5 comments about The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas.

1. Purchased the book because I'm considering a retirement along Lake Ontario and am an avid sailor. The book is centered around the relocation of a Ferro cement schooner from Michigan through the lakes to Lake Ontario, onward down the Hudson and around New England. Along the journey, are many mini stories added for each lake taken from a combination of personal adventures, history and many interesting collection of facts coveraging a wide range of subjects from geology, their early exploration, later exploitation and related environmental problems. My only mild dissapointment is there was not more on Lake Ontario. The trip ends in along the coast of Maine where I was raised. It's a delightful book.



2. I really enjoyed this book because it covers a wide range of topics from sailing to environmentalism to North American history to geology.
   
   As a lifelong citizen of the Great Lakes in Rochester, NY and Chicago, IL, I was surprised at how much I didn't already know -- and that the book taught me.



3. 
   
   An enthusiastic outdoorsman, Dennis has written a comprehensive book on the Great Lakes from the perspective of personal experience, scientific data and historical background. He describes the area in its early pristine beauty, from the Indian tribes to the first European settlers and the dawning of industrialization that almost destroyed this natural preserve of geology, flora, fauna and indigenous species. With attention to the tales of the past, Dennis writes of the gradual evolution of natural beauty into a vast resource for lumber, farm products, shipping and related industries, including the influx of a population that has grown around opportunity, all imbued with the awesome grandeur of these vast bodies of water.
   
   On a four-week voyage through the Great Lakes, Dennis views the area from the water, as opposed to his many travels along the shorelines, the exhausting, but fulfilling days on board filled with the lore of the sea, new friendships make while sailing and the eccentric individuals met along the way. Couched in contemporary terms, the author speaks of the past with reverence, his love of history enhanced by regional details, tales of shipwrecks and the personal observations of a man with great reverence for the bounty of this immense body of water and those who live on the miles of coastline that make up the Great Lakes. History is tangible in Dennis's work, impossible to ignore as the men navigate from one lake to another, reminded daily of the pitfalls of ignoring nature and the pleasures of communing with the elements.
   
   The comprehensive chapters cover: Lake Michigan, from land and water; the Straights of Mackinac; Lake Superior, canoeing, the early voyagers, surviving storms; Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the wilderness; St. Claire River; Lake Ontario, the Erie Canal and the Hudson River. Each chapter addresses relevant information but is complemented by stories, for example, the "White City" constructed in Jackson Park for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the disappearance of an entire fishing village on the shores of lake Michigan, victim of "walking dunes", Sault Ste. Marie and the rapids of the St. Mary's and The Soo Locks. His eye on an ever-changing environment, Dennis paints a fascinating portrait of nature's bounty in the Great Lakes, past and present, ever vigilant for the dangers of pollution, overuse and the avarice of industrialization: "Bracketed by mysteries, adrift, alone, despairing of our ignorance, we turn to the physical because there, at least, we can know a thing for certain." This is out legacy and the key to the future of a national treasure. Luan Gaines/ 2006.



4. As a displaced Michigander, I am often amazed that westerners are almost completely unfamiliar with the Great Lakes. This book would be best enjoyed by those familiar with the region. But even the less familiar will enjoy the gripping adventure found in the many anecdotes offered here. I am on my second read and can't believe how much I had forgotten from my first read. There are stories that will nearly bring you to tears (the near disaster on the day of the Edmund Fitz sinking) and some that will simply amaze. This should be required reading for all school children from this region. Those less fortunate who live elsewhere will still enjoy the enlightening read. And while it certainly encourages protection of the lakes, I didn't find it preachy. It is a very objective book and doesn't dwell too much on the environment.
   
   If there is a better book on the great lakes I haven't found it.



5. I read The Living Great Lakes at least two or three years ago and subsequently gave my copy to a client relocating from New Jersey to Michigan. I just bought my second copy to re-read and add back to my permanent library. This book is an enormous pleasure trip from beginning to end. The author lives and breathes the Great Lakes. As someone who was born and bred along the lakeshore of West Michigan, I can tell he really "gets" the soul of the dunes and the lakes and how vital, how beautiful, and how important our Great Lakes are in our lives. A huge thumbs up!

No comments about Karen Brown's New England, 2007: Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries (Karen Brown's New England Charming Inns & Itineraries).

