No comments about Utah Off the Beaten Path, 5th (Off the Beaten Path Series).

5 comments about Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures.

1. Whether or not you live in Utah, this book is an outstanding collection of random weirdness. It's fascinating and at times unbelievable. Sadly, its author died in a tragic car accident about a decade ago, but this book will forever remain a testament to his adventurous and inquisitive life.
   (And sadly, he will never be able to write companion books for Arizona and New Mexico. Oh, what the world has lost!)
   This book is FULL of fascinating stuff: ghost towns, lost mines, treasure lore, and crazy history. It's well organized into sections of the state, has maps, has a ton of entries and a ton of information, and even has a good index (though it doesn't have list any sources or references).
   The stories inside are facinating, ranging from the legend of the Golden Jesus--a three-foot-tall golden crucifix stolen by Hopis from the Spanish in the 1880s--the Lost Josephine Mine of the Henry Mountains, strange mining stories of the San Juan River, and many, many more.
   If the book has any faults, it's that the author takes evident liberties in telling the stories of these towns and mines treasures. He comes across as more of a campfire yarn-spinner than a historian, and though this makes the book very entertaining, it also makes the book questionable as a source for reference material.
   Buy it anyway, though. It's a lot of fun.



2. I first ran across reference to this book at desertislands.org while I was looking up information regarding the Great Basin and Western Utah, specifically the old mining camps/ghost towns in those areas. After reading some of the excerpts from "Some Dreams Die" that were posted on that website, and living in the general vicinity of the overland stage route and pony express trail in Utah, I decided that I really wanted this book. Surprise! I got the book for Christmas and I read through it in two days. Excellent reading material! I plan on re-reading this book several times, as well as travelling to several of the lost townsites or mine camps listed in this book this spring/summer.
   
   The author may have "taken some liberties" or "spun some yarns" while writing, or he may have just written the stories the way he was told them by old-timers that he interviewed. Personally, I believe the latter. Either way, to think that George Thompson - adventurer and desert rat - actually went to each and every one of the areas listed is amazing. Many of the areas that he lists are located in very inhospitable areas like extreme desert or high mountains, and the "roads" to those areas are almost impassable trails, followed by a strenuous hike.
   
   If you buy this book, be prepared to be swept away into a long-lost world which is slowly being erased from the face of the earth. Utah or the Bureau of Land Management (or a combination of both) are slowly and surely trying to erase history by bulldozing what's left of old ghost towns and mine camps to make the areas "safe". It's a shame. Much of the westward growth of the United States was fueled by mining, and this book will introduce you to persons who helped the U.S. grow. You'll experience the hopes and dreams of pioneers and miners as they attempted to scratch out an existence in the harsh western deserts and high mountains, either by farming, ranching, or mining. You'll have your curiosity piqued regarding legendary "lost treasures and caches", and you'll wonder if you could be the "lucky" one to find a long-lost cache or mine where you could "strike it rich".
   
   I cannot vouch for the 100% veracity of everything written in "Some Dreams Die", but from what I know of the area and what I've read from other sources, I'd say that George Thompson wasn't far off the mark. This book is a treasure, and it's hard to come by.
   
   Enjoy!



3. When my father was alive we went out West of the Great Salt Lake and we drove all the roads up through Lucin clear till Promontory Point. It is a wonderful experience to go out to an area that looks desolate but is so rich in history and culture. This book was our main resource while we were out there. It is a most perfect tour guide. From it we got a pretty good idea from where these towns were and what to do. We would look and see the picture of this prospering town of 10,000 and then we would look out on the desert and just 100 years later there was nothing there except mabye an old foundation or part of a building or an amazingly well built bridge. It does kind of play tricks on you. You start almost seeing the towns and the people. They become real to you like a "Ghost Town." To give you an idea, if you've ever been to Wendover, just south of Lucin, it has about 6000 people last time I checked. This will give you an idea of how big some of these towns actually were.This was a great memory of my father and I and I will always cherish it as we went through all these old towns together. I'm giving this four stars as a revenge because I can't justify paying this much money for paper and it sticks in my stomach like a knife that I can't buy this book. There are certain books that you read and you are not the same after you've read them. This book was definately that for me.



