Abstract
Abstract In The Sea of Cortez, John Steinbeck mentions that the Western Flyer carried provisions for seven, but writes about only six crew members, including himself. The unmentioned passenger, hardly a ghost, was his first wife, Carol. A force of nature, she collected and preserved marine invertebrates with John and Ed Ricketts, joked and drank with the men, and thoroughly enjoyed herself. John and Carol separated shortly after the trip, and she left no written account of her adventures on the Sea of Cortez. Fortunately, the Steinbeck universe is populated by countless experts, documents, audio recordings, and artifacts that help fill the gaps in Carol’s story and allow one to imagine what her experience might have been. A visit to the Lab on Cannery Row and a trip to the Sea of Cortez helped to complete the picture as I wrapped up my research for a historical fiction novel about Carol’s experience aboard the Western Flyer.
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