The Golden Shore : California's Love Affair with the Sea

From the first human settlements to the latest marine explorations, The Golden Shore tells the tale of the history, culture, and changing nature of California's coasts and ocean. David Helvarg takes the reader on both a geographic and literary journey along the state's 1,100-mile Pacific coastline, from the Oregon border to the San Diego–Tijuana international border fence and out into its whale-, seal-, and shark-rich offshore seamounts, rock isles, and kelp forests. Part history, part travelogue, part love letter, The Golden Shore captures the spirit of the California coast and its mythic place in American culture. AFrom the first human settlements to the latest marine explorations, The Golden Shore The Golden Shore captures the spirit of the California coast and its mythic place in American culture.;Introduction: home waters -- Native tides -- The Age of Sail -- Ghost forests -- Catch a wave -- Ports of Call -- Navy towns -- Save our Shores -- Currents of discovery -- Return of the beasts -- The urban coast -- The Redwood Coast -- Rising tides -- Afterword.