4 comments about Moon Pacific Northwest Camping: The Complete Guide to Tent and RV Camping in Washington and Oregon (Moon Outdoors).

1. As indicated by reviewers of earlier editions, the Moon Outdoors (previously Foghorn Outdoors) series of campground guides is not without flaws. Even so, we know of no directories which do a better job of addressing campground aesthetics than these wonderful guides. In our experience, the look and feel of a campground is often the single greatest factor influencing the quality of a camping experience . . . and the factor totally ignored by nearly all other campground guides.
   
   There are a number of directories which rate facilities, provide directions, tell you how to make reservations and give you an idea of the cost for a night's stay in a specific campground. This series gives similar basic information and then goes beyond that. This guides from Moon Outdoors actually gives you a feel of what it is like to stay in a specific campground - a bit of a narrative description and a "scenic beauty rating" for each campground plus information about nearby recreation opportunities. We like that a lot.
   
   Have we found instances where we liked a campground more or less than the book's author? Of course. Tastes differ and things change over time. Even so, we would rather have an admittedly subjective rating of a campground's intangibles than to have nothing to go on but a recitation of facts and figures.
   
   Are the Moon Outdoors Guides the only ones we use? No. But they are ALWAYS the first place we turn when selecting a destination campground.



2. If you camp this is the book to have, espcially if you tent camp and want to find all the small campgrounds. I love finding all the tent campgrounds, this is the definite book for the NW.
   five stars is not enough for the work that went into thsi book.



3. This book arrived in A-1 condition, and in a timely manner. I recommend this seller.



4. My husband enjoy going on camping adventures, and we use all of Tom Stienstra's camping books like bibles. I have noted only one mistake on his California book, but on the whole they are useful and informative.
   We plan a trip up the California coast to Oregon, then to Washington.
   We plan to tent camp all the way using his books. We did it before a few years ago and it worked out great. I strongly recommend this book or any of his books to anyone who wants to have fun, cheap, exciting adventures camping!

5 comments about Pacific Coast Highway: Traveler's Guide (Photographic Tour).

1. With no index and no maps, it's hard to find information in this book. Consequently, it's a waste of money.



2. Wow. I've read the reviews below and wondered if we were talking about the same book. Contrary to other opinions, this book does have an index, does make recommendations for unique and interesting lodging options, and is just packed with little bits of history about each area along the way. And the title of the book does say "Travelers Guide (Photographic Tour)" so do expect some stunning photographs along with the suggestions for enjoying the trip. If you're looking for phone numbers, prices and hours of operation, I would suggest a local phone book or a AAA road atlas rather than this engagingly written little guidebook. I would recommend it to anyone, actually everyone, who is interested in exploring the coast at their leisure and in their own style. Being a single woman and not having a huge amount of money to spend on vacations, I found that taking the Amtrak train, as suggested in this book, from rainy Seattle to sunny California was simply enchanting. For one thing, the Amtrak method of travel is relatively inexpensive, very safe and leaves a lot of time for thoughts and musings along the way (much preferable to being focused on traffic and searching out gas stations when driving). And the scenery can't be beat! It brings to mind bygone times when the trip was the destination - the little historical notes and anecdotes peppered throughout the book are a wonderful backdrop for experiencing the full flavor and character of each area. If you go exploring the beautiful and ever changing west coast with only one guide book, this should be it!



3. The one quibble I have with this book is that Amazon shows it as "(Photographic Tour)" but the book doesn't reflect that in any way other than having a few so-so black and white photos. It's true; the book doesn't have much in the way of phone numbers or hours of operation information but it is a great descriptive guide of places you don't want to miss, giving you background information and other details you probably won't find anywhere else. It also guides you to more detailed sources of information about many of the areas. I found it to be very useful in planning a honeymoon trip, and having lived in Southern California, I also found it to be an accurate depiction of the area.



4. I purchased this book because it said it was a photographic tour -- it's anything but that! I expected pictures of places all along the coast and the entire book is in black & white with hardly any pictures.



5. 
   I was very happy with my purchase. The book was like brand new, just as it was described and the price was more than reasonable.

2 comments about Frommer's Oregon (Frommer's Complete).

1. Frommers Guides provide a well rounded informational review of a particular area. The Oregon Guide is no exception. The reviews of restaurants that we tried were spot on. As well, the overviews of cities were written pretty accurately. It is great for all parts of Oregon, giving equal importance to each region - north, south, west coast, east, and Portland. This is not the book to get if you are wanting more back road information or fully off the beaten path and into nature facts. For that, the Moon guides are a bit better. Overall, definitely buy this one if you would like a full overview with well written and reviewed places to see in Oregon.



