2 comments about Of Men and Mountains: The Classic Memoir of Wilderness Adventure.

1. When I first read this book several years ago, I was truly inspired by it. This is a delightful story of a boy that overcame the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of paralysis (if memory serves, induced by polio) by forcing himself to walk in the mountains of the great Northwest, and eventually becoming a United States Supreme Court Justice. Finding his strength and his soul (and his paralysis cure!) in the wilderness, he would often retreat to the great outdoors. This is a story of his lessons, and his adventures. A wonderful read.
   
   There is a problem with it, however. It isn't true. For one thing, Douglass never suffered from paralysis as a child as he claimed in the book. He sufferred from re-occuring intestinal colic. He also stated that he lived in poverty with his mother. As it turns out, his mother was typically middle-class. He claimed to have graduated second in his class from law school. Again, a lie.
   
   Apparently, discerning the reasearch I have done on Douglas, this book was politically motivated by a man who wished to paint himself as wholesome as possible in order to obtain his life's ambition - the White House. Studying more on this man is revealing. He left his wife of 28 years for a series of younger women. He left his third wife for a high school student. 24 months later he married a college student that he met waitressing at a cocktail bar. His own children thought him "scary" who only spoke to them when "press photographers wanted a picture." There is also a controversy about his military service - if he ever did actually serve, and if he deserves to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery (where he is buried.)
   
   The book itself, as I said, is a delightful read. If it were true, I would give it five stars without blinking an eye. Read and enjoy this piece of masterful, self-revisionist fiction.



2. This book is a wonderful and gentle journey of one man who loved to be in the mountains! As an adult I started backpacking the very areas Douglas talks about in the book and have grown quite fond of the southern portion of the Cascades. Names like Darling Mountain, Fryingpan Lake, Fifes Peak, Old Snowy Mountain and Conrad Meadows - I've been to most of these places!
   
   Through Justice Douglas I get to see how it was so long ago! Very well written, you get to hear about the adventures of young men growing up and doing the things that young men did in the early 1900s. And while specific to the Wallowas and the south central Cascades, the story is told as if the forests he visits were the forests closest to you. Each little lesson he learns, he shares. Tips on cooking and fishing and surviving - and how to be a little less afraid and a little more inspired. These are the forests that are visited by wise scholars and simple horsemen and everyone in between.
   
   The book is definitely not a work of fiction - you couldn't possibly describe these places in the way that he does without having been there. The book is about real places with real people. Don't take my word for it - drive to Tampico near Yakima in Washington and hike up to Darling Mountain. Then go down to Conrad Meadows and to the Tieton Basin. Walk across Highway 12 and up Indian Creek trail to the Blankenship Meadows and then up to the top of Tumac Mountain. When you're tired looking as far as the eye can see, go down to Twin Sisters Lake for bit of fishing and a night of rest before the long journey to Bumping Lake and then on to Goose Prairie where Douglas once lived. These are a few of the places that Justice Douglas takes you to.
   
   If you want the controversy of William O. Douglas read "Wild Bill: The Legend and Life of William O. Douglas". If you want to read about men and mountains, then I highly suggest this book.

4 comments about Atlas of Oregon.

1. This is the best book about Oregon EVER!...It has all you need to know about the Indians, population and it evan has maps from the Lewis and Clark expedition! If you EVER need info on Oregon this is the Book to get!...



2. This book is a bargain. The wealth of information collected in one place is amazing. I consider this book the ultimate collection of interesting data on the state of Oregon. Those with children in Oregon should consider this a "must buy" for their children's education.



3. Loy & Allan build upon previous atlas efforts (OR 1976, CA 1979) and make use of technology and greater knowledge to produce excellent, useful maps and charts. Pre-1865 (inch-pound) measuring units are used instead of U.S. (SI) units as used in the 1976 edition (for example, temperatures are in °F not °C). Historic growth and immigration maps, education (K-12, university and school districts), demographics and future temperature and precipitation scenarios make this a handy "big picture" reference.

