I purchased this book and immediately returned it because I felt it was so inadequate. It leaves out all the basic information you actually need from a guidebook, like phone numbers, hours, and prices of just about everything - astonishing but true. E.g., you can't find out from the book where to call to reserve a tour for the Hearst castle, or how much it would cost. The writing's nice, but so what? It's completely useless as a travel guide.

Once again, Master Storyteller Tom Snyder, author of Route 66 Traveler's Guide and Roadside Companion, has written a book that reads like a family history, yet contains enough specifics on California Coastal lodging, food, people and landscapes to get you there and back with terrific memories and coins to spare! In his usual folksy style, Snyder takes us up Pacific Coast Highway, where the golden coast of California is kissed by the sea. This book reads like a warm cup of chocolate yet features insightful vignettes about where to go, what to see, and how to see it all in style. PCH Traveler's Guide is much more than just a travel book. Snyder, who is sensitive to California's natural beauty and fragile ecology, tells readers where to shoot the best photographs, find the best tasting food, meet the most interesting people, and bed down in the sweetest places. Having lived in California for over 30 years, I was astonished to read of places I'd never seen, and the stories behind them. Inspired by PCH Traveler's Guide, my family is planning a road trip this summer to re-experience the coast's beauty and history . READ THIS BOOK if you are coming to California, or simply want to re-discover magic in your own backyard.

Tom Snyder's Pacific Coast Highway Traveler's Guide is a must read for any one who loves the Historic Hwy 101.

Charles Kuralt said "Thanks to the new Interstate Transportation system it is now possible to drive from one end of the country to the other without seeing a thing"

Snyder's book takes you on a journey from the Mexican border to the Canadian border on the road that opened the west, before driving became the endless endouring of multiple ribbons of concrete. Snyder's trip and his insights on US 101 is a must have for anyone traveling US 101. His book touches on 100's of small quaint cities and sights along the 101 with recommendations for lodging and restaurants. Many of the places he called out are not necessarily the most prominent or "tourist trap" type places but rather unique places that capture the essence of the road.

There is a great little section in the beginning of the book which talks about how Hwy 101 came into being as well as the confusion and differences in the multiple names the road has. It sure cleared up things for me! Snyder also details and recommends many little trips from 2 to 3 days as well as the whole route. There are great tips on the weather and where to begin your trip depending on the weather and your interest.

Also present in the book is a little testament to the surf and woddie culture as well as an acknowledgment of their lifestyle and stewardrdship of our oceans.

Over all, this book is a tremendous asset for those who love to really drive. Well done and highly recommended

Oregon's Ghosts and Monsters is full of interesting details of the paranormal in Oregon. Readers who are interested in ghost lore involving the state's largest population center--Portland--would be advised to look elsewhere. There is no mention of any ghosts or monsters who dwell in the City of Roses or surrounding areas, which seems like a major omission. I'm sure such a city has it's fair share of ghosts; one only has to think of the many unsuspecting drunks who were sometimes killed in the process of being taken captive in the Shanghai Tunnels beneath Old Town. In sum: a good sumation of those spectres that haunt more rural locales, but urban ghosts are ignored.

I used this book for a research project, it has very good information, and fun to read. Even better if you live in Oregon. I found myself reading it late at night and being very spooked! Good book I recomend it to anyone who likes a good ghost story!

If you enjoy supernatural legends, and particularly local legends, this is a book you need to add to your library. I used this book for a resource for my "Flix, the Creature in Conser Lake" monograph. It is a nice little collection of Oregon legends, with black and white photos and some graphics. I'd like Mike Helms, the author, to do an updated edition of this book!

I enjoyed this book. Holly came to Oregon to get away from a terrible situation back home. She stays with her cousin, Hetty, who is very cruel to her. She applies for a teaching position but you'll have to read the book to see if she gets it. Then a terrible disease of small pox takes over the town. Many people die. It is a sad book. The ending is the best part.

I found this book very enjoyable. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I love to read about romance in the old west.

This was a very good book. Although somewhat lacking in spirituality, the storyline is very good! :)

Backcountry ski oregon is a nice guide. The photos are not as good as the ones in oregon descents but it offers a few more routes. Some of the routes are part of ski areas. useful book

What makes Van Tilburg's latest guidebook so good has a lot to do with why Van Tilburg was the perfect person to write it. He's not only an expert skier and snowboarder, but he's also an expert mountaineer, canyoneer, and wilderness medicine physician. When he guides you on these classic descents, you are in good hands. He not only shows you the best places to go, but makes sure you have the information to stay safe and get home in one piece. Let's face it -- if we were experts we wouldn't need a guidebook. If we need a guidebook, we need one written by someone with experience and good sense. Van Tilburg is a good man to follow.

I have no problem with the material in this book. The only thing I don't like is the index. I know that is petty, but with a book like this it is important. In the book you can look up houses by neighborhood but there is not a reference that shows the page number. Why is this bad? Lets say I wanted to go for a walk and look at some old Portland architecture. If the index were set up properly I could look at which neighborhood I was going to and then reference the page to see if it was still standing (very important) and if it was something I really wanted to look at!

This beautiful volume examines the first century of Portland's domestic architecture with a critical but sympathetic eye. Many of its finest examples have disappeared in all but photos, and others exist only in misshapen form, but the author is able to recall the grace, dignity, pretension and whimsy which went into their original design. This is a book for both new and old residents who may have decided that our "Stumptown" had little adornment in its early years,and proves that Portland was already a place of discernment and competitive display long before the 19th Century turned, when Seattle was a fishing camp and jumping off point to Alaskan gold. Besides the implicit social and artistic history lesson, the book's black and white photos are a memorable eyeful for anyone who loves American homes, furnishings, or decoration. A very rich read, indeed.

