Lonely
Planet Road Trip: California Highway 1,
by Paige R. Penland
"The first thing you will notice when
you pick up a copy of Lonely Planet Road Trip: California
Highway 1 is its diminutive size. Don't be fooled! There
is a wealth of road trip information inside this 4"x 8"
booklet, and it's the perfect size for your glove box or even
your back pocket as you stroll the beach towns profiled inside.
Paige Penland did an especially thorough job of identifying
and evaluating eating and recreational business establishments
along the 625 miles between Leggett and Dana Point on California
Highway One. There's stuff in this book you won't find anywhere
else.
Most of us don't normally read guide books cover-to-cover,
but the author's sense of humor and derring-do approach as
she conveys insider tips about this journey may well lead
you to read it in a single sitting as I did. The book includes
nine fold-out maps that are well designed and incorporated
into the front and back covers of the book. It's possible
to find all of the attractions she describes in the book with
no other maps.
The book features twenty-two towns and cities
along the route, and the author includes tips for finding
superb scenery, attractions, unusual restaurants, sleeping
options, and information about some of the scenic destinations
between the larger towns. I have been to many of the places
she describes, and her recommendations match well with my
own experiences in those locales.
In this book you will discover the location of
the top nine nude beaches, the single best park bench, and
the author's choices for the best places to harvest strawberries,
apples, and mushrooms. Penland also looks for and shares some
great bargains including San Francisco's "Pluto's Fresh
Food for a Hungry Universe," where organic salads and
classic meat-and-potatoes meals range from $3 to $7. There
are a number of suggested side trips, including one to the
Santa Lucia hot springs where guests can stay overnight in
yurts at a Soto Zen monastery. She also shares tips about
a street-side kiosk in Santa Monica where you can get free
tickets to watch TV shows being filmed. The book provides
information about choosing destinations that appeal to children
and detailed information about hiking and exploring many of
the county and state parks along the route.
Since road trips are often not prepackaged,
totally planned excursions, the author does a good job of
detailing some of the challenges that road trippers may face
following this route. The experience of traveling California's
Highway One is something everyone should aspire to—this
book will help make such a journey a real adventure.
Mark
1/04
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