No comments about ADC The Map People 2005 Greater Washington, DC: Street Map Book (8th Edition).

No comments about Olympic: The Story Behind the Scenery.

5 comments about 50 Hikes in Mount Rainier National Park (100 Hikes In...).

1. This book is a great resource to help you plan your hikes in Mount Rainier National Park. The trail descriptions are good and show trail lengths and level of difficulty. My only complaint about the book is that the individual trail maps throughout the book don't maintain a consistent North/South orientation and can be confusing to follow from one to the next.



2. The new color pics are great, but one has to wonder if Harvey, et al, are letting the details slip in their golden years. One whole section, for trails on the (washed out) West Side Road, tells you to get on the "shuttle bus" and be dropped off at the trailhead -- when in fact no such bus exists, and probably won't for years, according to park rangers. This minor inconvenience adds as much as 10 miles to some of those hikes -- and these distances are NOT spelled out in the guide. There also seeems to be sloppy editing; more than one altitude-gain stats are wrong, as in, 2,300 rather than 3,200. That's a big difference. Also, like other Mountaineers guides released recently, the authors in this one seem to be at war with their own publishers. Example: The route they suggest to Indian Henry's Hunting Grounds is no longer even maintained by the park, and another route is described on the next page as "safer." Why, then, include the old route? The authors might want to spend less time defending their old choices and more time making new ones. I'm frankly not interested in the best hikes in the park circa 1965. In sum: Worth having for the pics, but supplement it with something else for trail data.



3. The best thing you can say about this umpteenth edition of this guide is that it has some nice color pictures. Even then, though, they aren't always accurate - like the picture of Ranger Falls, which really isn't Ranger Falls, but a lower falls about a quarter-mile down the trail from the real Ranger Falls. Or the picture of the "Avalanche lily" on page 69, which is really a glacier lily. You'd think a pair of old veterans like Ira Spring and Harvey Manning would know things like that.
   That first photo is on the Green Lake hike, which the author tells you starts at elevation 985 feet. In fact, the elevation at the trailhead is about 2,100 feet. There are several mistakes like this throughout the book, which makes me wonder how carefully the book has been edited. After all, they've had four tries.
   The maps aren't really maps at all, but confusing little sketches which show you very little about the trail you will be walking. There are no contour lines and pitifully few elevations given, and you've got to wade through paragraphs of boring, often preachy text to find out whether the trail is uphill or downhill on specific sections. Compare these useless cartoons to the clear, excellent topographic maps in Ron C. Judd's new "Day Hike! Mount Rainier," and see which you'd rather try to follow with a compass.
   Of all the guides to trails on Mount Rainier, this has got to be the worst.



4. This book is great. It gives detailed descriptions of the trail, detailed maps and great photos. Many hikes can be done in less than 6 hours. This guide has helped me decide on what trails to see on my trip to Seattle-Washington-Mount Rainier in Aug. of 2005.
   
   The authors of this book, Ira Spring and Harvey Manning, really show their respect for Mount Rainier, by calling it "The Mountain" and it always being capitalized.



5. This book is great for light weight planning. it has nice photos, and a good selection of hikes. For a person who wants some guidance on where to go hiking, this is a great place to start. It's a beautiful book. We put this book in all three of our Mt. Rainier cabins at Three Bears Lodge. The guests do love to review them when they're planning their next day's assault.

1 comments about Mount Vernon.

1. George Washington's Mount Vernon is not only an American landmark but a landmark of what America is, a warm, welcoming and gracious home. This beautiful book takes you through a four season walk of Mount Vernons spectacular grounds and a detailed and historical tour of the homes interior. With the easy interesting writing and the spectacular color photography all guided by the expert hand of Wendell Garrett, we learn and understand Washington's love and devotion to his beloved home. For anyone searching for detailed information on colonial interiors or historical gardening ideas, this book will be a welcomed addition to your home library.

2 comments about Pacific Northwest Camping Destinations: RV and Car Camping Destinations in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (Camping Destinations series).

1. I have traveled extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest and much of the U.S. This year travel will be limited to the Pacific Northwest. As a "native" Washingtonian and lifelong camper I've been looking for a new guidebook that combines travel info with the latest on campgrounds. There are new parks and new travel ideas - enough to generate enthusiasm and travel plans! Each listing has large icon keys that make it easy to find suitable camping spots, ie 50 amps, big rigs, activities and more. The book covers Washington, Oregon and British Columbia with everything from weekend to multi-week trip planning possibilities. Thank you to the authors for a great guidebook.



2. We live near Tacoma and have a motorhome that doesn't fit in many of the state and federal campgrounds in the Northwest. This newest Church book is very good at helping to find the right places for our rig. In a month, using their advice, we found three wonderful RV campgrounds that we didn't know about. One is next to a first class trout river and another is at an entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park. Maybe the best part is that this book is helping us re-discover where we can go without using a lot of fuel! This is a great book for those that have never been to the Northwest as well as those that live there. Buy it! You'll like it!

No comments about The Field Guide to Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast: California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii (Field Guide).

No comments about MapEasy's Guidemap to Washington DC.

3 comments about Duel in the Wilderness.

1. A very well written book!! If you love history or even if you don't, read this book! It tells about young George Washington and his first assignment for this country which was still under Englands watchful eye. It tells of the amazing hardship and luck that George experienced at the age of 21,in the Ohio wilderness. This would make a great film!!! Lots of action and true life experience. Just READ this and you will be hooked on history forever.



2. My boys (ages 10, 9, 7, 5) and I found this book to be dull. We love history, but this one was lacking. It also had several instances of profanity which was surprising to me for a book that I thought was aimed at kids.



3. The book is readable, fast-moving, interesting, and tells a part of George Washington's life not normally told. It is historically pertinent because it relates the French-Indian wars to the American Revolution. It is interesting history while being also social commentary.

1 comments about Washington State Place Names: From Alki to Yelm.

1. .....or for the heck of it. It has Geographcal landmarks, citys, countys, and the state iteslf all in one volume.

1 comments about Washington Byways: Backcountry Drives For The Whole Family.

1. We found this book to be clear, accurate and easy to use. If you like exploring little-known backroads through mountains, desert, canyons and such, all of them just little dirt roads, this book is a must. W're enjoying it.