No comments about Crossing the Darien Gap: A Daring Journey Through a Forbidding and Enchanting and Roadless Jungle That Is the Only Link by Land Between North America and South America.

5 comments about Along the Edge of America.

1. This review is for ""Along the Edge of America" by Peter Jenkins, which I've recently finished reading. I want this book review to serve also as my tribute to a very good writer.

   I still have my paperback copies of "A Walk Across America" published in 1979 and "The Walk West", circa 198l. Somewhat faded and yellowed, but treasured. These books have been unforgettable to me.

   The late 70's and the 80's, to the present time, often find me temporarily leaving reality behind. Escaping my own daily struggles and cares, I can mentally journey down roads or waterways with Peter, experiencing the colors and textures of his adventures, his people and the landscapes he paints with sentences.

   I well know the feeling of loss of confidence in ones self. Most of us do, and get beyond it, somehow. In "Along the Edge of America" Peter found his own way of conquering past disappointments. His story reflects a happier man who is better able to accept what life has handed him and to more fully enjoy the rest of it.

   A gentle sadness falls over me as I come to the end of any book written by Peter Jenkins. I wonder, "Will there be another book?", "What part of the world will I learn about this time?", "What people will I know through his stories?"

   I've never personally visited any of the people described in Peter Jenkins books. But he has introduced them to me and made me feel their happiness as well as their sorrows and regrets. We all have plenty of those three things in our lives.

   "Along the Edge of America" seems an honest account of a very trying, yet valuable portion of this man's life. It's a good group of stories and very pleasing to read.

   Thank you, Peter Jenkins.




2. I found and read Peter's "Walk Across America" several months ago and enjoyed it, so bought "Along the Edge" because I have thought about doing some traveling by boat along the coast. Peter's writing has a certain "basic" style; his books are honest and straightforward. The book details his purchase of a power boat and subsequent journey from Florida along the gulf coast. The chapters chronicle the people he meets along with a bit of insight about the geographic areas he encounters - a slice of life that most of us would never know first-hand. This book is light, upbeat reading. Readers will feel as if they are along for the ride, as in his first book. What an interesting life this writer leads, although I did tend to wonder how his new wife and kids dealt with his long hiatus off to wander and write despite their seemingly minimal visits. I enjoy his books because they are light, entertaining travelogues for those of us who like to wander uninhibited to new places and meet new people. Peter is a bit of a nomad who allows us to vicariously set off on new adventures and peek into our daydreams from a "being-there" perspective.



3. Peter, the person who walked across America and just came back from a year and a half in Alaska, takes to the water in his boat The Cooper.

   I think he is brilliant at finding distinctly American characters that capture so much.

   Here he explores the Gulf Coast region and all I knew of it prior to this book was Spring Break on the Florida Panhandle, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and not much more.

   If you want to believe America is a glossy, full color TV comercial stay brain washed and do not read this book or any other of his books. If you wnat to make fun of people or feel superior to them read some of the other travel writers. If you want to get to know a diverse group of people that make up some of your own country read this book and all the rest of his.

   I was as moved by the story of the ragged, toughened brothers Billy and Red and their surpriing love story as any human story I have ever read.

   Thanks Peter for taking me on another journey outside of my comfort zone.




4. In his book describing his walk across many eastern states Jenkins does an excellent job of describing the scenery and people he encounters. You really feel that he bonds with those he meets.
   
   The boat trip described in this book seems much less interesting - mostly because it seems so forced. It seems that Jenkins looks back fondly on his long walk and wants nothing more than to recreate it - this time on a boat. The trouble is, an adventure like his walk is impossible to recreate.
   
   A Walk Across America was written after the fact. His adventuresome spirit led him to many intriguing places and he only thought to write about it after it was over. In this book however, Jenkins seems to be on a hunt for interesting folks to include in a new book.
   
   Sometimes he succeeds in finding interesting people (a Vietnam vet and his brother, a Texas sheriff) but more often than not the people he describes were a bit eccentric but really not worth writing about in a book.



5. When Peter Jenkins finished college he made a decision that was destined to change him forever. He decided that he was not ready for things like graduate school or a steady job. Instead, he decided to walk across America with his dog, Cooper. As word of what he was doing spread around the country, Jenkins was asked to speak to small groups and eventually found himself writing the magazine articles for major publications that led to his bestsellers describing his adventure.
   
