Although the content of this novel is aimed at Washingtonians the masterful writing of Mr. Carkonen can be appreciated everywhere. Mr Carkonen's skillful prose and mastery of the english language leave the reader wanting more. I must agree with the Vashon Island reviewer that most appropriately stated, "Sweet tasty tasty!"

all i can say after reading this book is, "Sweet tasty tasty!!"

I don't run and I don't jog, but I do hike fast. If you like dayhiking more than backpacking, but still want to see cool trails, this is a great guide! He is an excellent writer who keeps the reader intrested and doesn't ramble off onto "memory lane" like a few other guide writers.

Before I went on my trip to Washington, I was completely and utterly clueless about this area. I am a very experienced hiker and I knew that Washington not only had the best hikes but also the most difficult. Finding this book was so helpful. I not only knew exactly where to go but I knew all the little hints and shortcuts . Please, if you are interested in hiking in the WA area, take my word for it and get this book. It is a lifesaver.

I have had the pleasure of walking many of the same trails that Sharon writes about in this book. The maps and directions are most excellent--if a description says 3/10 of a mile, then that's what it is. There is nothing quite so frustrating as having a wonderful day of walking planned only to be thwarted by crappy directions to the trail head. The historical focus is like icing on the cake-each of these walks are very enjoyable by themselves but when you have a greater knowledge of place and time, the whole experience is greatly enhanced.
So, even if you've tried other hiking books and been disappointed, don't pass this one by. There is something for everyone here. Highly Recommended and a great read even if you don't get out much!

Sharon has had agoraphobia for 20 or more years, and yet she has conquered her fears by hiking around 10,000 miles on foot with a friend or two intoe for companionship. She has shared her research and emotions along with the visual descriptions of each of these hikes in her first book. It is a book that will inform and delight every reader, even if you never take that first step upon the worn trail.
She includes facinating tidbits that have been well researched, and provides pictures long buried in private and government archives. Sharon has also tried to inform the reader about the ecological issues surrounding the hikers' intrusion into the delicate terrain of the Sierras. Each chapter is complete, and will leave the reader enthralled and excited for the next "trip"--even without leaving the comforts of one's armchair.
Whether one follows the maps on where to begin one's personal experience by hiking the trail or just reading to enjoy the trip vicariously, this book will be a wellcomed addition to everyone's bookcase who is interested in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Bon Voyage!

The culture in Eilgayaq has a foundation with a Yugtun language. Majority of the population are fluent speakers in Yugtun. A school should be established with Yugtun langauge in the location where the language is strongly spoken. The elders of Eilgayaq have a unique ability to keep the language strong. Dr. Jerry Lipka deserves to have his name titled for the schools in Eilgayaq. Eilgayaq is in the Southwest region of Alaska.

Lipka, Mohatt, and The Ciulistet Group's book is an important contribution for educators interested in educational equity, access, and school/curriculum reform. The authors underscore cultural issues in education that are authentic, multifaceted, and critical. These are the very issues that must be considered if we are to meet the educational needs of all children. The heart of the book squarely challenges simplistic answers to complex educational "problems" by providing a a refreshing format to voices we rarely hear.

I have read many books about San Francisco and this will give anybody incredible insight into the City. If you had one book to read about SF, this should be it.

Traveller's Tales San Francisco is a very unusual travel guide. It is more like a collection of short stories set in, and all about, the most beautiful city on the planet. Each story takes the reader on a journey through either a specific neighborhood, cultural enclave, outdoor activity or unique "only in San Francisco" setting in a way that no other travel guide does. I am a local and tremendously enjoyed reading this guide because it was like taking a tour of The City without leaving my reading room. The story of the "in-line midnight skaters" swooping up down our wonderful hills was quite a ride indeed. Also, the story of a Golden Gate Bridge Jumper, who survivded was quite moving. This book is a must for locals who think they know all that goes on in their City.

I am seriously addicted to these Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology books. They lead you by milepost on such wonderful tours. You'll want to grab your camera, rock hammer and pocket protector, and hit the road with this one.

There are a lot of excellent maps in this spiral-bound book. The Great Basin offers many surprises to those who leave the Interstate. Enjoy.

