The California
I actually drove.
The unknown, the hidden, and the overlooked.
Two weeks on the road. Out of San Francisco, east into the bloom, down through Death Valley, then out to the coast and north until it ran out. A landslide turned me around at Big Sur. Snow turned me back at Sequoia. Both are in here.
All of it my own driving, plus the one leg I didn't get to and would do next. 43 states out of the back of a truck — this is the California one, written down.
Free downloadInside Death Valley · The Coast · Public-land camps · Hwy 395 (the leg I’d add) · Heat & water · Fire permits · Gear
San Ardo, California
What's inside
Sixteen pages of what actually worked.
It builds on The Adventure Blueprint, my road-trip system, so it doesn't spend your time re-teaching water and sleep. It goes straight at what California asks of you that home never did.
The route I actually drove
San Francisco, Lake Isabella, Death Valley, Morro Bay, Point Reyes — plus the Highway 395 leg I'd add next time.
Where I slept, by name
The public-land spots I actually slept on, by name — Kissack Cove, Canning Flat, the BLM hills above San Ardo.
A California-specific safety page
Desert heat, the water math, fire permits, sneaker waves, bears, and every stretch where the signal dies on you.
My honest gear list
Coast to desert to Sierra — the things I'd rebuy, not whatever ranks first.
What I left out, and why
No Yosemite crowds, no Tahoe, no LA. If a famous name is missing here, I skipped it on purpose and I say why.
Why I bothered writing it
I went for the famous stuff and kept driving past it. What I found on the roads between is the reason I wrote any of this down.
Look inside
A look at the pages.
Every photo in here is one I took on the trip. Nothing bought, nothing borrowed.
On the house
Take this part now.
No email, no checkout. This is the page that keeps people out of trouble, and it works whether or not you ever pay me a cent.
- Death Valley runs October to April. Summer pushes past 120°F and the Park Service closes trails for a reason.
- A gallon per person per day, plus extra for the truck. Fill up in Pahrump or Ridgecrest — gas inside the park is scarce and sometimes fifty miles off.
- California requires a campfire permit for any stove, fire or lantern on public land. Get it online before you go.
- Never turn your back on the ocean. Sneaker waves pull people off the rocks up the whole coast.
- Leave nothing visible in the car. Trailhead break-ins are constant — an empty back seat and an open glovebox are the best defense you've got.
Free, like everything I make
Free download.
It's free. I'd rather you go than pay me.
The California Guide — an Out There road trip through the unknown, the hidden & the overlooked
PDF · 16 pages · instant download
If you pay something, that’s the next guide getting made — and this one staying free after it lands.
— Bryce
Free means free — same guide, same pages, nothing held back. If you pay something, that’s what keeps it that way: this guide, the weekly essays, whatever comes next.
Or decide the amount at checkout →Before you buy
Questions.
What exactly do I get? +
A 16-page PDF you download the moment you check out. Cover to back cover, yours to keep.
What can I read it on? +
Anything. Phone, tablet, laptop — or print it and throw it in the glovebox, which is honestly how I'd use it.
Do I need The Adventure Blueprint too? +
No. This stands on its own. It's built to pair with the Blueprint — the universal road-trip system — but you don't need it to use this.
Why is it free? +
Because I want it read more than I want it sold. Members of the Out There Club cover the cost at \$7 a month, and that keeps every guide free for everyone else. Pay something at checkout if you want — it goes to the same place.
More from Out There
The rest of the shelf.
California is one leg of it. This is the system it rides on, and the rest of the places it goes.
The Adventure Blueprint
Free download →
The Autumn Guide
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The New Zealand Guide
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The Winter Guide
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The Out There Presets
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