Romantically called the "Galápagos of North America," the Channel Islands' long isolation has given rise to 145 species of plants and animals that are found no where else in the world. (We saw the famed, iridescent Scrub Jay.) The islands are also home to North America's tallest flowering trees (360 feet) and the oldest human remains found in North America (13,000 years vs. Alaska's 11,500). Only 29 miles off the California coast, the five islands offer about 221,000 acres of hiking and camping. We felt it was a good way to welcome the new year.
Santa Barbara author T. Coraghessan Boyle fell under the islands' spell and used them as the setting of his two most recent novels, When the Killing's Done [Kindle] and San Miguel [Kindle]. Unevenly drawn and plotted, the books do showcase his bravura writing about weather, especially storms, and convey his love of this unique place.