Sports Travel

At middle age, Herb and Nancy Payson decided they needed a change. Why not give up life on shore, quit their jobs in the smoky nightclubs of Los Angeles, and take up the cruising life? In Sea Foam, their 36-foot ketch, the Paysons and their large brood of teenage children cruised the Pacific for six and a half years. They experienced a certain amount of stark terror, but their delights far outbalanced the drawbacks. This special 35th anniversary edition is enhanced with a foreword by Lin Pardey, plus Herb's reflections on how cruising affected his children and his relationship with his determined, lifelong partner/wife Nancy.

Fed up with questions about what he was going to do when he retired, Edward decided to get on his bicycle and ride from Le Havre to the Mediterranean. He struggled in Normandy to get directions from old men tipsy on Calvados by 9 am, passed by prairies of corn and acres of sunflowers, and hit his stride on the towpath of the Burgundy canal. He explored the mystery of what an ouvrier eats for lunch, and was barred from a swimming pool because his trunks were too decent.

A true story of courage and survival, South to Alaska carries listeners from the heartland of America to the last frontier... the hard way. Born in the dusty heart of Oklahoma in 1916, 10-year-old Melvin sees a photograph of a cabin in the Alaska wilderness in his fourth-grade geography book and dreams of living there. Nearly 50 years later he builds a 47-foot boat in his Arkansas backyard, launches it on the Arkansas River, and cruises 10,000 miles to Alaska by way of the Panama Canal. Melvin has never been south of the United States/Mexico border.

I climbed into my orange plastic Kayak and zoomed off to the green shallows of Young Cove. Just what is it that makes paddling this waterway such pleasure? Sometimes I think it is the kayak music. That is the musical sound of the hull traveling through the water on a quiet day. It is constantly changing and it is always calming to me.

An anthology of his best profiles and articles, including first person accounts of sailing in such classic events as the Sydney-Hobart Race and rounding Cape Horn, Gone to the Sea is an eclectic collection of stories that range from a prophetic cruise with his daughter; to an in-depth post mortem of solo sailor Mike Plant s final, mysterious voyage; to what it's really like to spend a hectic day with Americas Cup legend Dennis Conner.

This brings you the most detailed information you will find on hiking trails on these islands. From easy walks along sandy beaches to rugged overnight hikes to quick uphill treks with stunning vistas en route, this guide has something to suit every member of your family. Walking times for each hike are given, along with descriptions of the route. Points of interest are highlighted, including plant and animal life you might see.

Cathy has captured the drama of her Everest climbs, her passion for the challenge of climbing mountains, and her love for wild places in this story of her four attempts on the mountain. Cathy tries to answer the question of why, if climbing Everest can be so dangerous, people still want to do it.

Based on the 506-page full guide to the great American national parks, how to avoid the crowds, walking tours, facilities, and how to get there, this audio edition focuses on the major parks of California: Death Valley, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Sequoia, King's Canyon, and Yosemite. This audiobook includes information on accommodations and dining, camping and tours.

Science magazine describes the Pascagoula River of southeast Mississippi as the last unaltered large river system in the lower 48 states and southern Canada. Along its banks and watershed, 600,000 acres of public lands - wildlife management areas, national forest, wilderness areas, national wildlife refuges, Nature Conservancy preserves - ensure the creation of a tremendous natural river system.

As Ellie’s 50th birthday approaches and her ambitions of a steady income, a successful career and an ascent of Everest seem as far away as ever, she begins to doubt she’s capable of achieving anything at all. So when her best friend Mick suggests a gruelling cycle ride from Land’s End to John o’Groats, she takes up the challenge. They opt for the scenic route which takes them along cycle paths, towpaths and the back roads and byways of Britain, unable to resist sampling beers in the pubs they pass along the way.

From the shady depths of Yosemite Valley to the top of 14,505-foot Mount Whitney through some of the most treacherous and starkly beautiful terrain on the planet, this memoir is both a thrilling adventure (complete with bear encounters and snowstorms) as well as a poignant look into the mind and spirit of an athlete who is nothing if not human.

Solo circumnavigation of the globe. Fewer than 300 sailors in history have accomplished it, less than the number of people who have climbed Mt. Everest, or even those who have gone to space. In 1990, Istvan Kopar set out to earn his place among this elite fraternity - and to do so with only one stop.

Kayaking at night has its rewards and hazards. I have noticed that when you master a sport, you eventually want to challenge yourself. Sooner or later you end up doing it at night. Low visibility takes a sport and turns it into an extremely isolating, yet empowering, experience. My life and joy for living are in only my hands. I must make peace with God, silence my personal fears, then embrace life to its fullest. This is the pleasure I have found in kayaking at night.

Most people at some point long to escape - from the weather, the commute, the routine. Sailing off in a 40-foot boat called Voyager comes at a price, however. Indeed, for David and Sandra Clayton it meant selling their house and possessions with a lifetime's collection of memories and emotions attached to them. But the result proved life-enhancing. With her eye for detail and vivid descriptions, Sandra carries the listener with her through some of the Mediterranean's loveliest islands.

From easy walks along sandy beaches to rugged overnight hikes to quick uphill treks with stunning vistas en route, this guide has something to suit every member of your family. Walking times for each hike are given, along with descriptions of the route. Points of interest are highlighted, including plant and animal life you might see. An introduction to each island offers tidbits of the island's history, tourist information offices, air travel details, and hiking organizations you can contact ahead of time.

In the long hot summer of '88, the author packed up his motorcycle and pulled out of the garage with no destination or return date in mind. The year 1988 would prove to be the worst drought since the dustbowl of the 1930s. Yellowstone would burn, Ronald Reagan would shake his fist at the Evil Empire, and the author, oblivious to it all, hit the road and never looked back. That trip would consume the entire summer, logging over 12,000 miles from sea to sea and back.

This short piece outlines the adventures I had both in the air and on the sea. My travels took me on a flying safari across Australia and cruising around the coasts of Tasmania and New Zealand's South Island. Both spectacular, breathtaking places in their own rights. Let me tell you, the rewards outstripped the risks by a long way.

Is your budget getting crunched these days? Do you want to fill the freezer with the food doctors recommend the most? Then get busy fishing...and more importantly, CATCHING, as Cap'n Larry Jarboe says. Larry will show you all of his time-tested tricks for deluding fish enough to jump right on your hook and in some cases, just jump out of the water and into your boat.

Todd and Sheryl Sullivan writing as Tssully share their adventures while fishing in the Huron-Erie corridor of the Great Lakes. Novice and experienced fishermen alike will both enjoy their successes and failures and the learning experience that comes along with it, while fishing for multiple species. Whether you enjoy fishing in a lake or river environment, the listener can pick up some new techniques by following them along on their journey.

Rescue offers riveting stories about what happens when things go terribly wrong in some of the world's most perilous places: Himalayan peaks, African plains, vast oceans, remote Arctic wilderness. The result is a collection of first-rate prose read by masterful narrators that makes for compulsive listening.