I bought this book as a gift for a friend of mine considering a relocation to Colorado. She absolutely loved the book and plans to use it during a fact finding trip in Colorado.

The Colorado Guide (5th edition) is exactly what I was looking for in a Colorado guide book. Besides giving your usual guide information for Colorado, it also included some of the more unusual places to check out, like the Wheeler Geological Site for example, near Creede, CO. Wonderful history stories of areas of interest, and food and lodging info/ratings also. I use it to find new ares to explore and as a reference. I highly recommend The Colorado Guide, especially if your looking to explore this beautiful state.

I am a Colorado resident and use this book (and the previous editions) frequently for weekend getaways. In all the many times I have counted on the author's advice, they have never let me down. Excellent book!

Jim in Littleton

I remember years ago when I was a kid a story my father told me about an amazing river rafter and boat builder. My Dad grew up in Coquille and went to school with Buzz's younger brother. His story always ended with how Buzz had been on a rafting trip in eastern Oregon and went off and committed suicide. I could never understand how someone who had done the amazing things he did could end his life on that note. I thought about that story many times over the years and always wished I knew more. This book is incredibly well researched and documented. Even though many questions were answered, many more were raised. Such was the enigma that was Buzz Holmstrom.

Well-written and researched. But the thing that shines through is Buzz and his strong spirit - the writers were careful to be sure this was HIS book, not theirs, which is how it should be. A true boatman's boatman, Buzz was maybe born too soon - it seems the world wasn't quite ready for his singular love of the rivers and nature. This book won't disappoint you - what will disappoint you after reading it is that Buzz is gone.

True adventure is not limited to distant lands and times long ago. Here in the good ol' U.S. of A., just a few short years ago, a common man blew his fanfare in the form of beautiful wooden boats made without plans by hand in his basement, and in his solo running of whitewater rivers in those boats. If you have ever slept under the stars, you will understand a bit of Buzz and why he did what he did. You may even want to do it yourself. Buzz would like that.

Well, I'm not sure that I have the ability to express my sentiments and thoughts any better than the other reviewers here, but with the hope of perhaps affecting one reader, I'll share a slightly different experience...

I read this book at a time when my life was falling apart. My marriage was in shambles, my business was bordering bankruptcy, my faith was wavering, and I didn't know what else to do or where else to turn. I didn't know whether or not to pray scriptures, get on my knees 3 times/day, get counseling, rebuke Satan, start fasting, give more money to church, or drop down and just want to die.

The point is that many of these things are well and good in and of themselves, but they have very little to do with understanding and trusting God. He's not a magic Geenie, He's not here for our personal material comforts, and much of today's teachings about God seem to lead us toward Him with the expectation that He'll solve our problems and make things better here on earth.

Dr. Larry Crabb truly puts life's difficulties into perspective and certainly helped me to turn to the Lord and turn away from trying to use "tricks" to get Him to do what I want. That alone is worth all of the pain and suffering I've been through.

Hope this helps. God Bless.

Finding God speaks honestly and openly about the pain and hardship in our circumstances. Larry Crabb writes about the hurt in the loss of his brother in a plane crash and how this pain has impacted his walk with Christ. He lends his own insights as to the why and the answers God won't provide as well as what He does provide.

I read this challenging book during a time of personal hurt and questioning. It helped me see that the answers to questions concerning why things happen as they do are not as important as the Christ who came as The Answer. I learned that our feeble attempts to manipulate and control God by our prayers and whining will not work -- we must accept the fallen-ness of our world and through faith in God's ultimate goodness we find Him. Very thought provoking and inciteful.

What a beautiful job Nancy and David Muenker have done to introduce visitors to the Front Range of Colorado. Those who live in the area will also find it enhances their knowledge and enjoyment of places they see all the time.

This book is very well organized and user friendly. Each section includes great details of the history, followed by well written articles on what there is to see and do today. Special areas of interest to me are railroads and mining. The book has certainly peaked my interest in all the beauty of the Colorado front range. Both the writing and photography are top quality.

This book is an excellent tool for planning a Colorado vacation. I plan to do just that in 2003.

