Death Valley and the Northern Mojave: A Visitor's Guide

Customer Reviews:

Good as an introduction to death valley.......2006-11-28

I recently visited Death Valley and relied heavily on this book for planning my trip. Its divided into two halves, with the second half dealing with Death Valley and the first part with the rest of the mojave desert. It covers most of the star attractions within the park, along with some phenomenal pictures. If you are visiting Death Valley for the first time, this book is indispensible. However, I would have like to see more of the "off beaten path" attractions... for ex. I couldn't find information on such places as Falls Canyon. This is the reason for the 4 stars. Nevertheless, this book is a very good starting point for your first trip to DV.

An exemplary guide to an unfamiliar place.......2004-06-25

This is a most worthy companion to the visitor's guide to CALIFORNIA'S EASTERN SIERRA, previously reviewed by this writer. Written in the same clear, direct, organized style, and similarly divided into sectional analyses of various attractions and history, this guide also has the same outstanding color photography.

It is difficult to sufficiently praise the clear travel directions given to find each discussed attraction. Not only directions, but anticipated road conditions, are set forth at the conclusion of the section addressing each feature.

As you will discern, Death Valley should have been made a National Park a long time ago. It is the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America. It has recent volcanoes, enormous sand dunes, totally indigenous wildlife, great mineral deposits, a playa where the stones move about from unknown forces (called the Recetrack), marvelously beautiful rock formations and salt flats, and even a castle. Each is discussed in riveting detail that beckons the reader to come there.

You will also read about the history of Death Valley, including marooned pioneers, borax mining and the twenty-mule-team methods of transporting out the borax, old ghost towns, etc, etc. Each section is endlessly fascinating.

The book also takes the reader to many facinating areas outside Death Valley, including the now-dry Searles Lake, with its eroded towers of tufa resembling a city, the Pamamint Range bordering Death Valley, various canyons, and even a waterfall in the desert. You will repeatedly enjoy vicariously wandering this enormous, desolate, but incredibly beautiful and peaceful region.

There is some small overlapping between this book and EASTERN SIERRA, but the effect is magnify the fascinating nature of the regions, and not too distract or bore the reader.

I recommend purchase of both guides before taking any trip to these areas. Reading the guides first and during the trips will increase your enjoyment and understanding manyfold, and help tremendously in planning the trip.

Needless to say, both books are recommended to the hilt.

A beautiful and informative read !.......2004-02-09

This book is a wealth of amazing information for anyone from a photographer to someone wanting to know more about the history of this amazing area of the United States. The photos are up-to date (no 1970 fuzzy poor quality images) and the read is nicely paced.

Quotes from those that founded this land, history about the ages of the stone and rock types found here. Lots of info on the animals, plant life and the story behind many if not all of the ghosts towns that are found here (one used to have around 10,000 people living there but shrunk to 1 in less than 10 years).

Of course on top of all this history and images, are descriptions of each area of the Death Valley National Park and what to see in each area (along with driving instructions).

Book Description

David Sundstrand has written a thriller with all the suspense and terror of the roughest big city and set it against the harsh background of the vast Mojave Desert, where it is possible to kill a man simply by abandoning him without water or shoes. At the center of Sundstrands stirring tale is Francisco Flynn, son of an Irish railroad man and a woman of the Paiute tribe. Flynn is an officer in Land Management but has more concern for the deserts threatened animal life. He hates the wealthy sportsmen who hire poverty-stricken Indian guides to lead them to the sheep they can shoot for trophy heads to hang on their walls. Sundstrand slowly pulls together the ominous connections between the human and animal deaths and the sudden appearances and disappearances of a man on a Harley who could be the devil himself.

Customer Reviews:

Rich characters.......2007-02-20

Francisco "Frank" Flynn is an officer with the Land Management. He's the son of an Irishman and a half-Mexican and half-Paiute Indian. His passion is the animal life of the Mohave Desert.

When he finds a man who has been recently murdered, he becomes suspicious. It's not unusual for someone to die in the desert, but this corpse has no shoes or canteen. Later, Frank learns that some bikers are searching for a missing friend. He believes the dead man is the biker the men are looking for.

Frank loathes the bikers and is determined to rid the desert of this human danger. He and reporter Linda Reyes look into the man's unusual death, and as a result, danger begins seeking them.

I love the character of Frank. His passion runs true and deep, his voice strong, his determination is fierce. The supporting characters are richly drawn and you love to hate the bad guys. The plot is delicious and you'll find yourself turning the pages and losing track of time.

