This gives quite a bit of information on the mountain biking trails, I just wished it listed more of them.

I read this book with interest....I like to ride,and who doesn't like to drink beer? This book is nicely written and an easy read. I've riden many of the trails in Michigan, and some in the surrounding states, plus I've eaten in some of the brew pubs also, so, as I review this, I believe I am qualified to give FIVE STARS *****. Mercer hits the "nail on the head" with his description of the rides, and the food/beer appears to be on track also....but I think I have a passion for a pale ale rather than a porter. I've started traveling more for work, I'll pack my bike and this book......every work trip will become a road trip. Buy it!!!!

Good, basic info on Ohio's rail trails. Only lacking in that the descriptive narrative of each trail may not be sufficient for all prospective riders. Otherwise a good resource.

Biking Ohio's Rail Trails is a fact filled, extremely lucid book on the subject of the RailTrails in Ohio. These are the old abandoned railbeds that are being converted throughout the USA to RailTrails for bikers, walkers, bladers and runners. Shawn's book gives excellent information as to Where the trails are as well as wonderful maps of the RailTrails and how they connect to other biking trails. Mr. Richardson't book is well worth it for anyone who is interested in RailTrails in Ohio. His book is recommeded by "Miami Valley RailTrails. Tom Recktenwalt Miami Valley RailTrails

This biography of Henry Crowell is an easy read with a profound message for those of us whom God has prospered. The picture of the late 1800s and early 20th century are both interesting and enlightning. The testimony of his life and sucess in several arenas, while maintaining a humble stature, should be an encouragement to all.

Henry P. Crowell could make money just as easy as you and I can chew gum! You've probably never heard of this fine gentleman, but I know you are familiar with the company he helped make into a conglomerate. "QUAKER OATS." Mr. Crowell had a profound faith in God. He put his life into God's hands and just followed where God took him. If you are in business and you believe in God you will enjoy this book. There is very little out there about him, so get it here and enjoy!

This is one of my favorite mini-books on Chicago architecture. It is perfect if you are in need of a comprehensive guide with short entries to shape your exploration of the city. Unlike, say, the AIA Guide, photographs are provided for every entry. Photos are small but nowhere near as tiny as the AIA thumbnails. While the entries are brief, they cover most of the important highlights. I am anxious for a new edition, as many of the descrpitions (and their accompanying photos) are in need of updating in order to cover recent restoration efforts and newer major buildings as well.

I love this book. It is fairly recent overview of the famous buildings in the Chicago area. It covers downtown, the city, and the suburbs. It also has some good buildings featured from the Sears Tower to the Amritech Building at Hoffmann Estates. Though the photos are in black and white, and the entries are a little short, this is a definate buy if you are interested in Urban Architecture or Chicago.

Finally, a Wisconsin guidebook that is as much fun to read as it is practical to use. Incredibly detailed, but with a narrative that captures the true spirit of people and places in the Badger State. The chapter on Green Bay and Packer games is priceless. The author doesn't bother perpetuating all the easy stereotypes (such as cheeseheads) and instead wades neck deep into the local culture, describing the traditions of Monroe Cheese Days and Okotberfest in LaCrosse, the tranquility of the North Woods, and solitude of Door County lighthouse keepers before the days of fudge shops and boutiques.

Does Wisconsin justice. Just a great, fun read.

Classic Wisconsin Weekends is a superbly presented vacation, travel, and sightseeing guide for enjoying the best that Wisconsin has to offer by way of recreational excursions ranging from birdwatching in the Horicon Marsh, to living it up in the Milwaukee Summerfest, to sampling the cultural extravaganza of the state capitol of Madison. Black-and-white photographs highlight numerous fun and exciting adventures anyone can enjoy on an ordinary weekend, in this wonderful guide packed from cover to cover with tips for lodging, reservations, tourist attraction phone numbers and contact information, and so much more. Highly recommended for anyone in the Wisconsin area looking for a great weekend getaway, Classic Wisconsin Weekends should be available to every family and through every community library in the state!

This book told me all I needed and wanted to know about Montana

This is an excellent guide. A fun and exciting read filled with wonderful stories, images and local knowledge.

This book caught my attention because I grew up on a small farm in Mn. I could relate to many of the stories told by Sara. Especially the story in which the little girls go to the big city. I thought it was interesting that it was Sara's mother who was so tied to the farm rather than the father. I'm glad that her father got a chance to do what made him happy at the end. I'm also glad that Sara made peace with her roots and was able to come back to and love the place that she was so eager to leave.Although I no longer live on a farm I live in the heart of farm country. This memoir took me back to my own wonderful, but rarely easy, days of farmlife. It was the best place in the world to grow up as far as I'm concerned. What a pity that so few people will experience it as more and more cooperative farms take over. The decline of the family farm is a very bad thing for our country. Thank you Sara De Luca for preserving your experience for future generations. The only negative thing that I can say about this book is that I felt it had a rather abrupt ending. It lacked closure for me in some way.

I am a college student in L.A. who is from (and intends to go back to) Minneapolis, Minnesota. Whenever I get homesick for the midwest I pick up "Dancing the Cows Home" and read a chapter or two and inevitably feel better. I love hearing about her close-knit Scandinavian family and the dynamics of farm life. I can highly recommend this book to any corn-fed, prarie-loving midwestener!

In 1960, Dorie Brunner and Lou Germann, two Wisconsin school teachers, decided to paddle the Mississippi from the headwaters at Lake Itasca, MN to New Orleans. Shortly into their adventure, they rescued a small kitten from the muck on the shore, and "Stinky" ended up traveling 2000+ miles downriver with them, becoming the focal point of much of their travels.