I have a confession to make. When I live in a place that has ice and snow on the ground for twenty-something days; the temperature hovers around the cold mark (anything below 50 degrees Fahrenheit;)and my home heating bills are larger than my mortage payment, I frequently contract cabin fever. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, looking at maps, howling at the moon (when available), chasing parked cars, and reading travel books. I know, I know, it's only the beginning of winter and readers are typically not standing in line to get tickets for their summer vacations. However, to my surprise I find that a number of libraries have very popular travel programs that start in January. Could it be that others are afflicted with this seemingly incurable malaise? Thus, you can imagine my delight in finding a copy of this wonderful travel book. My wife and I traveled U.S. Highway 50, christened "The Loneliest Road in America" by Time magazine, across Nevada a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, while we had a number of obligatory travel books of this region, this one was not available. I can't believe how much we missed! Since it was published by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, it is a specialized travel book. But don't let that fool you. While it is chock full of information on the geology, flora, and fauna of the region it is so much more. In addition to being highly readable it has 70 color photos, 170 black & white photos and an abundance of illustrations, maps, and sketches. The book takes the traveler along this historic Lincoln Highway from Carson City to Baker and introduces you to a unique Nevada adventure complete with national forests, deserts, and a National Park, Great Basin, that many travelers don't even know exists. About the only thing you will miss is the diesel fume spewing monsters pulling full grown homes and bumper-to-bumper traffic at every milepost. During our visit to Great Basin National Park we encountered perhaps a dozen cars. The book has a helpful road log keyed to highway markers. The trip will take you from ghost towns to Pony Express stations and so many side trips into areas of pristine beauty that you will be hard pressed to believe you are in Nevada, which is, after all just a lot of desert, right? You might even visit a lake that produces some of the best trout fishing in the State and stop for a picnic lunch under aspens that will take your breath away. How about stopping in Fallon and visiting the Naval Air Station and Strike and Air Warfare Center, the Navy's Top Gun training center. Riding the "Ghost Train" from Ely is a trip you won't forget. We discovered the works of Nevada poet Kirk Robertson in a small bookshop in Eureka, which has a beaufifully restored historic courthouse. Kind of a special two for one deal. If you are looking for the fastest way to traverse Nevada complete with four lanes of pavement, interchanges, and fast food stops, Highway 50 is not for you. On the other hand, if you have just a touch of adventure in your soul and don't mind beautiful scenery, historic ambiance, and lots of space, this is worth your time. I would not make this the only travel guide to take on such a trip but I would not leave home without it. Take heart fellow sufferers, spring and summer is coming and this book will remind you why the wait is worth it.

Come into a deep, old northern forest where trees reach for the sky, hundreds of feet high. Where their roots beneath the duff, spread out in vast tendrils seeking food, creating food for voles & mice, who, in turn, are fattened up for the owls hunting for food for their owlets.

Carol Reed-Jones has created a lyrical story of life around an old-growth fir tree, & Christopher Canyon's illustrations are bright, powerful & absorbing.

A keeper, its story is delightful & its images memorable.

"The Tree in the Ancient Forest" depicts the"circle of life" concept in a beautifully presented, easilyread format. The author, Carol Reed-Jones captures the essence of the importance and beauty of an ancient forest, presenting a different element on each page. Christopher Canyon's illustrations offer additional beauty to the ideas penned by the author. A wonderful book for children and adults alike -- a great gift book for the ecologically-minded, nature-lover! Highly recommended!

Trees Of Golden Gate Park And San Francisco is a 'must' bible of detail for any San Francisco resident or enthusiast who wants to know more about the city's urban forest and landscape. Chapters are packed with details ranging from early San Francisco landscape history to the evolution of its parks. The presentation is based on the writings of botanist Elizabeth McClintock, and presents the stories of almost two hundred different trees located in Golden Gate Park. No color photos, but the depth of text and detail doesn't need them; the b/w line drawings are enough.

...that there should be people in my community as to write such a book. Starting with the park's planning phases (did you know that Mr. Central Park himself, Frederick Law Olmstead, recommended putting the park along what is now the Van Ness corridor!), the book quickly progresses to encyclopedic coverage of the trees of the park... Sections from this book are destined to become long and enjoyable walks for us in the near future! Unlike many field guides, very fitting for pleasure reading.

