Sagebrush & Cappuccino; Confessions of an LA Naturalist

The first, interestingly enough, was familiar to me, as he undertakes to hike Sepulveda Pass. That's the gap that the San Diego Freeway (better known as the I-405) takes from Los Angeles to Van Nuys and the San Fernando Valley, going past the Getty Center, among other landmarks. I know it because of a convention I attend every year in Van Nuys, just a few miles north of the pass. So that made the chapter particularly interesting to me.

I found the rest of it a mixed bag. Wicinas has an interesting perspective, but he's no Annie Dillard, and his narration frequently falls flat. My favorite chapter focuses on Caspers Wilderness Park in Orange County, which has seen attacks on people (particularly children) by mountain lions. As with the other chapters, he interweaves historical and natural information with a first-person account of his visit and hiking around. Perhaps because of the romance of such a large wild animal in the LA area, this chapter comes to life more than most.

Still, it's an interesting book, and I'd recommend it to someone who's interested in the more natural areas around Los Angeles.