No comments about Oregon Coast Recreational Atlas: A Guide to Natural Resources and Recreational Opportunities.

No comments about Portland City Walks: Twenty Explorations In and Around Town.

2 comments about Fodor's Pacific Northwest, 15th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. i bought this book along with fodor's guide to b and b's in the pacific northwest. this guide is a good one, both for residents who haven't had time to really see the area and for tourists. its the only one of the guidebooks that i browsed that has accurate information on doing a circle tour of the olympic peninsula. and it has a section that recommends itineraries for one, three, and seven days.



2. I recently bought this book for a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest: Portland, Seattle, Vancouver and Whistler. I found this guide to be extremely helpful both before and during my travels. I was impressed that I was able to find information other than the typical, popular tourist attractions in the main parts of each city. I also liked that they highlighted the "bests" of each city, as well as reccommended activities based on your length of stay. I was slightly dissappointed with the lack of information in the "Whistler, BC" and the quality of the maps (only in Black and White, and only a few neighborhoods for each city.) I think these shortcomings are minor, and would highly reccommend it.

2 comments about A Waterfall Lover's Guide to the Pacific Northwest: Where to Find More Than 500 Spectacular Waterfalls in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

1. For anyone interested in tracking down waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest region, this book is the bible. Detailed accounts of where to locate them, maps, personal insight, the works. Gregory Plumb has laid the groundwork for my innate passion for these natural beauties. A Waterfall Lover's Guide to the Pacific Northwest is a must have for hikers and enthusiasts alike.



2. I am Bob S. Stearns with the Oregon Dept. of Forestry - Santiam Unit. I am personally dealing with recreational issues on state lands regarding a couple of waterfalls in this publication. Some information has changed with these locations and the publication should be altered to show that. Thank you for any correspondence. Please call at (503)859-2151 or write at adresses listed above. Thank you.

1 comments about Insiders' Guide to Bend and Central Oregon, 2nd (Insiders' Guide Series).

1. No wonder it's 97 cents. I think the authors were paid by the word because it is so over-written. For a town of 63,000 people, the insider's guide should not be this thick. Please. For example, the authors go into lengthy (but useless) detail about the MALL: "Next door to Stride-Rite, which offers a wide variety of footwear, you'll find Spencer's, with a plethora of ecclectic gifts for everyone on your shopping list." I'm making that up, but that's about how ridiculous it is. Hello, it's a MALL. An "insider's guide" should not give a crap about what's at the mall, much less devote page after page to it.

5 comments about Uncle Mike's Guide to the Real Oregon Coast.

1. I lived on the Oregon Coast for almost two years. A friend gave this to me as a going-away present and it was the perfect gift. This book sums up all the reasons you wouldn't want to visit Oregon like sea-monsters, clever sea gulls, devious ravens, and, of course, the weather. All in a dark tone that perfectly matches my memories of the dark skies, and yet side-splitting funny. A great gift for an Oregon Coast dweller.



2. A copy of this book was sent to humorist Dave Barry taped to a six-pack of beer. In return, Uncle Mike recived a dummy front page of the Miami Herald, the headline of which declared: "Michael Burgess is excellent. Why do I say this? Because he sent me beer."



3. I bought this book because it's by one of my favorite authors, and was not disappointed. Uncle Mike is a talented author. I grew up in Oregon, and all my "beach" experience revolved around the Pacific Ocean--on or near Cannon Beach. My friend grew up in both California and Oregon, and defines Oregon as a coast, which you "look at it from the warm car while you drive by to a real beach (in California)." As I can't stand California beaches, and think cold and gray is a perfect way to see the ocean, we frequently debate the points of our favorite locales. Based on my background, I wholeheartedly support Uncle Mike's portrayal of the sea monster, sea gulls, and other fine folk of the coast. I enjoy reading it to my friend, who morosely insists that it's funny because it's TRUE. (Apparently she's one of those that should have read the book before venturing out barefoot onto the sand as a child.)
   The artwood is phenomenal, and Uncle Mike's commentary is first hilarious. If you've never experienced the Oregon Coast, read this book and be warned!



