Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip

by Kirk R. Johnson

Book Overview

The travels of a paleontologist and an artist as they drive across the American West in search of fossils. Throughout their journey, they encounter paleonerds like themselves, people dedicated to finding everything from suburban T. rexes to ancient fossilized forests.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555914519
• ISBN13: 9781555914516
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press - Fulcrum
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 2.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.9" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 10

Customer Reviews

Charles Kuralt meets Dennis Hopper

One part Easy Rider, one part On the Road with Charles Kuralt, and one part "stuff to find by the side of the road." Mix up these three and add an interesting commentary of "how things got to be the way they are" and you'll have some idea of what "Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway" is like. I've read "The Bone Wars" (Cope vs Marsh) and, while I find the topic interesting, I had to drag myself through parts of it. I also have a number of "Roadside Geology" books that I'm generally disappointed with. In "Cruisin'," Dr. Johnson gives details about the first scientists on the scene, plus precise locations & basic geology, and manages to make it all humorous and entertaining. The Easy Rider camaraderie between Johnson and artist Troll is often quite amusing, and the sketches of personalities they meet along the road makes what could be a very dry subject full of personable details. The octogenarian racing to beat Johnson to a fossil, the 16 year old girl with an Allosaurus under her bed, the "King of Trilobites" who has little more than disdain for fossils ... all keep the narrative far from a textbook coverage of geology. No, I don't know the author well enough for him to buy me lunch or have a piece of the royalties. I just really enjoyed both the personalities and the fossil info in the book. If you're serious about collecting, get the separate map as well: not only is it covered in Trollish art, but it provides an accurate index of fossil locales throughout the Western states (in much more detail and over broader areas than the book ... and better than any other source I've seen).

An excellent tour of paleontology's past and present

You know you've got a unique book on your hands when the cover spots a eurypterid snagging a jackalope from under the cab of a Ford pickup carrying a disgruntled ammonite while dinosaurs stomp towards a "last chance" food & gas stop in the background. If you're a fan of artist Ray Troll, however, such a vibrant and motley assemblage probably will pique your interest rather than shock you. His artwork graces the pages of Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway, a collaborative work with paleobotanist Kirk Johnson, a wonderfully nerdy "Epoch Tale" of paleontology. While it may at first seem unusual, Ray's uncanny ability to meld together the past and present is a perfect compliment to Johnson's easy-to-approach writing style, the pair weaving a tale that (just as the cover might suggest) joins together the unique present and ancient past of the American West. From a backstage meeting with Ziggy Marley about a potentially new species of ancient marijuana to tracking down the ever-elusive fossilized tooth whorls of Helicoprion, the book places the reader in the cab with the authors as they carve their way through the western landscape, searching for fossils, footprints, and a good country-fried steak. Like any good paleontologist knows, there's much more to the science than bones collecting dust in museum drawers; paleontology has an incredibly rich and adventurous history, and there's no better way to pay homage to the great bone sharps of the past but to hop in the truck and kick up dust on the way to find the perfect ammonite or Triceratops skull. During the course of their trek, the authors stop in to see local rock hounds, professional paleontologists, amateur fossil freaks, and others, illuminating the ever-changing landscape between searches for a decent hotel and a hot meal. Indeed, what makes this book truly enjoyable is the realization of the authors that a fossil has many to tell, one being the story of the actual organism exhumed from the rock, but also a more human tales of discovery (and in the case of some like the Tyrannosaurus "Sue," even controversy) that still go on years after the close of the infamous "Bone Wars." Given this constant mix of past and present, the authors make a formidable team. The illustrations are lavishly spread across bright pages, Johnson's prose making what might feel like inaccessible geologic concepts seem as familiar as a stack of pancakes (or was that baklava...). This isn't a journey of know-it-alls dryly relating their travels in a stuffy leather-bound book; Cruisin'... is wonderfully dynamic and the authors are just as enthralled with the fossils they're after as anyone they meet along the way, their joy being magnified by the fact that it seems that they can barely go 10 miles without coming across a major fossil locality. This impression is further driven home by a companion map produced for release with this book, and while I don't as yet have one snippets of it are present in the book to give the reader s

The Great American Fossil Road Trip

This is a great book for people who long to find triceratops in their backyards. The book takes you on a vicarious romp through the American West, picking up fossils, strange characters, and surreal visions of long-dead animals along the way. Dr. Johnson's writing is both a joy to read and a great primer on the history of the Earth. Troll's artwork makes you laugh and see life a little differently. On a serious note, his paintings accurately show what all these fossils looked like when alive. I want a pet uintathere.

cruisin' the fossil freeway

Kirk Johnson and Ray Troll have teamed together in producing a real block buster. No young person or old can possibly resist being drawn immediately into this well written personal fossil adventure. For most of us who have only a superficial knowledge of such things, to be suddently presented with such a painless comprehensive overview, is truly a treat. This was vividly demonstrated when I took a copy to work and suddenly realized a least eight copies were being ordered by individuals of diverse interests. Looking for a great gift for friends, children and grandchildren? -- look no more! To bad we're limited to just five stars.

A 5,000 mile and 500,000,000 year trip

In Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway, Kirk Johnson and Ray Troll recount their rollicking road-trips through the Rocky Mountain region, and their writing and artwork tell the tale of the fossils, food, and friends they meet along the way. Paging through the book is like being chauffeured by a pair of paleontological prestidigitators across America's prime fossil real estate. Kirk's writing conjures up multiple layers of history from the landscapes they pass through: the ancient environments where sediments accumulated and hardened into rock, the processes that brought these rocks to the surface and shaped the current scenery, and, most of all, the ongoing stories of discoveries made by scientists, collectors, and fossil fanatics throughout this geologic wonderland. Ray's artwork brings each of these histories to life and mixes them together in a sort of deep-time gumbo: dinosaurs rise from the dead and amble alongside pickup trucks and gas stations, prehistoric mammals pose for portraits, and wide-eyed ichthyosaurs and half-coiled ammonites dreamily float alongside monster movies and cheeseburgers. Ultimately, Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway is like getting several books in one: geology primer, road-trip travelogue, collection of scientific-surrealist art, and exposé of the "paleonerd" subculture in the American West. If you've ever driven down an open highway, looked out at the rocks around you and briefly wondered if there might be dinosaur bones buried there, then you'll definitely want a copy for your bookshelf.