Western Exploration

Trapped in a job he hated and up to his neck in debt, Guy Grieve’s life was going nowhere. But with a stroke of luck, his dream of escaping it all to live in remote Alaska suddenly came true. Miles from the nearest human being and armed with only the most basic equipment, Guy built a log cabin from scratch and began carving a life for himself through fishing, hunting, and diligently avoiding bears. Packed with adventure, humor, and insight, this is the gripping story of an ordinary man learning the ways of the wild.

In the summer of 1846, the Army of the West marched through Santa Fe, en route to invade and occupy the Western territories claimed by Mexico. Fueled by the new ideology of “Manifest Destiny,” this land grab would lead to a decades-long battle between the United States and the Navajos, the fiercely resistant rulers of a huge swath of mountainous desert wilderness.

In 1541, the brutal conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro and his well-born lieutenant Francisco Orellana set off from Quito in search of La Canela, South America's rumored Land of Cinnamon, and the fabled El Dorado, "the golden man". Driving an enormous retinue of mercenaries, enslaved natives, horses, hunting dogs, and other animals across the Andes, they watched their proud expedition begin to disintegrate even before they descended into the nightmarish jungle, following the course of a powerful river.

Thomas Jefferson, a naturalist and visionary, dreamed that the United States would stretch across the continent from ocean to ocean. The account of how that dream became reality unfolds in the stories of Jefferson and nine other Americans whose adventurous spirits and lust for land pushed the westward boundaries: Andrew Jackson, John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman, David Crockett, Sam Houston, James K. Polk, Winfield Scott, Kit Carson, Nicholas Trist, and John Quincy Adams.

Combining accounts of legendary mountain ascents with vivid descriptions of his own forays into wild, high landscapes, Robert Macfarlane reveals how the mystery of the world's highest places has come to grip the Western imagination - and perennially draws legions of adventurers up the most perilous slopes. His story begins three centuries ago, when mountains were feared as the forbidding abodes of dragons and other mysterious beasts.

At a time when the edge of American settlement barely reached beyond the Appalachian Mountains, two visionaries, President Thomas Jefferson and millionaire John Jacob Astor, foresaw that one day the Pacific would dominate world trade as much as the Atlantic did in their day. Just two years after the Lewis and Clark expedition concluded in 1806, Jefferson and Astor turned their sights westward once again. Thus began one of history's dramatic but largely forgotten turning points in the conquest of the North American continent.

The frozen wilderness of the Arctic captivated and mystified voyagers and explorers in the 1800s, driven by greed for riches, fame, and the search for the elusive Northwest Passage. Delve into the jaw-dropping courage and awe-inspiring expeditions from the Golden Age of Arctic exploration with "Frozen Frontier" Follow the footsteps of heroic explorers and their courageous penetrations into an unknown world of mammoth ice floes, terrifying polar bears, and bone-chilling cold. Witness their incredible triumphs and heartbreaking tragedies, and discover the untold stories of the earliest ...

In this fictionalized biography of the journey based upon the journals of Lewis, Clark, and other members of the team, an unheralded member of the Corps, Seaman, a 150-pound Newfoundland dog, is introduced to young historians. Seaman travels the long journey with the Corps, serving a key role in the expedition’s success, catching and retrieving game, and protecting the expedition team from wild animals and hostile Indians. Come along with Lewis, Clark, the Corps of Discovery, and Seaman!

Greatest Mystery of the Southwest USAPerhaps the most fascinating chapter in Southwest history is the tale of the mysterious, “vanished” Anasazi Indians. Their tremendous achievements can be found in many places, including the spectacular cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park. But the crest of the Anasazi wave was in Chaco Canyon, a shallow, windswept wash in northwest New Mexico. Here, 1,000 years ago, strange and unexplained events unfolded, events which continue to intrigue scientists and visitors today. In this book, you'll delve into the mystery: Why choose inhospitable Chaco...

This thoughtful examination of a century of travel writing about the American West overturns a variety of popular and academic stereotypes. Looking at both European and American travelers' accounts of the West, from de Tocqueville's Democracy in America to William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways, David Wrobel offers a counternarrative to the nation's romantic entanglement with its Western past and suggests the importance of some long-overlooked authors, lively and perceptive witnesses to our history who deserve new attention.

They thought Earth was dead. Captain Sass Collier can’t die. A century ago, the Colony Corps carried her away to the stars. Because Earth was doomed. She returns with tech advances from the colonies, hoping to restore the one best planet for humanity, and save isolated pockets of desperate survivors. Instead her motley crew from the boonies finds not one, but three surviving worlds — Earth, Luna, and Mars. And she’s with the invading aliens. Her homecoming starts with a bang. The Northern League tyrannizes Earth now. They capture Sass and her ship separately, to hold them hostage ...

