Review
WL Rating
This book was exactly what I had hoped it would be, namely a surfing tour of the Golden State, from the Oregon border down to Mexico. The fact that the journey is in a VW Bus is both cliche and appropriate. The author, Eric Soderquist, partners with friend and photographer Chris Burkard to deliver a slow-paced, introspective view of California’s diverse coastline (complete with a cool DVD as well). As you can tell from the cover shot, the pictures are excellent and more than worthy of place on your coffee table. Soderquist’s musings on the surfing, people and events are brief, but entertaining. Combined, the pictures and text surround the reader and make you realize just how multidimensional California’s surf culture really is. In fact, given that most of the book is filled with the rustic surfing experiences found north of Santa Barbara, it’s hard not to walk away feeling that California surfing is much more isolated, windswept and rugged than it is a LA or Orange County thing. If you’re like me and not a big fan of crowds, then Soderquist’s book will probably have you itching to rent a VW van and go off in search of the State’s many cold, uncrowded offshore peaks. (May 2009)
The California Surf Project - E. Soderquist
