Alta California

Alta California

Author: Nick Neely

Publisher: Catapult

Published: 2019-11-05

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 1640091661

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This national bestseller chronicles one man’s 650–mile trek on foot from San Diego to San Francisco—sure to appeal to readers of naturalist works like Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire, Paul Thoreau’s On the Plain of Snakes, and Mark Kenyon’s That Wild Country. In 1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá sketched a route that would become, in part, the famous El Camino Real. It laid the foundation for the Golden State we know today, a place that remains as mythical and captivating as any in the world. Despite having grown up in California, Nick Neely realized how little he knew about its history. So he set off to learn it bodily, with just a backpack and a tent, trekking through stretches of California both lonely and urban. For twelve weeks, following the journal of expedition missionary Father Juan Crespí, Neely kept pace with the ghosts of the Portolá expedition—nearly 250 years later. Weaving natural and human history, Alta California relives Neely’s adventure, while telling a story of Native cultures and the Spanish missions that soon devastated them, and exploring the evolution of California and its landscape. The result is a collage of historical and contemporary California, of lyricism and pedestrian serendipity, and of the biggest issues facing California today—water, agriculture, oil and gas, immigration, and development—all of it one step at a time. “Rich in little–known history . . . Up the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county coasts, then inland into the Salinas Valley to Monterey Bay. Somewhere along here, the owl moons and woodpeckers do something you might not have thought possible in 2019: they make you fall, or refall, in love with California, ungrudgingly, wildfires and insane housing prices and all . . . What a journey, you think. What a state." —San Francisco Chronicle


100 Hikes in California's Central Sierra and Coast Range, 2nd Ed.

100 Hikes in California's Central Sierra and Coast Range, 2nd Ed.

Author:

Publisher: The Mountaineers Books

Published:

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 9781594851902

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From hot springs hikes to journeys among the mighty Sequoias, there's something here for everyone! Routes range from short day hikes to overnight backpacking trips, with difficulty levels (moderate to challenging) clearly labeled. Book jacket.


Lonely Planet Best Day Walks California

Lonely Planet Best Day Walks California

Author: Amy C Balfour

Publisher: Lonely Planet

Published: 2022-07

Total Pages: 503

ISBN-13: 1838696369

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Lonely Planet’s Best Day Walks California is your passport to 60 easy escapes into nature. Stretch your legs away from the city by picking a walk that works for you, from just a couple of hours to a full day, from easy to hard. Explore Yosemite National Park, marvel at redwoods, and hike through Gold Country. Inside Lonely Planet’s Best Day Walks California Travel Guide: Colour maps and images throughout Special features - on California’s highlights for walkers, kid-friendly walks, accessible trails and what to take Best for... section helps you plan your trip and select walks that appeal to your interests Region profiles cover when to go, where to stay, what’s on, cultural insights, and local food and drink recommendations to refuel and refresh. Featured regions include: Northern Coast & Redwoods, Marin County & the Bay Area, California’s Central Coast, SoCal Coast, Southern Deserts, Kings Canyon, Sequoia & the Southern Sierras, Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe & Gold Country, Northern Mountains Essential info at your fingertips - walk itineraries accompanied by illustrative maps are combined with details about walk duration, distance, terrain, start/end locations and difficulty (classified as easy, easy-moderate, moderate, moderate-hard, or hard) Over 60 maps The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet’s Best Day Walks California, our most comprehensive guide to walking in California, is perfect for those planning to explore California on foot. Looking for more information on California? Check out Lonely Planet’s California guide for a comprehensive look at what the country has to offer. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we’ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You’ll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. ‘Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.’ – New York Times ‘Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.’ – Fairfax Media (Australia)


Explorer's Guide Santa Barbara & California's Central Coast: A Great Destination: Includes the Santa Ynez Valley (Explorer's Great Destinations)

Explorer's Guide Santa Barbara & California's Central Coast: A Great Destination: Includes the Santa Ynez Valley (Explorer's Great Destinations)

Author: Donna Wares

Publisher: The Countryman Press

Published: 2011-01-03

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 1581579438

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"Consistently rated the best guides to the regions covered."—National Geographic Traveler From the region’s laid-back beach towns to the jumble of Monterey’s Cannery Row, California’s Central Coast offers the most spectacular triptych of landscapes—surf, forests, and picturesque small towns—in the West. Includes coverage of the region’s vineyards, culinary gems, and coastal hideaways.


