Keith Bowden

The Tecate Journals: Seventy Days on the Rio Grande is, as the title says, about a solo 70-day canoe trip down the river that separates Mexico from Texas, the Rio Grande (aka Rio Bravo). It's well known that the river is the focus of a great deal of international tension due to violence and illegal immigration, and so very few use it for recreational purposes (except in isolated spots like Big Bend). No one canoes its entire length or camps out along its banks, as Bowden did, for dangers real and imagined the river has a bad reputation. So Bowden was a genuine novelty to those he encountered but also a perfect ambassador of the river as he is fluent in the language and culture of both sides. As I read (or listened via Jonathan Davis' perfect narration) I followed along using Google Map satellite view. Bowden was very specific and so it's possible to see the rapids he went through, towns, portages, etc.. in one case I even saw the boulder, snag and eddy that he was caught in. Places I won't soon forget (visually due to Google Maps) include Indian Springs, the abandoned mine, the lower canyons. This multimedia experience greatly enhanced the book, I felt as though I was long for the trip. Not only a good story but a guided tour of the TexMex border geography and culture.… (més)