Chasing Lewis and Clark Across America: A 21st Century Aviation Adventure

Rating:
Summary: Pictures of terrain stretching as far as the eye can see
Review: Lewis & Clark Across America: A 21st Century Aviation Adventure is the collabortive effort of accomplished pilot and writer Mary Walker and aerial photography expert Ron Lowery. Sweeping and stunning full-color images from above display the territory that Lewis and Clark once crossed in their heroic journey of exploration. A small amount of commentary and photographer's notes enriches the collection, but the vast pictures of terrain stretching as far as the eye can see speaks for itself too. A breathtaking memorial to treasure, and the next best thing to getting in an airplane and flying over the Lewis and Clark trail to see for oneself.

Rating:
Summary: My Mind Also Soared
Review: Now I know why Ron Lowery likes the phrase "The plane flies but it's my mind that soars."

I just finished reading "Chasing Lewis & Clark Across America" and my mind is soaring also. What an exhilarating adventure and personally rewarding project this must have been for everyone involved! Ron's photographs are awesome and Mary's "down to earth" narratives made me feel like I was traveling right along with them. The intermingling of photographic journal entries with Lewis & Clark history and descriptions of their interactions with the many local communities they encountered along the way has created a kaleidoscopic adventure for the reader. As an amateur photographer, I also very much enjoyed the "photographer's notes" sections. My guess is that one of the most difficult challenges the author's faced in putting this superb publication together was deciding which photos to exclude.

Another factor which made this publication especially appealing to me was that I could personally relate to a lot of it ... because of the Lewis & Clark reading I have done and from first hand experience on "The Trail". The aerial views of the same areas I traveled have added a perspective and dimension that has greatly enriched my "ground level" experience. I'm sure other readers who have spent time on "The Trail" will say the same thing.

Ken Jutzi
Camarillo, California
September, 2004

Rating:
Summary: Educational, interesting, and beautiful
Review: This is an absolutely beautiful pictorial trip along the route Lewis and Clark took as they followed the Missouri River west to find an overland route to the Pacific Ocean. But this is a view that Lewis and Clark could not see. Almost all the pictures are from the viewpoint of a small aircraft flying over the landscape. The photographs include everything from modern cities to landscapes that have not changed significantly from the time of their original explorations. The text contains historic information about the trip and the sites photographed as well as details of the plane trip and current information.

The photographs include beautiful patchwork landscapes, meandering rivers, forts Mandan and Union, the rough folds of the hills and canyons of the Missouri Breaks, the Rockies, and the Columbia River. This aerial vantage point gives a different perspective on the difficulties and beauty of the terrain that Lewis and Clark traversed so many years ago. Chasing Lewis & Clark Across America is a highly recommended book for anyone interested in the Lewis and Clark expedition or who just enjoys aerial photography.