Press & Criticism of Notes from the Road

SouthernStudies.org
Southern Studies wrote on July 25, 2008, "In this travelogue Gauger paddles and drives through the backwaters of Louisiana bayou country talking to people and photographing the local geography. Speaking with locals he hears what would soon prove to be prophetic announcements: “Louisiana will sink, or face horrific damage from a hurricane, unless efforts are made to reverse the damage to the coasts and bayous.”

Boston Globe
Boston Globe wrote about Notes from the Road on February 17, 2008, "...it is rich reward to arrive at this unexpected frontier of the travel blogosphere." Link

National Geographic Intelligent Traveler
A byline for an article I wrote for the IT, "Travel photographer Erik Gauger writes for blog Notes from the Road and argues that travel writers are obligated to cover the most controversial subjects of travel. He has been following (the Great Guana Cay) issue since 2005." link

Monkey Blog
writes, " started reading about his travels a few years ago. We'd travelled in the same area, he'd read a post of mine and responded. I took a look at NftR and fell out of my chair. THIS is the sort of travel writing I love to read, unpretentious, natural and full of the randomness that happens when you travel. The best laid plans, etc." Link


Getoutdoors.com
writes, "...To make matters worse, he also writes. Damn him. Damn him to photographic & literary hell for being everything my mom told me I could be when I grew up. Regardless, he is talented so visit his site. Just be prepared to burn your own photo collection. " Link


Times Journal of Photography
writes, "Every time Gauger keeps the excitement level the same by knitting a story, which starts with a casual narration and builds up to something deeper than it first seems....One would never expect to find such insights on a site, which is meant to showcase travel and photography."

The Grist
writes, "Sweet Island is a narrative about a tiny West Indian island called Guana Cay, the pristine coral reefs around it, a proposal for an "ecologically sensitive" golf course on it, and the corruption and absurdity that ensue. It's difficult to summarize but fascinating to read and sumptuously illustrated. Check it out."

Forbes Magazine
writes, "We will let you in on hidden homespun gems like www.notesfromtheroad.com, a travel Web log whose sumptuous photos will have you calling your travel agent."

Aigidh-Vine
I-Am-Bored.com
"Eeeeh... they had pictures of the salton sea...most disgusting place - on - earth!! We hadda stop there once and use the bathrooms. The walls were completely black with flies! So - nasty! The stench from that place will stay in your nose for days! Those pics were pretty nasty too. How could they take pics of that!?"

Rapid City Journal
David Kruchowski writes, "Spend some time here, and you will, I guarantee it. On a scale of one to ten, I give this one a solid ten." See the January 2, 2006 article.

USA Today
elects Notes from the Road a 'hot site' and writes, "Wonder what it would be like to travel down the Los Angeles River, through Death Valley and other areas off the beaten trail? Far from a travel guide, Notes from the Road instead offers subjective observations from out-of-the-way places."

Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine
wrote in the May 2001 issue, "choose a region and read engrossing stories framed by vivid photos. Acting as social commentator, Erik Gauger will take you diving in the West Indies, traipse with you through Madrid, guide you down the Baja Peninsula, and more.

Yahoo! December 19, 2005
Yahoo! offers Notes from the Road Pick of the Day, "Some travel writers make a living writing about flashy hotels and trendy destinations. But not Erik Gauger. He goes, in his own words, "where nobody wants him, just to even things out." Notes From the Road is loaded with gorgeous hi-res photos, but not of the standard-issue subjects in glossy travel mags. In fact, he debunks the whole idea of such topics in articles like "How to Install a Tommy Bahama Republic," which catalogs the destruction of a tropical island by golf course development. "Catfish Heaven" similarly combines sightseeing with environmentalism as Gauger explores the Louisiana bayous. For a piquant taste of culture and history, take a bite of "The Cheeses of Extremadura, Spain." Or learn a little about Tuolomne Meadows and a lot about why this writer travels. These notes are so rich and extensive that, even though we featured Notes From the Road way back in 2000 as a "Cool Site of the Week," we had to hit the road with Gauger again."

