Going "Off the Beaten Path"

     A lot of people enjoy traveling in the fall. I can't really blame them--the weather is cooler, you can usually find a harvest festival or two, and gas tends to be less expensive. If you're tired of the same ol' restaurants, museums, and festivals; why not check out the "Off the Beaten Path" series of travel books? These guides to the out-of-the-way and unique places in each state may inspire you to go somewhere just a bit different. They also offer tidbits and trivia about each state. Our newest additions to this series are: Kentucky, Mississippi, and Montana.

     The Bluegrass State of Kentucky has tons of natural wonders as well as man-made entertainment. Into horse racing? Visit Lexington which has the Kentucky Horse Park where you can see all kinds of horses; from thoroughbreds to rare breeds. If your sensibilities lean more toward the artistic; why not visit the park's International Museum of the Horse? It boasts fascinating exhibits from around the globe. Or you can visit the second oldest harness-racing track in the United States--the Red Mile Harness Track--and watch a race or two. Not really into horse-racing? Kentucky has more than 1,500 miles of marked hiking trails. A little more adventurous? Spelunk a lighted cave at Carter Caves State Resort Park in Olive Hill, Kentucky. You can view the world's largest know collection of ventriloquist figures at Vent Haven in Fort Mitchell. Why not go to Benton and check out the festivities leading up to Tater Day--the first Monday in April--which celebrates the glory of the sweet potato? You can cheer for your favorite kilt-sporting competitors at the Highland Games and Gathering of Scottish Clans in Glascow. (Kentucky, that is!)

     Did you know that, based on income tax returns documenting charitable donations, Mississippians are the most generous citizens in the United States? This is just one of the bits of Magnolia State trivia you'll pick up when you check out "Off the Beaten Path: Mississippi." Gaze at the multi-million-dollar collection of antique, rare, and celebrity vehicles on display at the Tupelo Automobile Museum. You can also "ooh" and "ahh" at the colorful balloons that fill the sky over Natchez during the annual Great Mississippi River Balloon Race in October. Visiting Biloxi? Swing by the Hurricane Katrina Memorial which stands watch over Biloxi's Town Green off US 90. The memorial stands 12 feet tall which is approximately the same height reached by the water at the Town Green during Katrina's storm surge. Take some time and follow The Mississippi Blues Trail--"a series of historical markers that combine words and images to tell the story of the blues, America's only original music." Mississippi also boasts a great many natural wonders. Black Creek, the state's only National Wild and Scenic River flows through three counties in southern Mississippi. Why not rent a canoe or camp along its banks? Or you could get in your car and hop on the Natchez Trace Parkway which runs from Natchez through Jackson and up through Tupelo in the northeastern part of the state.

     Montana is known as the Treasure State; and it's no wonder. It boasts wide open spaces and towering mountains along with beautiful wildlife. Did you know that there are five varieties of falcons that call Montana home: the prairie falcon, peregrine falcon, kestrel, merlin, and the gyrfalcon. Why not visit the Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge which is located a mile south of the town of Medicine Lake? The northern portion of Yellowstone National Park is located in Montana. You can take a three-hour excursion on the Charlie Russell Chew Choo dinner train that departs from the Kingston Junction depot or you can marvel at Bill Holt's incredible collection of celebrity cowboy boots in Lolo. Stay at the magnificent Toad Hall Manor and attend the annual Evel Knievel Days in Butte. Bozeman has the American Computer Museum and the Museum of the Rockies. It also hosts the Sweet Pea Festival in early August and the Bridger Raptor Festival in early October.

These three travel books and more are available for check-out from the library. Enjoy!

Light of the World

James Lee Burke's latest Dave Robicheaux novel, Light of the World, is fantastic in its melding of two storylines that Burke is familiar with.  The characters that we all love from the New Iberia stories (Dave Robicheaux, Clete Purcel, Molly Robicheaux, Alafair Robicheaux and Gretchen Horowitz) are vacationing in Montana (setting of his second series) at the home of Albert, one of Dave's rabble-rousing friends.  The story begins with Alafair almost getting pierced by an arrow during her morning run up the mountain behind Albert's house.  Through a string of events, Dave (Police Detective) wonders if the shooter could be serial killer Asa Surrette, who Alafair visited in prison, and who may have escaped a fiery crash while he was being transported from one prison to another. Clete (Ex-policeman and current

Private Investigator)  is also staying in a cabin on Albert's property when he receives a visit from his ex-hit-woman daughter, Gretchen, who decides to stay and enjoy a little rest and relaxation.  Clete is up to his old tricks when he becomes enamored with Felicity Louviere, an unhappily married woman who's daughter has been recently murdered.  The plotlines become twisted until all of the characters end up chasing the same man, who is behind all of the killing.  There are some very tense moments in this book, and the ending is definitely a surprise.  Dave is the perfect flawed hero but his sidekick Clete takes more of the stage in this book, as the reader watches his dangerous downward slide.  Could this be the end for "The Bobbsey Twins from Homicide?"  Gritty but fun, and full of lovely descriptions of the gorgeous Montana countryside, this book could be read alone.  However, I suggest beginning with the first in the series, because James Lee Burke's books build on the characters lives with each one.