I've lived in the heart of Colorado's Front Range for over 30 years but I learned fascinating things about familiar areas, and enjoyed being introduced to some new places. This slim guidebook is packed full of historical info and peppered with fun facts. Outstanding photos, concise writing and a snazzy lay-out combine to make this a very usable guidebook. If you are a Front Range "local" this is a great book to have on hand when out-of-state family and friends descend. It's also a good resource for parents looking for close-to-home family outings. Although you can enjoy Colorado Front Range History Explorer as an armchair traveler, this book makes you want to get out and explore.

I liked the details and the historical background information very much.
What I missed are more color pictures on glossy paper like they are on the cover.

I have been exploring the Anza-Borrego Desert region for 15 years. The Lindsay book is an invaluble resource if you truly want to become intimate with the area. The Lindsay's include a lot of the area history in an interesting, easy reading format. I just ordered the latest edition (I have two previous editions, which are completely dog eared and very well used) to make sure I am up to date. The State Park has a way of changing every few years and some back country trails and roads are no longer accessible. If you have only one book of the Anza-Borrego desert, this is it! The map that comes with it is excellent.

If you only get one book on this area, get this one. I actually have an older copy I bought over ten years ago and it is still well used. It has a very detailed map (of which mine is tattered and well used) and the book is a great accompiament. I often use the book to determine how many miles I had walked or driven in for that day. It also gives you some advice as to camping and rules of the state park and surrounding public lands.

The Lindsays are well known in the area and Diana Lindsay is active in the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association. She and Lowell are known the be two of the foremost authorities of information of that region.

A friend who is a river guide gave me this book. I never really understood the fasination with rafting until I read this. The writing leaves a little to be desired, but the subject matter and the information is very moving.

A friend told me about this book several years ago when I was raft guiding on the Colorado River a little north of the Grand Canyon. I bought the book, and absolutely loved it. As one of the rare breed of female white water rafting guides, it was amazing to read about other women who shared my passion for the river and for the wild places around us. Breaking into the Current is NOT a male-bashing book; it filled with stories that are waiting to be told--stories by and about interesting women who went into a career that few women would consider entering. I loved reading the stories about Lava Falls, the making of Crystal Rapid, and all the others. Each time I return to the book it makes me ache to be on the river yet again.

A few years back on my first trip through the Grand Canyon I was lucky enough to be in a group that included Louise Teal as one of the guides. I bought this book after the trip and read it on the drive home. I was blown away. Her love of the canyon, the river, the people...it all glows from every page. Rafting the Grand is a life-changing experience; and the elements that make it so are all here--captured and expressed by a woman who has become part of the river and vice versa. She tells the stories of the women who 'broke into the current' with humor, sensitivity, respect and love. On top of all that, she is a very talented writer and this book works purely on that basis. If you've ever run the canyon, buy this book. If you have ever wanted to run it, buy this book. If you've got no interest in the canyon or the Colordo river but enjoy good writing about real stuff, buy this book.

This is a gorgeous book of southwest photographs. It has many examples of how to take great photographs. An interesting feature is the photographers comments about each photograph, found in the back of the book. There are only a few flaws in my humble view. Some of the photographs were printed with very exagerated color saturation. This is painful in some cases. Another problem is Mr. Muench's use of a split density magenta filter for several of the photographs. He tries to give the scenes a warm glow but the magenta color looks totally fake, especially when one sees it only across the top of the photograph. Please throw that split density magenta filter away and let the southwest present its beauty naturally. Still a great and valuable book to own.

This book offers a breathtaking view of the Colorado plateau. The full-page color photos are so incredibly vivid they almost jump off the page. It really makes you feel like you are there.

You get a look at towering mountains & magnificent nature made stone sculptures. Cascading waterfalls, meandering steams, peaceful snowscapes, brilliant autumn leaves, beautiful flowers & endless skies take your breath away.

Muench is a master at capturing detail and light, and this setting shows off his talent to the maximum. A narrative by James Lawrence provides a history of the area and conveys the feelings inspired by this natural wonderland.

Some images have small quotes & poems under them. In the back, each photo is shown in miniature with comments from photographer and technical details. This book provides a beautiful world to get lost in.

Besides the several landscape books from Muench, I have collected quite a few other landscape books from other famous photographers. By far, this is the one I like most (together with one by Apse called "New Zealand Landscape"). The photos in the book fully demonstrate that one can always breathe new life to old scenes with enough skill, perception and perseverence.

