reading escape

In my quest to read all of Nevada Barr's books this summer - about Anna Pigeon, NPS ranger - in order, I am on #11 out of 19. And what a good time to be reading about the National Parks - in this centennial year. And what a good way to escape the oppressing summer heat in southern LA.

Although I have read a few of these books before, and each book is good even if read alone, it is so different reading them all at once in chronological order, getting to know the characters better, remembering their history and watching relationships grow and change. 

I am enjoying reading about all the different national parks, recognizing some of the places she describes, making a list of places to see in the future, and trying to help her solve the many mysteries she stumbles upon. Yes, the stories in these books are fiction, but the description of the parks is accurate and detailed, going places only park rangers have access to, as Ms. Barr was once a national park ranger herself.

11 - Flashback. This one is set in the Dry Tortugas National Park about 70 miles off the coast of Key West. We did not make the trek to see this park while we were in Key West, but the Fort Jefferson there is much the same design as Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West pictured here.

"The arches forced perspective, creating the illusion that the dimly lit vaults continued on to infinity." ~Nevada Barr - Flashback

9 - Blood Lure. Set in Glacier National Park, she joins a team of bear researchers and hikes along the Highline Trial (just like us!) to get to their backcountry habitat.

"For the first mile or so, she walked Highline, an improved trail that followed the ridge east of Flattop Mountain, winding back to the Going to the Sun Road where the trailhead was. At about seventy-two hundred feet in elevation, where Highline dog-legged south, Anna turned north, traveling cross-country toward the glacial cirque below Cathedral Peak’s south-southwestern slope." ~Nevada Barr - Blood Lure

6 - Blind Descent. Set in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, ranger Pigeon joins a rescue team traveling deep into a non-public area without marked trails. We have not been to Carlsbad, but this reminds me of our many trips to Mammoth Cave NP, and the unmarked trails, absolute darkness, and cool temperature described reminds me of the Wild Cave Tour there.

"The trail wound through enormous blocks of limestone studded with rough grayish-white formations called popcorn, then vanished in darkness beneath a low arch in the rock. Though impressive, and the size a relief to her fear-tightened mind, the cave had no life and no color. In a land devoid of sunlight, color was superfluous." ~Nevada Barr - Blind Descent