4. This book is so well written and obviously a lot of time and research went into it. For Example the part about Pedro and the dry panning of gold in western Utah. When I was very young the dentist, Dr Stains DDS pulled out a tooth that was paining me immensely, He and my Father talked about this sheep herder.He is so detailed in his writing. I can hardly wait for Spring to come, take my GPS I got for Christmas and my new metal detector and go to several places he mentions. For me now, I am Google Earth searching these specific areas. This is a great book!!!! I highly recommend it.



5. I received a copy of this book at Easter when I was very young and it became a stepping stone to new hobby and an appreciation of my home state's history. Full of wonderful information about early settlements in the Beehive State as well as rumored lost treasure near abandoned towns. For nearly a decade after I first read it, Utah Ghost towns became an obsession for me, poring over it over and over, and had to visit as many as possible. You can tell just by reading it that it was a labor of love. I even had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Thompson at his home (which was more like a museum made of all the relics and Photos he had acquired in his life) and only recently learned of his tragic death.
   
   I haven't lived in Utah for over a decade now, and miss the joy I felt at visiting these old towns. Maybe someday I can move back and pick up where I left off with Stephen L. Carr's equally excellent Historical Guide to Utah's Ghost Towns in one hand and Some Dreams Die in the other.

5 comments about Hiking and Exploring Utah's San Rafael Swell 3rd Edition.

1. As a student of geography and land use planning, Kelsey's book has provided further references for deeper research.



2. I talked with a park ranger who made the comment, "We use Steve Alan's book to find all the people who get lost from Kelsey's descriptions." I didn't believe this until I went down to the Swell and did the Virgin Spring hike described in Kelsey's book. He said that he did the hike in 9 hours. Using GPS I would estimate the hike at just about 30 miles total. Steve Allen recommends 2-3 days to complete the same hike. Kelsey's descriptions of this complicated hike are dangerous and sure to leave you searching for hours for the trail in a place where getting lost is easy because of infrequent use. He also puts a large disclaimer in this book "Don't blame me" because someone blamed him for getting lost on the local news. The only thing good about Kelsey's book are few good pictures. Save your money and buy Steve Allen's book.



3. The historical background and geological cross-sections (of which there is at least one for every hiking area) show Michael Kelsey at his best; I have battered my borrowed copy (which I need to replace) pretty well. The most understandable criticism in my view is the lack of difficulty ratings; just remember that Kelsey is a fast hiker so go conservative at first to see what your multiplier factor is, and remember that 3rd and 4th class scrambling often, but not consistently, constitutes straightforward hiking to him. And bring your own topo map; his sketches are a good reference for route, access, and other descriptions in the text, but are not meant to be your only map. You wouldn't want to be deprived of adventure because your guidebook gave you GPS coordinates for each footstep you are to take, so I have no problem with route descriptions like "look for one of the several ways down" and so forth. There is also the occasional rant against imagined people who want to "lock up" the land and keep everyone out, which I take as a slightly odd way of expressing his otherwise understandable viewpoint on access restrictions for popular but sensitive areas.



4. If you want lots of background historical info, have a thirst for adventure and discovery on your own, and you have good common sense in the outdoors, get Kelsey's book. If you need your hand held, regularly hike with a pacifier in your mouth, are taking children along, or have little desert experience, you may want the other book. The beauty of Kelsey's book is that you'll eventually have to figure your own way out of the pickle he put you in - but you'll love it.



5. I got this book as a gift and it's been well-liked so far. Shipped quickly and was in great condition when it arrived, but I don't know details enough to review content or anything like that.

2 comments about River Runners' Guide To Utah and Adjacent Areas (Revised and Updated).

1. Gary and his brother have paddled every river and creek that is described in this book. If you plan on running any Utah river and creek, this is the guide to use for specific beta, when the best running time frames are (cfm wise), all permit requirements, put-ins and take-outs and all geography characteristics that may preclude a good time. Get it and take it with you! Awesome detailed route maps that can't be beat.



2. Gary and his brother have paddled every river and creek that is described in this book. If you plan on running any Utah river and creek, this is the guide to use for specific beta, when the best running time frames are (cfm wise), all permit requirements, put-ins and take-outs and all geography characteristics that may preclude a good time. Get it and take it with you! Awesome detailed route maps that can't be beat.

