Books by Dean Nichols

I wish you all the best in your publishing venture, which I''m sure will bring back fond memories for many industry-people and regular air-travelers alike. Mr. Nils J. Flo, Director, Public Relations Scandinavian Airlines SystemI am sending you an interesting brochure of our current fleet....Your book sounds most interesting, and I am looking forward to receiving a copy. Mr. Richard A. Swift, Sales Manager AEROFLOTEnclosed you will find Northwest''s Route Map, along with photos of both the 747-200, and 747-400. Regretfully, a photo of the DC-7 is not available at this time ... I hope these materials assist you in the completion of your book. I am looking forward to viewing the end result. Mr. Jon Austin, Director, Media Relations Northwest AirlinesEnclosed please find photos of our MD-11, and 747 jets.... I would certainly be appreciated if you could supply us with a copy of your book, which will be kept in our library. Wishing you all success. Claudie F. Warshawer, Coordinator, Industry Relations, U.S. and Canada, VARIG, Brazilian AirlinesWe never operated DC-7s. But I have enclosed a photo of a C-54, and also a B-747....We are looking forward to your book. it is history that should be recorded. Mr. J. Baker, Historical Committee Flying Tiger Retirement ClubDean Nichols was born on the Yakima Indian Reservation in Washington in 1919, although his Indian forebears lived in northern Maine.A licensed tugboat captain and purser, he has worked as a port manager, an electrical and civil engineer, an air-traffic controller, a boat officer for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and a marine-traffic officer for the Alaska Marine Highway. He followed in his father''s footsteps to become a tugboat captain in the Pacific Northwest. He has studied the social and natural sciences, humanities, and business administration at Anchorage Community College.

Mountain peaks, especially, are often shrouded in a mantle of cloud; their sides shrouded in a mantle of snow. But to the observant, listening heart, they are also shrouded in a mantle of mystery, a mantle of Spirit. And that Spirit speaks, and flows, and calls. Thirty miles north of our home, in White Salmon, Washington, ""Our"" Mountain, 12,307 foot, Mt. Adams, waits, and calls, and sends out her silent, inviting song.Summer, 1955: It has been written, ""Without dreams, even unfulfilled dreams, we should die.""Our family was very much alive. And so it was really not unexpected that the dream of walking the nearly sixty mile, ""Round the mountain trail,"" should begin taking the form of a vision.According to U.S. Forest Service maps; there was an ""Around the mountain trail."" And, the Forest Service people assumed us, dangerously, what we were to find, ""Oh yes, there is a good trail, all the way around the mountain."" Ah, but the irrepressible optimism of the human spirit. This story chronicles the results of that optimism, optimism held by two pairs of very ordinary parents, and by seven, very ordinary, but vibrantly alive, young children.It wasn't until we were well out on the trail, that that Spirit of the Mountain began to really stir the soul of this young, unpolished author, that here, indeed, was a dramatic, family adventure unfolding. So stay with this simple story, and travel the Highline Trail with us.Dean Nichols was born on the Yakima Indian Reservation in Washington in 1919, although his Indian forebears lived in Northern Maine. Dean grew up on the banks of the Columbia River. His high school days were spent working on water-rafting logs, running boom boats and decking on the tugs.A licensed tugboat captain and purser, he has worked as a port manager, an electrical and civil engineer, an air-traffic controller, a boat officer for the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game, and a marine-traffic officer for the Alaska Marine Highway. He followed in his father's footsteps to become a tugboat captain in the Pacific Northwest. He has studied the social and natural sciences, humanities, and business administration at Anchorage Community College.

Narrow escapes, hilarious predicaments, and grim disasters are all part of the rich and varied experiences of a young tugboat captain on the Columbia River during the era between the grand old sternwheelers and the multi-thousand horsepower tugboats of today. The author had captured the excitement of this episode in his life and presented it in an informal manner that will appeal to a wide audience.

