Wonderful Travel Guides
Originally published on 07/13/2018
I was given the opportunity to review some other books recently, and having grown up in Colorado, I was eager to take a peek! Larry (my hubby) and I love being outdoors, and we are hoping to be able to travel full time in the semi-near future. Larry is finishing up his Bachelor's Degree in Communications next spring, and is attending Colorado State University Global Campus to do so. I have wanted to take him to Colorado and down a trip down my memory lane for some time now, and since he will finish next year, this will be a perfect time so he can walk for his graduation! I'm hoping these guides will help us to make some awesome memories while we're there!
"Best Easy Day Hikes: Colorado Springs" let's you know right in the beginning that hiking should be for fun, but that you really need to make sure you're prepared. Drink lots of water, wear good shoes, be prepared (like the Scouts!) for the weather (I remember having all four seasons in a day sometimes!), and more. They also mention Leave No Trace, which basically mean that you pack it in, you pack it back out, and not taking any souvenirs such as flowers. "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints." The guide gives a map and legend for each hike, and includes the details such as elevation, mileage, and GPS coordinates. This would be a fun time to also check out the Geocaching website to see if any cashes are available to find! All in all, a very informative book to keep handy, especially at only 4"x6", meaning you could pop it in your day pack for your hiking pleasures!
"Gold Panning Colorado: A Guide to the State's Best Sites for Gold" is a fun little treasure! The guide starts off by telling you step-by-step how to pan for gold. Never having done this, even when I lived in Colorado, I found it fun and interesting to learn. I'm hoping that Larry and I can try it out next year when we head over to Colorado. There are many wonderful, full-color photos throughout the entire book. Each section highlights a different area in which to pan, and gives detailed information about the place including elevation, GPS coordinates, tools you need, the type of vehicle you'll need to get there, and accommodations such as little to no shade if you decide to camp there. There are also maps showing you how to get to each area as well. Very informative guide to have around! This book is about 5"x8", so still not that large and easily carried! It also gives information about different tours of some of the Colorado Mines. That would be interesting, but I'm not sure if I could handle some of those spaces... I'm rather claustrophobic!
"Touring Colorado Hot Springs" gives detailed information about the different hot springs you can find in Colorado. There is a list right at the beginning of the book telling you each Spring name and a map to locate them all. The guide gives a neat introduction to what a hot spring is and where they come from, which I sort of knew, but didn't really know (if that makes sense!). There are multiple cautions in the book's beginning as well, including being aware of the elderly and children as they are more easily burned in hot springs, altitude sickness if you're not used to the elevations, and proper hydration (drinking plenty of water before and after visiting the springs). Beautiful photos accompany the detailed locations. Once again, details such as location, GPS coordinates, whom to contact, when to visit, and more are easily found for each Hot Spring. I've never been to the hot springs (at least not that I can remember...) and definitely hope to enjoy one or two while Larry and I are in Colorado next spring.
Two more guides were offered to me for review for Spokane, Washington. I've only been to Spokane once, more than 20 years ago now. These two guides are along the same as the Colorado guides.
"Best Easy Day Hikes: Spokane/Coeur d'Alene" has detailed maps and information about the different locations available to hike at. Information includes watching out for critters, GPS coordinates, and taking your pets if it is allowed. Since Larry and I have dogs, this would be a fun day trip for all of us to enjoy. Just be sure to always keep your own critters on a leash with you so they don't run off and hurt themselves or others. We would have to camp overnight along various routes in order to make a hiking trip to Spokane worth our while, but since Larry and I love being out of doors, this would not be a problem!
"Best Hikes Spokane: The Greatest Views, Lakes, and Rivers" is full of detailed maps and full-color photos of each area. Hikes are set up in the guide by area. The details are much like the other guides I've mentioned and include GPS, how to get to where you're going, home to contact if you need more information and accommodations as necessary. I love the pictures! Being an avid outdoor photographer, I'd love to take a trip up to the area and photograph it.
I'm excited to try some of these hikes and things to do! I hope you'll buy the books so you can take some fun trips and make memories with your loved ones. For, as Clint Eastwood said, "Tomorrow is promised to no one." Don't forget to like and share! And subscribe to my email list to get updates in your inbox!