This is kind of a quirky book. It's not very long, but I hurried to get through it. Then I wasn't sure if I liked it when I got to the end. It's the story of two very different women. Beth describes herself as a lesbian nomad. She cut her ties years before and lives her life to the fullest, moving from place to place, leaving jobs and relationships before they get boring. Her one constant is her music and her determination to live her life as honestly as she can. Rita has been trapped in a fifteen year marriage to a man she never loved. She realizes this after a chance encounter on a beach with Beth. Two things make this book an uneasy read. Rita realizes in a matter of hours after just meeting and talking to Beth that she not only has never loved her husband, but she's been a lesbian all her life and is falling desperately in love with Beth. In a matter of a few hours, Rita turns her life inside out and never has a second thought about it. Beth meanwhile is constantly spouting philosophy about life, relationships, women and women, women and men, and anything else that comes up. There's a good story in this book, but it often gets caught up in a philosophy lesson. There is a hook at the end that will make you cry. This isn't the book for an enjoyable afternoon read, but, if you're looking for one that will make you think about your life and the decisions you've made, this is it. My copy of the book is signed by the author and she' written in the front, "Believe in transformation". You have to if you're going to read this book.

I found this novel a thoroughly enjoyable read.

At one level this novel seems like it is just the simple coming out story of Rita. But if fact it really is so much more.
Rita has been in her loveless marriage with Paul for 15 years when a chance meeting with the beautiful and unique, nomad Beth changes her life.

Rita's road to self understanding and her growing love toward Beth is a pleasure to watch unfolding.

With only 167 pages I did think it would be great if it was a little longer but at the same time the story itself was so full and complete at that length that I didn't end up feeling like anything had been left out.

Driftwood is a fast paced, funny, touching,loving, light, but at the same time, life changing novel.

It is filled with of wisdom about life and love that I think will effect most readers. After reading this novel I sat down and and had a good look at my own life and started asking myself some important questions.

I look forward to reading more novels of this calibre from Beth Mitchum.

I just made it back from Oregon and a limited visit to several of the many sites listed. The book was copyrighted in 1998 so it's five years old at this writing. I'll take a star off the rating for age. I found several sites listed were now closed. Oregon is growing along with the rest of the west. The author has done a commendable job in detailing locations. If I had two wishes it would be that both the Gem trail guides and the Falcon guides be updated at least every four years. and that the authors include GPS coordinates for the main turn-off and starting collecting point in the site descriptions. If I was traveling a long distance to collect I would call the local rockshops to verify the desired site(s) were still open.

We haven't lived in Oregon all that long and having a guide that will shorten our search is very helpful. Gem Trails is very accurate with easy to follow maps and many colorful pictures that help to enhance the experience. We checked out areas that are close to our residence and we were not disspointed. We are anxious to explore further.

As do many books with subjects attempting to cover the entire "Pacific Northwest," this book focuses primarily on a certain area of the PNW. In this book's case, it's Oregon (no offense at all to this wonderful state). The photos are all small, black-and-white, and obscure. There are MANY photos of feces in this book. While it's helpful to know feces identification, it's more important to identify mammals by species identification. Perhaps I'm lucky, because I get to see more actual animals in the wild, rather than only their droppings. Some mammals in the book are not even pictured at all. Some of my friends have never even seen a nutria (coypus) or a marten in the wild, so pictures of them (and other animals) would have been helpful and more aesthetically pleasing to them. I've seen wolves in eastern Washington and a brown stage black bear in western Washington which the book does not address. On the other hand, the bat and shrew sections were extensive and thorough. Overall, the book is interesting and is scientifically well-organized. Included is ample, specific information on habitat, behavior, and breeding.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest and want to identify the wild mammals you see, this book is very helpful. However, there is a lot more to the book than just good descriptions of mammals. Stories about each creature bring to life the animals you may never encounter. Chris Maser is clearly fond of his subjects and tries hard to help the reader get a feel for their lives. It is fun to just open this book at random and read a few pages about vole or bat you never knew existed. I have several mammal identification books. This is the best one.

I bought this book because I live in the Pacific Northwest and I wanted a memento of my area in case I ever move away. There are excellent large photos of areas I have seen with my own eyes, such as Portland Oregon with Mt Hood in the background, the Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon beaches, Multnomah Falls and Vista House's view, both along the Columbia River Gorge, an inside picture of Timberline Lodge, Stonehenge, which is a 10 minute drive from my home, the Riverfront park in Spokane and the HUGE Radio Flyer wagon slide that is there, Mt Saint Helens, to name a few. Also there are pictures of places I haven't seen yet that I would like to see, in California, and Vancouver BC and Oregon's Crater Lake that is on the cover as well as in the book. Includes some history and historical photos in the beginning of the book. If you don't live in this area this book may inspire you to visit.

Like wow! When my parents were looking at this book and hoping to get an idea of the Pacific Northwest, I didn't know what all the oohs and ahs were all about. But after taking a gander at the many gorgeous pictures depicting the natural, cultural and historic wonders of this diverse region -- safely under the blanket with a flashlight -- I can see why they liked it so much. Containing almost none of the preciousness one often sees in coffee table books, nor the high flown gas one sometimes finds in other works devoted to American regions, nor the sappiness of the normal trade book intended for use by armchair travelers, Mr. Landphair and Ms. Highsmith's work really makes you want to visit the Northwest and soak up the sights. The captions are eloquent without being overly long, and the photos are artistic without being 'artsy.' The printing itself is a work of art. I would unreservedly recommend this to anyone either of my own age group or older. Awesome! Move over Playstation 2!