The Coasts of California

The Coasts of California

Author: Obi Kaufmann

Publisher: Heyday Books

Published: 2022-04-17

Total Pages: 672

ISBN-13: 9781597145510

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An epic, gloriously illustrated journey up and down California's shoreline California's coastline is world famous, an endless source of fascination and fantasy, but there is no book about it like this one. Obi Kaufmann, author-illustrator of The California Field Atlas and The Forests of California, now turns his attention to the 1,200 miles of the Golden State where the land meets the ocean. Bursting with color, The Coasts of California is in Kaufmann's signature style, fusing science with art and pure poetic reverie. And much more than a survey of tourist spots, Coasts is a full immersion into the astonishingly varied natural worlds that hug California's shoreline. With hundreds of gorgeous watercolor maps and illustrations, Kaufmann explores the rhythms of the tides, the lives of sea creatures, the shifting of rocks and sand, and the special habitats found on California's islands. At the book's core is an expansive, detailed walk down the California Coastal Trail, including maps of parks along the way--a wealth of knowledge for any coast-lover. The Coasts of California is a geographic epic, an odyssey in nature, a grand and glorious book for a grand and glorious part of the world.


California's Haunted Central Coast

California's Haunted Central Coast

Author: Evie Ybarra

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2018-10-08

Total Pages: 123

ISBN-13: 1439665478

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Eerie haunts and stories of apparitions stretch along the California coast from Monterey Bay to the Channel Islands. James Dean's presence lingers at the site of his deadly car crash on Highway 46, and a ghost-in-residence presides over the Robert Louis Stevenson house in Monterey. Learn of the ghoulish murders of the Reed family at the San Miguel Mission, the mysterious spirits that haunt the Hearst Castle and the twisted tales of strange occurrences in what was once the Camarillo State Hospital. Join author Evie Ybarra as she explores the unexplained along this infamous coast.


Sojourns: 100 Trails of Enlightenment

Sojourns: 100 Trails of Enlightenment

Author: Jill Thayer Ph.D.

Publisher: Archway Publishing

Published: 2023-04-17

Total Pages: 137

ISBN-13: 1665737069

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There is nothing more exhilarating than a walk in the forest. Hiking the trails is a daily ritual for many on the California Central Coast, and for Jill Thayer, each path is a new adventure that inspires and renews her appreciation of the natural environment. In Sojourns, Jill shares her favorite trails from Big Sur to Oceano Dunes and regions in between with resources on how to find them, and why they are her go-to places for balance, reflection, and a bit of exercise. A photographic essay captures the rich experiences from walks and hikes up and down rugged hills; across lush green meadows and fields of wildflowers; along winding forest paths of centuries-old oak, cypress, and eucalyptus trees; over chiseled sand dunes and windswept beaches; and atop dramatic cliffs that cascade down to the Pacific. Interspersed with favorite quotes that reveal the essence of the journey, the imagery takes you on a visual narrative of discovery through exquisite trails of the region, and beckons to the wanderlust of your imagination. Make time to immerse yourself in the healing power of nature. Sojourns seeks to inspire you to get out, connect with our natural environment, and embrace the conservation of our land and Pacific coastline. Take a deep breath and fill your senses with wonder and solace from a hurried world.


101 Hikes in Northern California

101 Hikes in Northern California

Author: Matt Heid

Publisher: Wilderness Press

Published: 2015-07-21

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 0899977812

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101 Hikes in Northern California by Matt Heid benefits readers by narrowing down the multitude of options for hiking in Northern California to the very best of the best adventures. It is distinct from other similar guidebooks in that it covers the northern two-thirds of the state, including nearly the entirety of the Sierra Nevadas south to Kings Canyon National Park, and the entire Big Sur region along the coast south to Silver Peak Wilderness. It also provides significant geographic diversity: hikes are spread out across the entire region. No matter where you are in northern California, you can find a hike in the book within a short drive. The guide is unique in the amount of natural history information it provides, especially the geologic stories of the featured destinations. It provides not just the essential directions for completing a hike, it enhances the experience by telling the story of how the landscape came to be the way it is.


Youth Involvement in Street Gangs in California’s Central Valley

Youth Involvement in Street Gangs in California’s Central Valley

Author: Huan Gao

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-11-13

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 104015414X

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This timely, insightful, and data-led book fills a gap in gang scholarship by examining gangs in rural areas, specifically focusing on youth gang activity. Incorporating information from interviews with 96 active youth gang members and associates in three of the rural counties of California’s Central Valley, this book provides an in-depth look at youth involvement in gang life in rural settings and addresses the underlying factors leading to the socialization of rural youths into gang life. The book documents the family and school life of youths living in rural communities and examines the process by which they are initiated into gang activity. It discusses their roles in various street gang organizations and their gang-related and non- gang-related illegal activities. It traces their experiences within the criminal justice system, from initial contacts with the police to juvenile court and juvenile corrections. Besides extensive interviews with the youths and official records collected from local criminal justice agencies, data from more than 300 surveys of community members, accompanied by extensive field research in local communities, provides groundbreaking insights into a wide spectrum of issues related to gangs in rural settings. While the Central Valley of California serves as the research site for this extensive work, its findings are equally relevant to other rural areas in the United States and in the larger global context. This volume will be of pivotal interest to students, scholars, and academics in the fields of criminology, criminal justice, sociology, law, social sciences, and political sciences, as well as policymakers, criminal justice practitioners, community leaders, and advocates for gang prevention and intervention programs.