There may be a serious recession, but visitation to Yellowstone was up about 17% this May over May of 2008. Reports of unexpectedly large crowds in June have surfaced, too. Of course, gas cost about a dollar more per gallon last year than this, and that could contribute to whether or not people are willing to drive to the park.
For whatever reason, the large number of visitors is great for sales of Yellowstone Treasures. Many more third edition copies have been sold in the months of February through June than in those months of any other year, ever since the guidebook first appeared in 2002. And I owe a big “Thank you” to Justin “Paul Weimer,” whose super review just appeared on the book’s Amazon page. Such comments make all the work worth doing!
BTW, if anyone reading this should happen to come to Old Faithful Inn on Saturday or Sunday, July 25 or 26, I’ll be happy to sign your book, since I’ll be sitting in the lobby those days between 11:00 and 6:00. I’m celebrating 70 years since I first spent a summer in Yellowstone!