What were some of your goals in writing this guidebook?
- To fill the void left by cessation of publication of the Haynes Guides (1966), which
I had always enjoyed using.
- To create a useful book for people who already care about Yellowstone, as well
as for a generation of new visitors.
- To show details about the hydrothermal areas that don't appear in other
guidebooks.
- To explain Yellowstone's unusual phenomena, particularly the geological, as
clearly yet accurately as possible.
- To provide a kind of reference book useful before and after traveling, including
summaries of geological history, common flora and fauna, and historical
highlights.
- To show a thorough listing of hikes that are not strenuous but have something of
interest along the way or at their end.
- To be comprehensive, attractive, and full of information.
Did you really walk all the geyser routes and hiking trails you describe in the book?
I hiked on all the trails I recommend, some of them several times. I could never
be in the park without walking around all of Upper Geyser Basin at least once—
even in October, when I started out alone once in a snowstorm, but was soon
joined by a bison. In the case of backcountry trails, I include cursory descriptions
that are composites from several hiking books—I have only once gone on a
backpacking excursion (to Shoshone Geyser Basin and beyond with my family).
As I get older, I'm not likely to do that type of hiking again. But I think there are
lots of older people and also young families who want to do less ambitious
walking and would like to know where the best hikes are.
What's your favorite geyser or hot spring in Yellowstone?
This is almost as impossible to answer as "Who is your favorite daughter?" (I have five of them.) But Grand Geyser is one I would never miss on a park visit if I
can help it. There are many other favorites and many I'd like to see erupt but
never have. I enjoy the incredible variety of hot springs almost as much as the
geysers and feel they are not pictured or written about nearly enough.
Have you personally encountered any of the dangerous animals, the bears or wolves?
I've almost never gone to the park without seeing at least one bear. The closest encounters in recent years were the black bear cub we scared off unintentionally on the trail to Fairy Falls, and the grizzly that kept our class of 15 or so from hiking to Sylvan Springs, as we'd wanted to do. In the '40s and '50s we would see bears constantly.
I finally got to see three wild wolves in Lamar Valley in September 2001 and have seen them several times since.
What can your book offer to the reader who is short on time?
Frankly, if you will spend less than three days in Yellowstone, you don't want my
book! For any longer visit, advance reading will help you decide what you'd like
most to see. Don't try to do it all, even in a two-week stay, but take time to savor
everything and allow slack in your schedule for the unexpected bighorn rams on
the road or the chance to go back to wait for a geyser to erupt, when it didn't
cooperate the first time.
Can you give us some tips about traveling to the park with kids?
Before going to the park with kids, do a little preparation, such as watching
videos, reading together about the park—my book, of course—but there are
many intended for children. Talk to them about how different it will be from
anything they're used to in everyday life—the outdoor emphasis, the animals that
are not tame, what a geyser is. Especially let them know that they will not be
doing what they're used to at home (no organized sports, TV, listening to
music—unless they bring their own). Also, let them do some of the planning. |
|
Describe some of the sources you used in writing "Yellowstone Treasures."
I have an extensive library about Yellowstone and environs that I began compiling 25 years ago, when I felt I couldn't visit as often as I wanted, so I would
make up for it by buying books. Some of the most valuable to me in writing Yellowstone Treasures were Aubrey Haynes's classic two-volume history, The Yellowstone Story, Lee Whittlesey's Yellowstone Place Names book and his much more extensive Wonderland Nomenclature (on microfiche), as well as his Death in Yellowstone. I would often follow up from notes and bibliographies to find other sources. I also used "Montana: Magazine of Western History"; several
hiking books; flower, animal, and bird books; geological research papers; T. Scott Bryan's Geysers of Yellowstone; and numerous other sources.
From the book's Table of Contents, I see you include "road logs." What are they?
The term probably derives from the log of a ship or aircraft, but I use it in the book as a geologist would when leading or writing about a field trip. It implies that the author has been there and seen what is there in order to describe it. The reader can then use the road log independently and decide whether or not he or she wants to stop or pay attention to any given feature along the way. [NOTE: You can see an example of a road log here.]
Incidentally, there's more information in many of my road log sections than you can read as you pass along at 40 or 45 miles per hour. This is a hazard of my trying to be complete in telling you what you might find!
In the third edition we have added pale blue lines in the road logs at the left of any text that points out historical tidbits. This text can easily be skipped if you're reading aloud and want to know what's coming next along the road, while it can be easily picked out by history buffs reading in a more leisurely fashion.
Does one need to travel by car to use your book?
I hope that even people who go through the park by bus would enjoy owning my book, both while in the park and afterward. Though they would not benefit from the mileage indications between points of interest, every other facet of the book should be useful, including maps, pictures, and planning aids.
I anticipate the day when shuttle buses will take many or most people between points of interest, cutting back the frequent bumper-to-bumper traffic that no one likes and that's harmful to the park. |