CoolSTOP
Best of the Cool Daily Pick in February 2001.

Yahoo! Asia Pick of the Week.
The staff writes, "You love to travel but don't have the time, guts or money. No problem, travel vicariously and follow this group of friends as they go off the beaten path to experience harsh and exotic locations. Interested in the West Indies? Then join the journey to the Loyalist Cays where you can go hunting for stingrays. Or if you prefer something drier, head out to the deserts. Find out what exactly is a succulent and who the Navajo really are. And those of you who want to see snow should really head over to the Iberian peninsula. The best part of exploring this site is that you can enjoy the wonderful places and incredible sights, yet spare yourself the pain and difficulties of going around the world."

Internet Cool Guide
"It's hard to imagine how world traveler Erik Gauger found the time to post such an exquisite travelogue, given he's constantly on the road. But within this minimalist interface, he's published hundreds of anecdotes and magazine-quality photographs from his trips to the Mexican desert, the Great Basin, and nine other areas. No ads, no product promotions, and no end to the interesting reading."

ropeadope.com
writes, "stuck behind that desk this summer? no money for a proper road trip? live vicariously through ropeadope all-star erik gauger and his fascinating site notes from the road - the next best thing to being there."

Gridskipper.com
writes, "Erik Gauger’s Notes from the Road is a pretty rich collection of Gauger’s travels and photography. The writing tends toward the personal and introspective, the photos toward charmingly bleak landscapes. Of particular note is “Gray River in the Sun,” Gauger’s travelogue of driving and paddling the heavily repurposed Los Angeles River. The essay has a lot to say about LA history and culture, and plus, it starts with a hash-and-coke party in Malibu." Link

ABC Channel Seven
in San Francisco recommends Notes from the Road in its site of the day, writing, "an unusual look at out of the way places an unusual look at out of the way places."

Netscape
offered Notes from the Road 9 points for content and 9 points for design and wrote, "Follow these explorers on their amazing adventures through the world. "

Yahooligans
elected Notes from the Road 'cool site of the week' in September 2004.

Yahoo!
Notes from the RoadCool Sites of the Week and Web Surfer Picks and writes, "Barry White Thunder. A mysterious weather phenomenon was witnessed last week by a camper in the Mojave Desert. According to reports, it happened when he cracked open a bottle of Jim Beam and began writing in his journal, which was modeled after Notes from the Road, an exceptional online travelogue. Apparently, the campground was enveloped and drenched by a deep, soulful thunderstorm. "It's changed my life," the camper said, "when you hear Barry White's low growl coming from the heavens, you know it's time to put down the bottle and pick up the love."

Webshots.com
elected Notesfromtheroad.com Cool site of the day in October, 2003.

Clickoftheday.com
elected Notes from the Road for click of the day in November, 2003.

Riverside's Press Enterprise
writes "Good writing isn't one of the strengths of the World Wide Web. Conventional wisdom, in fact, holds that brevity is the most desirable feature of Web-page prose, with some studies purporting to show that anything that won't fit on one page is unlikely hold the audience. But armchair travelers will find some sites with more substance and style. No. 1 on my list of such sites is a longtime favorite, the Cotswold Hyperguide (www.digital-brilliance.com/hyperg/index.htm), where Colin Low holds forth on a quaint corner of England with extraordinary grace and humor. But there are other worthy sites. Among them is Notes From The Road (www.notesfromtheroad.com), where Erik Gauger offers text and photos of his travels, primarily in the United States. Gauger's prose occasionally leaves you scratching your head, as in a piece about New York where he talks about the "magazine staff" and the "Show Staff" without a clue as to what magazine and what Show. Still, he lets you capture the flavor of the city through his eyes, and his camera lens, and he is never dull. And he does get around. He offers articles from 12 different regions, covering a number of destinations within each region. If you're returning to the site, he highlights the most recent articles on the home page so you won't have to wade through the entire directory to find what's new. "

Wortlog
"I am knocked by these insane pictures!" writes German-language Wortlog.