   Economic, water and transportation and other "sheds" enable a you to obtain a good understanding of past, current and future trends. Obtain the Atlas and CD - you will use them both for a long time.




4. Loy and Allen's ATLAS OF OREGON certainly is the benchmark to which all others must aspire. The hardcover edition is not inexpensive, but the sample pages displayed convinced me to take a chance, and was I glad that I did! The day I received it, I was mesmerized for hours. The quality and colors of the graphics, the exhaustive research and attention to detail were incredible. The charts, graphs, etc. are all easy to read. Every possible aspect of Oregon is covered. I believe a person could make an intelligent decision as to exactly where to live without even visiting the state! You feel you are there. Bravo!

1 comments about Back Roads of Oregon: 82 Trips on Oregon's Scenic Byways.

1. Great for shorter trips in this high cost fuel economy. Author's sketches are great!

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!

5 comments about Lonely Planet Pacific Northwest: Oregon & Washington ( Lonely Planet Pacific Northwest Oregon and Washington, 2nd ed).

1. We used several guides in planning a recent trip to south and central Oregon, with a stop at Mt. St. Helens on the way home, and this one was by far the most informative! Before we went to a particular destination, I would tell my family, "First you have to listen to this!" Then I would read Lonely Planet's description and historical/geological background of the site we were about to visit. I think we all enjoyed our trip much more because of this "anticipatory set."

   Highly recommended, not only for first-time visitors to a region, but for natives to learn more about the beauty and history right in their own backyard.




2. This is a really good book for exploring the Pacific Northwest and we had a fantastic trip using it. The only place it left out that we think it should include is the heavenly ZEN GARDEN Bed and Breakfast on the Oregon coast in Manzanita.

   The rooms are beautiful, it is almost on the quiet, dreamy, seven mile beach, nearly in the forest of the Nehalem Bay State Park, and the breakfast is Huge and DELICIOUS.




3. While this book provides fairly accurate guidance regarding natural features and campgrounds, don't use it a reliable guide to travel necessities that are market driven like hotels, restaurants, admission costs, etc. Each time we used the book to choose a hotel, we were surprised and sadly disappointed in either the quality, the cost, or both. The same for recommended restaurants. Admission costs were generally 20% higher than listed. No big deal, but again, for a current publication it fell short in accuracy. It's as if an earlier printing was simply published as current without checking on the accuracy of the contents.
   
   Use it as a guide, but not as a reference. I'm sure there are other sources of more accurate information for travelers.



4. I literally just got back from my trip which spanned from Berekely, CA- Vancouver, BC and we used this book throughout the whole trip. The hotel and restaurant recommendations are excellent and for every price range. We did a lot of last minute changes of plans and the book was able to help us with those hotel reservations. It also contains great maps and excellent background history of the area. If you are traveling through the Pacific Northwest I highly recommend this book.



5. Full of ideas and covers all the good stuff.
   
   This is not a city resturant guide, however. Someone else gave this book 3 stars because it only told them about the highlights of what makes the Pacific Northwest special, and didn't name the 5-star resturants. I am a 4th-generation Seattle-ite and fancy resturants are not my scene. Go anywhere, eat wild salmon and a latte, then go do some more walks or boat trips or something like that!

1 comments about Moon Oregon Camping: The Complete Guide to Tent and RV Camping (Moon Outdoors).

1. This is a wonderful, easy to use book. It is divided into regions, with guide maps within each region. All sorts of camping sites are listed, from freeway accessible RV parks, to primative National Park facilities. Scenery ratings are given for each, along with available services and driving directions.
   I've used AAA camping guide books for years, but found this more thorough and easier to use. I am ordering the Washington equivalent. Sadly, none of the other Western States are covered yet. Hopefully that will change soon.

5 comments about Foghorn Outdoors Pacific Northwest Camping: The Complete Guide to Campsites in Washington and Oregon.

