Growing up in Oregon's Willamette Valley, basalt cliffs have watched over my life. More flood basalt and Rocky mountain gravels and mud are under my feet, and for most of my life I've lived within the shores of glacial lake Allison. When I go the rugged Pacific coast I look at beautiful haystack rocks and headlands where the same lava streams flowed, or I climb volcanic peaks just inland. Flood-wrenched lavas greet me in my travels up the Columbia and Snake Rivers, through the gorge, coulees and hills and through the valley of the Grande Ronde to overlook the Snake River canyon, over a mile deep. Fossils lie beneath similar formations in John Day country.

Fire, Faults & Floods bring the processes that created this to life. It would be useful and handy enough as a guidebook for traveling to various places and interpreting them with short hikes and drives. However, it goes way beyond this, interesting enough to hold your attention as you turn each page, filling in more and more details and drawing them into a cohesive whole.

If you have money and interest left after this book, for a more historically-oriented story of Harlan Bretz, and additional local details, pick up a companion book "Cataclysms on the Columbia" by Allen, Burns, Sargent, and Sargent.

This book tells of events so implausible that even your imagination will have difficulty comprehending them. If I have any complaint about the book it is that it fails to sufficiently emphasize how amazing it is, for example, that molten lava once upon a time ran nearly 400 miles before coming to its stopping place. The authors seem to almost be afraid that if they point up the apparent absurdity of it all, the reader would decide the whole book was a well written hoax! It was not a hoax, though, and the story of what happened in the Pacific Northwest once upon a time is well told. It is of greatest interest, obviously, to those of us who live here in the midst of the results of fire, fault and flood, but, for those elsewhere with vivid imaginations, it is a cracking good book. This is one time when what actually happened is more exciting than anything one's imgination can possibly conjure up!

I really enjoyed this book. But I may be different that you. I like rocks, massive basalt cliffs, immense coulees, and the beauty of arid lands. These and much more can be found in this wonderful book by Marge and Ted Mueller. If you're excited about these things then this may be a book you'd enjoy also, especially if you live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. This book is really more than just a basic, easy-to-read geological primer of the Columbia River Basin. It is a trip-planner with detailed instructions on how to go and see the stuff for yourself. I've already been to a couple of the locations and have another short trip planned for this fall. This book is exactly what I hoped it would be when I bought it from Amazon.com. I've never found another book quite like it. Enjoy!

If you buy only one book before venturing to Alaska, buy the Milepost. For the budget traveller who is driving the Alaska highway or sailing on the Alaska Marine Highway, the book is absolutely essential. It gives detailed information about lodgings, ferry schedules, attractions, history and any other information the traveller needs including the location of gas stations on remote highways (very important if the nearest station is 90 miles away). It is updated yearly so the information is always current. The only problem with the Milepost is that it is phone book sized so it is not very portable. In fact, when I backpacked on the marine highway, I bought two copies of the milepost -- one to disassemble so I could take the relevant pages with me and one that I used to plan the trip and to enjoy reading when I returned home. If I travel to Alaska again, this is the only book I will buy.

This was our first trip on the Alaska Highway and the Milepost was a great help, not only did it give a complete description of road conditions, but it helped pass the time as we drove. Reading about the historicial happenings was great. I would recommend to anyone taking this trip to purchase the Milepost and enjoy a wonderful trip.

Wow! This book does it all, mile by mile up the Alcan Highway not to mention even on the ferry system. At first the advertising bothered us, but after awhile we found that fun and valuable as well. This is a real good travel book. Wish they had something like this in other remote places, like the Baja.

I'm am glad to finally see a comprehensive mountain bike guidebook that covers subjects that many readers want more information about. This guidebook includes a section on mountain bicyle camping and biking with your dog. I've always wanted to take my gear with me and camp overnight and this section was very helpful. It lists outdoor vendors that carry camping gear and gives you a sample list of what you should bring. This book even has overnight a trail called "Haystack Lake" that is a good trail for those wanting to try their first overnight trip. I also have a dog and the "Mountain Biking with Your Dog" section gave a lot of practical advice I could use and also listed vendors that sell dog gear. I'm so glad to finally see a book that not only describes great trails but also is a great reference for other aspects of mountain biking!

This book is the first guidebook I've seen that truly has maps that are useful. They are so visually detailed and helpful that I would highly recommend this mountain bike guide to any new or experienced mountain biker. Oh yeah, when I'm on the road this book also gives me a lot of history and information about the area I'm visiting.

