No comments about Top 100 Unusual Things to See in Ontario.

4 comments about Following the Santa Fe Trail: A Guide for Modern Travelers.

1. Don't count on AAA or Fodor's to guide you to the wagon wheel ruts, remnants of watering wholes, or Indian ambush points along the Santa Fe Trail. On one had I was pleased to see that the noted Santa Fe Trail historian had put together a guide to the location of the remnants of the trail. Unfortunately I found details lacking, particularly when it came to local observances and current road and off-road access to the location. I was particularly disappointed by the lack of detail for the Raton, NM area of the trail.



2. Marc Simmons is the pre-eminent author on Santa Fe Trail lore and this updated version of his "Following the Trail" is better than ever! He has captured those significant, visible elements of the SFT that make it impossible to follow the Trail without this book. The pictures and maps are explicit and easy to follow. His stories and anecdotes bring the Trail to life.
   If you're an SFT buff be sure to also read his book: "The Old Santa Fe Trail", a collection of essays; and his new book: "Spanish Pathways" on the history of Hispanic New Mexico.
   Jim Ryan



3. Now in a revised and updated third edition, Marc Simmons and Hal Jackson's Following The Santa Fe Trail: A Guide For Modern Travelers is written specifically to assist modern travelers who enjoy following the wagon tracks of pioneers. Following The Santa Fe Trail is packed with directions, maps, anecdotes, historical information, and everything else necessary to follow the trail of history. Now that the Santa Fe Trail has been designated a National Historic Trail under the National Park Service,it is bringing more public interest than ever to this fascinating pathway that transcends the generations. If the Santa Fe Trail perks your interest to, then Following The Santa Fe Trail is a must-read!



4. 
   All those planning on exploring the Santa Fe Trail should have this book with them. It is an excellent guide, filled with detailed maps, very specific driving instructions, and a great deal of background information on the sites referred to. The book begins with a brief introduction, which includes information on general histories, other guidebooks, trail ruts, various markers and the groups that placed them, and a bibliography. Then Simmons gets into the specifics of the trail, beginning at Franklin, MO, proceeding through Kansas, and covering both the Mountain Branch and the Cimarron Cut-Off separately before continuing through New Mexico to Santa Fe (with brief side trips to Taos and Albuquerque included).
   
   Simmons is interested in all remnants and markings of the trail and pinpoints even the most forlorn DAR marker. But it's his willingness to expose just about all that can be noted by the modern traveler (even sites on private property, though he is careful about warning against trespassing) that makes this guide book so valuable. This is the Second edition, published in 1986 after a careful note-taking retracing of the trail in 1985; probably a new edition is needed to update further changes made during the last 20 years (if it hasn't been done already). Highly recommended.

No comments about The Ohio River: In American History and Voyaging on Today's River.

No comments about The Central Coast of California Book: A Complete Guide.

No comments about AAA Georgia, North Carolina & South Carolina Tourbook: 2007 Edition (2007-461007, 2007 Edition).

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.

2 comments about The Four Corners: Timeless Lands of the Southwest.

1. The Four Corners, Timeless Lands of the Southwest is another visually perfect offering by Northland Publishing in their travel series. Having lived in Northern Arizona and made several pilgrimages to the Four Corners area, I have always felt that no book could ever capture the intensity and energy that comes from this amazing real estate. I am delighted to share that this book does just that. The photography is breathtaking and it will haunt you into visiting there. Author, Kathleen Bryant, gives the reader a diverse sampling of the four corners areas as well as the culture, arts and flavor of all that call this special landscape home; truly as the subtitle states, "A Visual Tour of Hopi and Navajo Homelands." This softbound, coffee table size book is most affordable at under $10.00 and you will want to keep it within easy reach when you want to escape to this wonderous place.



2. The Four Corners - where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah come together - is itself a desolate place simply consisting of a large marker surrounded by a number of native American vendors. The predominant nearby attraction is Monument Valley, about 60 miles away. Bryant, however, provides just a few photos of that area, and instead goes hundreds of miles further, including eg. photos from the Flagstaff, AZ. area and the Grand Canyon - omitting much closer Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend (Page, AZ.), Natural Bridges National Monument (Utah), etc. Also, there was too much printed material, and not enough photos, and NO photo of the Four Corners Monument.

No comments about Fort Myers Sanibel Island (Rand McNally).

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.

1 comments about AAA Essential Barcelona, 3rd Edition (Aaa Essential Travel Guide Series).

1. Great book, we used it all the time during our 4 day stay, We tried the recommended restaurants and they were great, but there are lots of others not listed. We stayed at the Petit Palace Opera Gardens, too new for the book but a reasonable, center of the action, hotel. Dont be fooled by the reviews most are written by Brits and their expectations seem to be different. I should know I was one. If you only buy one book on Barcelona this is the one.