No comments about Mobil Travel Guide Mid Atlantic, 2005: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC, and West Virginia (Mobil Travel Guides (Includes All 16 Regional Guides)).

No comments about Road Cycling in Central Virginia: A Guide.

3 comments about The Nature of the Islands: Plants & Animals of the Eastern Caribbean (Chris Doyle Guide).

1. I wasn't looking to study a huge encyclopedia type book, but I did want to know more about the plants I encounter on St. Thomas. This book was the perfect introduction providing not only visual references, but also practical information on where certain species are likely to be found, i.e. road sides, beaches, etc. Now that I have read through it, I find the need for a more thorough book, however this was the perfect start - just what I was hoping for.



2. This short (150 page)book gives the reader an excellent introduction to the animal, plant and bird life of eight different types of habitats found on the islands of the Eastern Caribbean. The photos and illustrations are very good, but the text is what surprised me the most. Rather than simply providing a dry list of data points usually found in field guide species accounts, just about every species description is remarkably fascinating reading. The book's extensive bibliography shows that the naturalist author drew from a wide range of primary scientific sources to weave together uniquely interesting information regarding the inter-relationships of organisms in these neo-tropical environments. Most readers will welcome these brief but intriguing natural history accounts, and will be pleased that the author selected to describe only the most abundantly observed species. Personally, my only regret was that the book wasn't considerably longer. I have tried hard to find other, more in-depth, guides to the natural history of this region, but there simply don't seem to be any. To learn more about the region, one would have to research primary scientific sources, as this author has (thankfully) done for us, and beautifully synthesized her findings.



3. I've been meaning to review this book for some time now. I've been travelling to the Eastern Caribbean for over twenty years; for the past few, it's been yearly. This book is one of the essentials for my journeys, like sun lotion and a passport. I swore at myself last year when I forgot it.
   I travel for the sun and heat, of course, but rather than see the sites and take part in all the activities, I am happy just to be in the place, to see the islands, the people and their environment. Virginia Barlow's sweet book helps me ground myself every time I return. It's small and easy to carry and is one of the first books I turn to when I arrive.

1 comments about Natural Tunnel: Nature's Marvel in Stone.

1. Written by a Certified Professional Geologist born in Bristol, six miles from this natural phenomenon who now resides in Big Stone Gap, even closer to the Natural Tunnel, sometimes called Natural Bridge, in Virginia. It brings back a summer when my young sons, along with two nephews, explored caves and Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, and I do believe we were at this Natural Tunnel, still being called Virginia's Natural Bridge. He has spent his professional career in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia, though he did receive his degrees in geology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. This is his first book expanded from one of the many articles he has published in years past.
   
   "In geologic terminology, a natural tunnel is defined as 'a cave that is nearly horizontal and that is open at both ends. Some contain streams. Natural Tunnel is notable in that, besides a stream, a working railroad passes through it [beside the stream] and a road passes over it. Tunnels are noted for their sheer cliffs, called amphitheaters. Natural Tunnel was operated as a tourist attraction from 1928 to 1967 before becoming a state park." The boys and I sat in the amphitheater under umbrellas as it rained the night we stayed there to watch a marvelous light show with narration from a loud speaker, which was very moving. It is located six miles north of the Virginia/Tennessee border at Bristol.
   
   The nearest 'capital road' (US23) traces in part the Old Wilderness Road. "Daniel Boone and party, blazing the Wilderness Road to Kentucky in 1775, were likely the first people of European descent to see Natural Tunnel. It is possible Boone may have seen the area even sooner, having passed through as early as 1769." The Blue Ridge Mountains to the southeast cover parts of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Crossing these highlands, the early settlers followed the Wilderness Road to Kentucky where Big Stone Gap is located at the border. There is a spectacular 'modern' tunnel at Cumberland Gap on the Kentucky border at Harrogate, Tennessee.
   
   This author traces the history of this area and this natural wonder some 500 million years ago: "The rocks Natural Tunnel will form in are deposited in a shallow, warm sea. At this time, the area where the Knox Group was deposited was a great shallow sea, of warm climate, not unlike the modern Caribbean Sea." The strata of Purchase Ridge are assigned to the Knox Group, named for exposure near Knoxville, Tennessee. These rocks are predominately dolostone. One million years ago, the "dissolution of the dolostone, concurrent with erosional lowering of the earth's surface, formed the Natural Tunnel.
   