Armchair Interviews says: Sundstrand's debut novel, Shadow of the Raven, is a winner.

fabulous whodunit .......2007-02-07

On his off day, Bureau of Land Management officer Francisco "Frank" Flynn plans to spend time enjoying the bighorn sheep wandering the Mohave Desert; but to his chagrin for the third time in six months he has found a desiccated corpse whose eyes and nose were dessert for ravens. Frank assumes the dead man was probably a poacher or a sportsman. However, he finds it odd that the deceased has no boots or any footwear even as he calls it in to his superior at the BLM.

Frank is disgusted with the Inyo County Sheriff's Department who sent morons into the desert. He soon joins with local reporter Linda Reyes to investigate what happened to the victim with no shoes or evidence of a water container nearby. At the same time they look around beyond the sheriff's designated "crime scene" ring to other keys spots like a watering hole, three of the four Miller brothers (Roy, Hickey and Jason) look for their missing sibling Donnie. When Roy learns that Donnie is dead, assuming half-breed Frank is an impoverished illegal guide, he forces him to escort the threesome into a desert canyon so they can kill the hunter who he believes murdered his sibling.

SHADOW OF THE RAVEN is a fabulous whodunit starring Frank, a fabulous lead character who fits in so well in the rugged terrain; he makes the tale though the support cast at BLM, the sheriff's department, the reporter and the low life Millers enhance understanding of him and of the desert. Fans of Joe Picket will fully appreciate this descriptive suspense filled mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Hiking California's Desert Parks, 2nd: A Guide to the Greatest Hiking Adventures in Anza-Borrego, Joshua Tree, Mojave, and Death Valley (Regional Hiking Series)

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Hiking Opportunities in Southern California's Desert Wilderness

Hiking California's Desert Parks, 2nd: A Guide to the Greatest Hiking Adventures in Anza-Borrego, Joshua Tree, Mojave, and Death Valley (Regional Hiking Series)
Bill Cunningham , and Polly Cunningham
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0762735457

Book Description

Features 114 hikes of all levels in four California Desert Parks; Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Joshua Tree and Death Valley national parks, and Mojave National Preserve.

Customer Reviews:

Hiking Opportunities in Southern California's Desert Wilderness.......2006-09-11

I have a real fondness for books by Bill and Polly Cunningham. Their 'Best Easy Dayhikes: Anza Borrego' introduced me to desert hiking and has left me with an abiding love of California's desert regions. The off season recreational opportunities in these areas: Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks, the Mojave National Preserve, and Anza Borrego State Parks are seemingly endless and this book provides a good introduction to these places. The 114 hikes described in this book range in length from short leg stretchers of 1/4 mile (or less) to all day rambles over difficult terrain from 10 to 16 miles. Each hike description includes a list of key points, mileage between these points, a hypsometric map (GPS compatible) and decent black and white photographs of the area.

Although I like the book, I have a few concerns. I'm not sure the authors rechecked every trail from the first edition. Had they done so, they might have noticed that Squaw Peak and Pond (in Agua Caliente County Parks) have had name changes to accomodate the politically correct crowd. Also, I have twice hiked Mountain Palm Springs Canyon in the last year and failed to note the cutoff trail sign for Indian Gorge. But aside from those minor errors, my major concern is that this book really doesn't provide a comprehensive view of all the desert has to offer. The author's narrow view of "parks" precludes them from discussing the many recreational opportunities in county and state parks in the Imperial Valley and around Palm Springs. Hikers seeking coverage of these areas as well should look at John McKinney's books or to regional hiking guides. Nonetheless, if you are planning a visit to Joshua Tree, Death Valley, the Mojave or Anza Borrego this is an excellent book to get. The authors made a desert rat out of me and they can do the same for you if you give them half a chance.

Mojave Desert Wildflowers: A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Mojave Desert, Including the Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park

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Extremely Easy To Use
Beautiful pix, helpful text
Great book
A Gorgeous, Informative, Sturdy Field Guide
Beautiful Book!

Mojave Desert Wildflowers: A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Mojave Desert, Including the Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park
Pam MacKay
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0762711620

Book Description

The Mojave Desert eco-region extends from eastern California to northwestern Arizona, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah, and boasts plant communities as diverse as alkali sinks, dune systems, Joshua tree woodland, pinyon juniper woodland, mixed mojave scrub, and even riparian woodland. Mojave Desert Wildflowers will be appreciated not only by amateur wildflower enthusiasts, but experts will also find the detailed photographs and charts useful in distinguishing among similar species in difficult groups. Species are arranged by color and plant family for easy identification. This guide features 300 of the common species, full-color photographs, detailed descriptions, information on bloom season, and interesting facts about each plant.

