
Alta California
From San Diego to San Francisco, a Journey on Foot to Rediscover the Golden State
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Narrated by:
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Tristan Wright
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By:
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Nick Neely
Nick Neely chronicles his 650-mile trek on foot from San Diego to San Francisco, following the route of the first overland Spanish expedition into what was soon called Alta California. Led by Gaspar de Portolá in 1769, the expedition sketched a route that would become, in part, the famous El Camino Real. It laid the foundation for the Golden State we know today, a place that remains as mythical and captivating as any in the world.
Neely grew up in California but realized how little he knew about its history. So he set off to learn it bodily, with just a backpack and a tent, trekking through stretches of California both lonely and urban. For 12 weeks, following the journal of expedition missionary Father Juan Crespí, Neely kept pace with the ghosts of the Portolá expedition - nearly 250 years later.
Weaving together natural and human history, Alta California relives his adventure, tells a story of Native cultures and the Spanish missions that soon devastated them, and explores the evolution of California and its landscape. The result is a collage of historical and contemporary California, of lyricism and pedestrian serendipity, and of the biggest issues facing California today - water, agriculture, oil and gas, immigration, and development - all of it one step at a time.
©2019 Nick Neely (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLCListeners also enjoyed...




















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A must read for anyone who loves California
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Alta California
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Cali full circle
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The history
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Alta amazing
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It was a pleasure to read Neely thoughtfully unpack the historical records of early California, weaving the narrative of his journey with those of the people and environments he encountered along the way. I know and love many of the places he passed through and it was really meaningful for me to learn more about the history of these places. What a wonderful way to contextualize modern California.
The audiobook narrator has a pleasing voice and cadence, better than many I’ve come across. However the majority of Spanish words and names are badly mispronounced, and some common English words are too. It’s a shame that the producer didn’t attempt to remedy this. I can’t see why the reader couldn’t have been given more help with the Spanish language words. It’s rather insulting to the sincerity and reverence with which Neely clearly has for California’s multi-cultural history and high numbers of Spanish speakers, especially for a book that is so focused on the Portola Expedition.
Unique and wonderful
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decent book, awful narration
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Magnificent!
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Decent performance by the narrator.
Way, way, way too long
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I stopped listening just short of Lompoc. It's possible it got better as he moved closer to home, but my time was better spent elsewhere
A good idea badly executed
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