3 comments about Utah Trails Moab Region.

1. Many of the 4WD roads in the Moab area are notoriously unmarked, with numerous false roads going nowhere. Moreover, most maps of the area are incomplete or, even worse, erroneous, regarding 4WD roads. This book makes it simple and easy. The maps are perfect--just enough detail to be clear. The descriptions are succinct. The color photos are excellent. But it's the route directions that make this book so useful. They keep you from getting lost, but they don't deprive you of feeling like you're actually doing some exploring and route-finding. This book is really indispensable. (One odd omission: Trail #26 (Willow Flats Road) does not even mention the dinosaur tracks (at 3.3 mi. from U.S. 191), the primary feature of this road.)



2. I have the Utah book "4WD Adventures" printed in 2000 and I have been using it since then every two years for a two week drive in the desert. Spot on. I've tried the rest and this is the best. It's hot and you haven't seen another vehicle in the past eight hours but with Massey Wilson telling you to turn left in the wash, you turn left in the wash. My book is well worn but it has never lead me astray. My only walkouts are when they describe a place six years before and I try to cross. Guess what? The desert changes. So I'm buying the new edition.
   
   ps. I'm out here right now after visiting Wild Horse Mesa east of Capital Reef. This is the first time in 15 years I have seen boulder crunching gully washers. These books describe the most amazing places in the world. Get off that tarred road. But bring water.



3. We took this book on a trailbike tour this summer, and it was indispensable. The Moab area is crisscrossed with many trails, and it's impossible to tell what they're like until you've ridden them. Although written for 4x4s and ATVs, with a little reading between the lines we could find the trails most appropriate for cycles. When looking for a trailhead, it's very important to read his step-by-step directions first. The trail synopsis will mention where it is, but a little too vaguely sometimes. I will say the author definitely has no fear of heights, because some of the trails he mentions as being "steep" are in fact terrifyingly close to very, very long drops. Assess your level of acrophobia before choosing a trail!

2 comments about Lost Landscapes: Utah's Ghosts, Mysterious Creatures, and Aliens.

1. Linda Dunning has put together a nice collection of Utah's monsters, ghosts, aliens, and other "extra-worldly" and "other-worldly" stories. From Utah's own version of "Bigfoot" and "Area 51," to the aquatic monsters in Bear Lake and Utah Lake, and those ghosts of grave robbers, she has taken the time to review journals, newspaper archives, and eye-witnesses of those events that, literally, tales are made of.
   
   Dunning clearly states that she is a skeptic, but concludes that there are enough weird events that happen to make her a believer that strange activities, beings, and places are afoot.
   
   Perhaps Bigfoot will walk out of the High Uintas, carrying strange disc-shaped metallic objects, and accompanied by a ghost or two.
   
   This book is a nice contribution to American folklore in Utah.



2. I was so excited to find this at the bookstore; I write articles and research paranormal and folkore in Utah. However, even just flipping through the pages, there were many curious mistakes and incorrect information. For example, Dunning writes about the 'ghosts' of the Salt Lake Cemetery--and mentions Hiram BeeBee. She states she could not find any information about him, and hopes that someone will be able to illuminate this character. Well, if she was searching for Hiram BeeBee, it is no small wonder. The correct spelling is Hiram BeBee, as it is plainly stated on his easily-found gravestone in the upper, 'pauper' section of the cemetery, near the mausoleum. BeBee was quite a character--there are legends of his secret, 'true' identity--that of The Sundance Kid. Although most historians dismiss these claims, BeBee's eccentricity does not stop there. He was a very volatile, violent personality: he was jailed for murder, a yogi before most westerners even knew what a yogi was, and a modern-day sampson, claiming all his power and strength resided in his long white hair. There are well-documented accounts of his struggle to keep his power-hair in jail. It's a great story, but the landscape was lost. And there are no legends about BeBee haunting the cemetery.
   Also mispelled was "Emo's grave." Dunning spells it 'Imo', but perhaps that is correct from an earlier incarnation of the legend. In addition, she describes the legend of Emo, part of which has to do with a broken urn inside the crypt. Dunning, a psychic, states she uses her 'mind's eye' and determines the urn used to be blue-green, with gold veins adorning it. A bit off the mark--the 'urn' is actually a vase for flowers, and ashes have never been involved. Even a very modest bit of research (or even psychic ability) would have revealed this.