Andrea's Web Picks
writes on December 13, 2001, "Notes from the Road is a spectacular site of photos the author has taken around the world. I just started to look around, but the site looks very promising. I'm gonna check it out more thoroughly once I'm finished reading Marie's World Tour 2001. I've made my way to Africa and August now - four more months to go.

Rebecca Blood
Author and defender of online web-logs Rebecca Blood writes, "another reason to love the web," on September 10, 2002.

usr/bin/girl
Celebrated blog usr/bin/girl writes, "When I went to Notes from the Road, I expected to see just another travel journal site. Instead, I was blown away by the cohesiveness in the design, the author's writing, and his ability to take gorgeous photos. This is an absolutely beautiful site detailing the travels of a man in both words and pictures. He tells us stories of the places he's been (and he's been in a wide variety of places) and then takes pictures to help you experience it yourself."

The Observer-Reporter
writes, "...Notes from the Road is absolutely gorgeous. The site is a collection of stories about one man's travel. This was submitted by Erik Gauger, the site's creator. You won't regret taking a look.

eatonweb
writes on December 13, 2001, "when i went to Notes from the Road i had low expectations and the home page did nothing to improve that expectation. then i started reading the great basin dispatch. i'm now hooked. the writing is exquisite and engrossing and the photos are spectacular."

About.com/Ecotourism offered us Best of the Net and wrote, This site is enhtralling. It is prose, photos and fabulous design all combined to make ecology into a work of art. Erik Gauger has created not only a fantastic ecological resource but also a site that is pure pleasure to explore. Beautiful.

Travelerspoint.com writes "Great site with top class pictures and great writing adding the perfect personal touch to the travelling experience."

Allanhoffman.com
writes, An engaging online travelogue, with visits to everywhere from the West Indies to Death Valley.

Weekend Web Picks
writes in its weekend review newsletter, Great Content, Superb Pictures - Go For It...I can't decide whether he is a wanderer, or a geek with a lot of time on his hands. You make your own decision after you peruse the exceptional photographs and the candid descriptions of his travels. He captures the pulse of the region with his photos and his commentary (at least in NY and Oregon) are right on the money. Imagine Charles Kuralt on steroids. This is a gallop don't run site.

Artists-at-Large
offers Notes from the Road Site of the Day and writes, Erik Gauger's beautiful landscape photography has a deep and rich quality that lures the viewer to read his, as he calls it, 'experimental travel
writing'.

Paisley
elected Notes from the Road cool site of the day.

Free-n-Cool
lists Notes from the Road as a cool site and writes,

"Travel notes, mostly from the western United States, written in an artistic (yet useful) way. Great photos and narrative give you the real feeling of the areas. "

Cool Tricks
writes, "It's difficult not to get the travel bug when you come across a site like this. I almost packed up the laptop and headed off for Spain. Notes from the Road is one of the best personal travel sites we have reviewed. It is a narrative supplement to the newsletter, 'Travels in City and Country' and contains virtual postcards from Yosemite, Central America, the West Indies and the Iberian Peninsula."

TravelSeeker
writes an exquisite travelogue detailing journeys from the Desert Southwest to the Iberian Peninsula to the Mexican Desert. Packed with fabulous photos and insights from various travelers, this excellent site offers a unique view of
the world.

WiseOwl
elects Notes from the Road Wise Owl Site of the Month in July 2002.

Fidelity Communications Company
says," If you've ever had a case of wanderlust and enjoy stories of traveling, Notes from the Road is a site you'll want to enjoy time and time again. The site is full of some of the most stunning photography from exotic locations around the globe. Take a trip to foreign lands in the comfort of your armchair - spectacular! "

Project Cool
writes, "Not all travelogues are created equal. Some, like Today's Sighting, are greater than that."

Backroads
offered Notes from the Road "Mystery Site" in April 2000.

Scannatoa
offered us Cool Site in November 2003.

