My latest book, HALLEY, awarded 2015 Jefferson Cup Honor for Historical Fiction. Awarded the Moonbeam Silver Medal for Young Adult Fiction. \u00a0 (see the following web address for more information)\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.newsouthbooks.com\/pages\/2015\/10\/20\/halley-wins-moonbeam-awards-silver-medal\/\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Available at: NewSouth Books:\u00a0www.newsouthbooks.com\/halley and Amazon<\/p>\n
Well, folks, I\u2019m a liar.\u00a0 The last time I let my adventure-loving
\nhusband talk me into exploring a slot canyon, I said, \u201cNever again.\u201d
\nThen we went out West again a few weeks ago, and he talked me into it
\none more time.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not a bad canyon,\u201d he said, and I pictured a
\ngang member canyon, ready to slice us up in a rumble.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one\u2019s not dusty and crowded like Antelope,\u201d he continued.\u00a0 \u201cNot
\nhard to find like Wild Pony Canyon.\u00a0 No thirty mile dirt road to get
\nto this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
I grunted.\u00a0 \u201cWasn\u2019t this trip going to be about fossil hunting?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cBest part–it\u2019s loaded with fossil rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n
He claims now that I imagined the promise about fossil rocks.\u00a0 But I\u2019m
\nsure he said, \u201cWe should have three gallons of water. And I\u2019ll need to
\ntake my large format box camera.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one that weighs a hundred and seventy-five pounds?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll carry everything,\u201d he promised.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll have to.\u201d\u00a0 Since my back problems started, I don\u2019t even carry a purse.<\/p>\n
We started right after breakfast that morning, driving about thirty
\nmiles on pavement and then five or six on washboard dirt road.
\nFinally, we turned on to a faint trail that bumpedity-bumped down to
\nthe bank of an almost dry stream bed.<\/p>\n
Benjamin loaded up his pack and reluctantly decided to leave lunch.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll be back by noon,\u201d he predicted.<\/p>\n
At first, walking wasn\u2019t bad.\u00a0 We stayed mainly on the dryer part of
\nthe stream bed. Then the stream turned into a rocky, sandy wash.
\nRocks were plentiful and colorful.\u00a0 Every now and then we spotted a
\nsmall piece of petrified wood.\u00a0 Otherwise, no fossils.<\/p>\n
The wash opened into another, bigger wash and a few minutes later into
\na still bigger one.\u00a0 Rising fingers of reddish-orange land covered
\nwith prickly dessert plants separated the washes. \u201cYou sure you know
\nthe way back?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Benjamin nodded.\u00a0 \u201cFollow the washes.\u00a0 And we can see our footprints.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, we spotted far up ahead what must be the beginning of the
\nslot canyon.\u00a0 The sun was straight up now and no shade was to be had.
\nThere was nothing to squat behind for a bathroom break either.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s going to see you out here?\u201d\u00a0 Benjamin asked when I complained.<\/p>\n
Probably nobody, but still, I wanted some kind of blind.\u00a0 I finally
\nsaw a boulder that might serve and headed for it.\u00a0 Sweet relief!\u00a0 But
\nwhen I\u2019d finished, there was another problem.\u00a0 My bad back and my bad
\nknee seemed joined in a conspiracy to keep me from standing.\u00a0 Then,
\nonly a few inches from my feet, a small mouse scampered around the
\nrock.\u00a0 His fearful black eyes looked into mine questioningly.<\/p>\n
Benjamin laughed and offered me a hand.\u00a0 \u201cHe wants to know where the
\nArk is.\u00a0 Good thing he has another exit.\u201d<\/p>\n
We passed a number of other intersecting washes before we reached the
\nentrance to the canyon.\u00a0 And soon after that, I found a shady place
\nand lay down to rest.<\/p>\n
My husband forgets time when doing photography, so it was considerably
\nlater when his stomach complained enough to get his attention.\u00a0 \u201cReady
\nto go?\u201d he asked, shaking me awake and offering me water.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn hour ago,\u201d I mumbled, but he was already heading out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll cut across,\u201d he yelled back, striding over the first of the
\nfingers of land jutting into the wash.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll save time getting
\nback.\u201d<\/p>\n
We went at a near jog pace, cutting across every finger of land.
\nSuddenly Benjamin came to a dead halt.\u00a0 Just ahead here was a long
\nunused fence crossing the wash ahead.\u00a0 Part of it lay on the ground.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t remember that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Neither did I.\u00a0 I looked around.\u00a0 The only footprints were the ones
\nwe\u2019d just made. \u201cAre we going to die out here?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Benjamin scrubbed his face with his handkerchief,\u00a0 \u201cWe just have to go
\nback and find where our footprints came out of the first stream bed.\u201d
\nSo we backtracked into several wrong stream beds.\u00a0 None had
\nfootprints.<\/p>\n
Suddenly I heard the faint sound of a car in the distance.\u00a0 Benjamin
\nscrambled up the nearest hill for a better view.\u00a0 \u201cThe next wash is
\nthe right one,\u201d\u00a0 he called down.<\/p>\n
It was, though nothing about it looked familiar.<\/p>\n
When we got back to our car, we had the best lunch we ever eaten. Best
\nof all, Benjamin declared himself finished with slot canyons–for this
\ntrip!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My latest book, HALLEY, awarded 2015 Jefferson Cup Honor for Historical Fiction. Awarded the Moonbeam Silver Medal for Young Adult Fiction. \u00a0 (see the following web address for more information)\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.newsouthbooks.com\/pages\/2015\/10\/20\/halley-wins-moonbeam-awards-silver-medal\/\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Available at: NewSouth Books:\u00a0www.newsouthbooks.com\/halley and Amazon Well, folks, … Continue reading