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

A paleontologist and an artist go on a long road trip around the American West in a dark blue Ford pickup. They write a densely illustrated book “Crusin’ the Fossil Freeway” that is all of the following:1. A primer in geology, a history of fossil discoveries in the West.2. A travelog.3. A picture book of paleo-themed roadside attractions.4. A picture book of fossils.5. A collection of paleo-themed cartoons and surrealistic art.6. A homage to amateur and professional fossil enthusiasts.The paleontologist is Kirk Johnson, chief curator of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, whoe specialty is paleobotany. The artist is Ray Troll, an Alaskan known for his fish-themed art. Troll he has done lots of paleo-related work over a period of a few decades. In the words of Johnson, Troll “is no photo-realist, he’s a scientific surrealist.” In 1999 Johnson and Troll collaborated on an exhibit at the Denver Museum called “Crusin in the Fossil Freeway.” Part of that exhibit was an old Volvo station wagon called the “Evolvo”, with Charles Darwin at the wheel. This seems to have inspired the idea of taking a real fossil road trip.Associated with the book is a color map designed by Troll, which can be purchased separately as a 4X5 ft poster. It stretches from Washington to North Dakota to the north, and from Arizona to Oklahoma to the south. In this map, one sees the usual major highways, rivers, cities, etc., but each state has several dozen labeled drawings of reconstructed fossil plants and animals from the region, plus roadside attractions. There is also a small drawing of a cheeseburger in each state. A part of the map is shown as a frontispiece for each chapter. Clearly, in the West, fossils are everywhere.I am a big fan of Ray Troll’s work. In 2005, I reviewed “Rapture of the Deep,” which is a compendium of his art, for the Paleontograph. “Crusin’” contains many examples of the type of humorous/surrealistic paleo-themed cartoons he is known for. My favorite is the one captioned: “Have mercy on those who suffer from P.N.S. (Paleo Nerd Syndrome)” The only thing I’m disappointed about is “Cruisin’” is written entirely from the viewpoint of Kirk Johnson. Ray Troll is only mentioned in the third person and only in a semi-disparaging way (which is clearly affectionate teasing since the two are good friends). For instance, Troll is constantly referred to as “fossil-loving, but fossil-blind”, i.e. cannot recognized fossils in front of this nose. I am interested in art, so I would have liked Troll’s explanations about why he drew what he drew, much as was done in “Rapture of the Deep.”On the other hand, there is no doubt but that Kirk Johnson did an excellent job on all the many topics he covered.This book is the perfect gift for your favorite paleo-nerd, even if it is yourself.

Kirk Johnson captures the inveterate geekiness of a hard core paleontologist who started young and never veered from his love of rocks or redheads with rock tumblers.Illustrator Ray Troll, the Ketchikan artist who is responsible for all the "Spawn Til You Die" t-shirts and many other fin (sic) art renditions of Alaskan humor, does an impressive job of filling the pages with more stuff than you can possibly absorb. When trying to follow maps of their adventures, I would veer off road (much like my geologist husband is wont to do on similar treks) due to some tricerotops in the way. But, that is the point of the book. The fanciful drawings stoke the imagination, and Johnson's big circle way of writing (start in one place and wander all over to make a bunch of interesting points, to arrive back at an original thought with an fun twist) will make you want to fill your car with dino juice and hit the road for your own rock hound adventure.If you have kids wild for dinosaurs, this could be a fabulous off-beat way for them to experience what it really is like to be a flesh and blood guy who never grows out of it. It may charm them or scare them away, and I'm not about to say which way is best.

This book is a rather uneasy mixture of science (geology and paleontology) and travelogue as the author, Kirk Johnson, and the illustrator, Ray Troll, spend time travelling through Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and elsewhere visiting well-known fossil sites, observing the geology, and digging up more than a few fossils of their own. The stories are fun and interesting, the photos are great, and the illustrations are wonderful.But somehow the whole is less than the sum of the parts. There wasn't enough specific information about the geology or paleontology to really let you learn about these things. You certainly couldn't take this book with you into the field and find the appropriate fossil sites, identify the geological layers, or identify a fossil. I will say, however, that Dr. Johnson gives the best explanation I've ever read for how to spot dinosaur tracks while driving at 65 mph down the highway.The maps are fun but lack enough specificity to help you find the sites mentioned. Also missing is a list of suggested books for further reading. This is trying, because reading the book makes you want to take a field trip or at least read some more about this great stuff.Ray Troll's illustration are lots of fun and deserve to be on t-shirts everywhere that people care about fossils and dinosaurs (and cheeseburgers).

If you are a fossil freak or just love to explore earth history, this book is for you. It has great descriptions, interesting stories, specific locations for fossils and geologically important sites throughout the center of the US. It is clearly written and easily understood by folks without a background in earth science, but the attention to accuracy and documentation will keep scientists satisfied as well. The artwork is a hoot, the map is fun, and the text is engaging. If you have a kiddo who’s crazy about “dinosaurs”, are heading to the middle of the continent for vacation and want to add some new kinds of exploration, or are a serious fan of fossils, this book is for you. I have given it as gifts to many people and it never fails to please.

This book was addictive - kind of like a Travels with Charley, only with fossils. I learned a lot about reading the landscape and appreciating what came before us, long ago in deep time. The narrative is casual but meaningful, and Ray Troll’s artwork is so gorgeous. Check it out!