Lizann's book is the best guide I've ever read! Great photos, maps and descriptions of some of the best riding in the Pacific Northwest. A great buy for any fat tire rider who's new to the area.

Great color photos and and discriptions of the carvings and artwork. I would definatly recommend this to anyone that is interested in Northwest Coast art.

Profusely illustrated with brilliant, full color photography, Gary Wyatt's Mythic Beings: Spirit Art Of The Northwest Coast is a superb introduction to aboriginal art including totems, wood sculpture, masks, stone carvings and more. Wyatt's informative text is an outstanding survey placing each art piece within their cultural context, enhanced with the artist's own descriptions and commentaries. Mythic Beings is a very welcome addition to personal, academic, and professional Native American art and cultural reference collections.

Mythic Beings is an unassuming but impressive book. The major organizing theme is that spirit art captures the rich cultural and aesthetic traditions that permeate regional artistic expression. Northwest Coast art can be intimidating because it has a complex cosmology and iconography. Wyatt, however, makes this complexity accessible by using two underlying principles. The universe consists of separate but interrelated realms (e.g., sky, underwater), and each realm has its characteristic real and mythical creatures. Mythical creatures have distinctive physical representations used in both sacred and secular representations.

Mythic Beings features 75 beautifully reproduced photographs of masks, robes, and rattles representing the work of 34 artists. Each artist provides a commentary about his/her piece. This provides an opportunity to become familiar with the physical depiction and mythological roles of the creatures depicted by the artists.

Mythic Beings is a gem. It is a wonderful gift book for anyone interested in indigenous art and First Nations peoples.

Well aside from the fact that Greg makes fun of my favorite Northwest clothing outfitter, Filson, its great! I'm a newcomer but can pass for a native as I've been here long enough to grow moss on my toes and I still found some interesting facts and tidbits that I either once knew and have forgotten or maybe never knew. Anyone from California thinking about moving North should read this. We get cloudy and rainy weather, this is a temperate rainforest after all so don't move here and then complain about the weather. Get some goretex and some wool and some waxed cotten coats and get outside and do something! (like split a cord of wood! Go Fishing! Go for a hike!, Go skiing.) Contary to popular myths, skin does not disolve when wet. It is possible to be warm and comfortable when out in in the rain. The sun will come out for good by Mid July and stays out until Late September and early October. Until then work hard and save your vacation days.

I've lived in Oregon my entire life and still discovered some great insights in Mr. Eiden's humorous (and educational) review of the Northwest. I particularly enjoyed "how to order a latte." A great gift, too.

I have been around one half of the world four different times and I wish that I read this book before my travels. It goes beyond essential, consider it a manual. Gregg should go international.

The Northwest Essentials Cookbook is a superbly produced regional cookbook that offers a culinary wealth of more than 150 recipes representing a delicious spectrum of flavors and tastes. From Warm Duck and Apple Salad, Poached Salmon with Tarragon, and Chocolate Almond Apricot Cake, to Oysters Mignonette, Savory Stuffed Mushroom Caps, and Simple Rockfish Stew, The Northwest Essentials Cookbook is a welcome addition to any kitchen cookbook shelf.

I live on the northern california coast and we share many of the same wonderful foods that create the northwest flavor. This is a great cookbook, the recipes are simple and tasty. The book is broken down into chapters like salmon, prawns and crab, wild mushrooms, herbs, lentils split peas & chickapeas, and apples & pears. These are a few, but certainly not all. This is a book full of recipes at their best when you use the freshest of ingredients. I recommend!

- - - -In my heart, my palate, my stomach, memories of home and thoughts of wanting to visit the Seattle area! I really feel good about the support Greg Atkinson gives his recipes in the way of stories, personal experiences and appreciation of the people, places and tastes in his life. This book is a great experience before, during and after meals, for singles and families alike! I'm giving it to my friends!

Brutally honest, but not so cynical that it's annoying.

This is a query as to what happened to the On the Loose Series. Did the big boys (Fodors, Frommers, Let's Go swallow them up?) Any information about the demise of these student writers would be appreciated.

This is the best guidebook I've ever read. It's brutally honest, concise, and seriously funny. Offers great resources and detailed maps. Have fun !

