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Best Sellers | | Home Backroads of the Texas Hill Country: Your Guide to the Most Scenic Adventures | |
|  | |  | | | Backroads of the Texas Hill Country: Your Guide to the Most Scenic Adventures | | | | | SKU:
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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | Texas has hill country? Who knew? Well, the Lonely Planet guide to Texas, which calls the Hill Country “rightfully one of the state’s biggest tourist draws . . . an area of gently rolling hills and valleys freckled with cacti and cattle ranches, lined with rivers and dotted with peaceful, picturesque little towns.” And any self-respecting Texan might know as much. Forty miles west of Austin and fifty north of San Antonio, the Hill Country is within an easy drive of two of the state’s biggest cities, putting back-country quiet and beauty within reach of countless urban dwellers seeking respite. This book brings the remarkable Hill Country of Texas home to the back roads traveler. Whether it’s wildflowers you’re drawn to, or dude ranches, natural areas, historic sites, or quaint Texas towns redolent of history, this is your passport to an experience like no other. Backroads of the Texas Hill Country introduces travelers and armchair tourists alike to the emerging wine country of the Lone Star State, the meticulously preserved culture of East European immigrants, the “cowboy capital of the world” (Bandera), and the childhood home of LBJ at Johnson City. Follow this irresistible guide into the Hill Country, and find yourself deep in the heart of Texas.
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Gary Clark | | Paperback: | 160 pages | | Publisher: | Voyageur Press | | Publication Date: | November 24, 2008 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0760326908 | | Product Width: | 2.12 centimeters | | Product Height: | 2.75 centimeters | | Product Weight: | 0.01 pounds | | Package Length: | 10.87 inches | | Package Width: | 8.5 inches | | Package Height: | 0.55 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.45 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 15 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 15 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 29 found the following review helpful:
 Not what I expected Sep 01, 2010
By Wanderer
I was convinced to purchase this book by all the positive reviews, but I was very disappointed when it arrived. I guess this is what many people want from a "backroads" book, but to me, "backroads" doesn't mean the main highways. I love to explore the actual backroads of the Texas Hill Country, and there are so many that I thought I could pick up some good suggestions from this book. But the authors never leave a main highway, and the routes discussed are all the main, popular, well-traveled routes that don't require a book for exploration. Never once does the book even leave a primary, paved highway, which is no way to see the Texas Hill Country. The photography is very nice, but the sights that are photographed are all very commonplace and frequently visited. This looked more like an excuse to showcase the authors' photography than a book about the interesting backroads of central Texas, and the seldom-seen delights that they contain. I just wish they had titled it more accurately: "Selected Highways of the Texas Hill Country: A Photographic Essay".
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 Glossy guide Mar 11, 2009
By A photographer
The Texas Hill Country is one of my favorite places. I've been visiting there for a number of years and I haven't scratched the surface yet. It's always a pleasure to return and, when I return again soon, I will bring this fine guide. Combined with the MAPSCO "Roads of Texas", you can get lost in the countryside but still find your back to your homebase before dark. It's a big area to explore so you need good guides like these two books.
I haven't finished reading this book yet but I have skimmed through most of the sections. It's a good overview of the major areas with suggested sites of interest. I like the way the author describes the drives between points with suggestions like, "Best to take this road in the morning with the sun behind you as opposed to late afternoon with the setting sun blazing in your face." Useful information, well thought out.
As a photographer myself, I immediately studied the photos from cover to cover. Many of the photos are of places that have a fond familiarity to me. I do have one problem with the photo presentation of this book. That is the lack of photos of people. The Hill Country has live music and dancing, year-round festivals celebrating everything you can imagine and large cities as well as smaller towns full of interesting people engaging in interesting activities. The pictures here are almost all devoid of humanity. Even the photos of the Riverwalk in San Antonio have no people on the streets. That is sort of disconcerting and the main reason I can't give this book more than 4 stars.
Once your interest in the Hill Country gets you there, you should visit some of the bookshops in the area towns. There are various local histories and guidebooks that are informative. In addition, there is a highway map of the area available locally that shows areas of historical interest and landmarks. This map is highly recommended for your meanderings.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Great Read with Great Photos Jan 19, 2009
By Patti A. Edens
Backroads of the Texas Hill Country is a wonderful travel guide, but it is so much more. It is packed with the old and the new, the rich history of Texas and the great views, diners, shops and more that are ready to be explored in the here and now.
The book is organized into six distinct regions with several scenic journeys within each region. The maps show you where to drive, but the photos and the text tell you what has been there before you and what is waiting for you now.
I'll be honest. Being a big fan of Kathy Adams Clark's photography, I bought the book for the photos. But, I knew all along that I would inevitably be lost in the prose that Gary Clark weaves into all of the books that he and Kathy have done. This one was no exception.
Having been born and raised in Texas, I thought I knew our history well, but I learned plenty of eye-opening bits of history about my State and its people as well as some interesting geology to explain some of that history. I have never cared for history books. I've always found them to be dry and boring - just the facts ma'am. This is not so when written by Gary. Texas comes alive in this book and every little journey is sprinkled with the true spirit of Texas and Texans - Big, Bold, Proud and Humble at the same time, Generous, Hospitable and the list goes on.
The photographs, as expected, are absolutely stunning. I found myself staring at some and wishing I was on the other side of the camera seeing this beautiful vista or butterfly or quaint old building. A favorite is of the San Antonio Riverwalk. The brightly colored umbrellas lining one side of the meandering walk grab the viewer's eyes and demand attention. They lead the eye down the path ending in a curve and leave the viewer wondering just what is around that bend. Kathy has a special talent for knowing when to zoom in and show us the gritty detail in the shadows of that mission wall and when to step back and divulge the vastness of Texas with a wide landscape of the rolling hills.
This book is well worth the price of admission. It is a great read, has many wonderful photographs and will be a well cherished reference book for your travels in the great State of Texas.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Great Planner for Weekend Get-Aways May 12, 2009
By B. Clark
This book helped to open my eyes to all that central Texas has to offer. It's great for planning weekend get-aways, short family vacations or mini road trips. All should pick up this book to add a little adventure into their lives and come to see all what central Texas has hidden.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A Travel Guide and so Much More Feb 04, 2009
By George Fortney
I liked this book so much I purchased three additional copies at Amazon to give as gifts for my three grown children at Christmas. This book feels like Texas! It is chocked full of travel information, history, geology, nature, and beautiful pictures. In short it makes you want to jump in your car and take a jaunt around the Texas hill country. Gary and Kathy do a great job of making you feel like you are there with them. Gary's writing style is easy to follow and packed full of great insights into why the places he is describing are interesting and why you should experience them for yourself.
My biggest problem with the book is that I live so far from the hill country (in Houston), that it will take me a long time to accomplish the goal of retracing the routes so accurately described in the book. Not only that, but I have to visit them over and over at different times of the year and in different seasons to truly enjoy and experience it all.
Gary and Kathy are seasoned hill country travelers and they do a great job of trying to make the reader one too. It's the next best thing to being there!
I whole-heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves Texas. Especially to those who plan to travel the hill country either for a weekend or a full-scale vacation. If you don't love Texas before you begin your journey, I'm sure you will by the time you end it.
See all 15 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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