What We're Reading: August 2005
Tim Rock's Lonely Planet's Diving & Snorkeling Guam & Yap will take you to the best dive sites. If you're looking for some topside fun check out the hiking guide, The Best Tracks on Guam . A single guide that includes hiking, diving, kayaking, caving and other outdoor activities is Field Guide to Caves and Karst of Guam .
Alaska is commonly known for its desolation wilderness. Don't start your road trip without The Milepost 2005 , detailing every inch of the highway with gas stations, campgrounds, fishing spots and road conditions. It also offers a bit of history of communities found along the way. Best Places Alaska: The Locals' Guide to The Best Lodgings, Outdoor Adventures, Sights, Shopping, and Restaurants is a guidebook written entirely by people who have lived in the area for generations. For a photo journey, turn to Alaska 24/7 .
Historians or story lovers will enjoy the eyewitness accounts in Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War by Bruce Petty. The intriguing disappearance of the famous female air pilot unfolds in Jim Davidson's Amelia Earhart Returns from Saipan .
Pure Inspiration: Jacques Costeau's Three Adventures: Galapagos, Titicaca, the Blue Holes (The Undersea Discoveries of Jacques-Yves Cousteau) . If you're looking for all the luxury but don't want to pay the price try Belize Retirement Guide: How to Live in a Tropical Paradise on $450 a Month , for the young and old. Learn how Alan Rabinowitz helped change the world with his Jaguar: One Man's Struggle to Establish the World's First Jaguar Preserve located in Belize. If the Jaguars have you hungry for more wildlife then Belize: And Northern Guatemala is an ecotourism book that offers insight to the vegetation and animals in the area.
Want to see the beauty of Cayman but won't have time to get there? Then pick up a copy of Amanda Lumry's Cayman: A Photographic Journey Through the Islands . After viewing the collection of beautiful scenery you decide to make time to go, Frommer's Portable Cayman Islands , due out in August, will help you plan and assist with your travels.
Any outdoor lover will find British Columbia Road & Recreational Atlas an essential tool in traveling the area. Divers will discover 101 Dives: From the Mainland of Washington and British Columbia to be their tool in deciding where to go next. And Lonely Planet British Columbia will satisfy both the diver and outdoor enthusiast's needs.
The arctic is seemingly another world. Check out the history behind it all in Jesse Byock's Viking Age Iceland . Once you're hooked, Waking Up in Iceland is a travel book that reveals the mystic nature of the continent. Lonely Planet Iceland is also a great resource. If going, take the Iceland Travel Map .
Ready to dive your next cold water destination? Then look into Extreme Dive under the Antarctic Ice , an incredible deep-sea adventure. If you're still not sure if you handle bone-chilling water then read Lynne Cox's Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer , the stories of her extreme physical hardships will motivate you to try the seemingly impossible. The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife: Birds and Marine Mammals of the Antarctic Continent and the Southern Ocean is an excellent field guide.
Before taking the plunge in either of these frigid waters John Heine's Cold Water Diving: A Guide to Ice Diving will help ease the transition from recreational to ice diving.
Lonely Planet Norway is a comprehensive guide to this orca paradise. Learn more about killer whales with Orca: Visions of the Killer Whale . Norway's Arctic Highway: Mo I Rana to Kirkenes will show you how to get to Norway from North America; where to sleep, eat and fill-up and provides a general guide to the environment and people along the way.
Lawson Wood may be the man to read for destination Scapa Flow. His two books: Explorerr Diving Guide to Scapa Flow and Explorerr Pocket Guide to Scapa Flow, due out later this year, will cover the interest of any visiting diver. Until then, check out The Bull and the Barriers: The Wrecks of Scapa Flow . For a dive guide now, Dive Scapa Flow is available from Rod MacDonald.
Dynamic Great Lakes offers insight into the distinct eco-systems in each lake. To experience the buffs first hand, Chris Kohl's The Great Lakes Diving Guide will lead you in the right direction. History fanatics will enjoy Fighting Sail on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay: The War of 1812 and its Aftermath detailing the importance of the lakes during the war.
[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]