Let me say first of all that I am a layman who is a science buff. My education is in Psychology, but I love biology, neuroscience, physics, and related topics. Tapir's Bath looked like an entertaining way to cram more about creature behavior into my brain. Actually you end up learning not an awful lot about the behavior of animals in the wild, but you do get an education about the behavior of scientists in the wild. While most primates, man included, are social animals, scientists seem to be loners like members of the cat family. They often are reclusive, enticed to be social only by the promise of a party that offers booze and food. Territorially jealous they form caste systems that allow them to sneer at other specialties. They grumble about cell biologists that sit in nice warm laboratories while they have to plow through muck and rain, bitten by a variety of small insects. Oh yes, and the microbiologists get all of the public attention, and the research funding. The public just doesn't seem to care about the distance a bat flies to obtain food.

The science bits are quite interesting, but not comprehensive enough to add much to your knowledge of biology. But that doesn't matter. The scientists on Barro Colorado Island deserve a lot of credit for their painstaking, difficult, uncomfortable research. I was interested in reading about their field research while being thankful that I majored in a subject that keeps me indoors where my biggest environmental problem is getting the thermostat adjusted correctly. Elizabeth Royte also proves that science writers often have to endure hardships. Pregnant during some of her long stay on Barro Colorado, she also trekked through rain and mud, returning to base to rest in bed and meditate on the cockroaches climbing her walls. It's a fun book.

On the trail of the scientists who make the trails

A journalist follows researchers into the South American rain forest to study the mystery of their devotion

By Diana Muir

Deep in the tropical rain forest, a small fruit-eating bat carefully nicks the veins on the underside of a philodendron leaf, causing the edges to fold down like a miniature tent. The bat curls up under its little tent and goes to sleep. Other bats don't make tents, why do these?
In "The Tapir's Morning Bath," journalist Elizabeth Royte follows field biologists into the rain forest with a similar question: Other people, after all, do not feel compelled to sit up all night being bitten by mosquitoes, ticks, and chiggers. Why do these?

The Panama Canal is made up of a channel leading inland from each coast, joined by an immense manmade lake that covers what was once a rain forest. Numerous islands dot the lake. In the 1920s, a group of foresighted scientists managed to have the largest, Barro Colorado, with its nearly intact tropical forest, set aside as a scientific preserve.

In these pages, the present-day researchers of Barro Colorado spring vividly to life. Royte follows a young biologist from UC Berkeley, as the biologist follows a troop of spider monkeys.

Studying monkeys like this entails long days of trailing the agile little creatures as they skitter through the treetops, clambering easily from branch to branch. For an earth-bound researcher, keeping up with the troop entails scrambling up steep ravines, pushing through tangled undergrowth, and skidding down hillsides slick with rain. The early weeks are especially frustrating, as distrustful monkeys shy away from the interloper.

Royte, a New York journalist, is as much an interloper on the island as this scientist is among the troop of monkeys. The scientists, after all, have paid their dues to get here. They have spent years in graduate school, and they reach Barro Colorado only after their laboriously planned studies survive rigorous review to be selected for funding.

But Royte ingratiates herself by offering to help. On the island, these scientists work long hours, and conversation can be larded with arcane jargon incomprehensible to an outsider. She's willing to wade through this - and the muck of mangrove swamps - to hang insect traps on branches and sit on the forest floor counting the number of leaf-cutter ants that march past.

As they whiz across the lake in a Boston whaler, Royte is determined to pursue her subject at full throttle, even as the distinguished biologist perched in the bow tries to net moths without falling overboard. He shares his excitement about the natural world in all its magnificent complexity.

For instance, he tells her, urania moths migrate annually. Some years, however, only a few hundred appear. Other years, several hundred million moths fly past the island. No one knows where they come from or where they are bound. In Royte's retelling, scientific enthusiasm is infectious. Soon we, too, want to know what drives these winged nomads.

Readers will come away from "The Tapir's Bath" with an appreciation of the way narrow research questions become the material from which useful knowledge is constructed. But don't read it for that.

