Travelogue Books

Blue Horizons is a story of a journey. Jerry Bledsoe does a wonderful job decribing his bicycle journey down the Blue Ridge Parkway. He is no ironman, so his journey both enjoyable to read and dreamable for even the casual cyclist. I found myself reading a Blue Ridge Parkway guide along with this book to further enhance the experience. At times I thought I was there. I dream of one day of doing the trip. A great book but be careful, you may find yourself saving money and calling Blue Ridge hotels to plan your own Blue Horizon experience.

I live in Seattle, WA and this book contains tons of useful info on all the resorts within a day or two drive. I particularly like the write-up on Mt. Baker and the yearly legendary Banked Slalom Event. George Dobis, owner of Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop, is definitely a must visit if ever in the town of Glacier, WA (17 miles from the Baker ski area). Bring him some Coors beer and you will be friends for life! Great Book Jimbo and Sean!

Nick Yapp and Sarah Anderson's Bon Voyage packs in black and white and color photos examining the world of tourism, adding a bilingual history of travel destinations which follows the evolution of travel and tourism. From ski slopes to beaches and beyond, Bon Voyage is a fascinating and colorful survey of not just places, but people.

The best kind of humor turns a mirror to the world and shows us the absurdity in our daily lives.

On the one hand, this is a very instructional book with good, practical advice on driving and parking in the Boston area. On the other hand, it's simply hysterical. I almost wish I had this book when I first started driving in Massachusetts, but I think having experienced it all before reading the book made it that much funnier.

Anyone who lives and drives in Boston, or anyone moving to Boston who plans to drive a car, should read this book. Afterwards, you will fit right in on the Massachusetts roadways. Even if you aren't interested in using these techniques, understanding them helps protect you from other drivers who do. And the more you've actually experienced Boston drivers, the funnier it gets.

A sample quote, regarding increased enforcement of traffic laws: "[T]here is a renewed emphasis on FORM. You must avoid the APPEARANCE of impropriety. For example, illegal turns should be done smoothly, without signaling and without guilt. One-way maneuvers should be done in reverse gear -- your car will be facing the right way, you won't stand out, and you won't get a ticket. Establish your rule of the road with finesse and class, so that it appears to be the natural order of things."

I hope it comes back in print soon.

What prompts sixty thousand people per year to visit an isolated group of barren, arid, volcanic islands? They tramp dusty trails, peer into bushes and caves, suffer equatorial sun and strange animals almost without a murmur of complaint. A few, like Paul Quarrington are seeking some answers. Sometimes it's The Answer that's sought. These pilgrims are trailing the man who conceived the best idea anyone, any time, ever had. They retrace the footsteps of Charles Robert Darwin, who visited the Galapagos Islands, then returned home to think about what he'd seen. What Darwin saw and thought led to the first understanding of how life, the universe and everything, actually works.

Quarrington visited the Islands with his daughter Carson, seven years old, and his father, "ten times that age". Quarrington, in an illustrious account, sought what Darwin found - a Great Insight. In keeping with that quest, his narrative is highly personalized and introspective. That is, after all, what "insight" is - looking inward. He recounts his boyhood adoption of divine Special Creation of the universe. Over the years, however, he came to understand how unsatisfying divine creation is in explaining life. As with those thousands of others, he came to see a pilgrimage to the islands as a likely source of enlightenment.

He admits the symbolism of visiting the Galapagos with three generations. The account explains his travails as both a son and a parent. Where does "natural selection" fit in his dealings with his father and his daughter? He examines his own life, what he knows of his father's and how confesses to how adroitly Carson manipulates him. Through it all, Quarrington gives snippets of Darwin's life and thinking, that of natural selection's critics and how many questions have been pondered and answered. In order to accomplish this, he relies on a bevy of writers listed in a five-page bibliography. That's an enterprising effort for a writer listed as a "humourist". Yet, the humour, rich with ironies, is in full flower in this lucid account. Between the science, the charming [and sometimes not so charming] wit, he has provided a singularly readable account of one man's wrestling with the attempt to find something divine, where divinity has no place. It's a book reflecting what many have experienced, although likely with less success.

In the end, Quarrington does achieve an insight. Perhaps even an Insight. While it's doubtlessly his own, unique in a way that may keep only its conceiver satisfied. Still, he accomplishes it after strenuous effort. He achieves it very early one morning in his kitchen, sipping a single malt and expressing contentment at what he has wrought. That's not a bad environment for gaining Insight. If he attains well-being from what he's wrought, who are we to dismiss it? He's made the effort, laid out his own path, and, like those pilgrims following Darwin's trail, perhaps we can follow Quarrington's example. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

a concise, romantic and witty portait of the most cosmopolitan of englands towns, they call it london by the sea, really london should be referred to as brighton-on-thames.

a must for anyone who loves brighton and anyone who misses it. to read this book is to take you back to where your heart is. if you have never been to brighton the book will attract you, but the town will grab you, sneak into your heart and never leave, always drawing you back.

if you don't like the book, or even don't like brighton, then all of us here will be much the better for you staying away.

Arnold Ruskell has a delightfully humorous way of telling about life in the Arctic as it was when the Inuit were still a nomadic people. Although it is the diary of an Irish, Anglican priest, it is not "religious". It was an enjoyable read.

As anyone who ever became fascinated with "Doc" from John Steinbeck's Cannery Row knows, we have far too few real glimpses into who Ed Ricketts really was. Steinbeck never claimed to have given us the whole view of the man who was his best friend, mentor and "other self" in Cannery Row, nor in any other novel of his in which Ricketts manifests as Chinese housekeeper, ex preacher or country doctor during a labor strike. The closest we have come is The Log From The Sea of Cortez, but even here until one does some research do we begin to discover just how much of that wonderful book's voice is really Ed Ricketts. What can be found by reading Rickett's own words and comparing them to Steinbeck's word mastery is that in a book like the Sea of Cortez, Rickett's needed Steinbeck's writing skills and Steinbeck needed Ed's mentoring.

Being able to read Ed Rickett's thoughts on Life and living is truly a treat for fans of "Doc." Yes, we do find a man who loves beer, women and parties in almost imortal proportions, but we also find a man of endless understanding and curiousity in science, art, poetry, music and, most of all, the tide pools found both off and on shore. We also find a man who, as Steinbeck describes in Cannery, has a deep sorrow from searching for something. Ed called it "breaking through" and he found it in certain works of art but always says.."he almost made it through, but not quite and you can hear the sadness now." Of course he was talking about himself as much as the composer or writer he was referring to.

People like Ed Ricketts are far too rare, as is the ability to study him in his own words. If you are drawn to Ricketts through literary or scientfic reasons, this is a true resource to add to your library. If you are unfamiliar with Ricketts beyond Cannery Row, read this book and you will become almost haunted by this man.

A Must buy for Microbrew lovers living in or planning a trip to the pacific northwest. Contains maps, brew descriptions, type of food, children allowed or not, hours of operation, and history, etc. Well worth the investment

This is a great story by a spirited Lady, who isn't content with only dreaming of adventure. Her writing is vivid and makes you feel as if you are sharing the adventure with her and her husband. Lee's poems are a treat for the mind and the photographs are worth a thousand words.