It’s official…I sold a photograph to the National Geographic Society. In 2006, I took several photographs of Crater Lake and stitched them into a panoramic photo. I had no idea that my photograph would be displayed on thousands of copies on a map!

My photo will be featured on the Central Cascades Geotourism MapGuide.

The Central Cascades MapGuide will be a two-sided map-brochure that conveys geotourism information, sites, and experiences. The MapGuide’s content meets National Geographic standards of editorial quality and credibility, and the locations, experiences, and themes are proposed by local communities. Roughly 150 of the most unique natural, historic, and cultural assets will be included on the map.

The map is designed to promote geotourism, where travelers are attracted to an area based on its environment, culture and heritage, said James Dion, associate of National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations.

The map should be ready for distribution in September, Dion said. It’s expected to cost about $300,000 to produce, split evenly among the National Geographic Society, Travel Oregon and Washington State Tourism, he said.

The first printed run of maps, expected to number in the thousands, will be distributed locally to schools, libraries and tourism promoters, Dion said. Subsequent printings will be distributed in National Geographic magazines mailed to the Pacific Northwest, Dion said.

According to my contact at National Geographic, my panoramic photo of Crater Lake will be featured “along the bottom of the back side of this double-sided map. The image would appear at a final size of 4.5″ x 25″.”

This is easily as exciting as the time when one of my blog posts was published as a chapter in a book!

Thankfully, I have confirmed that my name will be spelled correctly on the map…even if it wasn’t on the check…

For future reference: “Stollers can use escalators…Strollers cannot.”