"How did you get into guidebook writing?"

That's a tough one to answer in a few sentences ... but here goes: When I graduated from college, I went back to coastal Maine (where I was born and raised) and wrote a travel guide to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. I'd grown up near Mount Desert Island so I knew it well, and I didn't think any of the guides on the market were any good. So I wrote the type of guide that I'd want to use—fascinating chapters on natural and cultural history; in-depth information on hiking, biking and outdoor adventures; lots of color photos and maps. When it was published the response was overwhelming. At book signings people came up to me with dog-eared copies of my book, telling me it was the only guide they used. Realizing I might have a knack for this sort of thing, I moved to California and wrote a travel guide to Joshua Tree National Park. When that book was a hit I knew I'd found my calling.

"Do you shoot film or digital?"

Digital. I don't even know how to use a film camera. Yes seriously.

"Why is the sky blue?"

Rayleigh scattering.

"You have the best job!"

There's a good chance I was Gandhi in a former life.

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