Backroads
of Southern California: Your Guide to Southern California's
Most Scenic Backroad Adventures ,
by David M. Wyman
Backroads of Southern California, a
new addition to Voyageur Press's Pictorial Discovery Guide series,
does a remarkable job of capturing the road trip experience
in book form. Southern California, which in this book includes
everything from Coalinga in the north to the Mexican border
in the south, is a roadtripper's paradise, and author David
M. Wyman has chosen thirty routes that reveal the area's splendid
diversity. Although I have been on just about every road he
describes, his evocative prose and over 150 stunning photographs
made me want to hit the road immediately to rediscover the Golden
State.
It's all too easy to call photographs
"stunning," but in this case the adjective is truly
warranted. From wildflowers in the Antelope Valley to apple
pies in Julian, every image is a work of art. Even weathered
oil pipelines and abandoned pickup trucks become romantic
through Wyman's lens, and when his subjects are mountain springs,
wind-sculpted sand dunes, and monarch butterflies, the result
is irresistibly riveting.
Wyman's photography tells enough
of a story by itself that words are almost optional, but here's
the great thing -- his words are just as good. For each of
the routes he covers, Wyman weaves history, geology, flora,
fauna, local events, and landmarks into a narrative that serves
well both as a guide and as an armchair journey. These are
remarkable journeys, too. The area he covers includes the
highest point in the continental United States -- Mount Whitney
at 14,495 feet -- to the lowest -- Badwater in Death Valley
at 282 feet below sea level.
Well-drawn maps, historic photographs,
and colorful quotations from other travel works and primary
sources enhance Wyman's text and images. After reading Backroads
of Southern California, I was left with a renewed appreciation
for the region and a nagging desire to go get a few more kicks
on Route 66 as well as all the other roads so beautifully
portrayed in this excellent book.
Megan
Edwards
6/19/05
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