4. If you have never lived on the Oregon Coast, but are planning a visit, you need this book immediately. If, like me, you spent many childhood years on the Oregon coast, freezing and miserable, and you wish that someone would finally reveal that it is a perfect place to stock with polar bears and penguins, and that the beaches of Oregon are ideal for hardcore fanatic beach-lovers who enjoy sandblaster wind in the face and water so cold that it invites damnation, you must get multiple copies of this book and start handing it out to anyone who thinks Oregon beaches are the northern version of California beaches.



5. I've lived in Oregon for over 20 years, and this is the first book that tells the frightening truth about the Oregon coast. Forget those posters and coffee table books showing beautiful coastlines and majestic cliffs bathed in sunshine--as Uncle Mike explains, these pictures were actually taken "during a break between storm fronts that occurs once or twice a decade and can last as long as a week." As for the inhabitants, "the culture that endures today, while of morbid interest to anthropologists, isn't for the squeamish."
   
   The wildlife is not much better. Uncle Mike points out that there are many sharks on the Oregon coast--and that there are no happy sharks, only hungry ones. A giant octopus can "snatch you and your toy poodle from the rocks with the lightning ease of a frog catching flies." An elk is "basically a deer on steroids," and a sasquatch is a "nearly nonexistent" monster that "hunts down humans for sport." You get the idea: from tsunamis to seagulls to ceaseless rain, the Oregon Coast is a scary place to be.
   
   Of course, it may be that Uncle Mike is only joking. It may be that the Oregon Coast is really a bright, beautiful place with cheerful inhabitants and friendly critters. On the other hand, it might be true that Oregon coast crabs "move quickly, are quiet as ghosts, and work well in groups." You do the math.
   
   If you enjoy Uncle Mike's sardonic sense of humor, consider getting "Uncle Mike's Guide to Sex and Drinking" (hard to find) and the two volumes of "Letters to Uncle Mike." Come what may, the Oregon Coast will never be the same.

No comments about Oregon Off the Beaten Path, 9th: A Guide to Unique Places (Off the Beaten Path Series).

No comments about Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon, 3rd: Including the Metro Area and Vancouver, Washington.

2 comments about 120 Hikes on the Oregon Coast (100 Hikes In...).

1. Bonnie Henderson's hiking books are consistently good. This one highlights some lesser-known hikes along the Oregon Coast. My parents live on the coast, and many of these hikes were pleasant surprises to them. Difficulty is accurately noted. The author, an Oregon resident, really hikes all the trails in her books. This book would be a great gift for anyone living or travelling the Oregon Coast.



2. Two of my favorite activities, reading good books and hiking good trails, merge in this Oregon Coast hiking guide. Bonnie Henderson was raised in Portland, and lives in Eugene now. Not only does she know these trails, but she is also savvy to all the flora and fauna along the way. Her guide is organized by hikes along Oregon's North Coast, North-Central Coast, Central Coast, South-Central Coast, and South Coast, and also includes interesting information about, among other things, puffins (pp. 40-41), skunk cabbage (p. 51), bald eagles (p. 62), estuaries (p. 73) and silverspot butterflies (pp. 76-77).

   I spent a week hiking many of the trails in this guide, including most of Henderson's own recommended favorites (pp. 26, 57, 96): Indian Beach to Ecola Point, Seaside Beach, Crescent Beach, Haystack Rock, Hug Point, and the Yachats 804 Trail. I especially liked the Cape Falcon and Cooks Ridge-Gwynn Creek loop trails. Rocky beaches. Loud waves. Waterfalls. Mossy trees. Old-growth forests. Foggy days. Muddy trails. The Oregon Coast is a hiker's heaven, and Henderson's wise, old trail guide contains some of heaven's best-kept secrets.

