Traversing the spectacular Beartooth Highway in Montana and Wyoming is an unforgettable experience. The unspoiled mountain scenery along the highway inspired famed news correspondent Charles Kuralt to label it "Americas most beautiful drive;" yet the story behind this engineering marvel is largely unknown. It is an epic account of man versus nature to construct a road through unforgiving wilderness. Built during the height of the Great Depression and rising 10;947 feet above sea level; the Beartooth Highway sparked an economic boom in Red Lodge; Cooke City and Yellowstone National Park. Understandably; it continues to leave a profound impression on people privileged to drive it. Historian Jon Axline tells the exciting and colorful narrative behind the origins and construction of the Beartooth Highway.
#463975 in eBooks 2016-08-09 2016-08-09File Name: B01IDZGT8U
Review
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful. Dark Enigma BoogieBy Ikkyu JonesDavid Hintonrsquo;s ldquo;Existence: A Story.rdquo; a followup to ldquo;Hunger Mountain.rdquo; continues his exploration of Chinese philosophy via painting. calligraphy. poetry. Taoism. and Chrsquo;an Buddhism. A tall order. and one he pulls off with finesse. Using an ethereal landscape painting by Shih-Trsquo;ao (1642-1707). Hinton manages to travel through the inner workings of the artistrsquo;s mind and explicate why such artwork provides us an opportunity for awakening in the most profound sense of the word.Any fan of ldquo;Hunger Mountainrdquo; will enjoy picking up the authorrsquo;s trek through some of the most profound ideas coursing through the human experience. But what makes ldquo;Existencerdquo; even more interesting is the sheer exuberance shining through in the new work. There seems to be no question that Hinton has hit his stride. each book pushing the envelope a bit further. probing into the underbelly of what Lao Tzu and the old Chrsquo;an masters have been trying to tell us for centuries. And thanks to Hinton. itrsquo;s possible that the ldquo;dark enigmardquo; will now seem a little less shadowy. Good stuff!18 of 19 people found the following review helpful. What a joy!By Rupert PeeneThis is like reading Zhuangzi in bed with a cold. crisp scotch and sodamdash;effervescent and intoxicatingmdash;the fizzy quality of emptiness. its possibilities; all those little moments that make you dance. It seems cosmic when emptiness embraces broad landscapes. and at the same time personal. as a puff of air bounces elemental particles against your facemdash;I do enjoy a breeze. David Hinton is a delight to read. and Shitao may be his best and most suitable project. I will bow respectfully toward his whereabouts in the morning. but for now. another page. another sip of emptiness.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. UnsatisfactoryBy Edward C. CarpenterDavid Hinton seems to want to give us a summa of Asian mysticism. In doing this. he seeks to find everything in one painting by Shitao. accompanied by a poem by Yan-luuml;. While I have nothing but admiration for both the painter and the poet. I think Hinton reads an awful lot into the painting. This reminds me of others who attempted to explain too much -- R.H. Blyth and Alan Watts come to mind. Wordy illustrations obscure Asian wisdom. I prefer scholarship which seeks only to lay out the results of focused research and reflection and leaves us to come to personal understanding. Jonathan Hayrsquo;s treatment of Shitao is all we need.Another criticism I have is that Hinton tends to lump all Western philosophy together. simplifies it and overlooks or doesnrsquo;t care to know all its metaphysical insights. The mystery of existence. something originating in pre-Socratic philosophy and resurfacing in the scholastic philosophy of Thomas Aquinas and some who followed in his footsteps. gives priority to existence over ideas/concepts. and is radically anti-Cartesian. In his bias. Hinton is content to cite only Descartes as if he personified all Western philosophy and culture.A problem with some books published by Shambhala: they cater to the pseudo-mystical appetites of Westerners. I am not making any sort of unfavorable statement about Asian religion and philosophy. just the forms that these have taken in an atmosphere of Western consumerism.
