canada, to the Garden of the Gods in Hawaii, to the birthplace of Martin Luther King. Black-and-white photographs, succinct descriptions, advice for traveling, combine to make Sacred Places: North America a revealing, useful, and enthusiastically recommended guide for the vacationer seeking to fulfill their spiritual as well as their recreational yearnings.



3. This book is great. It is not only a source of information, but it is also a great place for inspiration. I have been using it in my travels. The places I have visited in the book have been amazing. Also, the people are great. I encourage you to look at the publishing website. They stand for great things and are very easy to work with.



4. Instead of just blandly heading off into picture postcard America, consider traveling with a purpose -- to experience the intense energy boosts of sacred sites, modern & ancient.

   To that end Rebeccasreads recommends you take along Brad Olsen's SACRED PLACES NORTH AMERICA. While the writing is utilitarian, the maps busy & the b&w photos a bit shabby, the information offered will certainly get more bang out of your buck in the sites you visit -- such as Graceland, Crater Lake & 106 other more & less known places in the length & breath of this continent.




5. Divided into 10 geographical sections (Southwest, West Coast, Alaska and Hawai'i, Western Canada, Rocky Mountains, Central Plains, Great Lakes Region, Eastern Canada, New England, and The South), "Sacred Places North America" is the ultimate travel guide for anyone seeking out places of great historical or religious significance. The guide is thorough, covering things as diverse as Anasazi dwellings, Area 51, medicine wheels, Indian mounds, petroglyphs, Walden Pond, and even Graceland. Each entry has a basic history of the place plus a description of how to get there. A true travel guide for those interested in these places it is a real treasure trove of information. If you are planning to travel this summer, pick up a copy and make sure to visit some of the most interesting places in North America. "Sacred Places North America" is a highly recommended purchase.

5 comments about Streetwise Manhattan (Streetwise).

1. don't waste your money. just because its laminated doesn't make it a good map. Not all streets are on it and sections of manhattan are missing. I wouldn't count on this map to help you out if you don't know the area and have things memorized before you get here. WE got lost on more than one occasion trying to use this thing.
   Get the NFT black book of nyc instead. It has all you need and is small enough to fit into your purse or pocket.



2. I use these maps on every trip I go on! They are so accurate and easy to use. The map is durable for every type of weather and small enough to stick in a small bag. There is a streetwise map for every major city we have gone to and we love them! It's a great "memory keeper" as well.



3. This is a great map of the city, easy to carry around. It's plastic, a big plus when it starts raining or if you spill anything on it. My only complain is that it does not include a Subway Map. It has Subway Routes in the map but with all the streets, etc it get a little difficult to make out.
   Overall, great map. A must have for tourist or anyone new to the city.



4. I purchased this map to use on a short trip to NYC. Although it is laminated and folds up to pocket size, there were better maps in the guide books I purchased. On the trip, I didn't use it very much.



5. Never having been to New York, this map was a really big help in navigating the City. It even helped before I left home by letting me see where my hotel was in relation to the places I wanted to see and how I would travel to see them.

5 comments about Moon Handbooks Oaxaca.

1. This is the ONLY full-sized guide book devoted solely to Oaxaca so, if you're going there for any length of time over a couple days, you need it; so buy it, already. Great info on history, archeological sites, remote regions, all that.
   
   For notes on sanitation, eating safely, crime problems with backcountry travel, and a few other refined topics, look for additional information elsewhere. This book, which has excellent details on many things, is a bit incomplete in some areas.
   
   I'm writing this from an internet cafe in Oaxaca de Benito Juarez, the capital city, to report a deficit in the book: some of the restaurant recommendations are off the mark and misinformed. The author recommends some of the worst eateries in the central city (the Centro Historico) and doesn't even mention many of the best ones, even when they've been here for years garnering good reputations. I used the last edition of this book for a long visit here last year, and bought the new (November 2004) edition for this trip and, if anything, some of the bad restaurant recommendations of the last edition have become worse ones in this new edition. When you get here, just ask a few other visitors who got here before you and get your own list of recommendations; you'll do much better that way.
   
   A Mexico-wide warning, also not mentioned in this book: several Norte Americanos I know who are smokers tell me they like to come to Mexico because they can smoke virtually anywhere, without restrictions. If you are among the majority who do not smoke, that could be a problem for you. There are a few really excellent restaurants and cafes here in the city where smoking is forbidden, but none of them are mentioned in the Moon guide to Oaxaca.
   
   An update, a month later, still in Oaxaca: this book gives great details on how to get about in any town in Oaxaca, but doesn't tell you whether it's worth your time to go there. When you get to any region of the state, how do you choose which town to stop in? If you have only a week and want to hit just one or two high spots outside the capital city, how do you choose? No quidance on this from Bruce Whipperman, the author. He just tells you what you'll be seeing once you get there.



2. I travel more than most people and buy several guidebooks each year. This has been the most helpful book that I have ever bought. Of course, you could have a great trip to Oaxaca with no guidebook at all, just staying in Oaxaca city and hanging out around the zocolo. However, we wanted to see Oaxaca state beyond the city and made a side trips to both Puerto Escondido and the Sierra Madre mountains. This book was helpful in planninng our excursions. Since I know little about Mexican history, I also found the book helpful in giving me background on what I was actually seeing. The next time I travel I will definitely check out a Moon handbook.