In July 1776 a pair of Franciscan friars, Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante, were charged by the governor of New Mexico with discovering a route across the unknown Southwest to the new Spanish colony in California. They had other goals as well, some of them secret: converting the indigenous natives along the way to the true faith, discovering a semi-mythical paradise known as Teguayo, hunting for sources of gold and silver, and paving the way for Spanish settlements from Santa Fe to Monterey. In strict terms, the expedition failed.

Sass versus AI! Sanctuary, high-tech paradise with small-town charm! Leave a message at the beep. In a flash of old-fashioned warp, Sass’s crew catches up in time to Prosper. Eager to greet a new world, instead Sass’s comms are blocked by an AI from hell. Sanctuary is refuge to the Colony Corps, who transported refugees from Earth to the stars. Compared to Thrive’s home moon Mahina, it’s a paradise. People are healthy. Their dome stretches over sports fields. Electric horses and fun three-wheelers are available to venture out, complete with breath mask. Robots do the work. Something...

Uncover the allure and depth of the Caribbean paradise known as Jamaica with the riveting eBook, Unearthing Jamaica. This immersive literary journey lifts Jamaica's vibrant history, values, and lifestyle, offering readers an unparalleled insider's perspective. From the deep-rooted origins of the Arawaks, this narrative unfolds the majestic, often tumultuous saga of this fascinating nation. Relive Columbus's arrival, the Spanish Occupation, and heady tales of golden age piracy. Delve deeper to experience the birth, growth, and impact of Reggae, the voice of the island. Indulge in an ...

Are the boat nations Earth’s last hope? Stranded without her starship, Captain Sass Collier takes refuge in Earth’s criminal underworld. Her sole sponsor, Northern League agent Melkor, shelters them with family among the vibrant floating cities and cruise ship hulks of drowned Florida. But lively hurricanes at sea postpone pursuit only briefly. Because League ruler Voronin desires Sass’s pint-sized but powerful digital sentient, her robotic pet mink. The Russian controls his own weapon AI, a relic of dire wars. And he offers rich bounties to tempt Melkor’s gangster relations. Yet ...

Fresh world, first colony! Denali colony is failing. But a pristine Earth-like planet beckons - beautiful Sylvan! Sass Collier and Thrive escort the colony expedition. Woefully underfunded, understaffed, and ill-equipped, they’re settling the first new human world in a century. The expedition leader’s motto is Fail Fast. And they’re doing a bang-up job of it! But is the problem lovely forested Sylvan? Or sabotage? Join the motley crew of Thrive for another space opera romp across the sorry stars of the refugee diaspora on the wing and prayer plan!

Can Ben tame the monster AI? Evacuating the planet Denali brings Ben Acosta to his knees. Thrive Spaceways is bankrupt. His marriage is on the rocks. And his homeworld Mahina is in chaos from the deluge of offworld refugees. Pushy arrogant refugees. He’s disgraced. Fair enough — he blames himself. But another 40,000 will die on Denali if he can’t turn this around. Ben hatches a plan. The AI Loki is like a genie who grants wishes. A hostile, insane, ugly genie, with a track record for enslaving humans and building starships with asteroid-slicing guns. If he can harness Loki, Spaceways ...

A giant invasion ship abuilding. An envoy from Earth. And a relic from Earth’s AI Wars… Buffeted by advice, Ben refuses to fire on Moby Prick, as they dub the new colony ship. He won’t surrender his home world Mahina, either. There must be another way! Ben has time. Surely the Prick can’t reach Mahina for a decade? Two things are clear. They need more ships, and trained crew to fly them. Sass founds the new Colony Corps Academy, assisted by Ben’s space-resistant daughter Frazzie. Can Sass lure her namesake to the stars? As for the invasion, Ben has one slim hope. That between the ...

Rayas offers a singular prize - the Dream. Last-settled of the Diaspora colonies, Rayas was privately funded by California refugees in Mexico. They couldn’t bankroll the immense settler ships that bore a quarter million souls apiece. And the terraformers were long gone. Instead they sent teens, trained en route using an AI, the Dream. This virtual reality teaches every science and technology, quickly. Students also relive Earth history first-hand as a video game. In Renaissance Florence, beat the Black Death and study under Michelangelo. Sail the Caribbean smuggling drugs, or master the ...

Thrive’s home system tour concludes on freaky Luna, where the hidden agendas of three worlds collide. Will their expedition end in triumph, or a rout? Sass and Ben team up to tackle Luna, final world of their Earth junket. Disgraced, Sass seeks redemption. Cautious Ben haggles for life-altering technology in exchange for saving Mars. Luna is the elder space colony, crowded and weird. Wage slaves scurry to pay air taxes, bombarded by augmented reality ads. Corporations rule, led by frail eunuchs old as Sass, cruel and cunning. Ben finds the jaded Loonies hard to relate to. Yet the team is ...