Oregon Books

We took a trip to Portland over a long weekend, and this guide was incredibly useful. Although we used the web to make our hotel reservations, we use this guide for everything else. The food reservations were always spot on, as were the things to do reservations.

Very complete. 200 restaurant reviews includingcuisine, price range, address, phone number, web site and location on map. The 'Things to Do' section was great also. These editors have actually been there. The 'Lodging' and 'Nightlife' sections seemed just as good as the rest of the book.

Now in an updated sixth edition, Best Places: Portland is a handy travel guide to the best restaurants, lodgings, sights, shopping, and more to be found in Portland, Oregon. Icons for "editor's choice", "good (monetary) value", "family", and "romance" allow for quick and easy selection of Portland features to suit one's needs. Best Places: Portland prides itself on only mentioning the best of the best; even one-star establishments will be a cut above. Suggested day trips and three-day itineraries will aid the reader in maximizing enjoyment on minimum funds. Best Places: Portland is not a catch-all travel guide; it focuses specifically on listing "must-see" places along with brief descriptions, addresses, websites, and so on. A superb resource for business or leisure travelers alike.

Did my first ride out of this book today. I noticed I hadn't been riding much this year as I was going over many of the same roads as previous years. This book opens up many great locations with excellent turn by turn directions. Looks like it works hard to keep you on the less traveled roads. Just what I was looking for.

I'm not sure why this book hasn't been updated in so long, and I'm not sure why there isn't more competition from other guides in an area as bicycle crazy as Northwest Oregon, but this is the best guide currently available. In general, its maps and tips remain accurate, so I give it a thumbs up.

And, please, wear helmets!

Good road selection, accurate maps and helpful text make this book an excellent guide to road bicycling in northwest Oregon. The forty-five rides listed nearly all start within short distances from Portland, Corvallis, Salem, or Eugene. Ride distances range from a short 11 miler to the three day 177 mile Oregon Coaster loop. Each ride in the book includes a clear map of the ride, a cue sheet/mileage log, an elevation profile, and a few paragraphs of descriptive text. This book was extremely helpful in planning a recent ten day bicycling trip around northwest Oregon. While I did not, strictly speaking, ride any of the 45 rides in this book, the information in this book contributed greatly in road selection and understanding the terrain. For example, in the Mt. Hood area, if I had relied on the Delorme atlas, our route would have included several gravel roads. Jones and Henderson's book, however, shows which roads in the vicinity are gravel thereby helping us avoid them. For those of you fortunate enough to live in northwest Oregon, this book would be an excellent way to discover some new rides. For the non-Oregonian, the book can serve as an excellent resource in route-planning. As a sidelight, I would comment that I have yet to find a book published by The Mountaineers that has not been uniformly helpful, whether the content is bicyling or hiking.

Whilst searching the dusty bookshelves of my late grandfather, I stumbled upon this gem of a fruit-dying guidebook. Oh Grandpa, if only you had lived longer you could have regaled us with your stories of bleaching natures sweet edibles. Who knew you enjoyed your fruit salad so? My wistful musings about Grandpa's secret life aside, this book was rad!

This current onslaught of "organic" and "natural" with the Whole Foods and the Wild Oats and the no trans fats and the excercising is getting old, am I right? Of course I am, and I would like to think that D. Bull would agree. If nature wanted us to eat fruit shiny and perfectly hued, it would come out of the ground that way. But it doesn't and so we must take it upon ourselves to make it so. How many times have you bitten into a juicy, ripe piece of fruit and thought "Wow. That was perfect, if not for the dull colouring and imperfections." No more! Why leave fruit dyeing to professional fruit handlers when you can DYI. Yes, ol D. Bull was a man ahead of his time. If he were alive today I imagine he would have his very own show on the Food Network, teaching us the joys of food bleaching. Or, a sitcom based on real life a la Home Improvement. He could be D.E. The Bleach Man Bullis. I'm just spitballing here, but the point remains. Of all fruit dyeing books on the market today, this one is the best. That I have read (by read I mean, flipped through casually).

One question remains, why would my grandfather, a Puerto Rican immigrant who couldn't read or speak English, have this on his bookshelf? I do not have those answers. But I do have shiny, vibrant cherries so ease up on the fact checking.