   In 1886, this was printed in 'the Railroad Gazette,' "the new road, which will make a practical use of the tunnel, will run from Briston, Tenn., to Big Stone Gap, Va., on the Kentucky State Line, a distance of eighty miles about forty miles of it have been graded." The first train to make it throught Natural Tunnel and to Big Stone Gap in 1890 and is pictured on the tracks in front of the white sandstone at the crest of Stone Mountain -- not the noted one in Atlanta, Georgia, where the carvings have been made in recent years. It was on May 15 of that year that the first regularly scheduled passenger train from Bristol passed through this just finished roadbed in the Tunnel. By 1894, the tunnel was an important scenic feature of that route. On May 6, 1939, the passenger train "The Lonesome Pine Special" made its last run through Natural Tunnel.
   
   In 1863, "saltpeter is mined in Natural Tunnel and nearby caves by members of the 25th Virginia Regiment for the Confederate war effort. "G. Alexander Robertson writes of his interview with General John Salling, the oldest surviving Virginia Civil War veteran (and one of only five alive at the time) in 'National Speleological Society News.' Mr. Salling tells of digging saltpeter, as Mr. Robertson eloquently states, "for the Confederacy at the time of the battle of Gettysburg,' in Natural Tunnel as a member of the 25th Virginia Regiment. When I saw it in a display in one of the caves, I think maybe Luray Caverns, but possibly Bowlin Cave locaced half mile from the Tunnel at Natural Bridge, I was told it had been used for gunpowder.
   
   Natural Tunnel has probably been in its permanent form for the past 10,000 years. "Every year Natural Tunnel gets just a little bit lower, a little bit shorter. It is most assuredly wearing away, and in a million years or so, it will have dissolved and flushed away to the Gulf of Mexico. There the calcium ions will be taken up, once again, by the little critters living there, recycled into shell and bone and then turned over again to become limy sediment, then limestone and dolostone.
   
   There are many beautiful color and black-and-white pictures, along with geological charts and maps. This is a marvelous history in words and photos of a marvelous place to see. There is a Natural Bridge off 64W to West Tennessee where a historical event took place, but is nothing compared to this wonder in Virginia.

No comments about America's heritage trail: South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia : a tour guide to historical sites of the colonial and Revolutionary War period.

5 comments about A Blast to the Past.

1. Chief Petty Officer Brian Skelley, US navy bomb expert, had been on his last assignment in a remote training area of the Scottish Highlands. Brian had planted several different types of inert bombs for his men to locate and identify. However, they found one planted by someone else...and it was live!

   Brian woke up to find himself in the year 1301. Kilbeinn Castle, which had been only ruins before, had somehow become tall, sturdy, and full of life. The Clan Mackenzie dwelled in the keep. Callum and Malcolm had chanced upon Brian and took him to the castle for treatment by Caira.

   Caira Mackenzie was Laird of the clan. Her father and husband were dead. All the able-bodied men had left to join the notorious William Wallace when Caira's father had signed a treaty of neutrality with King Edward. Thus all the care and protection of the clan fell on her slim shoulders. Caira had no way of knowing if Brian was part of the foul Englishmen in the fort nearby or not. Wisely, she kept wary and sent him to the fort, by way of Callum and Malcolm, when he was well. Upon finding out Brian was NOT with those from the fort, and seeing him stand up to the cruel English, the two escorted Brian back to the keep. Caira allowed Brian time to "experiment". She never understood what the black powder was that Brian was experimenting with or what he meant to do with the foul smelling powder.

   Brian wanted only to return to the year 2004. He was positive that if he made the powder just right the blast would send him back home. However, he could not ignore the plight of Caira and the clan. In the process of helping them, he and Caira began falling in love. Now he must decide whether to stay in 1301 with Caira or return to his own time.

   ***** Ah, this story is pure bliss! The characters are so easy to care for and the ending was an act of genius! Brava, Virginia Farmer! I enjoyed every minute of this time travel romance and highly recommend it to all. *****

   Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.




2. Bombs are not normally creative, but a blast from one creates a new life and new hope in this tale. Brian Skelley rockets back from the present day to the days of Braveheart in Scotland. The ancient Scots are not sure what this sooty, burned man is. He might be an English Sassenach, and a danger. On the other hand, he could be one of the Wallace's men, and as such would help get rid of the English.