   A Walk Across America covers his walk from New York to New Orleans where he fell in love with both the city and the woman who was to become his wife. The Walk West is about his walk with his new wife from New Orleans to Oregon, completing the long journey that he had envisioned as a fresh college graduate. Jenkins continued to travel and to write books about his trips and the people whom he met along the way, and he was so well rewarded for his efforts that he was able to settle his wife and children on a 190-acre farm to live the good life. But despite the fact that he sensed that something was wrong, that the "good life" was killing him both spiritually and physically, Jenkins could not bring himself to do anything about it.
   
   Reality has a habit of slapping a guy in the face to get his attention if he insists on ignoring it for too long. And that's what happened to Peter Jenkins in 1987 when he returned from a two-week book tour promoting Across China only to be met at the airport by a good friend who was there to hand him his car keys and a letter from his wife telling him that she had filed for divorce. Several years later, having remarried and started a second family, Jenkins still felt that something was missing, that some part of him had died and that he missed it. That's when he decided to see if he could recapture the innocence and optimism that he had when he started that first walk across America.
   
   Along the Edge of America is the result of his decision to see if he could rekindle the sense of adventure that had served him so well as a young man. Although he knew very little about boats or navigation, Jenkins decided that his next adventure would take him from Key West, Florida, all the way along the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas until he reached the Mexican border, a trip that totaled over 2500 miles (including his side trips exploring rivers and bays that he encountered).
   
   As usual, a Peter Jenkins book is about much more than just getting from point A to point B. The fun begins with watching Jenkins start from a level of zero ability and confidence when it comes to handling a boat on his own as he slowly progresses to the point that he just might be able make the trip that he planned, "might" being the key word even when his instructor has done all he could for him and has left him alone with the Cooper, his new boat.
   
   Jenkins spread his trip over a period of almost two years and that allowed him to settle into several of the various communities that he found along the Gulf for months at a time. Along the way, we meet the people whose families have taken their living from the Gulf of Mexico for generations, people who do not always trust strangers but who eventually open up to Jenkins and, through him, tell us their stories. Anyone who believes that the tiny coastal communities along the Gulf Coast are just like the rest of America will never think that again after seeing how these adaptive people struggle today for their survival. They survive their encounters with Mother Nature in a way that only people who live near large bodies of water are ever asked to do.
   
   In the end, Peter Jenkins found exactly what he hoped to find: the best of himself and everyone whom he met during his search. He managed to fight off hijackers, out-run Hurricane Andrew and survive a nearly tragic encounter with another storm. But the most important thing that he did was to reclaim the man who had been lost to him for so many years.

No comments about Philadelphia: A Pictorial Celebration.

No comments about Beaufort's Old Burying Grounds (Images of America: North Carolina).

No comments about Charlotte, NC: Its Historic Neighborhoods (Images of America (Arcadia Publishing)).

5 comments about Haunted Hikes: Spine-Tingling Tales and Trails from North America's National Parks.

1. This is a unique book because it combines the utility of a trail guide with the fun and entertainment of a well written history book. The quirky offbeat stories of ghosts, spooky legends, disasters and untimely deaths is followed up with concise directions on how to go out and actually experience the areas where these otherworldly phenomenons occurred.
   
   The writer has spiced this book with her acerbic wit and keen insights into being a park ranger (which she was for many years). She has portrayed the rangers and park service in a realistic light, instead of the hagiographic view of selfless sainthood so often seen in other books dealing with the NPS. They are real people working in a large and impersonal bureaucracy. The story dealing with the last Miwok Indian to leave Yosemite due to government regulations and the resulting castrophe was a real scream to read.
   
   This is a great trail guide that covers a lot of interesting historical material that you won't find anywhere else. It kept me, the reader, intrigued and excited about going out to see many of these places for myself. I can't wait to visit to Yosemite later this summer so I can go explore some of the places I read about in this book.



2. Not just a book of haunted tales, but a history lesson in some of the most unusual occurences in our most popular wilderness areas. What I like about Andrea Lankford's style of writing is her leaving it to the reader to draw their own conclusions. An informative guide to National Parks we may have never considered visiting before. Awakens curiosities never imagined about many places.



