Doing research in the Narrows

After I had written a completed manuscript of The Narrows Escape, I decided that I needed to go back and do some research. After all, it would be embarrassing to print the book and have readers write to tell me that my details of the canyon were inaccurate. Therefore, on 7/9/04, my brother Greg, brother-in-law Mike, cousin Troy, and I hiked the Narrows again. We had planned on doing the whole hike. Unfortunately, we had promised our wives that we wouldn't hike it if there was a flash flood warning in effect. The rating was moderate - the same as it had been on the day we had encountered the original flood. So even though there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, we modified our plans. We hiked up from the bottom, and at the first sign of clouds, we hiked back out. I wasn't able to do as much research as I'd hoped, but at least I refreshed my mind of several details that I'd forgotten. As soon as I got back, I did another revision of my book. I also took several pictures. Here are the pictures I took of that trip:

Greg & Mike jumping off a boulder into a deep pool in the Narrows.

 Greg swimming across a pool, trying to keep his phone dry.

 A view of the cliff wall near the end of the Narrows.

 A view of the river along the Riverside Walk.

 A scenic view of the cliff walls inside the Narrows.

Mike, Troy, and I under an overhang inside the Narrows.

The Los Angeles Dodgers

     In honor of the Dodgers advancing to the NLCS, I decided to share some DTB related baseball trivia. Which character in the Narrows Escape is a Dodger fan? Although the word "Dodgers" appears only once in the final version of the Narrows Escape, if is part of the character profile for one of the DTB Cousins. If you guessed Brady, you are correct. Also, one of my blog entries ("Odd Man Out," dated 11/11/12) includes a deleted scene in which Devin and Brady debate which southern California baseball team is better - the Angels or the Dodgers.
     The truth is, I am a big fan of both teams. Both of my parents were huge Dodger fans - particularly after they moved to L.A. As a young boy, my family occasionally received free Dodger tickets from a family friend. The seats were awesome, about 8 rows up from the field near first base. When my parents purchased the tickets themselves, the seats were located in the nosebleed section; but the games were just as fun. I grew up following the iconic infield of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey. I remember watching the classic October rivalries between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees in the World Series; particularly 1981, when Fernandomania peaked and the "Good Reggie" (Reggie Smith) finally defeated the "Bad Reggie" (Reggie Jackson) with the help of Dusty Baker, Rick Monday, Mike Scioscia, Bob Welch, Jerry Reuss, and Burt Hooton. Garvey was my favorite, and my interest waned a bit after he left for the Padres.
     In 1986, my family got caught up in Wally World - a new mania surrounding the Angels' star rookie Wally Joyner. The Angels were closer, and the seats were cheaper ($3.00 for the outfield bleachers), so we attended about a dozen games that year as the California Angels won the AL West. My baseball card collection swelled during the late 80's as I earnestly followed both teams. The Dodgers quickly regained my attention during their Cinderella season of 1988 - with Orel Hershiser and Kirk Gibson leading them to another World Series title. Gibson's home run, and the Angels' 2002 World Series title, are two of my all-time favorite sports memories.
     Sometimes people ask me how I can be a fan of both the Angels and the Dodgers. Easy. The Dodgers are my National League team, the Angels are my American League team. Every season I root for both of them to meet in the World Series. Even with the onset of inter-league play in the late 90's, I've continued to root for both teams. Naturally, I've passed on that interest to the characters in my book. However, I decided to make it a kind of rivalry, with Brady following the Dodgers, and Devin following the Angels, with Trey not really paying attention to either team. It was never a major theme, and was thus cut prior to the final draft, but it remains an integral part of the character bios for each of the three DTB cousins.