Whether it’s the Chicago and Territorial Roads, home of a historic and scenic railroad, or the Lower Peninsula’s Chain of Lakes area, Backroads & Byways of Michigan is the shortest route a visitor can take to explore like a local. Whether it’s the Chicago and Territorial Roads, home of a historic and scenic railroad, or the Lower Peninsula’s Chain of Lakes area, Backroads & Byways of Michigan is the shortest route a visitor can take to explore like a local. Now with color maps and photographs, this second edition offers itineraries to scenic and intriguing places, like Michigan’s Wine Country—where you can sample local wines, chocolate truffles, and orchard fruits—and Western Michigan, once a mining area, now a winter-recreation wonderland and home of many spectacular waterfalls.

Thirty years ago after changing the sports book landscape with his mega-hit, A Season on the Brink, #1 New York Times bestselling author John Feinstein returns to his first love--college basketball--with a fascinating and compelling journey through a landscape of unsung, unpublicized and often unknown heroes of Division-1 college hoops. John Feinstein has already taken readers into the inner circles of top college basketball programs in The Legends Club. This time, Feinstein pulls back the curtain on college basketball's lesser-known Cinderella stories--the smaller programs who no one expects to win, who have no chance of attracting the most coveted high school recruits, who rarely send their players on to the NBA. Feinstein follows a handful of players, coaches, and schools who dream, not of winning the NCAA tournament, but of making it past their first or second round games. Every once in a while, one of these coaches or players is plucked from obscurity to continue on to lead a major team or to play professionally, cementing their status in these fiercely passionate fan bases as a legend. These are the gifted players who aren't handled with kid gloves--they're hardworking, gritty teammates who practice and party with everyone else. With his trademark humor and invaluable connections, John Feinstein reveals the big time programs you've never heard of, the bracket busters you didn't expect to cheer for, and the coaches who inspire them to take their teams to the next level.

Florida has been called "The State Without A Soul." The people that moved to Florida left their roots at the place they came from. This history of the long ago features people with their roots who were born here, walked the sands of time and will be buried here at the Cedars of Lebanon Cemetery. Their headstones already mark the spot where their roots will remain for eternity. Dessie Smith Prescott, whose picture is in the "Women's Hall of Fame" in Tallahassee said, "If you find yourself on a back road, get off and walk the main road." Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is also in the Hall of Fame because Dessie helped her to survive long enough to write "The Yearling" and many other Florida books. Some of the history tells of the memories and roots that people brought to this area to build "The State With A Soul." This book is written so that the old stories don't get lost. It links the threads together of the Soul or Spirit of Florida.

From the pathways that meander through the coulees, over the prairies, and along the riverbanks of rural Wisconsin, to the state's longest Main Street; from the Hamlin Garland country of the LaCrosse area to the Mississippi River bluffs; from Frank Lloyd Wright's fabulous architecture tucked amid Spring Green's rolling farmland, to the Swiss heritage of the New Glarus countryside; from the extremes of winter on Madeline Island to the beauty of Door Country in the Summertime, readers will explore the state's countless hidden treasures.

Written for the cyclists of all stripes, Best Bikes Rides Near Chicago marks the debut of a new series that offers a diverse array of scenic tours in some of America’s largest urban destinations—from easy excursions for the Sunday cyclist to challenging treks for the veteran. Here, veteran author and cyclist Ted Villaire presents 35 diverse rides in and around the Windy City. As amply demonstrated by this guide, Chicago’s heritage as a transportation hub has reaped huge rewards for local cyclists. Twenty miles of lakeshore parkland and an elaborate system of leafy boulevards connect a series of mega-parks throughout the city. Coupled with this is an ever-expanding cycling infrastructure featuring more than 100 miles of bikes lanes. The Illinois Prairie Path, which runs between the Des Plaines River and Wheaton, was one of the first linear trails in the nation converted from a railroad line—and today it is part of the most extensive collection of rail trails in the Midwest, perhaps the nation.

Ella Pottle’s life has been a rollercoaster. It has had some loops and twists and turns and highs and lows, and sometimes it has gone around that same track more than once. In Mi Vida Loca, she shares her story, the story of a young girl who had two children before the age of nineteen. In this memoir, Pottle tells how rather than let this define her, she found a way to provide the world with a different and positive outlook. She discusses how she believes her kids are the factor that saved her from living a tragic life. They gave her a reason to work hard, and they provided her with the love she craved. To some, becoming a teen parent may look like a tragedy, but for Pottle it was a journey that gave her a reason to live and do the best she could to break the cycle of generational trauma for her branch of the family tree.

Michigan offers year-round activities for the adventurous traveler - all detailed here by resident authors. Take in the excitement of the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island sailboat race; or hike some 166+ miles in Isle Royale National Park; watch the wheels spin in the Tour de Michigan cycling marathon; spend a quiet afternoon canoeing on a pristine lake; or try some urban adventures in the cities. This is the only guidebook to combine outdoor adventures with all the basic details you need for a rewarding vacation, such as accommodations, sightseeing, restaurants and history. Every part of the st.