Customer Reviews:

Extremely Easy To Use.......2006-04-16

This is probably the easiest to use desert plant book I have (and I have eight that focus on desert plants in all). What it lacks in completeness, it more than makes up for in terms of ease of use. There is a picture for each plant and the plants are grouped according to flower color. So as long as the plant is in bloom, it's not too hard to find out what it is. This book does a great job of covering the plants you are most likely to come across which makes it a great book to thumb through in the field. If you are dealing with similar species within the same genus or rare plants, you'll probably want to get the Jepson guide.

Beautiful pix, helpful text.......2005-09-02

I love these Falcon guides mainly because of the lavish color illustrations. Every flower in the book has its own color picture, along with helpful descriptions. The front matter in this book includes all sorts of background material about the Mojave, along with the usual educational stuff about plant types, leaf distribution, etc. And the book is made to last -- if you take any care of it at all, it will last you forever.

Great book.......2005-02-12

Money well spent. We are ready for wildflower season! A lot of color pictures with good information. If you live in or near the Mojave Desert this is a valuable book.

A Gorgeous, Informative, Sturdy Field Guide.......2003-07-15

Pam MacKay's 'Mojave Desert Wildflowers' is a wonderfully informative & beautifully photographed guide to the wildflowers of the Mojave. This sturdy plastic-coated field guide contains over 300 gorgeous photos, finely detailed plant descriptions, and is virtually an introductory textbook on Mojave Desert ecology. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the Mojave Desert. The author lives & teaches in the Mojave and her dedication, attention to detail, and love of the desert are revealed on every page.

Jim Otterstrom

Beautiful Book!.......2003-05-15

This guide is so easy to use and the pictures are beautiful. I highly recommend this guide for first time wildflower enthusiasts!

Average customer rating:

The Desert Is Not A Wasteland

Mojave
Diane Siebert
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0064432831

Book Description

I am the desert.
I am free
Come walk the sweeping face of me.

Tumbleweeds bounce and roll along the ground. Lizards dart, tortoises creep, and snakes glide out of sight.The Mojave Desert is a special place. Its landscape is powerful and mesmerizing.

Here is an extraordinary celebration of this vast and ever-changing wonder for readers and nature lovers of all ages.

Customer Reviews:

The Desert Is Not A Wasteland.......2001-07-17

Mojave by Diane Siebert with beautiful paintings by Wendell Minor is an excellent book. The pair have collaborated on several books including this wonderful expositon on the Mojave Desert. Siebert's words do an excellent job at describing the ecology of the Mojave from the desert's point of view. The young reader will meet the landscapes, the rocks, the animals, the plants, the weather and the sounds of the desert. The paintings, with touches of Georgia O'Keefe and Andrew Wyeth, are simple evocations of the beauty of the desert. I often escape into the Mojave to get focused and I know first hand that the desert is a living, breathing place and not a wasteland. This book is a wonderful way for a young person to introduce themselves to the Mojave.

Zzyzx: History of an oasis, San Bernardino County, California (Desert studies contributed series)

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Zzyzx: History of an oasis, San Bernardino County, California (Desert studies contributed series)
Anne Q Duffield-Stoll
Manufacturer: Santa Susana Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006PG9EK

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late forties dry lake hot rodding

Birth of Hot Rodding
Robert Genat
Manufacturer: Motorbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0760313032

Book Description

Ford V8s, surplus wing tanks, weird fuels, treated tires, and anything-goes ingenuity created the California hot-rod culture on the dry lakes and salt flats in the 1930s. Author Robert Genat covers the hot rodding phenomenon including wild-catters on the salt flats and organized class racing of the Southern California Timing Association (1938) and up through the present day. Genat's insider view, illustrated with rare photographs (some never before published) of the SoCal scene in the 30s and 40s, puts the people and cars of the time and place into historical perspective and even includes the reopening of Edwards Air Force Base's flats to hot-rodders.

Customer Reviews:

late forties dry lake hot rodding.......2006-05-18

this is a real nice photo book of the late forties dry lake hot rod history. The numerous high quality (mostly in colour) pictures of this era give a real nice flavour. The pictures were taken by a professional photographer and it shows, this is not your fuzzy, discoloured family photo album. Together with the text (short stories from numerous participants of that era) gives this book a real good impression. Recommended.