3. I liked this book because I am an avid outdoor enthusiast as well as an avid reader of "true" paranormal accounts. I've only given this two stars because although it is a very good book of hiking trails with clear directions to the trails and a very good description of endurance required to complete the hikes, etc., I was disappointed in the "thrill" factor, which, to me, was nil. It is possible that it takes more than the average run of the mill story to get to me (probable, actually) but the reviews of this led me to believe that it was scary. It is not. As far as I can tell, after reading most of this book - which took several attempts - the author is an excellent & skilled outdoorswoman but she is just repeating old stories here. No one gives a first hand account, including the author - except for saying that she felt chills or could see why someone else would have said that a certain trail was scary, at one time. I'll probably use this book as a guide next time I go hiking, but as far as chills while reading..... forget it.



4. The author's insipid attempt to sell her hiking trail guide as a book of haunting tales is insulting to the educated mind. The book is a dud, a sham, and I wish I could get my money back. Even the few interesting supernatural stories are made bland by her lack of style. Take my advice... if you are looking for a genuine book on the paranormal and the occult, do not waste your time or money on Andrea Lankford's Haunted Hikes. It is just a trail guide.



5. Had I known Pennsylvania (the 5th largest state in the union) would not have one listing in this book, I certainly would not have not wasted my money on buying it since--more than likely--I won't be able to visit the parks that are mentioned; I am deeply disappointed. I should have looked for it in the bookstore, so I could have read the table of contents first.
   However, having said that, the book is extremely well written, fun and intriguing. It is well organized and has an easy-to-read font. Ms. Lankford has a knack for story-telling and as a hike advisor.
   I hope next book, she stops in the Keystone state! (And, next time--please LIST the parks written about in the description!)
   Thanks.

4 comments about Owyhee Trails: The West's Forgotten Corner.

1. This book tells it all in regards to a part of the west that is not generaly known. The early pioneer days of south eastern Oregon and south western Idaho have all the richness and real west excitment of any place you could name. Complete with mining booms & busts, Indian Wars and hardy sagas of pioneer homesteaders and ranchers...Owyhee Tales tells it all! A great companion to any western history buffs collection or to the new crop of whitewater river runners who journey to the areas namesake river, the Owyhee.



2. Being a fan of books about the area I live in and especilly the part of the state that I love to roam around in This book was a real read. A lot of familiar names both people and places made it even more intresting.



3. In studying history I have discovered that the more obscure places and people and stories are quite often the most interesting and memorable. This book offers many good examples. Few people know much about this region today. Fewer still know anything about it's history. But, the stories and history found in this book are a real treasure. For me, growing up in nearby Boise and having visited the Owyhee region on a few occasions made this book more appealing than it would for most others. But I believe anyone who has an interest in Western U.S. history will enjoy this book.



4. Look on a map you'll see a large empty area in southeastern Oregon and the adjacent parts of Idaho, south of the capital city of Boise. The Owyhee River slices through here and on the more-detailed maps you'll see a few places identified as towns such as Silver City, Idaho and Jordan Valley, Oregon. Calling them "towns" proves to be an exaggeration if you are one of the infrequent travelers passing this way.
   
   You won't find much reference to the Owyhee region in conventional books of Western history -- but a lot happened there. The two authors have compiled a regional history that is full of tales and forgotten history of a neglected region. For example, I had never realized that the Bannock and Paiute Indians fought a series of wars with the White settlers. These were the despised "Digger" Indians and yet they proved to be pretty formidable in battle.
   
   Moreover, the tales of the early miners, cattlemen, and sheepherders of the region are fascinating. Cattle to stock the region were driven all the way from Texas; Basques came from Spain to herd sheep; and Silver City briefly was one of the richest mines ever discovered. Even the story of how the region acquired its odd name is worthy of attention. Somehow, though, the Owyhee country didn't attract the mythmakers of the Old West.
   
   The authors have remedied the lack of attention to the Owyhee with a well-researched and fair-minded history that is illustrated with many photographs and enhanced by the the personal experiences of Owyhee native, Mike Hanley, the co-author. The prose, I thought, was a little rough at times, but the quality of the material and the research overcomes this defect. This is a good regional history.
   
   Smallchief

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.