2 comments about True Secrets of Salt Lake City and The Great Salt Lake Revealed!.

1. I bought a copy of this book primarily as a challenge. I've lived in Utah all my life and thought there's nothing a guidebook can teach me. Boy was I wrong! I learned something and I had fun reading it.
   Something I think that's nice too is they put pictures of a lot of things they talk about. This is a really cool book.



2. I'm originally from Salt Lake and half the things in this book I didn't know about. After reading it, I made plans to visit some of them (like the sculpture in the middle of the dessert and the Joseph Smith Sphynx). I brought my family along and we all had a blast playing "tourist" seeing all these cool things right near home.
   
   If you're planning a trip to Salt Lake City, get this book along with a traditional "where should I stay and eat" travel guide. You'll use that to book the mundane stuff and this to discover what to explore.
   
   Just like the other True Secrets of books they have a great map on their website ([...]) with all the addresses of things found in the book.

4 comments about Best Easy Day Hikes Canyonlands and Arches.

1. Many people think that the best way to see these two greatcanyonlands parks is to drive through them. But you will have no senseof these places unless you get out of your car and take a walk. You don't have to be a backpacker to experience these places on foot. Schneider's book is a great for short, medium and long day hikes hikes and for finding the hike that is best for you and your physical condition.



2. Regardless of your vigor, these walks make "the best (sights) of (one of) the best" national parks understandable and accessible. Because you know what you are getting into, each hike will be relaxed and enjoyable. Of course, the natural beauty is amazing!



3. This little version of the bigger book provided nothing beyond what's in Exploring Canyonlands & Arches. I found the same typographical errors, the same sentences and content... Not worth the extra money if you have the other...



4. This book outlines some of the shorter hikes in Arches and Canyonlands National parks. I found it very useful, as it gave the distance of each hike and a brief description of what the trail was like, easy or difficult etc. I did find a few of the descriptions somewhat deceptive, as some of the hikes were more difficult than described, some of the "slight inclines" were actually pretty steep and required some climbing, which would be difficult for some people. However overall this book gives a good overview of the parks. The book itself is small enough to carry along with you, so it can be referred to at any time.

3 comments about Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns.

1. Stephen L. Carr's book is the funabental source for information on Utah's Ghost Towns. Carr has taken a very practical approach, county by county and given background to the town's orrigin, how to visit the town, and what to expect once you arrive. Our family has used it for years as we venture around the state of Utah and attempt to visit Utah's historical past. This book is a must for understanding Ghost Towns in Utah.



2. A great book to get started with. This was my first book and one of the staples of my collection. Great history on the towns and great instructions to get there. If you are serious about ghost town hunting... get this book.



3. Stephen Carr's Utah's Ghost Town book is excellent to help you understand the history of the past ghost towns and to see what you might find at the towns. Reading the background information is full worth the book's value.

   The problem we found was that the book was published in 1972. In order to use the book, you need to consult other maps due to new highways and streets and other things changing. Also, many of the ghost towns have denegrated or disappeared within 30 years. It seems that Hollywood liked all the ghost towns available, but after visiting many of the ghost towns, I don't think Hollywood would ever set foot in them again after the great movie sets they can make today.

   Book Example: "Grafton is one of the most pictursque ghost towns that Hollywood used for many movies."

   What We Found Out: There are only four structures left in Grafton with one locked up on private property. The church has been completely refurbished so it looks brand new and another structure is about to fall down and is off-limits to people.

1 comments about Utah Underground: Guide to Real Fun.

1. We moved to Utah this Summer and have found this book to be by far the most useful guide to Utah available. It is much more interesting than your standard guidebook. We never leave the house for more than a half hour without Kerig's book, and it has yet to steer us wrong. The restaurant guide sections and the sections on skiing and outdoor recreation are especially helpfull. Buy this book if you want to get the most out of your trip to Utah - especially Salt Lake City.

No comments about A FalconGuide to Dinosaur National Monument, 2nd (Exploring Series).

1 comments about Audubon Guide to the National Wildlife Refuges: Rocky Mountains: Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming (Audubon Guides to the National Wildlife Refuges).

1. This guidebook will help you to find each of the National Wildlife Refuges operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, in the Rocky Mountain states. There are a 3-4 pages for each refuge, focusing on its history, directions to get there, opportunities for driving, walking, and bicycling in the refuge, and a discussion of major wildlife species protected by each refuge, as well as some of the political issues surrounding certain refuges. I had hoped for some general information on Rocky Mountain wildlife; the book was not at all helpful for that, and had very few pictures or photgraphs of wildlife, but it did alert me to a refuge along the route of my upcoming vacation. So without the book I would have missed an opportunity for some spectacular wildlife viewing with only a 27-mile detour. The book accomplishes its purpose very well; I gave it only three stars because that purpose is very limited.