Ecological Communities and Processes in a Mojave Desert Ecosystem

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Ecological Communities and Processes in a Mojave Desert Ecosystem
Philip W. Rundel , and Arthur C. Gibson
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521021413

Book Description

The Mojave Desert is a winter-rainfall desert, experiencing drought in the summer months and occasional rain during the cooler winter months. For many years it has attracted the attention of ecologists and conservation biologists concerned with maintaining the unique status of this region. This book provides a broad overview of plant and animal ecology in the Mojave Desert, with a focus on data from Rock Valley, Nevada. The data from many major research projects is organized into a synthesis describing community structure and dynamics in desert ecosystems.

Average customer rating:

Good ideas, sloppy editing

Mojave Desert Trails
Florine Lawlor
Manufacturer: Spotted Dog Press (CA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1893343030

Book Description

Just a jeep ride beyond the Las Vegas strip, where millions of tourists rarely think of yesterday, is the Mojave Road, blazed in 1775 by Padre Francisco Garces, and later traveled by thousands seeking their fortunes in California's fields of gold.

In her newest book, MOJAVE DESERT TRAILS, forty-year Las Vegas Sun columnist and fourth generation Las Vegas native, Florine Lawlor, author of OUT FROM LAS VEGAS: ADVENTURES A DAY AWAY, takes us to the magnificent MOJAVE DESERT between the Southern Sierra Nevada and Las Vegas.

MOJAVE DESERT TRAILS is Lawlor's guide to some of the most interesting geologic, historic and lesser known sites found in the MojaveÕs enchanting and remote landscape. Endless vistas, high-walled canyons carved by water and wind, Joshua tree forests, sand dunes, rugged mountains, abandoned settlements and a magnificent railroad depot await curious readers and weekend desert wanderers.

Readers will be able to find their way along the Mojave River at the site of what once was Camp Cady, a fort settled to protect travelers along the Santa Fe and Mormon Trails en route to San Bernardino and Los Angeles. They can camp amid the eroded volcanic formations of Rainbow Basin Natural National Landmark then drive the long loop through the charcoal-colored mesas of the Black Mountains Wilderness Area.

In Afton Canyon, they will find rare riparian habitat that provides some of the finest bird watching opportunities in the state while also serving as a gateway to the old Mojave Road.

Prospectors and miners left their marks in the land and mountains of the Mojave, with mine shafts and yawning glory holes. While some left with pockets full of gold, others lost everything, including their lives.

ItÕs all here in MOJAVE DESERT TRAILS, a must for any outdoor adventure seeker or the armchair traveler devoted to the rich history of the great American West.

"Florine Lawlor's Mojave Desert Trails"--a guide to sites accessible by paved roads, graded roads and old mining tracks--should appeal to anyone who loves "our" desert: from the hardiest adventurer to readers whose notion of four-wheel drive is a pastry cart."
Stuart Kellogg, Daily Press, Victorville, California

Customer Reviews:

Good ideas, sloppy editing.......2005-09-02

There are a lot of good ideas here, each of which is given a page and a half, plus driving directions. Unfortunately the editing is sloppy throughout: You'll be reading along, happily fantasizing about some desert destination, and come across a clunker of a misplaced word or phrase that makes you wonder if anyone read the author's words before slapping them into a book.

There are also a few very basic maps that more or less cover the spots mentioned, but again no one took a look at the whole package before putting the book into print. The maps are sprinkled around in a way that must have pleased someone, and some of them even have helpful numbers attached to each destination. Unfortunately these numbers don't match anything else in the book -- they're never referred to again.

Sloppy editing and presentation aside, there's plenty here for the price, including a B&W photo for each destination and some color ones on the cover. And there's even an index, which is a great touch. When all's said and done, I'm going to buy Lawlor's "Out from Las Vegas" next; her love for the desert shines through it all.

Guide to the east Mojave heritage trail: Rocky Ridge to Fenner (Tales of the Mojave Road)

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Guide to the east Mojave heritage trail: Rocky Ridge to Fenner (Tales of the Mojave Road)
Dennis G Casebier
Manufacturer: Tales of the Mojave Road Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 0914224174

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I am the desert. I am free Come walk the sweeping face of me.

I am the desert.
I am free
Come walk the sweeping face of me.