Happy Father’s Day

Junior Ranger Investigative Club would not be a thing without my Father. A career (now retired) park ranger, it was his life in parks which allowed me to spend my summers (and some winters) in some of the most beautiful, and interesting places in the US.

I was able to roam the abandoned halls of a civil war fort, and pretend it was my own castle. I learned, some, about the depths of the U.S.’s indigenous history wandering through the ruins in the northern Arizona Desert. I was able to snorkel coral reefs, explore off the beaten path in deep caves, and so much more.

It wasn’t just the places, it was all of the fascinating people. I got to meet a lot of them: Park Rangers in their element. Archeologists on the forefront of new types of research and their students. Biologists studying species or ecologies. People who lived dramatic lives and had awesome effects on the world around them. I met many of them because my father worked with them.

Even in his off time, dad would take me to different national parks. I would read a lot of books while he was driving.

Without all of these experiences, I wouldn’t have come up with the idea for kids solving mysteries in national parks. I wouldn’t have had so many rich experiences in national parks either. Or be the person that I am today. Dad started running when he was 30 years old, and is still moving. I used to ride the bike with him, and because I knew that it was possible to run such crazy distances as 5 whole miles, (because of his example.) I had the courage to sign myself up for my first 5k.

I definitely got my sense of adventure, partially, from him as well. And some of my mannerisms and speech. At least that’s what a couple of my friends, and a few other people have said.

All of this is obvious. And cool. And I am grateful for it.

Dad and I in Biscayne.

But dad was going on cool adventures long before I was around. And I am grateful for those stories too.

He’s worked at parks spread across the south. From Channel Islands, in California, to Biscayne in Florida. He tells stories of earlier days as a high school tennis star, who would drive way to fast in fancy cars. He told other stories about a life with more risks than any I am willing to take. He once got stuck in a cave, and had to talk his friends into giving him a good shove into a dark (and fortunately not deep,) cave.

He started his Rangering career at Carlsbad Caverns, and moved around several places in the southwest before finding his way to Wupatki National Monument. And I still hear some of the stories about these earlier days: The other rangers he met across these parks, The adventures at Lee’s Ferry where he would hang out with the river guides and go on ridiculously long runs. His trips to various training conferences and as a member of a roving band of park rangers who moved to various parks to provide security. (Yellowstone for a wildfire. Chaco for the Harmonic convergence, and the White Sands for a space shuttle landing.)

He also shares a lot of stories about his kids, bragging about each of us in kind whenever we are not around, (and sometimes when we are.) Although these are ongoing stories, and I won’t tell them here, for their own sake and because it’s not sibling day.

Many of his past stories will never make it into the book. (Some have been told elsewhere. He has been interviewed a couple of times about his experiences as a ranger, and in various parks.) Some will. But all of his stories help to inform the books that I write.

On top of that I’ve taken to heart some of his more general philosophies to heart. One, that if you choose to do something you enjoy, then you aren’t really working. Or, as he would put it. “I never worked a day in my life, because I was working in the parks.” - (this isn’t a direct quote, but it’s as close as I can fit in to a short article. Two, parks are communities which work best when everyone inside them is working- and engaging- with eachother. And that parks are places there for everyone, to inform, educate, and share with others. I’m not a park ranger but I’m still trying to stick to both of these.

I really do enjoy writing, thought I will admit that I am not as successful at enjoying ever aspect of what I do., I do have a lot of fun, and have with my past jobs as well. In the Junior Ranger’s Investigative Club, I try to write about the parks as I remember them, people living together in some of the most interesting places on earth, and while I haven’t chosen to do it the same way that he did, I also want to share my love of the natural places we have preserved as well as he used to. (and still does, he is still selling his book about the Dry Tortugas too!

So I wanted to write this to make sure that all of it was out there.

But mostly, I just wanted to share my favorite picture of dad on on Father’s day!

So, dad,

On a white horse in white sands.

Happy Father’s dad!

Also, I got part of my sense of humor from my dad too. About this photo, which was taken when one of the space shuttles had to land in the southwest because of weather.

“I watched the whole thing. I saw the astronauts all dressed up in their spacesuits march onto their shuttle, ride it across the runway and get out again at the other end.”

To whit, I would reply here, that this is obviously coverup. Dad was born in New Mexico in the 1940’s. The most famous UFO crash was in New Mexico in teh 1940’s… coincidence?”

Are either of these funny when written in a blog? No. Did I ad them anyway? Yes.

But more importantly check out the guy on the horse!