The writing is clear, and the facts are right (I find plenty of travel books full of errors). The maps are excellent, tailor-made for each loop. And the photography is, well, National Geographic quality.

There isn't a lot of information about the places mentioned - take along a Moon Handbook for that. I use these mainly as planning and idea guides. The loops are very well worked out - if you follow them you won't miss much of importance. Conceivably you could take every loop in a book, covering the twenty or so trips in about six weeks. Let's see, twelve books at six weeks each, a week off in betwen each region, that's about a year and a half to see the U.S. and Canada. I'd do it if I had the chance!

Of the West

Canada , by Katherine Ashenburg, Alison Kahn, Jeremy Schmidt, Thomas Schmidt, photographed by Michael Lewis, Pierre St. Jacques

Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington, and Alaska , by Bob Devine, photographed by Phil Schofield

The Rockies: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado , by Thomas Schmidt, photographed by Michael Lewis

California: and Nevada and Hawaii

Southwest: Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, by Mark Miller, photographed by Danny Lehman

Others in the Series

Washington, D.C.: and Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, by K.M. Kostyal, photographed by Pete Souza

New York: and Pennsylvania and New Jersey, by Randall Peffer, photographed by Pete Souza

New England: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, by Kay and William G. Scheller, photographed by Shawn G. Henry and Vincent J. Musi

Great Lakes: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, by Geoffrey O'Gara, photographed by Layne Kennedy

Florida: and Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky, by John M. Thompson, photographed by Raymond Gehman

The Heartland: Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota

Texas: and Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, by Mel White, photographed by Danny Lehman