Read it for the thrill of the chase. Will the young researcher from Berkeley who has trudged the forest for three days without so much as a glimpse of a non-human primate ever locate her spider-monkey troop? Will the German biologist whose sophisticated equipment fails manage to contrive an impromptu method to measure the effect of leaf-cutting ants on the trees they harvest? And will the PhD candidate from the University of Michigan astound his professors by synthesizing a new theory to explain why biological diversity decreases with distance from the equator, or fulfill their expectations by failing even to discover why bats make tents?

And just why does a tapir take a morning bath?

• Diana Muir is the author of 'Bullough's Pond,' winner of the 2001 Massachusetts Book Award

Elizabeth Royte successfully outlines the mysteries of the tropical rainforest and the plenty of questions it still harbors. A layman who is overwhelmed by the abundance of species gets a glimpse of an understanding of biodiversity and its interdependencies. For me it was impressive how Royte narrows down that each living being is part of that big wonder called nature. Like in a waterfall she is coming down 3 levels from general questions raised by Charles Darwin and S.T.R.I. founder's spirit to the emphatically described individual projects of the scientists on BCI. By watching the scientists at their work in a first place she finally learns that she can not remain out of the loop, but is herself a part of the permanent cycle of life. I was lucky enough to visit BCI for a couple of days only, but immediately felt a deep affection and rememberance during reading. This great book has the potential to make researcher's work more transparent und thus more popular and at the end of the day to have people treating nature with more respect.

Many in our "free" country are not free from emotional pain from the past. They are not free to act and react in ways they choose, as if an unseen grip kept them locked in patterns of behavior that are self-defeating.

Such a person is the main character of "When the Heart Soars Free." Jerry truly wants to live responsibly but unseen forces smother his best intentions. How he finds help and what he discovers about his self-defeating actions makes this book a must read. I'm ready for the sequel!

I read Kay Moore's book about a month ago and I couldn't put it down. I'm 16 and I'm a pretty big reader but When the heart Soars Free is on my top ten list. It takes so many twists and turns it is completley unpredictable! If you read When the Heart Soars Free you will not regret it. I don't want to give the whole thing away but this book is amazing!

Being an ardent reader of Christian fiction, I am continuously searching for books that are more than a "love story". "WHEN THE HEART SOARS FREE" balances the romance of young love with practical Bibical principles that must be applied to strengthen relationships. I recommend "WHEN THE HEART SOARS FREE" to anyone who has ever struggled with loss, lack of self-worth, or wondering if God cares about the events in our lives. Thank you, Kay Moore, for showing human conflicts that can be resolved through the power of God's forgiveness and love.

I write guidebooks, I tell you where to stay, where to eat and what to see. Susan's book teaches the reader how to immerse ones self in the Colorado Plateau.

The book is a guide for the hearty types who go beyond the paved road. Don't expect to pull off the interstate to duplicate the excellent photos in this book, not a chance. Susan clearly loves the arches, canyons and rock formations she describes. She has traveled the mesas, camped near the pinacles and watched the sunrise, as she sipped a cup of campfire coffee. This is the real deal.

So if you want to see the beauty of the Colorado Plateau, get yourself a copy of this book, air out your sleeping bag, find your old Coleman stove and take a two week trip back in time. Where is that old V.W. bus I had back in the sixties?

I'm rarely moved to comment on a guidebook, and certainly not in regard to the literary quality of a volume that I acquired initially for its souvenir value as a photographic guide, but this is an exception. I recently made a long-hoped-for solo trip to "color country," and found the experience awesome, in the genuine sense of that term. Susan Neider's verbal characterization of the area, its features, and how it makes her feel captured my own experience brilliantly and movingly. Personally I can't wait to go back to explore, because I only had a little taste of a region that I sense can be profound as well as beautiful. Neider has very effectively reinforced that notion, and provided a lovely and knowledgeable companion for the journey.

I bought this book hoping for an inexpensive picturesque coffee table volume. What a suprise to find it stimulating reading as well as being filled with captivating photographs of a quality that could be described as Ansel Adams in color. For anyone who has visited the Colorado plateau or wishes to visit, included practical hints help planning an itinerary. As well, the clues for the best views are as valuable to a sightseer as to a photographer. This information alone guarantee a successful trip. This book is a must have.