Adventures Outdoors Travel

A series of chance incidents diverted Bruce Comstock from a career in teaching economics into a life of ballooning adventures. Not content with just enjoying flying with friends, for the following 35 years he won championships, guided the early development of the sport, resurrected Ballooning Magazine, set world records, built a major balloon manufacturing company, created the autopilot that made possible the first solo nonstop balloon flight around the world, and made many remarkable balloon flights.

In 2008, Lynn Barber's passion for birding led her to drive, fly, sail, walk, stalk, and sit in search of birds in 25 states and three provinces. Traveling more than 175,000 miles, she set a 21st century record at the time, second to only one other person in history. Over 272 days, Barber observed 723 species of birds in North America north of Mexico.

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.

Like her 2011 book of a similarly-epic long trek around Lake Michigan, this grand hike on the shores of five magnificent bodies of freshwater explores the natural and human history of the Great Lakes, while raising important questions about preserving our wild places and protecting fragile ecosystems on which we all depend.

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.

In 2009, Loreen Niewenhuis walked completely around Lake Michigan. This audiobook chronicles that journey, a 1,000-mile walk around the world's fifth-largest lake. The audiobook explores both the geology of the lake and the measure of a person - a woman, married, mother of two sons (who joined her for portions of the walk). But most of the walk was done solo, an adventure in discovery of self and place. Niewenhuis conveys a sense of the magnitude of the lake she loves, a place so elemental to the four Midwestern states that form its shores.

A Speck on the Sea chronicles the greatest ocean voyages attempted in the littlest boats.

Sticky Buns Across America is the story of one of the four continents and one of the countries Woodland has crossed by bike, this time with patient wife Steph: a tale of riding across small-town America (and occasional bits of Canada, although to Americans that doesn't count). It's not a tale of heroic battling with storms, riots, poison ivy, Americans, and other problems. Instead, sit back and enjoy an eccentric account of encounters made and experiences lived. Plus, it has to be admitted, a lot of sticky buns eaten.

Boat Girl is the heartbreaking memoir of growing up aboard a sailboat. Throughout the 1980's and 90's, Melanie's family lived aboard a 47-foot sailboat, spending their summers along the US East Coast and their winters in the Bahamas. But the cruising life was not all fun in the sun. The family had to work hard to pay for their way of life. They dodged hurricanes, overzealous federal agents and bullying land-kids. And they endured a boatload of family drama.

If bikepacking is on your bucket list, then combine Live Your Bucket List with Cycling King Alfred's Way in this box set. What’s it really like to cycle King Alfred’s Way? Is it a piece of cake, or rather harder than that?

From the High Sierra to the Adirondacks and the Everglades, Dan White travels the nation to experience firsthand - and sometimes face-first - how the American wilderness transformed from the devil's playground into a source of adventure, relaxation, and renewal. Whether he's camping nude in cougar country, being attacked by wildlife while "glamping", or crashing a girls-only adventure for urban teens, White seeks to animate the evolution of outdoor recreation.

Have you been trying to turn your passion for RVing into a full-time lifestyle? People all around the world have turned away from conventional standards of living and embraced the call of the open road - living and exploring full time in their RV's all without changing their standard of living. And now with this book, you can, too!

Zane Grey, known and loved primarily for his Western novels, was an avid fisherman. When his writing started paying off, he managed to spend as many as three hundred days a year enjoying the sport. And while he is remembered for his record-breaking catches, such as the 464-pound marlin caught off the coast of Tahiti, Zane Grey also enjoyed freshwater fishing for bass, trout, steelhead, and salmon. In Tales of Freshwater Fishing, Grey recounts his expeditions on the Delaware River, off the West Coast of the United States, and in British Columbia.

When not writing his famous Western novels, Zane Grey was an insatiable angler. Tales of Southern Rivers recounts his tales of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Keys, the Everglades, and on remote rivers in the jungles of Mexico. With many of these venues being some of today's most popular saltwater fly-fishing destinations, no one will want to miss these highly entertaining and informative stories. Armchair fishing will never be the same.

New Zealand is one of the "hot" fly-fishing spots in the world today, known for brilliant, crystal clear rivers. Zane Grey's account of his adventure in New Zealand conjures up images of huge and mythic trout. In Tales of the Angler's Eldorado, he describes fishing these now legendary streams as well as his pursuit of huge swordfish off the coast of the New Zealand shores. It's both a fishing story and adventure story from one of America's favorite storytellers.

The Red Bull X-Alps is the world's most extreme race. With only a paraglider and a pair of hiking boots athletes attempt to cross the Alps from Salzburg in Austria to Monaco. In this book, British athlete Jon Chambers brings you even closer to the action and reveals his personal story of his 2011 race. In doing so he reveals the harsh reality of what it takes to compete in this uniquely demanding challenge: the physical and mental hardship, equipment, extreme conditions, strategic thinking and lucky escapes.

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.

The Chomolungma Diaries is a true story of ordinary people climbing Mount Everest with a commercial expedition, and preparing for the biggest day of their lives. Imagine your life clipped into a narrow line of cord five miles above the Earth, on the world’s most terrifying ridge walk. This book will bring you just a little bit closer to that experience.

In April 2019 after fishing for 40 years, Capt. Wild Bill sat down and wrote Fishing Gods. He takes you from the moment he was born on a boat in Port Aransas, Texas, to all of his fishing adventures explaining how he learned to conquer fishing until the day he ultimately transformed into a Fishing God.

Told with humor and wit, Scraping Pegs is a bold narrative; including “rules” to help you survive the art of riding and life. Press an experienced rider beyond their glory stories, and they’ll tell you about the miles of nothingness. While showing off their road rash, they may share special moments, cruising down the road to joy, accelerating out of a corner, riding across desert sand, or up a mountain trail.