Ambrosia, fruit cocktail, Shirley Temple, whiskey sour, ice cream sundae, and anything with whip cream and a cherry on top. Heaven realized. It is generally agreed that the maraschino cherry is grown in magical, elf-tended, gardens of the faeries. We know this to be true because there is no other fruit quite so sweet, quite so red, nor possessing quite so long a shelf life - and no pit, to boot. Perfection.

In order to free us from our dependence on the magical realm, D. E Bullis, of the Oregon Agricultural College Experiment Station, has applied good old Yankee ingenuity to the problem. The result, a process of bleaching and dyeing Royal Ann cherries that mimics the faerie grown maraschino cherry.

Fortunately for us mortals, D. E Bullis tells succinctly (only 29 pages needed) how to in his not-so-succinctly titled, "Bleaching and dyeing Royal Ann cherries for maraschino or fruit salad use."

Unfortunately for us mortals, this particular work is unavailable - nothing else known about it, not even whether it was hardbound or paperback, leather bound or just stapled. An elfin cover-up, or Royal Ann syndicate intervention? All we can be sure of is that back in 1931, the good folks of Oregon succeeded where others had failed in providing an alternative maraschino source. Five Stars!!!

As we all know, cherries in their natural state are barely edible. Which is why they must be bleached, dyed, maraschinoed, or hidden amongst sliced apples and pears in a large glass bowl, covered in cellophane, and placed on a picnic table only to be ignored in favor of cheese dip and awkward conversation. This is a universal truth, like polarity or short people being dishonest.

Author D.E. Bullis (known variously as "Dee," "Dee Money" or simply "The Bull") manages to squeeze more information into 29 pages than most authors of cherry-related non-fiction could muster in 35. He covers not just bleaching, but also dyeing; he takes on not only the maraschino process, but also fruit salad. He does it all, baby. He is the Ralph Sampson of Depression-era, altered-cherry literature.

Five stars!

This is a neat little book. My five year old son likes it alot. I didn't realize when I bought it though that it only has twenty five bugs in it. I guess the author put in his 25 favorite bugs of Oregon & Washington. It's a well written and illustrated book and I was easily able to identify several bugs around my home. I guess I will have to purchase a more complete insect book to be able to identify ever insect I see. I like the other books by the Lone Pine and have used them alot where I live. (The woods of eastern Oregon).

really, a book on bugs? well that's what I thought too, but when I browsed through it at Powell's in Portland, I knew I had to have it. people are too free with their stars on Amazon but this book deserves 6 of them. it is a delight. not only are the illustrations great but the writing is pure and simple and done with some humor. it's clearly a labor of love. I liked this thing so much that I bought 2 copies and gave one to a friend.

In his introduction to Bugs of Washington and Oregon, John Acorn explains how difficult it was to select 250 bugs from the 25,000 that populate the region. His criteria for choosing was 1) big, 2) colorful, 3) really hard to miss or 4) extremely wierd. This is by no means a comprehensive guide, but an excellent handbook to get you started identifying miscellaneous bugs and Acorn's example species are well chosen. In the Introduction Acorn addresses various concerns, sensitive issues, and points of interest in entomology. His views are sensitive, yet balanced--a pleasure to read. It's one of the few introductions I've read that was worth the time. The illustrations by Ian Sheldon are clear and nicely executed and Acorn's descriptions contain intriguing factoids. This is a terrific gift for the naturalist in the family.
**If you are looking to further your insect education, one of the best and most lovingly written bug books out there is For the Love of Insects and if you're looking for a beautiful picture book, try An Inordinate Fondness of Beetles.

This is a very honest look at his life. Sometimes a look like this can be very hard but the reader gains an appreciation of such introspection.

I had read four of Craig's fictional books, before reading his biography, so was familiar with his real-life characters.
Like one of the reviews, I was "compelled" to finish this poignant and gut-wrenching story; bringing the book along on a Mexican cruise and visits to the doctor.
The one issue I have with this book comes I guess from being a retired Episcopal Priest. I was bothered by Craig's seeming lack of motivation to forgive his father. It seemed at times like he couldn't live without resentment. In the end, though, it's not mine to judge.
I know Craig, having taken a three week, five day a week summer course under her excellent tutelege. I must say he is a wonderful, gentle and loving man, in spite of all he has been through.
Perhaps he has forgiven his father more than he yet realizes!

