Portland Public Library

A voyage across an ancient ocean, a bicycle journey through the northern dominion of oil, David Goodrich

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-240)

platesillustrations

no index present

non fiction

A voyage across an ancient ocean

bibliography

1125353354

David Goodrich

a bicycle journey through the northern dominion of oil

"In the face of widespread misinformation and misunderstanding, a climate scientist ventures into the vast heart of America's new oil country on just two wheels. Recently recovered from his epic bicycle journey that took him from the Delaware shore to the Oregon coast, distinguished climate scientist David Goodrich sets out on his bike again to traverse the Western Interior Seaway--an ancient ocean that once spread across half of North America. When the waters cleared a geologic age ago, what was left behind was vast, flat prairie, otherworldly rock formations, and oil shale deposits. As Goodrich journeys through the Badlands and Theodore Roosevelt National Park and across the prairies of the upper Midwest and Canada, we get a raw and ground-level view of where the tar sands and oil reserves are being opened up at an incredible and unprecedented pace. Extraordinary and unregulated, this 'black goldrush' is boom and bust in every sense. In a manner reminiscent of John McPhee and Rachel Carson, combined with Goodrich's wry self-deprecation and scientific expertise, A Voyage Across an Ancient Ocean is a galvanizing and adventure-filled read that gets to the heart of drilling on our continent."--Publisher description

Cowboys and Indians -- The takeoff roll -- The sky over the oil sands -- Apocalypse then: the 2016 Fort McMurray fire -- Visit to a man camp -- "Significant uncertainties" -- The magic juice box -- The water protectors -- Stewards of the prairies -- The bomb on the ridgeline -- The birds of Saskatchewan -- Where the sea used to be -- Meet me in Moose Jaw -- The crossing -- Williston: Boomtown, USA -- The core of the core -- A conversation with Teddy -- A certain relentlessness

adult