To all you writers out there: to what lengths have you gone to do research on a book you’re writing?

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

That was my day today. I needed to get from Draper, Utah, to Thatcher, Arizona. The main purpose: to pick up some furniture from my mother-in-law’s house to haul it back up to Utah. However, since I knew I was going to be very close to the Superstition Mountains, I figured it was a great opportunity to do a little research for my current work in progress.

Here’s how my day went. My son drove me (car) to the train station. I took the FrontRunner (train) all the way up to Ogden. Naturally, the train doesn’t stop anywhere near the Ogden airport, so I hoofed it about two miles from the station to the airport (on foot). There, I caught a cheap flight (airplane) to Mesa’s Gateway Airport. From there, I took a public transit (bus) a few miles away, where I picked up the moving van (van) I had reserved.

Did I miss any major modes of transportation?

Jaunt into the Superstition Mountains

Before heading southeast to pick up my load of furniture, I first needed to visit the First Water Trailhead in the Superstition Mountains. This is a crucial location in the book I’m working on, and I wanted to see it firsthand. I’ve studied satellite photos of the area carefully, but there’s nothing like on-the-ground intel.

Here’s the problem. The road out there is unpaved and unimproved. I was driving a moving van. Now, I didn’t read the rental agreement all the way through, but I’m pretty sure the rental company wouldn’t be thrilled about taking their heavy vans four-wheeling. Oh well. I took it pretty slow. Mostly.

What I Found Out

I’m glad I did this, because I saw a bunch of things that will require changes to my manuscript. First of all, I finally got a good look at the signs posted at the beginning of the trail. That was pretty important. Second, I discovered that the trail from the trailhead actually heads down and not up. I got that wrong in my earlier drafts. Third—and this is something nobody mentioned in any of the guidebooks—much of the rocks along the trail are covered with a fluorescent lime-green lichen that is pretty startling. That’s a great little piece of detail that would be totally missing if I

 

The next day I visited the grave of the Dutchman himself. I have proof.