2. I am planning my first trip to Oregon and found this book to be extremely thorough and informative. I am amazed at how much information is in this book concerning places to stay, eat, and visit.

No comments about Frommer's Oregon (Frommer's Complete).

5 comments about 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington, 3rd Edition (100 Hikes).

1. I have lived in Oregon for twenty years, I bought one of the first editions of this book, found it on my shelf yesterday. I can say its the best hiking book around, reading it was a trip down memory lane. I have done a lot of hiking, biking, kayaking over the years. Bought a new copy , time to redo a lot of my favorite hikes, Hamilton Mountian, Dog mt.
   This edition is improved, the flower guide is really nice.
   The best feature of this book is the small sctech maps showing the elevation and trails. No, it does not replace a real map, but its nice to have a viusual. ( years ago I was doing the Ramona falls hike and I meet a couple backpacking arounf Mt. Hood without a map! and they were lost!)
   If you want an guide to the best day hiking in the Portland area,this is it .



2. This updated NW Oregon hiking guide is an ideal daypack essential for visitors and residents alike. Bill is a peripatetic author whose slide shows I attend as often as I can, and this third edition was the subject of one of those. He's a friendly and most genial speaker/writer/ hiker whose words and pictures literally 'pop' from the page and propels the casual reader to 'take a hike'. The 2nd edition was good, but this edition's colorful photos of landscapes and wildflowers, plus traveler-friendly easy-to-follow directions and (new!) campgrounds/cabins listings puts it into the 'must-have' category. As a frequent hiker on Friends of the Columbia Gorge outings, I rely on his impeccably accurate descriptions of each hike. I also recommend Timberline Press Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest plus Moon Handbooks Columbia River Gorge for things to do before and after your explorations!



3. If you live in the Portland area and like to hike, this book is a must own. Sullivan's reputation as the definitive source for hiking information is well deserved. And this wonderful, well-researched and incredibly detailed book is the only item I need when I am out hiking (aside from food and water)!
   
   Not only does it serve as a clear and accurate guide to the hikes of the area, the book makes you feel as if you need to hike all of these hikes.



4. Typically, I buy Falcon Guides, but in this case I would recommend this guide. Not that the Falcon Guides of this area are bad, but this book is preferred. The author's living in the area shins through. His recommendations on hikes are excellent, and I found the book easy to use.



5. I checked the first edition of this book out from the library and then I didn't want to return it I liked it so much. A lot of other hiking books are hard to read and don't have pictures to help you visualize where you're going. When I saw the new edition with COLOR PICTURES, I had to buy it. This book is great-- it gives good directions, it has a picture for each hike, it even tells you if there is a campsite to say overnight or if you should expect crowds. Trail etiquette is also a good thing to include; hopefully people actually take it to heart. I love the handdrawn sketches of the trail; they do a great job of showing the topography of the hike. If you live in Portland and like getting out, this book should be at the top of your list. So many beautiful places so close by. There was one beautiful hike that was literally across the river from my favorite campsite, and I never would have found it without this book!

5 comments about The Photographer's Guide to the Oregon Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them.

1. I am from New England and have Dave Middleton's books for Vermont & Maine. They have provided me with wonderful opportunities for photography. Having never been to Oregon I'm sure after reading this book that my up coming trip will be that much more successful from having read this book. It was exactly what I was looking for to plan a photography trip to Oregon which included the Oregon coast.



2. I am what most people consider an advanced amateur photographer. Last week I went down to Portalnd on Business and used David's book as my guide on a little detour I took on the coast.
   
   I had only one day to drive through the coast. The book was extremely valuable in helping prioritize where to go, and save time by driving right to the good spots. Thanks to this book I was able to take amazing pictures in Cannon Beach and other places.
   
   Absolutely recommended for anyone visiting Oregon, even if you are not a photographer, this book is much better than any tourism guide I have seen.



3. Having this along with my on my recent trip up the Oregon Coast was absolutely invaluable. It helped me choose which turnouts to take and which to bypass. I loved the included suggestions of what to do according to the weather, since several of my days were overcast and drizzle, rendering some of the views drab or nonexistant. I wish there were more books like this available for everywhere I want to go!



4. Covers alot of ground and offers more photo op suggestions than one could ever hope to take in one visit. Used it extensively to plan a photography vacation on Highway 101.



5. This book was amazingly specific in directions of how to best view an incredible scenery. It was great more for its direction of where to go, park, or stand than the photography tips. The author gave great detail such as tips for how to find the best parking lots, how to avoid the tourist packed spots, and how to find unmarked trails to find fantastic angles in isolation. We used it as our primary guide for three days down the coast and really loved it. Note that the order of the book is generally north to south.