Louise Edwards writing in The China Journal (July 1999) says: "This innovative volume furthers a dialogue between China studies and postcolonial and cultural studies. Using literary debate as its primary focus (popular music is also discussed in Chapter 6), the book raises questions for all disciplines of China studies, Gregory Lee also makes a timely contribution to the field of postcolonial studies...Troubadours, Trumpeters, Troubled Makers makes a valuable contribution in resisting the "mixophobia" that is so prevalent in academic scholarship."

This book attempts to promote a non-authentic, non ethnocentric, and more complex perspective on certain aspects of Chinese poetic and political culture. Its concerns, as the title suggests, are not just with the culture of making and consuming lyrics, poems and songs, but also with questions to which such practices give rise. As the sub-title ( Lyricism, Nationalism and Hybridity in China and Its Others) suggests the interest is also in 'inauthentic' hybrid practices and communities - the book talks not just about mainland China, but about peripheral communities like Chinatowns and Hong Kong. Since this is a comprative work it looks at other non-national communities and cultures like that of southern France, or Occitania. Nor is the book an orthodox British or Western sinological statement on modern Chinese culture. Rather it attempts to shed light on those lyrical works that are either marginalized and occulted, or considered by conventional scholars to be literally beneath consideration. The chapters on contemporary poetry and the chapter on Chinese popular music, are attempts to do just that. Similarly the chapter on the representation of the Chinese American and the descendants of Chinese immigrants to Britain is there to tell a story of Chinese people who in a sense are no longer Chinese, and yet will always be seen and represented as such, and so at a certain level will always remain so.

Mardy Murie is often referred to as "The Grandmother of American Conservation" and "The Grand Dame of the American Conservation movement, but somehow after reading her story, these titles barely seem adequate to describe such an incredible and personal woman. While we may liken Murie to women like Rachel Carson or Anna Botsford Comstock, Murie's journey is singular. We follow her from her childhood in Wyoming to graduation at the University of Alaska, through love, into the far reaches of the Alaskan North.
Murie successfully bridges the personal and the political, her own life and her life's work, her love for one man and her love for their work together. You will laugh with her, you will cry with her, feel scared for her, and come to love her. She will become your hero.
We must recognize Murie as an American treasure, but we must also recognize that Murie's inspiration is perhaps more important now than it ever was. The most obvious reason for this statement is the continuing struggle to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from growing oil interests. We must also recognize, however, that Murie could be the inspiration for the young generation of leaders in conservation-- a group of leaders that undoubtedly must include women. That there are very so few women leaders in conservation has caused the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women to recognize the struggle of women in their efforts to achieve leadership positions in the conservation movement. Other organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, the Sierra Club, and the National Wildlife Federation have launched campaigns to attract more women into leadership roles. The lack of women in environmental leadership reflects America's view of rugged individualism in our collective imagination...nowhere has this myth been more prominent than in the discussion of America's last frontier-- a very personal discussion for Ms. Murie.
Not only is Margaret E. Murie a woman in the conservation movement, but she is an American treasure with a very personal and very political story to tell. Even as she approaches her 101st birthday in August, she continues to speak out for Alaska's lands, peoples, and wildlife. Her story is not one of fame, comfort, or glory, but it is her American story. Mardy Murie will become your hero, your inspiration and your friend. Take the journey with her.

I, first, heard of Mardy Murie and her husband, Olaus, while watching John Denver's The Wildlife Concert. He wrote A Song For All Lovers for their deep and abiding love for each other and for the state of Alaska. The song's beauty gave rise to my curiousity. And, recently, while watching a documentary of Mardy's life, I became determined to read this book about her life.

This book is a must have. Mrs. Murie paints with words, a picture so vivid of Alaska's tundras and plains, that I felt as if I were part of it. The lifestyle was hard, but satisfying, and this woman's life was nothing short of fascinating. Mardy Murie is a living testament to the strength and beauty of women, and she leaves a shining example of what a woman can do. In her assistance in Olaus' work for the ANWR and other Alaskan Land Conservancies, to her carrying on of that work, she is a beacon to us all of what we can do.

Buy it...read it. You will fall in love with Alaska and with Mardy.