When Rudell Lesley told his wife Hazel he had to go out for a while to look for a lost flashlight, he never returned, leaving her to raise their eight-month old son alone. The baby, christened Martin Craig Lesley, emerged with remarkable academic ability that came with a talent for remembering and processing every experience on an unusually deep level.

As I read, I marveled that the child didn't suffer a nervous breakdown or withdraw completely into fantasy. Relatives made vague, brief, derogatory comments about his father. Hazel said, "He just didn't give the slightest damn about anything." Rudell was shell-shocked from his fighting in the war. He was a backslider who poached. Trying to three-dimensionalize his father using this information began the stirrings of rage. Also Craig needed a target for his anger because his stepfather Vern was too terrifying to defy openly.

Badly injured in an accident at fifteen, Craig finally drew his father's attention. Rudell appeared with his young wife and four half-siblings. From that time until his father's death, Craig takes a spellbinding journey into the lives of his father's family and associates.

Rudell, with all his entertaining stories ("stretchers"), fails to say what would have meaning for Craig: why Rudell left, and whether he thought he made the right decision. With all of his hard physical labor as a fence builder, Rudell keeps himself and his family in squalor. Mixed into all this is Craig's adopted handicapped son Wade who burns Rudell's stack of freshly cut fence posts, believing that he's scaring off Big Foot.

If you would like to live inside the mind of a man who overcame a harrowing childhood to become a successful writer and university professor, this memoir is for you.

No one understands the weather in Oregon better than George Taylor. This book is full of facts and interesting information. I would hope that it is used as a textbook in classes throughout the state and beyond. It's an interesting and informational read. I highly recommend it!

This book is the companion to Taylor's book "The Oregon Weather Book." Basically, "weather" refers to conditions at any given time, while "climate" refers to typical conditions based on averages over long periods of time. This, then, is a look at the average weather conditions in various parts of the state at different times of the year.

Most people will be interested in the first three sections of the book, which provide a broad view of the climate elements in the state (precipitation, temperature, winds, humidity, cloud cover, snow, etc), the large-scale factors that influence them, and the specific conditions in nine distinct "climate zones" within the state. This information is provided through relatively sparse text and a LOT of tables, charts, and maps. The pages and pages of data may seem overwhelming at first, but the information of interest to the layman is easily located and understood. If you are planning a move to, say, Eugene, it is easy enough to look up typical conditions there month to month. With hardly more effort you can also gain a very basic understanding of why the climate in that area is as it is.

The zone-by-zone descriptions also include a listing of the principal agricultural activities in that zone, which really fleshes out the bare numbers--knowing whether someplace is cattle, wheat, or wine country tells you a lot more than rainfall totals alone. Rainfall totals are there, though, month-by-month for dozens of weather stations. So are mean temperatures, frost dates, and growing seasons.

If you have a deeper interest in climatology, the second half of the book includes information on how climate information is measured and reported, long-term climate trends and their effect on salmon, El Nino events, and global climate change.

However, the book is not without its flaws. As someone who knows very little about weather and climatology, I didn't understand everything I read (not a huge problem, because the information that was most important to me was clear). The worst problem was that the maps were terrible. The core of the book is the influence of terrain features such as mountains and rivers on the climate, yet no map SHOWED any rivers or mountains. Reference is frequently made to different counties, yet there is no county map (the counties are shown but not labelled). The map showing all the climate zones has no cities or ANY reference points listed. Same with all the map-graphs of rainfall and temperature. How frustrating for outsiders trying to use the book to get to know Oregon! (For that matter, how many long term residents know all the state's counties?).

The book was ultimately informative and interesting, if sometimes frustrating, so I do recommend it. But you'll probably glean the most from it if you already know something about Oregon and/or climatology.

We used the book to determine which area to retire in Oregon. The book was very helpful for this purpose. It provided most of the information we needed to make a sound decision. It is well written with many good maps of the state.

This is excellent!!!!! I am an owner of a company that travels sometimes a lot by automobile. It is a great way to be reflective to Our Lord and Our Lady while traveling down the road.

