I grew up in Southern California and some of my best memories are of family vacations car-camping in California's great national parks. We would leave very early in the morning, my brother and I trundled into a nest of blankets in the back amidst the coolers and sleeping bags. By the time we woke up again we were someplace beautiful. Often we went to Yosemite, where I remember the firefall -- hugely thrilling. Sequoia was another favorite. One year we visited Lassen, where we were astonished to find so few other people.
I can still conjure the scent of our big old canvas tent, and I remember the excitement when we added a pup tent for me and my brother; we thought we were so big with our very own little tent. In the morning it would be cold when we pulled on our clothes and the smell of bacon frying outside the tent on a campfire seemed like a miracle. One year my mom surprised us all by picking up a piece of wood on one of our walks and saying she saw a wood nymph in there; later around the campfire, she whittled her wood and a beautiful form emerged. I never saw my mom carve anything before or since, but that is the sort of thing that can happen when you spend time outdoors.
The campfire programs in these parks were always a highlight. The rangers were so knowledgeable and so keen to share information with us. We learned about animals, about forests, and about fire safety; a little kid in my neighborhood had a terrifying experience when his clothes caught on fire, but he was okay because he remembered what Smokey the Bear had said, and he rolled himself in a blanket.
My experience of the parks growing up was so positive that when I was told, years later, that NPS is one of the most corrupt federal agencies, I could scarcely believe it.
I've been a writer and editor for over 30 years, mostly in the computer industry. About 15 years ago I left a fast-paced job as an account manager and analyst at a market research firm for a classic mid-life change to the slow lane. I published my first book in 2006, a cultural and culinary history of a 1946 diner in Gardiner, Maine. The book (A1 Diner: Real Food, Recipes, and Recollections) traces the history of the town from boom to bust and back again, and includes recipes as well as tales.
For the past 10 years I've been working on a book about Kevin Lunny, the third-generation Point Reyes rancher who stepped up to the plate and turned around the ailing oyster farm that had been part of his community for generations, creating the prize-winning Drakes Bay Oyster, only to have the successful, sustainable farm snatched away by the Park Service and demolished to create an artificial so-called wilderness.
I was also part of the volunteer support team that tried to save the farm, and I continue to maintain the advocacy website we created for the cause.
