From the Publisher
In A Nutshell is a series of travel guides that we consider to be an antidote to hypey travel advertising and wordy travel books. You could describe the series as either travel guides written on a map, OR, maps with authors' notations written all over them. Don't buy Nutshell guides because you need a map, however. Get them because you want a good travel guide, succinctly written in plain English, laid out in graphic order.
Recommended are author-tested eateries, lodging, and camping, as well as cultural and recreational opportunities. Colorful notations include contact phone numbers, budget descriptions ($,$$,$$$), "kids", smoking or non, and brief comments.
The end product is a compact package that will save you time and grief, and make it easy for you to design your trip. Use Nutshell guides for advance planning a major vacation, or for a spontaneous weekend jaunt. For more background info and updates, check out our new web site (Jan '97) at www.in-a-nutshell.com.
Regions covered by the series (so far) include:
Yosemite & Eastern Sierra
Lake Tahoe & High Sierra
California Gold Country
Central Oregon
Oregon's North Coast
Oregon's South Coast.
From the Author
I (Leslie) created Nutshell travel guides because I was tired of trying to enjoy traveling while coordinating data from guide books, newspaper and magazine articles, brochures, visitors centers, and multiple maps with our itinerary. It was too much work, especially for a quick weekend trip. Also, we'd been burned a few times when we based our choices on advertising and brochures. They never seemed to tell the whole story! Obviously I had to come up with my own solution, which was to put everything on one piece of paper. Now, we hassle with brochures, etc. etc. for a living so you don't have to on your vacation!
Ben and I decided we had to write our travel guides without advertising so that we could include all of the places we liked, and not be obligated to include those we didn't like. Our frank comments don't make every establishment happy (Nutshell guides have been banned in several visitor centers and chambers of commerce), but, we're here to give you the real poop! Also, we made our maps fold up like a handkerchief, not like a map because we always hated folding maps.
We travel anonymously (no freebies!). Motel rooms are inspected personally, restaurants are sampled, museums visited, RV parks and campgrounds checked out. A top priority with us is to include a range of budgets $ thru $$$$, and styles (casual to fancy to family). A "Golden Acorn" graphically marks our highest recommendations.
Federal agencies (USFS, BLM, Park Service, etc.), local sporting goods stores and visitor center personnel are interviewed for suggestions on a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including family, active, and quasi-sedentary.
One of the best things about publishing these guides has been getting mail from our readers. We have received so many positive comments and great stories from folks on their honeymoon, international travelers, and regular American vacationers. It's been great. Our next project is our web page (due to go on line in Jan. '97) and we look forward to getting lots of email (leslie@.in-a-nutshell.com). If you want to snail mail us, please send to: Nutshell TourMaps, 20420 Harper Rd, Bend OR 97701 USA. Have a great trip! Regards, Leslie & Ben.