Description:Narrow escapes, hilarious predicaments, and grim disasters are all part of the rich and varied experiences of a young tugboat captain on the Columbia River during the era between the grand old sternwheelers and the multi-thousand horsepower tugboats of today. The author had captured the excitement of this episode in his life and presented it in and informal manner that will appeal to a wide audience.

I have been engineer for Captain Nichols, when he was in command of another ship. He is a real Captain. But on this remarkable voyage, he was the storyteller; and he most certainly told it well. - Rex Lukinich Marine Engineer I have worked the often stormy waters of the Pacific Coast, and recognize a storyteller with both accuracy and drama. One rides every wave, hears every sound, feels every heartbeat of this bruising voyage. - Capt. Norval Evans Master, Fishing Vessel 'Quasar

I read the manuscript from beginning to end and couldn't put it down until I had finished. This book is remarkably detailed, and amazingly accurate. This 'is' the way it really was. Bob Anderson, former Protection Officer, Alaska Department of Fish and Game My husband tells a story with captivating drama. I relived this remarkable adventure as I read this book, as if I, myself, were there on the decks of that little ship. Ramona Nichols wife of this most unusual Captain

Captain Nichols may be a crusty, old River Rat, but he is a real Christian. And he tells it like it is. Michael Sorace body shop owner and member of Christian bikers group, Sons of Thunder Dean Nichols writes in depth on the lofty principals of life, with emphasis on the quintessence of old and sacred traditions. Dr. Anthony Amendola Christian Psychologist In this man's writings, I found a kindred spirit. Bob Wagstaff School Principal and Creation Science teacher Mr. Nichols writes in the old traditions, the 'Spun yarns of old.' We relive some very important parts of our American heritage through these delightful, often profound stories. Sylvana Amendola Christian Counselor

In this sensitive collection of poetry and prose, the essence of the writer's life is revealed. This is not a biography based on dates and events. Chronology is here measured by a man's inner growth, by the things he holds most dear. We are told of the attitudes, ideals, hopes, and dreams that make Dean Nichols unique and lend depth and power to his poetry. Drawing upon personal experience, as all poets must, Mr. Nichols admits us into a world that is enveloped with love. We feel it in tender notes to a friend, in brief phrases expressing his awe of nature and love of God, in lines that illumine his deepest feelings for his family, and in images that reflect his deepest understanding and most soaring aspirations. Many of the pieces in 'A Poet's Sketch of His Biography' are devoted to the author's beloved Alaska - the people, the harsh and beautiful land, and the sense of raw power and urgency in this pioneer state. He writes of the fishermen of Cordova, of the FAA air-controllers working a vast area of wilderness, of the warmth of home, of love. In his previous book, Dean Nichols told us that he would invite no one to share the mainland of his life; rather, he shared with us a few islands of his experience - a glimpse of an untraveled world. That his world has grown since he wrote those words is happily apparent in 'A Poet's Sketch of His Biography'.

'Islands of Experience' is an exceptional collection of poetry. It carries a punch that all readers will feel, yet its power is tempered by subtlety and delicacy of language that will make readers linger over each line. The words themselves are simple, yet deep enough to challenge the profound thinker. They render to simple things an awe-inspiring grandeur and reduce the enormous to almost nothing. Many of these poems deal with Alaskan scenes. Here is an excerpt from Snowbound: Softly, silently, stealthily now, the soft snow steals away the freedom of travel the sourdough knew on the trails of the summer day. Warm in his cabin, snug in the snow, it's here that peace is found. It's here that the cares of the world are gone. Who cares if he is snowbound? Looking back on a full and varied life, Dean Nichols casts a discerning eye on the tangibles and intangibles of existence. In this except from The End? he touches upon one of life's crucial questions: Ah, so 'tis happiness you seek, my friend; is that your goal? Take care, lest on its placid sea you strike a shoal that pinions you and holds you fast, so that for you there is no future, only past. Vital, energetic, yet serene, Dean Nichols' poems challenge the reader to look around him and within him. The author comments, I would not ask you to share with me the mainland of my life; for who has half a century to spare? But I invite you to share with me a few of these islands of experience and through them catch a glimpse of an untraveled world.