Virgilio
writes in the Italian language, "Racconti di viaggio attraverso gli Stati Uniti, con qualche puntata nel vecchio continente. E tante splendide foto. "

Time Warner Cable
in South Carolina featured Notes from the Road in February 2000.

WebShots
picked Notes from the Road as Site of the Day.

StartPoint
reviews Notes from the Road in the Greek language.

Walla.com
recommends Notes from the Road in Hebrew.

Go.Com
gives Notes from the Road 3/3 stars.

Geocities.com
awarded Notes from the Road for 'Design and Content'.

Sparrow House of Sites
elected Notes from the Road Site of the Day on August 1, 2001.

BrainFood
wrote, "Notes from the Road - Okay, I have a serious case of wanderlust and always have, but I'm much too emotionally connected to my family to do anything about it. Maybe someday. Oh, well -- we all make our own choices in life. Anyway, this site is really neat. "Travels in city and country, science and art, people and place, history and the future." Great line, huh? Sort of tugs at your heart. All right, who stole the kleenex?"

New Zealand Based Xtra
picked Notes from the Road as a cool site of the week.

Helsinki-based Mikrobitti
provided a lengthy review of Notes from the Road in Finnish. Translated:

"The internet has rekindled many genres of journalism and literature. Travel writing is one of these and the reason for that is clear: with the net, you can share your travel experiences straight from the road. You can find many road diaries from the Net, but the style and content are often quite poor. Notes from the Road is one of the best examples. Service focuses mostly to the northern America, but tour of Spain is also included. Enjoyable travel writing spiced with stylish page design."

Anasay
reviewed Notes from the Road in the Turkish language.

The Link Haven
lists Notes from the Road as one of the 'best places to visit on the web.'

Web-Star
elected Notes from the Road Page of the Day.

French Language Globetrotter
honored our site in February 2000.

Translators Site Du Jour
offered Notes from the Road Site of the Day and wrote,"A little armchair travel for the weekend; I rather like the idea of the country of Cascadia, here in the Pacific Northwest..."

Servitios
chose Notes from the Road as site of the day in the Greek language.

Koop writes in Dutch,
"beautiful travel site! Nice setup with great pictures. A story about different parts of the continent and its landscapes. leaving from a given point there's first general info with a choice of cities in the area. "

LinkWorthy
writes, I spent a lot of time here. I've learned that when you hear Barry White's slow growl coming from the heavens, it's time to put down that bottle of Jim Beam and pick up the love.

Price Water House Coopers
selected Notes from the Road as "Hot Tax Site of the Day."

GoMemphis
selected Notes from the Road as Site of the Day.

German Language Photo Tips
elected Notes from the Road Surf Tip Site of May 2000.

Arachnid writes,
Notes from the Road A really beautiful and atmospheric site that allows you to travel to the oddest places: deserts, jungles, mountains and cities. Excellent.

Prairie.org
writes, This "exquisite travelogue" explores the sites from the Desert Southwest to the Iberian Peninsula to the Mexican Desert. It has beautiful photos and interesting commentary from various travelers, journeying through the Great Basin, the Sierra Range, the Great Plains, the West Indies, and many more exotic locations. This excellent collection offers a unique view of these wide stretches of land. Check it out! You will not be disappointed!

WeeUniverse
chose Notes from the Road as Site of the Day on August 19, 2001.

TravelBytes
chose Notes from the Road as Site of the Week in August 2001.

Elliott from Elliots Email writes,
"Social commentator and writer Erik Gauger uses photos and stories to get to the bottom of sometimes eerie, sometimes humorous cities and landscapes in Notes from the Road..."

BTDesign
awarded Notes from the Road Best Site in September 2001.

Awardsville
awarded Notes from the Road Best Site in September 2001.

Waitrose
elected Notes from the Road site of the week in October 2001 and wrote, "Reports from regions around the world framed by stunning photographs, this is a website that is much more than a simple travel guide. Full of exotic locations, this website is a showcase of the earth’s natural beauty, from the West Indies to the Great Basin. A fabulous website that demands a look."