What makes this book so charming is also what weakens it a bit...unlike most contemporary travel/adventure writers, Dorie and Lou obviously undertook this trip for the sheer adventure of it, not to race home and write a best seller. This is their authentic story, told by 74-year-old Dorie some 40 years later, drawing on memory...in fact, it doesn't appear that they even kept a journal. There is very little description of the places they visited, (though there are several photos) more about the daily hazards they faced, and Dorie apologizes for having long ago lost the names of people such as the tugboat captain who gave them a free ride for three days.

But the heart of the book is Stinky's story. If you're one who believes that cats wander into our lives when we need them most, you'll find this to be a very charming read.

What an interesting book, I loved it!!
Dorie and Lou's canoe trip from Lake Bemidji in Minnesota to the city of New Orleans is an exciting river adventure. They experienced a number of hair-raising situations that made the book anything but boring. While dealing with the unforgiving weather and the unpredictable river, they meet some friendly people who helped them out along the way. And confronted some who didn't, like a skunk, a thief and other campsite intruders.
It's an excellent read for those who love camping, canoeing, river stories and even cats. Dorie gives a good description of their journey and preparations. Even though it took place back in the summer of 1960 it's still very informative and interesting. Especially for those who have a fancy for doing something like this.

A pet, such as a cat, can teach its human companions so many things about life. Not to mention how the silly antics of a cat can get its owners into trouble. Just as Dorie and Lou found out when they adopted a lonely kitten early in their trip.
Stinky the kitten is a wonderful ingredient to their story, and it's likely that you wont find anything similar to this book anywhere else.

I've read two or three books about catching trout in Wisconsin, and this book is the most informative. There are detailed illustrations, including a hatch chart with all of the best bug hatches in the state. They also have detailed descriptions of some of the finest trout waters in Wisconsin. Good for the beginning angler as well, because the book gives good tips on starting gear and techniques. I found it extremely helpful. If you're planning on trout fishing in Wisconsin this book is a must.

Many fish-and-tell books suffer from either not enough information (the trailhead is where?) or too much detail, and sometimes an annoying combination of both. The reader is left wondering about the bigger picture and the finer points of the resource and local opportunities to experience it.

Not so with this book. It is painstakingly researched and very well presented. The resource and conservation overview is integrated with specific and useful information on streams, hatches, and techniques. The book is well-written and generally enjoyable to read, as well as being a good reference for beginners to advanced flyfishers. It is clear that the authors know their home waters and have great love for them. I highly recommend this book to those wanting to know more about the excellent fly fishing and cold water resources in Wisconsin.

First, few clarifications regarding earlier reviews: Be advised that the editorial review covers both books in this series, and that they have nearly identical titles. The first is 'Building Ohio: A Traveler's Guide to Ohio's Urban Architecture'. The second title is identical if you substitute "Rural" for "Urban". The word "Rural" is a little misleading, as the second book covers small-to-medium-sized cities as well as the countryside.

Regarding walking directions, the books do provide walking directions for small groups of closely-spaced sites. If you want to construct a longer walking tour, then you easily can plan it using the supplied addresses and directions with a city map.

The writing is very well researched, informative, and a pleasure to read. I've driven past many of the Cincinnati landmarks described here without knowing what they were, and it's a pleasure to be able to associate them not only with names and dates, but with stories. It's fascinating to know that modern airport taxi and bus routing, concourses, and baggage handling were pioneered in the design of a grand train station, Cincinnati's Union Terminal. Or, that landscaped cemeteries such as Adolph Strauch's Spring Grove Cemetery used to be popular picnic and party venues before cities started building parks to divert the load. In reading about our architecture, there is much to learn about ourselves. I'm still reading.

Photographs are in black and white. There are many sketches used judiciously to show how a building appeared in the past, or to present city-planning layouts. Not every entry is accompanied by an illustration, which was sometimes disappointing. The author defines her area of interest broadly to cover not just buildings, but landscaping and city design as well.

Building Ohio is a unique book in that it looks at Ohio's architecture from a state wide perspective. Ohio's best architecture can be found in Cincinnati and Cleveland and this book covers both of these cities. However, Building Ohio is the only book I know of that also covers Columbus', Dayton's, Toledo's, Canton's, and Akron's often underrated urban architecture. This alone makes it a valuable and original resource. What I also like about this book is it sometimes gets off the beaten path. This is not just a highlight book of downtown architecture. Jane Ware also explores city neighborhoods and suburbs in search of interesting architecture.

I have lived in Cincinnati for the past twenty years and I found Jane Ware's opinions and writings informed and correct. I would think the one problem with writing a book on Ohio architecture are all the buildings that have to be left out because of space limitations. There are many buildings and neighborhoods in Cincinnati alone that are unfortunately not covered. If, after reading this book, you are interested in a more in-depth analysis of Cincinnati and its architecture, I would recommend Cincinnati Observed.

The one complaint I have with this book is that it is hard to use it as a walking tour since there are no directions between each highlighted building. For example, when I was in Columbus, and walking in the downtown area, I found it hard to follow from building to building since I am not too familiar with downtown Columbus.

Overall, I found this book to be a good buy and a much needed reminder on Ohio's often overlooked architectural legacy.

Building Ohio: A Traveler's Guide To Ohio's Urban Architecture by Jane Ware is an impressive and unique guidebook of Ohio urban architecture. Showcasing the buildings of Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown, Building Ohio is enhanced with a four page listing of credits, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index. Black-and-white photographs coupled with succinct information about historical buildings, great landmarks, distinctive features and much more completely fill the pages of this useful and highly recommended resource for travelers interested in seeing some of the finest architectural constructions Ohio has to offer.