Pacific Coasting with Danielle Kroll’s book, this travel series is all about the Pacific Coast. Driving along this coast is one of the most incredible road trips.
I grew up on the West Coast and we used to drive down to California to visit family for the holidays. Christmas, Easter, summer…I remember sleeping a lot on those long drives, though, since I fall asleep easily in a moving car, listening non-stop to the White Album. And yes, wondering “are we there yet?” like many kids.
The Pacific coastline is different. Everything feels bigger, wilder, lusher. The landscape is something to consist with, to be inspired by, instead of something to conquer. It calls to be explored.
Danielle Kroll, Pacific Coasting
Earlier this year I added Danielle Kroll’s illustrated book, Pacific Coasting, to my collection. As I flipped through it, I reminisced about my own trips.
It is so natural to reflect at the close of a cycle. It is the last day of December and the last day of the calendar year. It’s softly drizzling and the ground is wet. The dog I am dog sitting hates getting her paws wet, just like my dog Lou did, and so we are settling in for a cozy afternoon. Her face is already buried deeply into layers of throws and soft blankets that she had just finished tossing around and pushing into a pile. As dogs do.
Still in my sleeping t-shirt, I made a nourishing congee with cumin, turmeric, coriander, and sesame seed. Cuddling with this little brindle darling, I sat down with Pacific Coasting to read more closely.
To start, the book feels great in hand, and I particularly enjoy running my hand and fingers over the embossed title on the front cover. The hard cover of Pacific Coasting is cheerful, with one of the author’s illustrations against a yellow background. The book is full of illustrations, which is part of its charm. A lot of her art is inspired by her travels.
You can get your copy from Bookshop. Here to Explore Our World is an affiliate of Bookshop, which supports independent bookstores. When you buy from them using our referral links, you are also supporting us. Thank you!
As I worked on this post, it grew and grew and so I made it into a series. This is an introduction to it.
This multi-article series covers information from Southern California up the coast to Vancouver, Canada. I’m following Danielle Kroll’s book, writing about my own travels. I have a section on my website just for California, as this is where we are currently based.