I was given the opportunity to review some other books recently, and having grown up in Colorado, I was eager to take a peek! Larry (my hubby) and I love being outdoors, and we are hoping to be able to travel full time in the semi-near future. Larry is finishing up his Bachelor's Degree in Communications next spring, and is attending Colorado State University Global Campus to do so. I have wanted to take him to Colorado and down a trip down my memory lane for some time now, and since he will finish next year, this will be a perfect time so he can walk for his graduation! I'm hoping these guides will help us to make some awesome memories while we're there!
"Best Easy Day Hikes: Colorado Springs" let's you know right in the beginning that hiking should be for fun, but that you really need to make sure you're prepared. Drink lots of water, wear good shoes, be prepared (like the Scouts!) for the weather (I remember having all four seasons in a day sometimes!), and more. They also mention Leave No Trace, which basically mean that you pack it in, you pack it back out, and not taking any souvenirs such as flowers. "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints." The guide gives a map and legend for each hike, and includes the details such as elevation, mileage, and GPS coordinates. This would be a fun time to also check out the Geocaching website to see if any cashes are available to find! All in all, a very informative book to keep handy, especially at only 4"x6", meaning you could pop it in your day pack for your hiking pleasures!
"Gold Panning Colorado: A Guide to the State's Best Sites for Gold" is a fun little treasure! The guide starts off by telling you step-by-step how to pan for gold. Never having done this, even when I lived in Colorado, I found it fun and interesting to learn. I'm hoping that Larry and I can try it out next year when we head over to Colorado. There are many wonderful, full-color photos throughout the entire book. Each section highlights a different area in which to pan, and gives detailed information about the place including elevation, GPS coordinates, tools you need, the type of vehicle you'll need to get there, and accommodations such as little to no shade if you decide to camp there. There are also maps showing you how to get to each area as well. Very informative guide to have around! This book is about 5"x8", so still not that large and easily carried! It also gives information about different tours of some of the Colorado Mines. That would be interesting, but I'm not sure if I could handle some of those spaces... I'm rather claustrophobic!
"Touring Colorado Hot Springs" gives detailed information about the different hot springs you can find in Colorado. There is a list right at the beginning of the book telling you each Spring name and a map to locate them all. The guide gives a neat introduction to what a hot spring is and where they come from, which I sort of knew, but didn't really know (if that makes sense!). There are multiple cautions in the book's beginning as well, including being aware of the elderly and children as they are more easily burned in hot springs, altitude sickness if you're not used to the elevations, and proper hydration (drinking plenty of water before and after visiting the springs). Beautiful photos accompany the detailed locations. Once again, details such as location, GPS coordinates, whom to contact, when to visit, and more are easily found for each Hot Spring. I've never been to the hot springs (at least not that I can remember...) and definitely hope to enjoy one or two while Larry and I are in Colorado next spring.
Two more guides were offered to me for review for Spokane, Washington. I've only been to Spokane once, more than 20 years ago now. These two guides are along the same as the Colorado guides.
"Best Easy Day Hikes: Spokane/Coeur d'Alene" has detailed maps and information about the different locations available to hike at. Information includes watching out for critters, GPS coordinates, and taking your pets if it is allowed. Since Larry and I have dogs, this would be a fun day trip for all of us to enjoy. Just be sure to always keep your own critters on a leash with you so they don't run off and hurt themselves or others. We would have to camp overnight along various routes in order to make a hiking trip to Spokane worth our while, but since Larry and I love being out of doors, this would not be a problem!
"Best Hikes Spokane: The Greatest Views, Lakes, and Rivers" is full of detailed maps and full-color photos of each area. Hikes are set up in the guide by area. The details are much like the other guides I've mentioned and include GPS, how to get to where you're going, home to contact if you need more information and accommodations as necessary. I love the pictures! Being an avid outdoor photographer, I'd love to take a trip up to the area and photograph it.
I'm excited to try some of these hikes and things to do! I hope you'll buy the books so you can take some fun trips and make memories with your loved ones. For, as Clint Eastwood said, "Tomorrow is promised to no one." Don't forget to like and share! And subscribe to my email list to get updates in your inbox!
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