2 comments about The Oregon Desert.

1. This is an amazing book for anyone who knows, or wants to know anything about Oregon's high desert and the high desert way of life back in the mid 1900's. Many pictures add to the mental pictures your mind conjures up as you read the most amusing stories of old. After reading this book, I even bought the DVD entitled "Indian Fighter" (Kurt Douglas and his then wife both star!), because the author provided the stock for the movie and talks about it a bit in the book. The DVD is a great way to see the high country the book talks about!



2. For a book published over 40 years ago, this read is still relevant and engaging. With snippets of history, humor, science and just plain common sense, it is a good introduction to life in the high desert from a native's perspective. This book was the one that got me hooked on Central Oregon over 25 years ago, enough to live here. People tend to think of the desert as dry and drab, but it is brightly colored by its people and history. A must read for anyone traveling through or moving to the Oregon Outback.

No comments about The Field Guide to Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast: California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii (Field Guide).

1 comments about Road Biking Oregon (Road Biking Series).

1. We were looking for a ride that was very flat due to an injury. We chose the 61 mile covered bridge loop from Brownsville, which according to the book rose gradually from Brownsville (el. 320) to an elevation of around 500 feet, and then gradually back to Brownsville, for a total elevation gain of a few hundred feet.
   The actual max elevation on the ride turned out to be 1145 feet, with a total elevation gain on the route of 2096 feet. The author did not even mention the uphill grade on gap road, which was quite challenging for us given it was on miles 55057 and rose from 340 to 740 feet.
   Personally I doubt whether the author even did this route in a car, let alone a bicycle.

1 comments about Day Hiking Oregon Coast (Done in a Day).

1. This book has some useful hike descriptions, and is a good way to find a hike for any area of the Oregon coast you might be visiting. However, the book designers really missed the ball on the trail maps. They frequently included multiple trails on the same map, and then forgot to label which was which, so you really have to do some detective work to figure out the appropriate map for the hike you're attempting to do. Also, the trails themselves are shown by a thin dotted line which doesn't stand out against the other map features, like boundaries or geography. Is that the trail or the park border? Both?
   
   The book contains a lot of useful knowledge, but the graphic designers really let it down. The other entries in the 'Day Hiking' series are much stronger.

3 comments about Climber's Guide to Smith Rock.

1. This is the greatest guide book to Smith Rock State Park ever. It has it all. That is all there is to it. This is the perfect guide to the perfect climbing area.



2. One of the best guidebooks out there. The topos and pictures are clear and the descriptions are detailed. The author has probably done all the climbs so he should know. The topos even give specific gear needed at certain places on the climb. Where the author's climbing style lays is obvious, he seems to dislike anything with a chimney. Quality of routes are measured by a 4 star system. The author uses R and X rating. This guide has everything you could ask for. If you only want one guide to the area, this is it.



3. Alan Watts did an excellent job in putting together this guide. The topos and maps are high quality, the photos are excellent and it's easy to navigate. But what really sets this guide apart from many others is the quality of the historical perspective and the overall readability of the text. Watts played an important part in the development of sport climbing in the US and thus was a controversial figure for years. His treatment of those tumultious times is worth the cost of the guide.

No comments about Rand McNally Oregon Easyfinder Map (EasyFinder).

1 comments about Rand McNally Streets of Portland, Oregon (Rand McNally Streets Of...).

1. This is a great map if you JUST want a detailed view of downtown Portland, OR only. If you need any of the suburbs you will need another map like the Thomas guide.

1 comments about Oregon's Best Swimming Holes.

1. Too bad they never did a revision on this. The very best guide to swimming holes ever!

No comments about Oregon Birds.

5 comments about The Oregon Trail (Dover Value Editions).

1. The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman is an account which further enforces the history of the Oregon Trail we had learned about in [U.S. History] class. The book portrays what it must have been like to travel on the Trail, never knowing what the next day would bring. The buffalo hunting which took place throughout the book became monotonous and boring after the first exciting few, but other than that repetitiveness, the journey was well depicted. I especially enjoyed Parkman's in-depth descriptions given to the reader of the people he meets on his journey and his observations on their actions as well. His vivid imagery of scenes from nature such as animals, prairie landscapes, and the weather, place the reader right next to Parkman in his adventuresome expedition. There are some dull, repetitive points in the observations made by the author, but aside from that his autobiographical telling of his journey is unforgettable.



2. In a day when "historians" make comment on the long dead or events from the confines of their apartments, Francis Parkman is the person who actually experienced the history he wrote about. There is no political correctness in Parkman and he describes savages, French, frontiersmen and Mormons exactly as they were without apology.
   This work is a masterpiece everyone should read and be a guidebook to modern historians who spend more time working a political end and getting in the way of history rather than letting history tell it's truthful tale.
   Parkman is not just the historian or recorder of events. He is the bard of Sioux myth, the geologist, biologist and countless other things describing flora, fauna and weather. He is complete in having that air of Boston social elite in beginning his journey and returning from the plains an American having tasted, smelled and breathed the savage world and revealed the eastern thoughts on how that world would evolve for the next 60 years.
   Parkman is remarkable and the best compliment for this book is to recommend that readers search for other Parkman histories to read as they are real.
   I am currently in his wonderful Montecalm and Wolfe series on the history of Canada which actually created America. If you have children, share Parkman's history with them as he will make it come alive for them.
   As you can see by all of the lengthy reviews, Francis Parkman invokes a great deal of thought and emotion in his histories which transfers to the reader.



3. Parkman's travelogue on the Great Plains is a major work of life among the Native Americans. His descriptions are honest and capture a society that was fading even while he was writing. The book had a major impact on the way that non-westerners saw the Great Plains. This was both good and bad. Parkman wrote through the lens of a Boston aristocrat and was full of prejudices against those who did not meet his standards. This was dangerous in that many who read about the "backwardness" of the Native Americans used this as justification for "civilizing" them. Although this was probably not Parkman's intention, it was a consequence of his writing. In addition, he promoted the hunting of buffalo for sport, which led to the decimation of the buffalo heards on the Plains.
   
   Another major issue with this book is that, in spite of its title, it is not about the Oregon Trail. Parkman went no further than the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and he did all in his power to dissociate himself from the pioneers moving along the Oregon Trail. If you are looking for a history of the trail, this book will not satisfy your needs.
   
   However, in spite of the misleading title and the prejudices that surface throughout the book, it is still a fine piece of writing that opens up a world that has been lost to today's readers. Read it and enjoy your travels into another time and place.



4. I ordered this book based on the film, " The Oregan Trail," which I enjoyed watching. The book is a good follow-up to the movie, making much of the content even more real for me.



5. This is an excellent book giving the reader a first person view of the Frontier in the 1840s. The details make the reader feel as if they were living the adventure themselves.
   
   If you are looking for a book that tells of a journey on the Oregon Trail, this is NOT the book for you. A better for the book title might have been "A Summer On The Frontier: Life Among The Indians and Explorers." The author follows the Oregon Trail until he reaches Fort Laramie, and then spends the rest of his time among the indians who inhabited the plains and badlands at the time.
   
   If you are looking for vivid picture of life among the indians, buffaloes, and explorers, this IS the book for you!