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A frequent topic
of discussion on the Great
American RoadTrip Forum concerns traveling
along America's Pacific Coast Highway. This is
an epic roadtrip, and Pacific Coast Highway:
2,066 Miles from Seattle to Tijuana, a new
photo-essay book by Nick Freeth, could contribute
to a serious case of wanderlust for all roadtrippers
considering a trek on this famous roadway. The
Pacific Coast Highway is not a single continuous
road, and it has a number of designations in the
three states (Washington, Oregon, and California)
through which it traverses. Freeth does a masterful
job of tracing the route in such a manner that
the book is both inspirational and a useful planning
guide. He also includes a superb two-page list
of Web sites and other resources for information
about places along the route.
At the top of most pages, Freeth
has placed a mile-by-mile, town-by-town chart
with a color bar that matches the photos and articles
covered on that page. Although the author asserts
that the entire route could be driven in 18 days,
he offers so many tantalizing suggestions for
side trips that it would be easy to spend more
than six weeks. The scenery along this route ranks
with the most spectacular in the world, and the
book captures many of the amazing vistas in over
450 color photographs. Although many of the photographs
are somewhat underexposed and too blue in color,
the images are arresting and provide a good and
thorough overview. In addition, Freeth's prose
is fresh and informative, and his descriptions
of little-known historical events and byways are
vivid enough to ignite any roadtripper's enthusiasm
for driving the coastal route.
Pacific Coast Highway
is a great source for discovering roadside gems
like the "world's shortest river" in
Lincoln City, Oregon, the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington's
Olympic Pensisula, the amazing Carson Mansion
in Eureka, California, and the annual pumpkin
display in Half Moon Bay. In addition to covering
wilderness and rural areas, the author reveals
a number of well-kept secrets in the cities along
the route. The book ends with a brief look at
the shopping opportunities to be found in Tijuana.
Mark
November, 2003
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