Alta California, Nick Neely (4.0)
This is an educational and enjoyable travelogue of Mr.
Neely’s hike from San Diego to San Francisco where he endeavored to track the
path of Portola and Crespi, the Spanish men who famously led (and documented) a
party throughout California in the 1700’s. The travel narrative includes his
current day issues (e.g. how to get through the air force and marine bases)
with bits of history from Crespi’s diaries describing the differences they
encountered. He highlights the nature – both flora and fauna along with the
lack of nature (too many highways!). I was surprised by the nature he did find
in and around LA and I loved following him as he walked through many of the
areas and even neighborhoods well known to a 30+ year Californian.
This book was a real treat to read. The amount of effort the author exerted to tell this story was commendable in its own right. As a Californian transplant from the east, I greatly enjoyed this book because of my interest in the Spanish history of California and my familiarity with many of the regions the El Camino traverses. Clearly Nick Neely was the perfect person to tell this unique story.
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