5 comments about Pacific Northwest (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

1. DK/Eyewitness Travel Guides are GREAT! I wish DK published more areas. Lots of pictures, great descriptions, well put-together graphics, quality printing. The books are entertaining even if you just dream of traveling to far-off lands. These books really give you a feel of what the areas are like, the culture, sightseeing locations, even the food!
   
   I have bought Fodor's and Frommer's and they just don't compare, even Fodor's information was wrong and outdated though the date of the book was the same year I traveled. DK blows the others out of the water!



2. I have used a number of Eyewitness books in my travels and have found them all excellent. They are a great help in trip planning and very usefull while traveling.



3. PACIFIC NORTHWEST (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) is a great book, as it puts the cities of Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver together in one place. I really enjoyed the part about the cuisine of the general area, as well as the Lloyd Center Mall. However, even though the book deserves five stars, there are a couple of flaws, such as there not being any maps of the bus and light-rail systems in these cities, and a lack of discussion of major shopping areas such as Capitol Hill in Seattle or any mention of Portland's various independent record/tape/CD stores; in fact, the only major shopping areas really described in any kind of detail are the aforementioned Lloyd Center Mall and Pike Place Market. However, there ARE plenty of illustrations and photographs, so you DO get a visual feel for what the different areas are like. Overall, this is a five-star book whose only flaw is glossing over certain things that might be important to some people in order to cover other aspects of the Pacific Northwest.



4. This is a wonderful guide to the Pacific Northwest. If you're traveling beyond any one city (i.e. Portland, Seattle, Vancouver) this is the guide for you. Done in the traditional Eyewitness format with glossy pages, wonderful photos and diagrams, it provides a great overview of the cities mentioned and the region. The only drawback as a travel guide is its weight. Very heavy to be tagging along on a visit, yet due to its quality, I put up with the weight. If visiting only a few areas, photocopy the pages for your own use to lighten your load!



5. We picked the Eyewitness guide to the Pacific Northwest for a recent trip to Portland and Seattle in part because there were few other options: the Fodors, Lonely Planet, and Michelin Green Guides all seem to be out of print and dated. Like its brethren, this Pacific Northwest Eyewitness guide is strong on visual information, and weak on description.
   
   The book has lots of pictures and good maps, helping you get around and then recognize your goal or destination once you get there. But descriptions and explanations of specific places range from a few sentences to (at most) a few paragraphs for the major sites.
   
   For example, for Seattle the section on Pike Place has great visual information to help you find your way around the market, but just a few sentences each on the Pike Place fish throwers and the original Starbucks. And while the Space Needle gets a few pictures and two columns of text, and the relatively new Experience Music Project is also given a nice two page spread, other fascinating experiences like the Seattle Underground Tour in Pioneer Square are not even mentioned. I'm sure Lonely Planet had that one.
   
   Bottom line: this Eyewitness guide to the Northwest can't be beat for its photos and useful maps, but as with any Eyewitness guide it helps to have an additional supplement--a friend who can show you around the area, or another guidebook--to make up for what the Eyewitness lacks in details. Buy this guide primarily for the pictures and maps, and then keep it as a souvenir when your trip is over.

5 comments about Streetwise Portland Map - Laminated City Street Map of Portland, Oregon - with integrated Max Light Rail map featuring lines & stations.

1. This is a great portable map of the general area. It has nice detail of downtown. It is waterproof. It folds and unfolds easily. You can definitely use it while driving or walking downtown and you don't want to unfold some giant thing. It lists all of the stops of the MAX light-rail. It is not a detailed map of every street in the area but it shows you the major roads and highways in the area and good detail of downtown. It even tells you which are one-way streets and which direction they go, the numbers for freeway exits, and points out some highlights like the Japanese Gardens and Powells City of Books. If you want a detailed map of the entire area I suggest "The Thomas Guide 2006 Portland, Oregon: Street Guide (Portland Metro Area Street Guide and Directory)". The Thomas Guide is not good for a quick overview of the area but it details every little tiny road and between it and a phone book you can find anything. I recommend getting both.



2. I have a couple of these Streetwise Maps now and find them a joy to use. In Portland there are a few streets I can't find, so an index of some kind would be good. But generally they are so easy to work with - no complicating folding schemes - that I would recommend getting one today. I also have an Artwise Map of London by the same company. Terrific!



3. This is a good and inexpensive resource for Portland. It easily folds up to fit in a small purse or pocket. It is also waterproof and easy to read.



4. I like these laminated, folding maps. They have good detail and fit in a purse. Never go out without one.



5. This is a laminated, card stock map that fits easily in a pocket. Very easy to manage. Amazing detail for its' size.

5 comments about Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer.