Human beings often think of the human world as the central point from which all earthly existence radiates, with birds and other animals mere background. Lyanda Lynn Haupt sweeps the reader effortlessly into another world-- the world of birds. By bringing the daily habits, troubles and foibles of birds of the Pacific Northwest to light, and painting these birds in refreshing verbal watercolors, the author succeeds in showing humans that the bird world is not a backdrop to human existence but a whole other sphere of existence unto itself. She muses about the supernatural qualities of the hermit thrush's song, the humorous (by human standards) mating dance of the blue grouse, the hyperactivity of the missile-like swift, even the dual nature of the lives of migratory birds who can be at home in two radically different places in the span of one year. Read this book and be drawn into a separate world of avian wonder!

As an amateur birder, I will never look at birds (ordinary and otherwise) in the same way again. Wonderfully written. Can't wait for the next one.
I checked this book out of the library - but will be purchasing it for myself and my darling daughter who got me into birding.

As someone who enjoys watching and identifying birds, this book naturally caught my interest. Once reading, I couldn't wait to get to the next essay! The book gives more meaning to my encounters with ALL birds. And just when one might be tempted to say or think "It's only a silly Starling (or Crow, or Sparrow, etc.)," amazing and wondrously described details about these birds' history, biology, taxonomy, behavior, or physiology will not only prompt one to seek out ordinary birds, but experience them on a different level. It has been similar to studying music, and subsequently gaining an appreciation for it that only those who "know" can understand. It's funny, incredibly informative, and a perfect read for anyone interested in the feathered creatures that are right out in the open with us every day. Enthusiastically recommended!

It isn't often one finds a simply written, slender volume
that covers this much ground (sorry). Williams uses analogy
and simple illustrations to present a smack-up-to-date
understanding of Pacific Northwest Geology. Best of all,
he does it in a way that draws the reader into the
scientific process -- the geologists in the submarines
exploring ocean vents and fairylike mineral castles,
or scrambling through brush looking for places where
the pattern of rocks changes dramatically very quickly,
or frustrated in their efforts to gain access to layers
deeply embedded in the earth that might help answer their questions.

From beaches in West Seattle, to tree rings underwater
in Lake Washington, Williams tells great stories of
the puzzles presented in the earth around us, and the
people who figure them out.

"The Restless Northwest" by Hill Williams is a well written commentary on those fundemental processes responsible for shaping our Pacific Northwest. Hill's straight-forward style of presenting technical subjects makes the book an excellent source of geologic information, particularly for the casual reader. His depth of understanding of complex processes and ability to explain them in a manner comprehensible to most readers is commendable. With numerous simple diagrams together with easily understood discussions, he has clearly explained such technical processes as plate tectonics, geologic terranes, the great floods from ancient Lake missoula and many others. Willams has a knack for accurately converting complex sientific data to a form well understood by the general public. I have read a number of books that attempt this challenge and in my opinion "The Restless Northwest, a geologic story" is one of the best of its kind.

Retired Seattle Times Science Writer Hill Williams has hit a home run with this book. His easy-to-read style takes the reader by the hand and leads him through the thousands of years of geologic upheaval that formed the breathtaking scenery in present day Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

Williams is intimately familiar with his subject matter, writing and researching the Northwest for nearly 40 years with the Times, and he passes this on the knowledge to the reader in a way that is easy to understand.

This is not a book for professional geologists, full of technical jargon. This book is written for anyone who has ever looked at Steamboat Rock, the rolling Palouse, the Columbia Gorge or the remains of Mt. St. Helens and said "Wow. I wonder how...."

As a lifelong resident of Washington, I have always known how incredibly special and beautiful this area was. Until I read Williams' book, however, I had no idea how this beauty was created. Page by page, it was revealed to me with easy to grasp explanations and illustrations. I would recommend this book very highly to all who consider themselves curious.

Pat Lichen weaves fascinating scientific information with humor, personal experience, and heartfelt tenderness for the natural world. Linda Feltner's drawings gently accentuate the essays. I'd recommend all three of Lichen's books: River-Walking Songbirds and Singing coyotes, Brittle Stars and Mudbugs, and Passionate Slugs and Hollywood Frogs as good reading and good reference for any household in the Pacific Northwest.

Made me want to go straight out for a hike in the mountains! Now I know a lot more about the plants and animals out there!

This book was great fun to read! I especially liked the author's sense of humor and obvious connection to the natural world. Interesting details about how different plant and animal species live their lives.