Wide Open Country: “Part historical nonfiction and part travel guide… the tales are complemented by the author’s first-hand accounts of exploring the many sites the outlaws were known to frequent and information on how readers can do the same.” Read the full interview by Rebecca Rhoades for Wide Open Country.
Sunset Magazine: “There’s no doubt that the fascination with the Wild West lives on today. And for those looking to travel in the footsteps of the region’s storied denizens… the recently released book is a hybrid of historical storytelling and adventure…” Read the full interview with Krista Simmons and some excerpts from Discovering the Outlaw Trail at Sunset Magazine!
Publishers Weekly: “Adventure writer Bezemek leads Wild West buffs along the routes notorious gunslingers including Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and Queen Ann Bassett used to dodge the law. Storytelling and folksy language undergird practical info on where to hike, bike, paddle, or drive, as well as bunk down along the way.” Discovering the Outlaw Trail featured by Jasmina Kelemen in Publishers Weekly!
Mike: “I won a private permit for a winter Grand Canyon launch… I made an offhand comment it would be our own exploratory personal first descent, sort of like Powell’s trip. Then I remembered I’d never finished Powell’s book… This launched me on a multi-year project during which I read every book and account of the expedition that I could find and explored every segment of the 1000-mile route.” Read the full interview About Paddling the JWP Route with Arizona Raft Adventures
Phil: “If you had to describe the Powell route in 3 words, what would those 3 words be and why?” Mike: “Adventure history comes alive. It’s four, I cheated, sorry. But that’s what it is, one of the greatest adventure stories from, not just river history but American history come to life—that is, if you know the story of 1869 when you’re down in those canyons and having your own adventures.” Read the full interview with Cataract Oars.
Mike: “It’s easily one of the greatest adventure stories in American history. A one-armed former Civil War major turned self-taught geology professor shows up to a sleepy railroad outpost in Wyoming Territory, hauling four wooden-keeled rowboats. With a 10-man crew, mostly mountain men and ex-soldiers, they set off down the Green River with a bunch of flour, some bacon, and mapping instruments—having never run a rapid.” Read the full interview with Watershed Drybags.
OARS: “When he was young, Mike Bezemek wanted to be a backpacking or mountaineering guide. So later, when the opportunity presented itself, he signed up for a Grand Canyon backpacking trip with the Outdoor Adventures Program at UC Davis. It’s that trip, surprisingly, where Bezemek’s love affair with paddling began.” Read the full interview with Cari Morgan at The Eddy.
UC Davis Magazine: “For Mike Bezemek (B.A., geology, ’03), outdoor adventure was as important as academics to his college experience. That’s why UC Davis was his first choice. ‘I grew up in the Bay Area, but always felt more connected to the mountains. UC Davis was in the right direction toward what I was interested in,’ he said. Bezemek, a freelance writer and photographer, has crafted a career that combines his passion for natural landscapes with his love of literature and writing.” Read the full profile by Becky Oskin at UC Davis Magazine
Men’s Journal: “The utility of this book goes beyond decent maps of essential roads and access points, helpful trip logistics and inspirational double-page landscape photography. Bezemek provides a paddler’s retelling of the exploratory first Powell expedition in chronologically ordered sidebar stories. You’ll progress downstream right along with Powell and his men… Bezemek’s guide may also be the beginning of a new format in which we’ll search for our river information, one that is not sectioned off by state boundaries but rather by a connecting story.” Read the full review by Susan Elliot for Men’s Journal
Trailspace: “That classic story is the inspiration for this inspiring guidebook… While most of the book is businesslike, as a guidebook should be, Bezemek spices it up with sidebars, quotes from Powell and others on his team, contributions from other river veterans, a serial recapitulation of the Powell adventure, and his own witty asides.” Read the entire review of Paddling the JWP Route by Trailspace.
Joplin Globe: “I had a couple of good river conversations recently with Mike Bezemek… His is one of the best guidebooks out there on Ozark rivers.” Read the full profile about paddling the Ozarks by Andy Ostmeyer at the Joplin Globe.