2 comments about Utah Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series).

1. Once in a lifetime, every American should visit the state of Utah, known for its great skiing, glorious scenery and national parks, but most people will never discover another side of this interesting state unless they bring along a copy of this delightful book which is full of historical factoids as well as descriptions of unusual sites and places well off the beaten track. I highly recommend it.



2. Awesome Book. Everyone is borrowing it to plan short day trips and vacations. Wish I had bought all my family and freinds one.

1 comments about Fodor's Utah, 2nd Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. We're planning a family trip for this summer. Since some of it will be through Utah we picked up this book to help with planning. It has a lot of information and is very well organized. After reading about the different national parks and how much there is to do, we'll probably going to have to plan a second trip to see the things we won't have time to see.

1 comments about The Hayduke Trail: A Guide to the Backcountry Hiking Trail on the Colorado Plateau.

1. Got the book yesterday. It covers my favorite area on the planet (the Colorado Plateau) and as soon as I heard it was to be published, I decided to hike the section from South Rim to Zion National Park. With a lot of maps, trails could have been chosen and mistakes would have been made. This book has cut my planning down to less than half. The section getting from the Utah border to Highway 9 in Zion is worth the price alone. I can't wait to squeeze through "Fat Man's Misery".
   
   This book should eliminate the planning mistakes. I'm sure I'll be able to make enough on my own. The mileages are essential information and well laid out in the different sections of the book. Important information such as where not to camp because of crossing private property and specific locations where there is danger of flash flooding, is vital to the component that needs to right up there with fun: safety.
   
   The maps are excellent with the mileages shown on the maps corresponding with the mileages in the mileage portion of each section. Telling where water can be located and where to cache food for later pickup is equally important.
   
   Most of the "Trail" is non-trailed. Excellent navigation skills are required for a successful completion of any portion of the Trail. I would have liked to see some GPS coordinates but most of those I wanted were available on the internet.
   
   The book deserves additional credit for not sugar-coating the dangers that one will face on this Trail. The dangers cannot be overemphasized. It's not called wilderness for nothing.
   
   Mitch and Joe want to bring attention to this wonderful area that seems to increasingly be under attack by those who look only at profit. To that end, I hope this book will be successful.

3 comments about Raven's Exile: A Season on the Green River.

1. A meditation on the Green River, water in the West, and wilderness.
   
   I first read Meloy's EATING STONE, a book about desert bighorns. In comparison to that book, where the specificity of the theme reined in the author's imagination somewhat, RAVEN'S EXILE ranges widely. I think it should be read as a meditation/rant rather than as a factual account or even a memoir. At times the language is poetic; at other times I found it imprecise and over-the-top. Sometimes Meloy's outrage at American culture's lack of concern for wilderness, the hubris of building huge cities in the middle of the desert, and the arrogance of wanting to replace native fish with others that give better "sport" is acutely expressed and trenchant; sometimes the text degenerates into idiosyncracy and misanthropy.
   
   Recommended, but I tend to think Craig Childs' book on water in the desert addresses the topic better.



2. This book is a gem. If Abbey had a feminine counter-voice Meloy's would be it. Like Desert Solitaire Meloy speaks of the raw, untamed beauty of the southern Utah wilderness. We travel with her and her husband Mark down the Green River through Desolation Canyon and deep into the wild places of the human psyche. Meloy takes us back to our more primitive self with an eye for detail and a soft, gentle humor. She transports us on a journey that few of us will ever take. Through her eyes we see the river from a myriad of uses and view points: the prehistoric Fremont culture, early river runners to the modern river rat. Like Abbey before her, Meloy gives us a sense of place that comes alive through her words. This is an ode to a wild river and as she feared, possibly a eulogy. Desolation Canyon its environs remains one of the more endangered places in the southwest. The wild in all of us lost a voice with her untimely death in 2004.



3. my family has been reading and then re reading this book for at least 10 years.. for us its like poetry and takes us all back to some faboulous river trip memories..