Colorado Books

Anyone wanting to know more about the history of the Grand Canyon and river running in general will love this book. The Kolb brothers are truly amazing people. Their courage, vision and entreprenurial skills made them unique individuals in the history of the Grand Canyon. The writing style is sometimes difficult to get through it is well worth your time because of the wonderful history it reveals.

If you are ever on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, take time to visit their studio. It is like taking a walk back in time. Also, I highly recommend seeding the video they shot of their riving running exploits. Although it is very grainy you still get an idea of what an accomplishment it was to both run the river and make a film of doing so. Lots of fun!!

Breaking Reality is a magnificent book. It is transcribed from Tilak's talks. He sees our world with such clarity that it will melt your heart when you read this book. It will open your eyes to the wonders of your life and that so often go unnoticed. The is one of the greatest personal development books within our lifetime.

Teicher's book is exciting to read. We have "Eye Contact" where "the answer is lonely." We have "One to Another: A Creation Myth" in 13 sections with boy, samurai, & clown, & "Why is your mouth so weird?" We have "Ten Movies & Books" which slayed me when it came out in La Petite Zine (preview it there if Amazon won't let you see it here) because of its keen use of lyric via staggered tercets and its bangin' close. We have an epic "Poem to Read at My Wedding" which doubles as an homage to Ammons, & triples as an Ars Poetica ("It's getting a bit long / for a wedding poem, / isn't it?") Go on, pony up & purchase.

Insightful due to a discerning look into the hardships and misfortunes encountered by the emigrants along the Overland Trail (not to be confused with the Oregon Trail) and heartfelt because of the feelings portrayed in reminisces and diaries of these pioneers in south-central Wyoming.
The Bruning sisters cover the 1860's Overland Trail from its beginning in Julesburg, Colorado to its convergence with the Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Originally established as a stage, freight and mail route to Denver, the trail soon turned into a migratory path for westward emigrants headed north along the Colorado front range and then into Wyoming. The authors give an encapsulated history of each stage stop along the way with resulting events of the times. Indian hostilities and depredations played a major role on the Overland Trail.
There are wonderful renditions of the authors growing up in the homesteaded area where the Overland Trail crossed their ancestors' land at Sulphur Springs, Wyoming. The diary of Ann Robertson Leap of her experiences during the winter of the early 1930's is fervent and deeply felt. Many rare and extraordinary photos accompany the text.

For my next trip on the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge railroad, I am planning to do things differently. The main change will be to overnight and spend more time in train ride's destination point which is Silverton, the county seat of San Juan County, Colorado. What better spot to experience the real Old West in the 21st Century ? Steam trains and stage coaches along with high tech gadgets !
This paperback is best read before one's visit to Silverton, giving the reader a fascinating picture of what once had been there and - in many respects - still exists virtually untouched. Its author, Professor Duane A. Smith, is the acknowledged expert when it comes to this part of the world and he shares his wealth in an informative, easy reading text.

This book, while handwritten, is a fantastic historical reference to the South Platte area. Unfortunately, the area has been severely altered after 3 big fires (one of which was the biggest in Colorado history). Some of the roads that access these areas are closed, and some other rocks featured in this book are privately owned, and now off limits. That makes this book more valuable. Part of its value is its scarcity - I don't know how many were printed, but I'm sure it isn't many. It is a book bound with ring-clips and carboard stock. It will likely only be of interest to those people who either climb or have climbed in the region, but it does provide some interesting insight into the area before the age of the beautiful guidebooks we have nowadays. Interestingly, there are routes and rocks featured in this early print that are NOT featured in the 88 or 97 printing. Climbing book junkies like myself will prize owning this.

After a field trip to the Hoover Dam, my fourth-graders used this book to further satisfy their appetite for information on the construction of, and reasons for building the Dam. The text is clearly written, very detailed, and the photographs are outstanding. The authors added a glossary, a chronology, and further reading sources to enhance an already great resource. We read this book together, but I found my students taking the book back to their seats for more. It is a great source for reports as well. I recommend it highly to both parents and teachers. It can easily be used across the curriculum.

It has been years since I read this book, yet it keeps coming to mind. The author's use of language is exquisite and touching. It is a tale of life in a time and place that can never be replicated. I have never seen the Blasket Islands, nor known anyone from there, yet I feel that I have been there and experienced it as fully as if I lived there in the islands' zenith, which, like the youth referred to in the title, surely could not last in the modern world.

This book is an alphabetical introduction to many of the characteristics of the state of Colorado. The animals that roam the state, the geography and natural resources; a few of the tourist attractions and some of the plants that grow there are all demonstrated. Colorful illustrations augment the text; they will catch and retain the eye of children. A good, instructive book about a very diverse state, it will be a worthy addition to any child's library.

I loved this guide book for it's "real" descriptions of campgrounds. It gives more than just basic descriptions of how many sites, amenities, etc. The details include what kind of crowd is likely to be found, how noisy, how well apart the sites are, how crowded etc. Highly reccommended! I'm picking up the Falcon Guide to camping in Wahsington for my vacation.