   Brian at first, of course, can't believe he not only was not blown to bits, but is back in time. Once he adjusts, he secures a place for himself as a bard and sets out to make a bomb, hoping to reverse the process. The hitch in his plan is that Caira Mackenzie is the loveliest woman he's ever laid eyes on, and going back to the future would leave her behind.

   *** Ms Farmer has well used familiar elements to create a romantic version of Connecticut Yankee, with a happier ending. Caira is a strong and admirable heroine, longing for both love and independence she can only have simultaneously with a man like Brian. Though the story is one we know well, it's also well done. ***
   Amanda Killgore




3. Chief Brian Skelley is supervising a bomb search and diffusion training exchange exercise in Scotland when a strange relic is discovered. One that explodes and sends Skelley man back in time to 1301, the time of William Wallace's rebellion. Caira Mackenzie is struggling to keep her secret (both her husband and her father are now dead and Castle Kilbeinn is without a laird) from the nearby British. Can the recently discovered Skelley help or hinder Caira? A Blast to the Past is brisk, breezy fun, with the adventure aspects getting just as much attention as the romantic story. All in all a short and satisfying read. Recommended.



4. This is a very interesting story. Most of the books that I have read on time travel have been from the female point of view.
   
   Traveling back in time through the eyes of a male was very refreshing and the story seemed to have more substance and strength in the characters, as well as the story line.
   
   I really recommend this book.



5. Time travel books are always fun to read. I liked this one because it was a man that did the time travel and of course saved the day.

5 comments about Moon Handbooks Charleston and Savannah (Moon Handbooks).

1. I have been to Charleston and Savannah several times, so I picked up this book to see if Mike Sigalas "got it right."

   He certainly did.

   This book not only tells you the things you ought to see, but also tells you things that you ought to know to really appreciate these two extraordinary places. For example, his extensive history sections help explain why these two cities are not simple clones of each other.

   His small articles do not shy away from controversial topics. When writing about the very few remaining slave houses, for example, he explains how these humble structures were not torn down to obliterate any visible remembrance of the bad old days of slavery, but fell the same fate as almost every other working class house from that time.

   The book has good maps and directions, and--best of all--in my estimation, it does not sound like it was written by the local Chamber of Commerce. Sigalas's humor comes through without feeling a need to show off.

   This book is best read before you go to Charleston and/or Savannah. It will make your visit(s) so much better.




2. I was very disappointed using this book on my first trip to Charleston and Savannah.

   The maps contained numerous errors. The index was incomplete, omitting many attractions contained in the book. It was frustrating trying to find information.

   The hotel and restaurant listings were skimpy, and omitted helpful information. It took me 30 minutes to locate one restaurant because the map was wrong, and then when I arrived, I discovered that the restaurant was only open on the weekends.

   The main strengths of this book are the historical background and anecdotes (some of which were more fiction than fact, according to the docents I met at the museums and plantations.)

   I have been a fan of the Moon Handbook series. Their books on Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Yellowstone Nat'l Park are excellent. This one, however, was bad.

   Luckily, I brought a second guidebook along, Fodors. While I usually don't like Fodors, this one was good, and was more helpful than the Moon Handbook. Save your money and buy the Fodors.




3. I really enjoyed the details and humor in this Moon book. It's really well written and has great maps! I took it with me on a recent trip to Charleston and found it to be an excellent resource. Mike Sigalas really captures the feel of the region and has great recommendations.



4. I used this book on my first trip to Savannah, and it was great. The author has a lot of personality, and he vividly describes the people, places, and atmosphere of this most unique place. We tried out a number of the recommendations in the book, and they were all good. A highly recommended guidebook to a fantastic city.



5. I hoped to kill two birds with one stone with this book as I plan to visit both Savannah and Charleston. I have only made it to Savannah so far, but found this book very sparse on information. There was only a very small section on Savannah which contained one lone page of restaurant listings. There was also only a small piece on Bonaventure Cemetary (two paragraphs), and the book did not include any maps or directions to get you to the cemetary and it is quite off the beaten track! I would recommend saving your money for real guidebook.

No comments about Writing Home: American Women Abroad 1830-1920.

1 comments about Country Roads of West Virginia.

1. I loved this book. A lot of my family lives in W.V. but this book allowed me to explore a part of the State that relatives never show you! It's as if they don't want to because it's their best kept secret.

   A trip to W.V. with this book in the Fall is the perfect weekend getaway!

No comments about Expedicion Al Nilo Azul/Blue Nile: El Rio De LA Magia Y El Misterio.