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Bill Bryson meets John Vaillant in this life list quest to see the rarest species in North America.
Crammed into a minivan with wife, toddler, infant, and dog, accompanied by mounds of toys, diapers, tent, sleeping bags, and other paraphernalia, Cameron MacDonald embarks on a road trip of a lifetime to observe North America's rarest species. In California, the family camps in the brutally hot Mojave, where he observes a desert tortoise—"the size and shape of a bike helmet and the colour of gravel” sitting motionless in the shade of a scrubby sagebush. In Yellowstone, after driving through unseasonal snow, he manages to spot a rare black wolf and numerous grizzlies, which, unfortunately, call forth a crowd of "grizzly gawkers." The journey takes the MacDonald family from British Columbia, along the west coast of the U.S., through the Southwest and Florida, up the east coast of the U.S., and finally to eastern Canada and then back home to BC.
Along the way, MacDonald offers fascinating details about the natural history of the endangered species he seeks, as well as threats like overpopulation, commercial fishing, and climate change that are driving them towards extinction.
Crammed into a minivan with wife, toddler, infant, and dog, accompanied by mounds of toys, diapers, tent, sleeping bags, and other paraphernalia, Cameron MacDonald embarks on a road trip of a lifetime to observe North America's rarest species. In California, the family camps in the brutally hot Mojave, where he observes a desert tortoise—"the size and shape of a bike helmet and the colour of gravel” sitting motionless in the shade of a scrubby sagebush. In Yellowstone, after driving through unseasonal snow, he manages to spot a rare black wolf and numerous grizzlies, which, unfortunately, call forth a crowd of "grizzly gawkers." The journey takes the MacDonald family from British Columbia, along the west coast of the U.S., through the Southwest and Florida, up the east coast of the U.S., and finally to eastern Canada and then back home to BC.
Along the way, MacDonald offers fascinating details about the natural history of the endangered species he seeks, as well as threats like overpopulation, commercial fishing, and climate change that are driving them towards extinction.
Price: $17.95
Pages: 272
Publisher: Greystone Books
Imprint: Greystone Books
Publication Date:
23 July 2013
Trim Size: 8.50 X 5.50 in
ISBN: 9781553659358
Format: Paperback
“MacDonald's comedic sense and his engaging style are addictive and the resulting tale is intensely charming.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“MacDonald’s bush-country odyssey is a mix of conservation insight, dubious parenting techniques, and pure, rare, wild joy of discovering North America’s last living treasures.”—Zac Unger, author of Never Look a Polar Bear in the Eye
“MacDonald’s bush-country odyssey is a mix of conservation insight, dubious parenting techniques, and pure, rare, wild joy of discovering North America’s last living treasures.”—Zac Unger, author of Never Look a Polar Bear in the Eye
Cameron MacDonald teaches biology at Langara College in Vancouver, BC. He has also worked as a wildlife biologist across much of North America. His writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and PRISM International.