Rating: 
Summary: Sensitive to people,cultures, issues and the environment
Review: Homelands is first rate because it made me a mental companion to the physical challenges of the trip and and inner feelings of the adventurers mastering these challenges. Homelands is sensitive to the environment of this coast and its interrelationship to the people, cultures and issues that exist because of it.Through the eyes of Homelands I see fragile beauty, diversity and the complex interrelationships of this environment; thus enabling me to raise questions about the environments of my live and the cultures around me. The author raises the question as to whether the wilderness is something to just be exploited or a basic necessity for maintaining balance and perspective in the journey of living? The author got me thinking about how you create a harmonious balance between use and preservation of natural resources. I met a variety of persons and overheard their conversations with the author. I feel as if I have vicariously made the journey with them and am compelled to review my lifestyle and relationships in light of the experience. Homelands is written in short sections, but each section gives you something to think about or visualize. Good when you only have a few minutes to read.
Rating:
Summary: AN INTRIGUING AND SATISFYING READ
Review: HOMELANDS is not only a thrilling and well researched adventure story. It is a love story about two extrordinarily sensitive and knowledgable outdoorspeople, and the compassion, courage and cooperative spirit each contributed to this five-month expedition to make it a success. Byron Ricks, who is well-versed in the history and geology of the region, writes with acute attention to the sights, sounds and smells of the Inside Passage. Maren Van Nostrand's whimsical sketches deftly embellish her husband's lyrical text. A MUST read.
Rating: 
Summary: A book that could have been great.
Review: I enjoy a "journey book" and read a lot of them. I have kayaked in the area covered by the book by myself for weeks. The book chronicles the couple's kayak trip from Glacier Bay AK to Seattle, WA. I expected a journey book the to weave 3 items between it's covers. A good story. A written picture of the things (people, geography, and experiences) they met and saw along the way. I got an OK written picture. A discussion of how their equipment planning and use worked. At a campground on the northern eastern tip of Vancouver, they gave Maren's sister hedge shears that they hinted that they had used to cut the thick coastal Salal for camp spots. That would have been an interesting discussion on how they did or didn't use the shears. He spent a lot of time talking about clear cutting. I know this is a problem in the area and I know it is very ugly but no soap boxing for pages. I really want to hear about their every day routine. His metaphors and descriptions used big words that are difficult at 10:30pm when I like to read and have dreams of a journey. His best description was of their Prince Rupert supply stop. We never learned what they needed and what they had too much of. What they craved during the trip. During one foggy crossing, they were very concerned about being run over by a cruise ship in the channel. They didn't use their Marine Radio for a general call to "ALL ship in the area of ... " to inform themselves of the location of the ships. They received offers of global positioning satellite information with disdain from kayakers he met along the way. The book lacked maps with enough scale to follow their trip. If you were not familiar with the area you would be lost. For all the kayaking, I could substitute the word mountain bike for kayak, remove tide information and for the most part it would read the same. I was very disappointed with the lack of camping, and equipment experiences which I think adds to the tension and interest to a journey book. I wanted passages like: "When we get to the motel in Prince Rupert, we will dry the tent and reseal the seams since it has been leaking during the last few rains." "We haven't seen the sun for days, but we would like get clean. We set the sunshower out even though we would only get tepid water from it. It is great to feel clean even though the squadrons of mosquito dived for our exposed bodies. Something to understand how their plans and equipment contributed to the trip. I have been reading Colin Fletcher for 30 years. He does an excellent job of weaving the 3 items I want in a journey story. His latest Book "RIVER" is a good example.
Rating: 
Summary: great narrative of a landscape disappearing
Review: I enjoyed this journey both as an excape from work and an reminder that you take take the wild landscape for granted. I certainly didn't want the trip to end (or the book) though by the time modern life intruded, I either wanted to go back or escape the degradation it brought. Finally, the historical and scientific information was well-woven into the fabric of the narrative. Good job.
Rating:
Summary: Not a how-to book, rather a story of the heart and spirit.
Review: I found Byron Ricks book to be a captivating tale of kayak travel through the Inside Passage. No, it doesn't tell us exactly how they did things or where they went but that was not the point of their story. They tell us of the people, the sights (good and bad) and about the daily trials they faced. It has given me a clearer picture of what I can expect when I paddle the Inside Passage. I highly recommend the book to partner with other how-to books on the Inside Passage.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting reviews
Review: I have not kayaked and bumped into this looking for something else. Every time a less than 5 star review is written a 5 star review follows. It is especially bad after Kerry's review. Makes one wonder who write these reviews or who has a vested interested in not liking bad reviews.
Rating:
Summary: It wasn't what I expected
Review: I have sailed and paddled the Inside Passage from time to time over the last 24 years. I am an avid reader of true outdoor adventures. I usually judge a book by its ability to hold my interest and ultimately to motivate me to leave the comforts of home and to take a stoll down "the road less traveled." I have been eyeing my kayak and checking my gear since finishing Homelands. When the ski season is over, I'm packing my kayak and heading north. My only regret is that I do not have the luxury of duplicating the entire trip. The author provides an engaging and captivating description of this courageous undertaking in a journal format. This format serves the book and pace of the adventure well. The poetic language used to describe characters, places and events is excellent and conjures memories that parallel my own experiences along the British Columbia coast. The author has done an excellent job of capturing the flow, feeling and character of this region. This is not a Fodor's on kayaking the Inside Passage but rather an adventure of the soul and mind, at water level, along one of the most rustic, beautiful and inhospitable coastlines in America.
Rating:
Summary: Paddling journey of the mind and soul at water level.
Review: I have sailed and paddled the Inside Passage from time to time over the last 24 years. I am an avid reader of true outdoor adventures. I usually judge a book by its ability to hold my interest and ultimately to motivate me to leave the comforts of home and to take a stoll down "the road less traveled." I have been eyeing my kayak and checking my gear since finishing Homelands. When the ski season is over, I'm packing my kayak and heading north. My only regret is that I do not have the luxury of duplicating the entire trip. The author provides an engaging and captivating description of this courageous undertaking in a journal format. This format serves the book and pace of the adventure well. The poetic language used to describe characters, places and events is excellent and conjures memories that parallel my own experiences along the British Columbia coast. The author has done an excellent job of capturing the flow, feeling and character of this region. This is not a Fodor's on kayaking the Inside Passage but rather an adventure of the soul and mind, at water level, along one of the most rustic, beautiful and inhospitable coastlines in America.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful trip through the inside passage...
Review: I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy not only an exciting kayaking trip down the inside passage from Alaska to Washington, but also a fine piece of writing that was colorful and relaxing. Fellow armchair adventurers will appreciate this close look at the history, ecology, and landscape of this rugged coast. The author does not weigh down the landscape with excessive introspection yet his commentary personalizes the journey just enough to enjoy the couple's companionship through the experience. A great way to enjoy some time in a far-away place.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful trip through the inside passage...
Review: I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy not only an exciting kayaking trip down the inside passage from Alaska to Washington, but also a fine piece of writing that was colorful and relaxing. Fellow armchair adventurers will appreciate this close look at the history, ecology, and landscape of this rugged coast. The author does not weigh down the landscape with excessive introspection yet his commentary personalizes the journey just enough to enjoy the couple's companionship through the experience. A great way to enjoy some time in a far-away place.
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