Sequoias, Motorcycles and Other Stories
One fun story I had the opportunity to write recently was on giant sequoias and how they are responding—and could respond—to the effects of climate change. It turns out that scientists disagree, which is always interesting. New research suggests that big trees such as the redwoods and sequoias could be extra sensitive to changes in precipitation and temperatures. Other scientists believe that at least individual trees will be more resistant than other species, which haven’t weathered the centuries like these giants. Check out my story, “Gentle Giants,” in the fall issue of National Parks magazine here.
This summer I took a long break from work with two motorcycle trips around the West—a total of nearly six weeks in the saddle. As much as I am a cautious personality, I love to try new things. (This penchant winds up getting me into some ill-advised situations.) So when my husband asked if I’d like to hop on the back of his dual-sport bike despite the fact that I had been on a motorcycle once in my entire life, what did I say? Hell yes.
I’ll be honest, the first few days were pretty rough. Andrew is a superb rider, but it was still a bit scary letting someone else be 100% in control. I also realized that being on the back of a motorcycle is really about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable most of the time. You’re either hot or cold, sore or tired, scared or bored. But after a few days of freaking out, I got over myself. The awareness of discomfort became less distracting, and I was able to take in the landscape in new and fascinating ways. In California, we could smell the change in the scenery, from the earthy and floral fragrance of hay fields to the damp musk of pine forests. We camped at remote hot springs in middle-of-nowhere Nevada with no one else in sight. We drove through a herd of buffalo, as they shook the bridge we were stopped upon. We saw badgers and coyotes and deer and bears. We camped on the Lost Coast of California, bushwhacked through primeval forests and camped near a herd of rare coastal elk. In sum: It was awesome.
Meanwhile, I have worked on a few other stories. I wrote a story about one thing in each state you must do before you die for Outside Online, which was a fair bit of work, but the results are quite fun. I also contributed to Outside’s Best Towns story for the September issue. Next up? A fun story for National Geographic Adventure and a wild assignment in Africa. Stay tuned!