Oregon Handbook

I purchased and fully read the book for the purpose of preparing me for a recent two week trip to look over Oregon before a possible move there. The authors provide good quantity and quality of information about everything from history to permits to make-up of modern Oregon. If a reader purchased this book as his overall primer prior to travelling Oregon, he would do well. If one is interested in specific activities such as camping or fishing, there are better books. My only criticism is that although needed information is pretty much in this book, I had to do a lot of reading to get it rather than be able to look at the table of contents and pick my subjects. I would have liked, for example, a section just on camping and an explanation of free facilities like most state parks and about the permits required and where attainable for federal forests and other areas. The information is in the book; you just have to dig for it a bit. Overall, I am glad I purchased this book.

This guide offers Moon's usual comprehensive treatment of local histories and sightseeing details. Despite some awkward English, it is generally reliable and reasonably complete.After some perusing it becomes clear what is a major interest, even passion, of the authors and apparently a subject of extensive research by them - food. In every town, ample attention is given to restaurants, listing appetizers, main courses, desserts, even ingredients. . . three pages on Bend are devoted to eating, as are 11 pages in the Portland section. There are also two pages of reviews of golf courses that are replacing mountain meadows in the Bend area.Unfortunately, the space devoted to food reduces what can be covered regarding another Moon staple - nature. In the Bend area, there's no detail on where to go hiking in the Three Sisters Wilderness. On Crater Lake, there's no park map and only two of a dozen trails are described. The detail on what to see in many localities makes this book a worthwhile purchase for anybody planning a visit. But if you are as into nature as many readers of Moon guidebooks, expect to supplement the book with National Forest maps and a good local hiking guide.