The Jerry Kindall blog
writes on December 13, 2001, "Notes from the Road is an interesting travelogue site with good writing, excellent photographs, and a very personal touch."

HearYe
writes on December 13, 2001, "A well written travel site. I think the structure could be a little more cohesive - have more continuity in terms of navigating the site. It's just a tad confusing. "

Backwash
writes of Pinacate, "This a funny yet poignant article/journal about a trip through the desert in Northern Mexico, complete with breathtaking pictures. Be sure to check out
the rest of the site, too."

The Beard Weblog
writes, "A very nicely put-together account of one man's travels around the world, complete with both spiffy photos and highly informative, entertaining text. Well worth a look.

Weblog Leefleming
writes, "A site I just like to look at As well as read. It's Notes from the Road, by Erik Gauger. It's both
interesting and beautiful. There are a couple of navigation problems, and maps would be wonderful, but all in all I head here when I just need a dose of just plain pretty and I'm in a mood to explore.

Morphizm.com
writes "There is more than one way to look at a war, and more than one voice to give weight to the ravages of history. Erik Gauger caught up one voice that speaks volumes on the Taliban's fantacism , the loss of Afghanistan's native artifacts, and what the future may hold . . ."

Microship
writes "Like travel tales? Want more? There is some very good writing by Erik Gauger at Notesfromtheroad.com"

The Fray writes,
"If you're stuck in an office, unable to travel, take a lunch break and read his stories to
take a virtual trip."

Travelsnapz
writes that Notesfromtheroad.com has 'wacky writing', but 'superb photos.'

WNBI Radio
features Notes from the Road in June 2002.

Cantonrep
featured us at site of the day in July 2002.

Debbie's Caribbean Resort Reviews
 features Notes from the Road in February 2003

David Hsu
I received an elegy from David Hsu, in Washington D.C.

"Monday"
In the Inner Hallway on the ninth floor of an unmarked federal building, dispassionately lit, Windowless for my good and the government's pleasure, White walls tattooed with push-pin punctures: They form my constellations in this heavy fluorescent night. Wherein one can only dream, only dream, Between memos no one will read, Betwixt droning meetings no one will remember, Mechanically dragging, insanely clicking, one damned culprit after another, Yet the Trashbin, it feels nothing: The burden is too great, and the purge, not great enough. Dream on you wide and weary-eyed explorer, For a patient blue sky, reaching for truth, A glowing spire, infused with fiery zeal, A dew-laden meadow at dawn, resplendent with quiet humility, Yet only a photograph, imperfect in representation: Of another place not here or now. If this be civilization, show me the wild, Take my hand, be my friend and lover and guide, And show me the wild-- Not later or later (please!) I am desperately impatient: All I can think of, while here, is another place.

State Bar of Georgia
"Sometimes, he'll make you laugh, and other times, wonder." A review by the State Bar of Georgia, in March 2006.

About the Site about home The Notes from the Road story, about Erik Gauger, his equipment and approach. along the way Photos I took along the way, and just had to show you. Worthwhile Sites A list of travel websites, science websites, outdoor websites, adventure websites, art and photography websites that have maintained an independent and unique spirit. Reviews Reviews, press clippings, criticism and more of Notes from the Road. Lost Sons of Afghanistan The first of two articles I wrote in the San Fernando Valley in 2001. a museum for kabul The follow-up to A Museum for Kabul. Birds A collection of birds I have identified while on the road. I always keep an eye out for new birds and this is one of the greatest pleasures of travel. Count: 355 Fishes A collection of fish species I've counted in the wild over the course of my life. Count: 141 Mammals A collection of every mammal I have positively identified over the course of my life. Count: 53 Reptiles & Amphibians A collection of reptiles and amphibians I have managed to identify positively. Count: 39 Seashore Creatures Tidepooling and snorkeling is one of the greatest joys of independent travel. This is my collection of seashore creatures I have identified during my Notes from the Road years. Count: 65