1. Great book, however, it should have been titled-Fire lookouts in the Oregon/Washington region.



2. This book just came out (April, 2003) and is a lot better than anything we've seen. The key is the details, way good, both information, directions and maps. We've lived in Springfield for quite a while and have always kept our secret spots to ourselves. This book has all of them, which threw me, but it's got a zillion others. We checked the places we knew to see if everything was correct. The answer: Five Stars!



3. I met Tom Stienstra at one of his seminars and he suggested we throw away the old editions of this book. I didn't really get it until we got into this book. He signed it! If you like to find new really great places, and like he says, "Never worry about getting stuck for the night again," this new one is The One. A ton better than before, it's true.



4. This book is great because it covers just about every campsite in the NW. The author is a real camper, I on the otherhand need a tent and an air mattress but the sight recommendations are dead-on.



5. This is one of the better camping books as far as usefulness of the information, though it is not quite the best I've seen. The lengthy introductory section was well-written and entertaining. I have been camping and backpacking for decades and I even learned some new things from it.
   
   My only beefs with the book:
   
   1) The introductory section doesn't, in my opinion, distinguish adequately between equipment suited for backbacking vs. for car camping. He appears to use his backpacking equipment even when car camping and doesn't seem to realize that for a lot of people, a $79 sleeping bag from K-Mart will work just fine for car camping in the summer even if you'd be a damned idiot to take it backpacking.
   
   2) The campgrounds listed do not include RV parks, so you'd need a separate book if you're looking for places where you can get full water/electric/sewer/cable hookups.
   
   3) Each campground listed includes a score, ostensibly from 1 to 10, on the scenic beauty of the site, a feature which I really appreciate. However, I did not see a single site rated less than a 3, which means the book really uses a "3 to 10" scale - and a site seems to rate at least a 4 if there are any trees. The book would be more valuable if he expanded his scale to rate the ugliest spots a 1 and be a bit stingier with his 8's and 9's.
   
   4) Finally, the best campground book I've ever seen also included a rating on how crowded the campground was on average, and gave a special symbol for "undiscovered gems", i.e. campgrounds of particular scenic beauty that were little used. I missed that feature in this book.

No comments about Smith Rock Select.

5 comments about Oregon Rivers.

1. Larry N. Olson is a talent to be watched. His photography will speak to you.



2. A beautifully reproduced book with very unique compositions



3. Larry N. Olson is most likely the best landscape photographer to come out of the Pacific Northwest EVER. His work speaks for itself. A truely fantastic book.



4. The work of landscape photographer Larry N. Olson easily rivals the best of his better-known peers like Art Wolfe and David Muench. Terms like "overpowering" and "awe-inspiring" accurately describe the scenes in OREGON RIVERS--but so do the words "elegant" and "exquisite." Olson neither "takes" nor "makes" photographs: his work gives us neither merely pretty pictures nor ego-obtrusive "studies." Instead, the union we see and feel is greater than either half. In Olson's photographs we experience true art which somehow, magically, lets nature luminesce through.



5. Oregon Rivers is one of my favorite books ever, and not just because I have fished some of the rivers so lovingly photographed and described herein. Olson's excellent eye for subtleties and fascinating accounts of the hard work necessary to capture the perfect moment, had me wishing for more. The essays by John Daniel add depth to the understanding of the importance of water to this extremely diverse region. Thus this is not just a beautiful coffee table book, but begs to be repeatedly referred to for its insights into how the state's wealth of resources is treated in this age of environmental conflict. This makes the book an educational tool for all of us, no matter where we live, to appreciate our limited water resources with their inherent beauty. But first and foremost, the book is a gorgeous work, to be loved for its display of a superior artist's love for his subject.

1 comments about The Oregon Trail: A Photographic Journey.

1. Minimal text and a focus on photographic quality make for a lovely visual journey over the Oregon Trail which places one color plate with facing text per page. Accounts of Oregon Trail life and travels make for a history account which is personal and enhanced with modern portraits of the Trail.