2 comments about Demon River Apurimac: The First Navigation of Upper Amazon Canyons.

1. This just the type of book I like to read at night before going to sleep. The exploits are of a kind I would never attempt, and just the contemplation of them makes me at once weary and exhilarated.

   In the early seventies the author resolved to kayak down one of the most forbidding rivers in the world: the Apurimac in Peru. In two trips, in 1974 and 1975, he did just that. The Apurimac is the longest tributary and hence considered the source of, the Amazon (River). It is forbidding due to the extreme ferocity of its cataracts, and also due to the fact that in many places along its course climbing out of its canyon or going back upstream would be impossible. Thus, the discovery by Giddings and his companions of a scenic forty or fifty foot waterfall on the unexplored sections could well have been a death sentence.

   While all the kayakers did make it out alive, things were not always hunky-dory between them. Giddings comments frequently on his team's lack of teamwork and his submerged tensions. Reading this a quarter century later, I felt he could be right or maybe wrong, but I had almost nothing by which to draw any conclusions. The author gives only the most cursory description of the other members of his party (5 besides himself), then launches into the chronicle. This information deficit is never cured. We are not told the age, the religion, the education, the job, the background, the biases--nothing of any of these five other men on the journey, which makes it impossible to become involved as a reader in the psycho-drama that seems to have played out on the river. One cannot even attempt some judgement based solely on appearance because although the book has many photos, it lacks a portrait of the group, which one would think basic in a work of this kind. The reader can only glimpse three of the five members in individual pictures.

   So the question remains. Were they really a band of males of the stand-up comedy stereotype: egotistical, enamored of tools and technological playthings, but unable to talk about their feelings round the campfire or work together as a unit on the river? Were they even aware of any potential for their expedition to turn into a disaster of the kind portrayed in the movie Deliverance (a hit of that era)or the more recent catastrophes on Everest? Or is there another side to the story that Giddings chose for one reason or another not to reveal?




2. This is a true "sleeper" book. Well written, fascinating and real. A pure joy to read for any whitwater enthusiast and anyone who loves adventure. It is too bad that it is out of print. I think that with proper marketing this could be a great bestseller! Highly recommended!

3 comments about Desert of the Heart.

1. Picked up this book on the recommendation of our local bookstore. The writing is beautiful, poetic while still being entirely readable. Never experienced such exquisite writing. Normally exquisite writing gets mired down, and I can only handle a page a day, but this is beautiful AND compelling . . . page after page after page. I didn't want to leave it. Explores the desert, a unique habitat, and the soul of being human. I can't rate it high enough. Not only beautiful, but an intensely brave and beautiful story. For women who have gone through the need to be alone to learn about yourself, to be in wild places, and/or feel an affiliation with animal friends, DO NOT PASS THIS UP! Bravo, Karen Chamberlain



2. Karen Chamberlain's exquisite memoir captures Utah's red rock wilderness in all its harshness and sensuality. Her human and non-human companions are unforgettable and her love for all things wild is present in every word. Part essay, part love story, this book invites the reader to experience a true western adventure arising from the joys and struggles of living alone in canyon country.



3. I will recommand this book to everyone out there. This very well writen book will make you rediscover something that we have all lost at some point: Ourselves and the connection that we have with the nature itself. Karen is a true spirit, and I admire a lot not only her spirit but also her courage. This book will revive something in you and/or even melt your heart, if you take the time to read between the lines. Great job Karen and wonderful book. love it

No comments about The National Parks of Utah: A Journey to the Colorado Plateau (A 10x13 Book©) (Sierra Press).

2 comments about Travelers Guide: To The Geology Of Colorado Plateau.

1. This is another of Donald Baars' series of excellent geology books. Centered on the Four Corners, the Colorado Plateau displays some of the most varied and spectacular geology found anywhere.

   To make reading and understanding easier, the author divides the Plateau into seven smaller units, e.g. the Paradox Basin. Each section begins with an explanation of its geologic history then identifies every rock formation seen along what appears to be every road that crosses it. This latter is done at a level of detail I've seen only one other place (Roadside Kansas by Buchannan and McCauley).

   If you enjoy knowing just what you're looking at when you drive through this area or, like me, have a developed a hobby of collecting rock samples, this is a marvelously useful book.




2. The guidebook is useful in some ways, but woefully lacking in others. The organization uses precise mileage, which is helpful in finding the features Baars mentions. The geological cross-sections are clearly diagrammed and the prose is accessible to the layman. However, the photos are poor (mostly taken under the high-angle mid-day sun) and the lack of an index is absolutely unacceptable. Once you are on the road and have found the chapter, then it is easy to follow, but it is frustrating when trying to find a specific area or topic while reading/researching at home since there is no index to refer to.