Amazon.co.uk Review
Although it's a cliché, the front cover of the long overdue second edition of
The Rough Guide to Southwest USA does neatly summarise the region's appeal in one picture. The classic road movie image of a long open road to freedom in Mexico captures the imagination of visitors. They drive in search of the Grand Canyon, Billy the Kid's Wild West, native Americans and Monument Valley's red rocks, spurred on by images from hundreds of films, from
Fort Apache to
Easy Rider.
Rough Guide Southwest USA gives you all the practical, honest advice you will need to turn your celluloid fantasies into a viable holiday adventure--although a road map like the USA Southwest Insight Map would be useful too. Rough Guide suggests you can tour the former Spanish colony for as little as $250 a week. Covering Nevada, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, the guide escorts you through a landscape of cactuses, cottonwoods, cave drawings, canyons and cliffs, which the author calls, "the most extraordinary and spectacular region of the United States". You can also drive the US-666 to the foot of Shiprock volcanic mass; explore the "sheer weirdness" of Southern Utah; and stop at Roswell's perverse UFO museums.
If you are planning to visit only the region's cities, such as Las Vegas, Phoenix or Santa Fe, Rough Guide probably isn't the guide for you. However, if you want to drive off into the wilderness and explore Native American culture, it's spot on. Among of the book's strongest elements are its articles on the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, Ute and other native peoples (and their traditions, language and arts). --Sarah Champion
Product Description
Including accounts of the National Parks and countless lesser known wilderness areas, this guide to South West USA presents detailed coverage of all the cities, and features reviews of a vast range of motels, restaurants, campgrounds and diners, plus informed discusson of Native American heritage.