Chit Chatting with Rosanne McHenry

 

                  Chit Chatting with Rosanne McHenry

                 Interview by: Jill Sheets 

J: Tell us about yourself.

R: I’m a former U.S. National Park Ranger and a former California State Park Ranger. I’ve worked in many parks over the years, including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Rainier National Park, the Auburn State Recreation Area, Folsom Lake, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, and Death Valley National Park, among others. I’ve also worked at many historic parks including Sutter’s Fort, The CA State Indian Museum, and the CA State Railroad Museum.

 

I’m also a writer and the author of two books: Tales From a Rogue Ranger, published February 2024, and Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger (2021).

I currently live and work in Auburn, California, with my husband.  The beautiful American River Canyon is adjacent to our home in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

J: What were some of your favorite books growing up?

R: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, all Nancy Drew books, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and all things Mark Twain, all things Ray Bradbury, especially Dandelion Wine and The Martian Chronicles. I loved books about outdoor adventure, about wildlife and the freedom to explore. I really loved My Side of the Mountain, about a boy who runs away from home for a year to live in the wilderness.  I wanted to be like that kid.

J:  Tell us about your book "Tales From a Rogue Ranger." How did you come up with the idea for this book?

R:

The idea for the book comes from real-life experiences as a ranger. InTales From a Rogue Ranger, I share my experiences about the rough and tumble life of a patrol ranger near Auburn, California. A park ranger’s job is nothing like anyone might imagine. Set against the stunning backdrop of California’s American River Canyon, this is an engaging and wildly unusual read about the untamed life of a woman ranger.  The job of a patrol ranger is like being the Lone Ranger, working outdoors in the wild and encountering all sorts of unexpected challenges.  

Stories like Wild Goose Chase, The Forgotten Pig, Outhouse Blues, and Love on the Rocks are all hilarious tales about the antics of park critters and people alike. There are serious stories too, about people who became lost or injured and needed rescue, or people who were behaving in a dangerous manner and needed to be stopped for their own safety and the well-being of others.  Some of the stories are about the strange and unusual, like Raptor Man, Attack of the Killer Caterpillars, and Barhawk: The Wild Man. Every single story is unique, thrilling, and totally engaging.  People who’ve read the book give it high praise, including others who work in the park ranger and environmentalist fields.

The reason for the title is that to do this job you have to approach it with an intrepid mindset.  It wasn’t a job for the faint of heart.  I had to think independently, outside of typical norms, and be bold in defending the wide open spaces in my care. Hence the word ‘rogue’ in the title. I took the greatest pride and honor in the work I did.

J:  What was it like being a park ranger?

R: Every day was an adventure!  Every day.  We never knew what might happen.  Even in the dead of winter things happened unexpectedly, like a mountain lion attack, a bear on the loose, or a person with a gun threatening wildlife.  We often had issues with a lost child, an injured swimmer or a near-drowning.  Other times we searched for an illegal mining camp, responded to a boating accident at a dangerous rapid, or a major riot at a popular beach.  There were bridge-jumpers, drug users, mudslingers, vandals; we just never knew. Other times it could be peaceful and we would take a walk across a lonely beach and enjoy a quiet sunset.

J: Why did you decide to become a park ranger?  What are the best parts of working as one?  What are the worst things?

R: My love of the outdoors and wanting to share the joy of being outside with our park visitors.  I love nothing more than talking with a group of interested park visitors; this was always the part of the job I loved the most. My desire to become a park ranger grew out of family camping trips as a child.  I became inspired by many of the park rangers I encountered on guided walks and at campfire talks. I talk about this in my first book, Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger.

I also loved the freedom to roam, like rumbling down a backroad in the most stunning parts of the canyons, like the Ruck-A-Chucky area on the Middle Fork American River, or Chamberlin Falls on the North Fork, both such beautiful places. I loved being able to get out and hike a trail, or cycle down the bikeway on a patrol bike. These were the joys of the job.

The worst things were more sobering, like dangerous arrests with weapons involved, working in 100 degree weather with crowds of teenagers at the river, all of them hell-bent on hurting themselves by drinking too much alcohol and jumping off bridges. I was always terribly saddened when there was a fatality, often on the river where someone fell out of a kayak or raft and drowned. But the thing that scared me the absolute most, the most terrifying of all … were the all-day staff meetings. No staff meeting should last more than 30 minutes; an hour tops.  Training days took longer and I didn’t mind these, but long staff meetings: just shoot me, please.

J: Tell us about some of your other books?

R: My first book is Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as Ranger. It’s about how family camping adventures as a child inspired me to become a National Park Ranger, and about my earliest days as a ranger, working in the Marin Headlands of the Golden Gate National Precreation Area, and at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington.  Such stunning places! The stories are fun, inspiring, and a joy to read.  My favorite chapter in this book is The Stolen Picnic Table, about how my father brought our very own picnic table to a popular state beach on the California coast, and how everyone thought the table was there for all to enjoy.  As people lined up to use the picnic table, things got crazy fast.  We ended up having to beat a hasty retreat, tossing the table into the back of our truck, while the poor park ranger was left behind, wondering if a crime had been committed!  Another favorite tale is The Magic Pond, where I visit a clear rainforest pond and sit motionless for a while.  Suddenly all of nature came out, including beavers, otters, deer, birds, and even baby ducks. It’s amazing how wildlife will appear if we just sit still in nature and watch. It was truly magical.

J: What are you currently working on?

R: Currently I’m working on the book launch for Tales From a Rogue Ranger, but after this is launched I will begin writing my third book, Travels With Gus.  It will be all about camping experiences with my husband and kids in our tiny little camper named Gus. He was an old Toyota truck mini camper with a four speed stick shift.  Gus had orange shag carpet and his paint job was mustard yellow.  He was quite adorable in a homely sort of way. We had such great times and hilarious experiences camping together along the Oregon and Washington coast.  Gus always groaned whenever we went uphill, He sounded like a cantankerous old cuss.  So we named him Gus.  I think people will love reading these sweet stories and be reminded of their own family camping adventures.

J:  What is your writing style?  Do you outline or start to write?

R: I carry the stories in my head for years, so when I finally decide to write them, the words just fall onto the page.  I have a general idea of the story order, but often I’ll just start writing a chapter, and then worry about the chapter order later.  I have an excellent editor who helps me with the book flow. I also have a team of beta readers who provide valuable feedback and insights.

J: Do you have an official website?  What about social media?

R: Yes:

Website:

https://triptalesbook.com/ 

Here you’ll find information on both books and how to buy copies, as well as author information.

Email:

RangerRose123@gmail.com

Facebook Site: Rosanne S. McHenry Author Page:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066900574228

Instagram: AskRangerRose

J:  Is there anything else you would like to say?

R: Yes, I’d like to ask everyone who reads my books to please leave me a good review.  This takes only a moment and it brings such rewards.  Just go to the book sales page on Amazon, scroll down to the review section, and click where it reads: Write a Review.  Every single review makes a difference, so if you enjoy the books, please leave a review.

J:  Thank you for the interview.

R: Thank you, Jill.  It’s such an honor to be here!