Tours and Travel Books

I just received a copy of this book a few days ago and I've really enjoyed looking at all of the colorful pictures and reading the interesting and sometimes funny essays. Some of the sites I'll visit (like the Field of Dreams Movie Site), others I think I'll skip (like the courthouse where Joe Jackson couldn't say it wasn't so) but it's fun learning about them all. Good book for a snowy day.

I ran across this book in a book store and was mesmorized!! The pictures are breathtaking. I have JH and HS students in my house all the time for piano lessons and they can't wait to look through the book as it sits on my coffee table.

At first glance this is just a book on a race, a bicycle race at that, not something typically near to American's hearts. But this was the 2004 race when something happened.

And that something was Lance Armstrong, a Texan, a cancer survivor, and already five time winner of the race going for an unprecedented sixth victory. Of course you know that he won, just look at the title of the book. His winning is in the details. How does he train, the unconventional climbing rhythm, his single minded focus on this race, and this race alone is seen as an insult to the rest of the sport.

This book is guaranteed to make even the least interested cycling fan perk up in interest. It's well illustrated, well written and covers a fascinating individual.

This guide really helped us sort out how to plan our trip this summer. With maps, detailed information on the best ways to get around, and good tips on historic inns, we managed to pull off our tour of the Virginia/Maryland area really seamlessly. The book also provided a good amount of background so that everyone in our family--both the serious history buffs and the less knowledgeable among us--could understand the relevance of what we were looking at. Really made the war accessible. While there are obviously countless Civil War history books out there, this one stood out for us because of its focus on making touring easy for visitors from outside the area.

I have enjoyed Howard Stone's bike books for Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and as a new resident of Maine am delighted to have an opportunity to enjoy his rides in my new state. As always, Howard's ride descriptions and directions are very thorough and accurate. I especially appreciate the consistency with which he rates the difficulty of the rides. As an avid, but strictly recreational, cyclist, I found this to be an excellent book.

I know that Erling has experience every single bike path in SE Minnesota and has at least one GREAT story to tell about each of them! Kudos to Erling!

I read this book during the winter and couldn't wait for Spring to get going. You're in the saddle from the first tour to the last. I have ridden on two of the tours, one in North Hero and one in Stowe area, and the rides were deja vu...perfect directions and perfect suggestions. The simple route maps are outstanding. I'll be out there again this year with my dog-eared copy of 25 rides in Vermont keeping me company. I highly recommended this book to any serious or seriously casual rider.

Cape Cod is perhaps one of the best places to bike in New England. The rolling hills, the stunning views of the Atlantic and the jewel-like kettle-hole ponds in its interior sections make it a bicicyclists paradise. During 2 weeks in late springs several years ago, I used the bike routes in this book alone to make my way from the upper Cape near Sandwich down to the Outer Cape into Truro and Provincetown. I was not disappointed. The maps in combination with written directions offer just enough detail so that riders are always on the right track. And vista after vista was exactly what this rider was hoping for. The routes in this book helped me to come away with an intimate knowledge of Cape Cod and too many fond memories to count. It's obvious that the folks who wrote this book rode these routes time and time again, perfecting them and finally compiling them into this incredible guide to the most stunning bike routes on Cape Cod. If you want to get to know Cape Cod better, or if you're just looking for a variety of top-notch biking experiences in Eastern Massachusetts, this is the place and this is the book!

The Eastern Shore is a great area for bike riding, and this is a great book. I have used it for years.

I'm a begginermediate mountain biker and a weekend warrior so take this with the proverbial grain of salt. I have done several trails from the West Central section of this book, and had a 100% sucess rate with it. The the anecdotal decriptions are great, and they are followed by a blow-by-blow guide to the route he describes. Even with the detailed, step-by-step descriptions there are plenty of extras to inspire side trips, exploration, and customization to suite the level of riding experience.

Use common sense. Even though this book is only 3yrs old, markers disappear, signs are removed, trails are altered (sometimes by bulldozers), etc. Realize, these are details the author has no control over even though he has to include them at the time he rode the trail. I know of only a few authors who are considered omniscient (maybe One). As much as I like Mr. Kick's book, I don't think he's one of that number. This guide should always be supplimented with a good topo, and any maps that might be available from the local townships or organizations responsible for the trails described.