Listening to this CD, you will experience the rosary in a new way. The chants are beautiful and religious appreciation of the rosary. I have ordered the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious as well. Don't expect the usual recitation of the rosary. Experience the true meaning of these mysteries for your self. I have played it in church and several people said it was a truly humbling experence. I recommend this to everyone. Try it with an open mind and you will have a new appreciation of the rosary.

The Contemplative Rosary is not a "typical" prayer experience. Rather, it's a musical invitation into prayer and -- not surprisingly -- contemplation. The prayers are chanted, so it takes far longer than praying the rosary usually takes, about an hour. It also does not include the Apostles Creed, but rather opens with Psalm 70:2,5. However, the time is well spent.

The CD also includes several other songs which can be listened to separately -- including "Mary the Dawn" and "Pilgrim Prayer." It should be noted that the CD does NOT include the icons, that a separate book must be purchased to view them.

This well written book provides historical depth on the Oregon Trail as well as interesting reading that gets an important message across about historical truth. Highly recommend it.

At times history can be a Gatling gun of fact and speculation and cause the reader to separate truth from fiction. The underlying theme of Tom Rea's fine work is that given a certain geographical area (in this case Devil's Gate along Wyoming's Sweetwater River), it is the land itself that owns the true stories of space and time. People simply tell them, sometimes to fit their own needs.

Recruiting and interweaving stories from days gone by of this region, whether it be John Fremont mapping the territory, experiences of Oregon Trail emigrants, the Mormon handcarters, mid-nineteenth century Indian wars, Billy Owen's surveying or Hiram Chittenden's engineering for dam sites, to feuds with neighboring ranchers ("Cattle Kate" lynching), water rites, grazing laws, up to the present-day, this is a gifted undertaking of connecting historical meaning.

Enjoyed the stories. Benefited from the insightful viewpoint as well.

This books does a good job of summerizing many historic events in Wyoming's past to a very unique and sometimes forgotten place. It was interesting to read accounts of some of these historic events and some not so historic and obscure events and how this country tied into them. It was an enjoyable read of history but also posed an underlying troubling trend today. It is a very interesting "history" book in that aspect.

For its coverage area, I'd give this book a five, but absent is information from mountain wetlands and those from the east side of the Cascades (although the author makes no pretenses about this). Although I understand the absence of east-side plants, given the number on montane wetlands on the west-side, the lack of coverage plants in these habitats is problematic. Another negative is the presence of photographic plates rather than photographs accompanying plant descriptions. In this day and age of computer publishing technology, there is no excuse for this. That said, the line drawings are excellent and the absence of accompanying photgraphs doesn't detract much. The information presented on each species is tremendous and extremely thorough. Contrary to many other regional wetland guides with which I am familiar, submersed aquatic plants are given appropriate coverage. Maps are crisp and clear and leave little to the imagination. Simply put, if you want to know nearly everything there is to know about a plant that could be found in a lowland west-side wetland, this book will tell you about it. Anyone with interest in wetlands in the coastal Northwest should get this book.

This is a must for anyone working with wetlands. It has descriptions, drawings and photos of most wetland plants.

I am a wetland scientist and environmental planner. I use Sarah Cooke's book on a regular basis for the identification of wetlands. This book is awesome! The CLEAR pictures, plant keys, and plant descriptions are exteremely useful. The plant field indicator status is a help for the wetland delineator. Sarah's book is a MUST for any outdoor's enthusiast, developer, wetland scientist, or environmental planner!

The book Fire on the Wind by Linda Crew is a great book and very hard to put down. It has many thrilling and gripping scenes. No one could have written better historical-fiction about the real Tillamook Burn in Oregon in 1933 that burned over 200 acres of forest. It almost seems as if the characters are real. While reading, I almost feel like I'm actually there, like I'm part of the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good well-written historical-fiction book.

It was like a window into life in a logging camp in the 30's during the Tillamook burn. It was interesting to see how much society has changed in the last 6 decades. I would recommend this book to any one!

I thought it was confusing, but I liked it. I however didn't like the accent, they do not talk like that in Oregon. I live in Washington, she could of done it here (we have more evergreens).