This collection of writings and images by the legendary Big Bend photographer offers adventure, history, personal musings, and natural beauty. Photographer-naturalist Peter Koch first visited Big Bend National Park in February, 1945, on assignment to take promotional pictures for the National Park Service. He planned to spend a couple of weeks, and ended up staying for the rest of his life. Koch’s magnificent photographs and documentary films introduced the park to people across the United States and remain an invaluable visual record of the first four decades of Big Bend National Park. In this book, Koch’s daughter June Cooper Price draws on her father’s photographs, newspaper columns, and journal entries, as well as short pieces by other family members, to present his vision and many experiences of the Big Bend. The adventure begins with a six-day photographic trip through Santa Elena Canyon on a raft made from agave flower stalks. Koch also describes hiking on mountain trails and driving the scenic loop around Fort Davis; “wax smuggling” and other ways of making a living on the Mexican border; ranching in the Big Bend; collaborating with botanist Barton Warnock; and the history and beauty of Presidio County, the Rio Grande, and the Chihuahuan Desert.

A long needed account of the human invasion of this rugged Texas desert land.

Popular Lost Cities author David Hatcher Childress takes to the road again in search of lost cities and ancient mysteries. This time he is off to the American Southwest, traversing the region’s deserts, mountains and forests investigating archeological mysteries and the unexplained. Join David as he starts in northern Mexico and searches for the lost mines of the Aztecs. He continues north to west Texas, delving into the mysteries of Big Bend, including mysterious Phoenician tablets discovered there and the strange lights of Marfa. He continues northward into New Mexico where he stumbles upon a hollow mountain with a billion dollars of gold bars hidden deep inside it! In Arizona he investigates tales of Egyptian catacombs in the Grand Canyon, cruises along the Devil’s Highway, and tackles the century-old mystery of the Superstition Mountains and the Lost Dutchman mine. In Nevada and California Childress checks out the rumors of mummified giants and weird tunnels in Death Valley, plus he searches the Mohave Desert for the mysterious remains of ancient dwellers alongside lakes that supposedly dried up tens of thousands of years ago. It’s a full-tilt blast down the back roads of the Southwest in search of the weird and wondrous mysteries of the past!

Given in honor of District Governor Hugh Summers and Mrs. Ahnise Summers by the Rotary Club of Aggieland with matching support from the Sara and John H. Lindsey '44 Fund, Texas A & M University Press, 2004.

This book tells the story of the U.S. Army's role in exploring the trans-Mississippi West, particularly the role of the Topographical Engineers. An interdisciplinary book, it addresses the military's role in the founding of archeology and ethnology in this country and includes art and photography as part of the story.

Ice trekking in Argentina. Salsa dancing in Cuba. Road-tripping the USA. We present 60 of the most exciting travel experiences across North, Central and South America, from adrenaline-pumping thrills and breathtaking natural wonders to cultural icons, wildlife watching and romantic getaways. With Lonely Planet’s Explore the Americas, you’ll discover great escapes, thrilling adventures, voyages of discovery and man-made and natural wonders stretching all the way from Canada to Argentina. Let Lonely Planet be your guide for exploring this beautiful and vibrant part of the world – and be inspired to plan your next or first adventure to the Americas. Experiences include: Canada: Cycle Prince Edward Island Find an island idyll in the Great Bear Rainforest Watch orcas from a kayak in British Columbia USA: Journey through Mark Twain’s USA Cruise the Mississippi to New Orleans Trace the life of Amelia Earhart Mountain bike Moab’s Slickrock Trail Hear mountain music in the Appalachians Caribbean: Hike the rainforests of St Lucia Live like James Bond in Jamaica Make like a pirate in Nassau Mexico & Central America: Climb volcanoes in Nicaragua Plunge into the caves of Belize Let the kids go wild in Costa Rica South America: Cruise Argentina’s Patagonian Highway Escape to Ecuador’s cloud forest Drift down the Amazon river Motorbike Che Guevara’s diaries Enter the lost world of Mount Roraima About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world’s number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we’ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You’ll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.