Long before the concept of a "bucket list" became popular, author John Terry decided to rectify a serious deficiency in his life. Terry had never seen a real mountain or the desert, so he packed up his family and headed west.

One family camping trip to Colorado and New Mexico was all it took-Terry was hooked. Over the next thirty years, Terry and his family took another twenty-five trips to this part of the country.

"Letters from the West" contains essays with Terry's observations and thoughts about the places that enchanted and captured his imagination. Witty and amusing, these...