3. (Planeta.com Journal) The book is perfect for those planning to spend at least a week in Oaxaca. Coverage is first rate and includes many tips for visiting archaeological sites, out-of-the way resorts and mountain communities.



4. B. Whipperman really knows Oaxaca. The book is with me at all times when in Oaxaca, and helps me to investigate more places to explore in the towns around the city of Oaxaca. This book was written by a person who loves that area.



5. This is an excellent,dependable resource for this area. The guide is easy to read, practical, informative and inclusive. I was pleased with the recommendations that I pursued.

5 comments about Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul.

1. Scott Weidensaul has written another spectacular book. In his tour across wild America, he shares how much of our natural heritage we've lost and gained in the past 50 years. The book is beautifully written and it keeps you interested all the way through. Most importantly, it leaves the reader with a message of hope. Although we've lost a lot and we have a long way to go, there have been many environmental success stories in the past 50 years.



2. In 1953 birder Roger Tory Peterson and British naturalist James Fisher journeyed for a hundred days covering some thirty thousand miles around North America, noting their discoveries in WILD AMERICA: here on the 50th anniversary of their trip naturalist Scott Weidensaul retraces their steps and tells of his findings in RETURN TO WILD AMERICA: A YEARLONG SEARCH FOR THE CONTINENT'S NATURAL SOUL. Many changes have taken place in the areas covered in WILD AMERICA: this documents both sad changes and hopeful changes from Newfoundland through the Northeast, where wildlife is returning to urban environments; from Florida where the Everglades continues to erode to Mexico, where rich ecosystems are being saved. It's refreshing to read about successes as well as struggles - and RETURN TO WILD AMERICA, for maximum impact, should be followed or preceded by a re-reading of WILD AMERICA for maximum effect.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. The book does imbue one with a sense of moral responsibility towards the wild spirit of Earth. There are still some wildplaces left on the North American continent, but not for long if everyone goes there. Read about the areas, and help them stay wild.



4. It was March 6, 2008, 11:30 PM and about 15 degrees. Scott Weidensaul and I and two others were peering into the dark at a nearby white spruce tree. The flashlight had died a while ago. There was a Boreal Owl - a life bird for Scott - singing in that tree, and we purely could not see it. Scott had to be exhausted. It was 3:30 in the morning by his internal clock, he had given an outstanding, impassioned presentation to the Alaska Bird Conference that night. And he was scheduled to be in Denali National Park the following morning.
   
   So when I tell you that Scott Weidensaul is passionate about birds and nature, I'm not speculating or exaggerating. And that same passion is reflected in his writing. This book retraces the steps of Roger Tory Peterson and British naturalist James Fisher 50 years after their epic trip. It's part biography, part geography, and completely compelling.
   
   And while Weidensaul finds much that has changed for the worse in those 50 years, some things are definitely, even dramatically better. Species believed to be extinct have recovered to some extent. The system of parks and refuges, even if badly neglected by the Bush administration, is more extensive now. There's demonstrable reason for optimism. That's no small thing. Coming from a man deeply committed to environmentalism, it's a cheering bit of news.
   
   Weidensaul writes somewhat like John McPhee, finding and writing about interesting people to help to tell his story. He can be lyrical and still factual. He can write a profound environmental book and still find a few things to be cheerful, even optimistic about. He is also a great nature photographer and a terrific public speaker.
   
   There are very, very few writers who have captured the joy and despair of North American ecological changes as well as Scott Weidensaul. Very highly recommended.



5. Take one old (great) book and put a liberal spin on it. That is what you get. All the tree-huggers will love this one.

2 comments about Cruising America's Waterways: The Erie Canal (Cruising America's Waterways).

1. This book is filled with color photographs that capture the beauty and historic charm of this waterway. The text is comprehensive -- touching on everything from history to Canal utilization. It let's you see what all of New York's canals have to offer - as a boater, cruise ship tourist, or automotive traveller. The Canals are fully functional and waiting for tourists. This book let's you understand the "New York State Canal System" and all that it has to offer. As the text points out... (rough quote)...if we had not inherited this legacy resource; costs, environmental concerns, and political considerations would not allow its construction today. This is a superior book on the world's most famous canal.



2. A companion book to the award-winning PBS series "Cruising American Waterways," The Erie Canal by Debbie Daino Stack (PBS Project Coordinator for the "Cruising American Waterways" television series) and Captain Ronald S. Marquisee (Producer of "Cruising America's Waterways"), is a quality travelogue showcasing the history and beauty of the famous Erie Canal, a still active waterway used for recreation, flood control, irrigation, and power generation. Lavish color photographs of this historic canal fill The Erie Canal from cover to cover, and the insightful text offers a wealth of cultural lore. A superbly gorgeous coffee-table book and enhanced with a foreword by Andrew Cuomo, The Erie Canal is a true pleasure to read and enjoy and highly recommended for armchair travelers and community library American History collections.