1. For wilderness travel the Delorme atlases are the best maps I've found to have in your pack aside from a backpack full of USGS and Forest Service maps. If you're interested in a road atlas, something to use while traveling around in the safety of your vehicle, then get a Thomas Guide (the best ROAD atlases in the world). The Delorme atlases show you all the land features, topography, public lands boundaries, and waterways (even the minor and intermittent ones). I've used three of these atlases while traveling on foot through the national forests, and they have literally saved my life many times. Finding locales and navigating inside the map is simple and easy, much simpler than the Benchmark series which don't seem to have a workable navigation key at all. The one and only complaint I have about these atlases are their size; they're huge, and for an atlas whose contents seem to be designed for wilderness travel that large size just sucks when trying to find pack space for it. Fortunately, they fold in half easily, which helps a lot.



2. This atlas is much more detailed that ones like it, such as Benchmark's recreation atlas. With this being said, it not as detailed as one may need in the back country. I mainly use it to provide a general overview of the region I am exploring, and to locate common places.Main forest service roads are visible, yet no all are marked with a name or number. I use it in conjunction with USGS topo quad maps, forest service map, and GPS, and serves it purpose very well.



3. Has everything listed however not in a organized fashion, 3 insets related to 3 other pages are on one page just because they're within 4 miles of the coast. From N to S on a map it doesnt break in a logical way. There are no insets of large cities main roads such as portland, salem, eugene, corvallis. however, forest service roads are listed and named. which is a great help when highways are closed.



4. I have lived in Oregon for twenty years and gotten around with a road map, this is sooo much better, now I need a washington edition. great book. has paid for itsself in just two local trips across the maze of roads from Newberg to Gaston.



5. These Delorme Atlas & Gazetters are wondeful. They show you many features not available through GPS, maps or other atlases. It is a great feature to have the BLM lands marked as well as the back roads. Good resources are also included in each states atlas. A good addition to anyone's travel tools.

5 comments about Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (Crown Journeys).

1. As he writes in his epilogue, "This is not Portland, Oregon." Just scads of non-site-specific deegradation written in clipped New Yorker prose. Elliptical descriptions of perversion after perversion, spilling over the pages to become one big bore. And on top of all this, there's no index to the places he touches on, so even if you wanted to go there, you'd be hardput. Self-indulgent yet simultaneously unrevealing, as uninteresting a discovery of spirit of place as one can get.



2. This collection is an idiosyncratic and appealing mix of off-the-beaten-path sights for the visitor to Portland, personal anecdotes of the author, and brief essays about the history of Portland and its defining vibes. Entertaining and enjoyable.



3. I live in Eugene, OR... and LOVE this book! We take "trips" to our fave town all the time and love the people and places...Chuck does a great job of describing them like a native Oregonian (even though he technically isn't).



4. I was given this book as a gift and did not know what to expect. Though it was not a novel like other Palahniuk books I have read, I found that the quirky and humorous writing style made this voyeuristic romp through underground Portland highly entertaining. Though some of the highlighted attractions have closed their doors or are not open to the public, this is an interesting view into a side of the city that you will not find in the Frommer's guide.



5. Okay, so it doesn't start off with a story about some kind of crazy sextravaganza out in middle America like his other nonfiction, "Stranger Than Fiction," but Chuck Palahniuk's "Fugitives and Refugees" still contains its share of interesting and absurd bedtime stories. For instance, there's the tunnel tour where woman throws a simulated aborted fetus at you, there's the elephants who bully each other, and there's even a potential suitor who left "DNA samples" on the couch during a first date. So, I guess what I'm saying is, it's still a pretty good book.
   
   Nonetheless, it is a bit disjointed. The basic idea is you're going along on a walking tour of Portland, Oregon with one of the local residents (Palahniuk), and he's telling you all the weird, funny and gruesome stories of Portland's undocumented past. In that respect it can be a lot of fun, but like any tour, there were definitely parts that dragged and were kind of boring. For instance, while some of the museums he describes might be interesting to see in real life, it'd be difficult for even Shakespeare to describe them in any way that's remotely interesting.
   
   Palahniuk's simplistically scant writing style shines through and keeps the pace going throughout, and there are plenty of bizarre occurrences he documents that make the tedious descriptions of things I didn't care about go by much more quickly. A showdown between a row of riot police and a row of Santas, for example, will definitely make you forget you just read 10 pages of recipes.
   
   And that's all we can really hope for from life, isn't it? That something fascinating like a scholarship fund created by drag queens will overshadow any boring parts of "real life" that you don't need to remember. So thanks for the help with that, Chuck.