   G. Merritt

3 comments about That Ribbon of Highway I : Highway 99 from the Oregon Border to the State Capital.

1. "That Ribbon of Highway" wonderfully captures the memory of those times when travel along "the Main Street of California" was indeed an adventure. It takes the reader back to a time before Interstate 5 made travel through the state a matter of speeding from origin to destination, with the only experience with the outside world involving, say, a quick stop at the drive-through window at yet another stamped-out McDonald's. As the author points out, of the three major north/south highways in California, Highway 101 may have been more romantic, Highway 395 more mysterious, but it was Highway 99 that truly served as "the peoples' highway," and thus is arguably more important in a historical scope.

   I like this book a lot. The author and photographer have lovingly captured the historical spirit of Highway 99. I give it four stars instead of five only because I don't want to build the expectations of this book too much. It isn't a big, coffee table-sized tome filled with large glossy full-color photos and expansive essays. Rather, it's more a small, "night stand" sized volume, with black and while photos and brief treatments of the various points of interest along the stretch of the highway between the Oregon border and Sacramento. However, the modest format of the book compliments memories of those pre-Interstate 5 days more adeptly than would a Time/Life version of the subject; it goes gentle on the memories of our hearts by bringing them to the fore, rather than revising them with someone else's vision.

   For those readers who treasure the memories of a time when travel by road seemed a richer, more colorful experience, I heartily recommend "That Ribbon of Highway." It's a little book with lots of heart and soul. HJ




2. Living Gold Press has published a two volume regional history and guidebook collaboration by Jill Livingston and Kathryn Golden Maloof focusing on California U.S. 99, a highway that extends from the Mexican Border to the Oregon Border. That Ribbon Of Highway I: Highway 99 From The Oregon Border To The State Capital presents historically informative and engaging text by Jill Livingston that is splendidly enhanced by Kathryn Maloofs photography as well as line drawn maps, community vignettes, descriptions of key bridges, and landmark sites. Also highly recommended is the companion book, That Ribbon Of Highway II: Highway 99 From The State Capital To The Mexican Border.



3. "Society for Commercial Archeology Journal," Spring 2000. For those of you unfamiliar with the West Coast, Highway 99 is the principal historic highway that knitted together the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Portions of it were known early on as the Pacific Highway or the Valley Route or the Golden State Highway. However, in 1928 these various bits were sewn together and given federal designation as US 99. Despite de-designation as a US highway in 1964, Highway 99 continued to play a prominent role in western transportation. Jill Livingston and Kathryn Maloof have compiled a two-volume guide to the history and sights of Highway 99 in California. Each book, half-sheet size and paperbound, provides a general summary of the road's history and a detailed description of features along the existing road organized geographically from north to south. Both offer an extensive photographic tour of the respective route sections, as well as sections devoted to detailed maps that outline the route and provide directions on how to access often-bypassed elements or road alignments. There are generous graphics and photos throughout. I may be a biased reviewer of this topic. I grew up on Highway 99 just south of Sacramento and enjoy mostly fond and entirely vivid memories of this road. I have muddled memories of passing objects from car to car while careening down the Grapevine toward Metler, CA to rescue a friends' stranded vehicle. I also remember with fresh horror as I watched my record collection of 250 albums melt in 100+ degree heat while broken down on that same wretched hill in 1983. Livingston and Maloof have brought it all back for me. I pine for chicken dinner at Pollardville and an orange freeze at the Mammoth Orange. I mourn the passing of the Blueberry Hill Café in Chowchilla, and am startled to see a picture of the theater where I saw my first genuine rock concert in 1975. The authors have peppered their text with sidebars of interest to one and all. The evolution of the Ridge Route and disappearing/reappearing highway under Shasta Reservoir are two of my favorites. The organization of the books is clear and easy to follow; the photos are beautiful and plenty. The text is well written and enjoyable, not bogging down in non-essential detail or excess verbiage. These books are just the ticket for roadside exploration off the beaten track in the Golden State.