A solitary wander travels the west coast from Big Sur to British Columbia, searching for surf, kayaking spots, hiking trails, interesting people, and some insights into the great mysteries of life. Lost in a world of peace and beauty, he both celebrates and learns the lessons of life.
Cosmic Coastal Chronicles
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Editorial Reviews
Review
The book, with a strong meditative air, is about Fischer's joy in being able to take off along the coast, camp out, surf, hike, bike and commune with nature. A traveling Thoreau, Fischer describes his vistas in great detail and then drifts off into philosophical reverie. -- Chris Hunter, editor, Pacifica Tribune, July 9, 1997
About the Author
M.L. (Meade) Fischer has written several novels and non fiction books, has written a regular column for a newspaper, plus many op ed pieces, is a radio commentator and producer, has sculpted for galleries, and makes short videos. He has also been in education. He camps, surfs, kayaks, bikes and explores the west coast.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Travelogues from the Mystical Adventurer,
By
This review is from: Cosmic Coastal Chronicles (Paperback)
It's my hope that some of who Meade is rubs off into your consciousness, and you appreciate what he does and who he is.
For the moment lets forego language inflation. English is these days full of inflated superlatives which we all use, but mean nothing. So most of us are constantly susceptible to, "Bigger!," "Better!," "More!," or "New AND Improved!" to fulfill our quests for happiness. When instead, oftentimes, the happiness you've sought is right under your nose, contained in daily observance of sustainable things you love most. The virtual corporate states which run America have nothing to do with this, so they can't sell it to you. That's good. Fischer's a guy who has seen many things. But he would prefer to chose and observe his loves of surfing, kayaking, serene forests and biking, and share them with us. In all the world you'll find many, many people who have unusual theories and experiences who author interesting reads. The authors about whom you hear the most often have something especially new or controversial to say. That's O.K.; the world needs new paradigms and thought. But what Fischer does best is celebrate the adventures of a lifestyle which brings him daily happiness. A lifestyle which is threatened by pretty much everyone else on the rest of the American continent. Even the high tech of writing this review, or putting Fischer's book on Kindle has its trade-offs with sustainability. If you'd enjoy a fellow traveler's reminiscences and reverie, this will be a lovely read for you.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Ongoing Coastal Trip!,
This review is from: Cosmic Coastal Chronicles (Paperback)
I flipped open to the first page and read, "My old Toyota pick-up droned steadily over undulating hills, past green waves of artichokes, toward Moss Landing and on to Santa Cruz with the promise of surf at Pleasure Point. A kayak was strapped to the top, mountain bike hung on the back, and surf gear stashed under the camper shell."
Two sentences that were convincing enough for me to buy this book. Meade has lived in many California coast towns and has driven the coast from southern California to Vancouver, B.C. Meade's "ride" to roam the Coast Road is either an "old Toyota pick-up" or a Kawasaki 1100cc. "Many times, during summers and weekends, this sturdy little truck, faded and rusty, has been my home. The long bed accommodates my long frame. A mat from a patio lounge fits between the wheel wells. The built-in carpeted compartments give me storage and shelf space. My pillow is stuffed against the back of the cab, and a long, thick sleeping bag is rolled and ready. A battery powered lantern is stowed in a compartment along with a pup tent, mask and snorkel and assorted gear I've been too lazy to unload. A good book is always stuffed under the sleeping bag in case I spend the night in some scenic turn-out along the road. Naturally, a bottle opener and a cork screw are in the glove box at all times." "A road that may take many lifetimes to travel," writes Meade. "Sunset found me on the San Luis Obispo coast. I think of this as the gentle coast, with its wide turn-outs beside rocky little beaches, slapped by perfectly starched little waves." Meade continues, "The view inland is of Hearst Castle and smooth rolling hills, like mounds of melting coffee ice cream. There are big RVs with smiling retirees for neighbors. Further north, past Ragged Point at Big Sur, the landscape erupts skyward." (Absolutely true!) "This is a coast of narrow turn-outs, perched on cloud-high cliffs, with people stranger than myself parked in odd busses under the shadow of trees, plotting bizarre cures for mankind's ills while chanting mantras and smoking copious amounts of pot." Meade meets some of these "strange" people at pull-outs when he parks to check out the surf conditions. Ewing "lived up the road at a scenic turn-out in an old van." For income, Ewing "carved pot pipes for the surfers and hippie types. He made enough from this to buy food and gas and that was pretty much all he wanted beyond just being able to live at Big Sur." A friend of Ewing's who lived a bit further north, Robot, "lived in an old tent in a secret spot right off the highway." Robot also made money from carving little stone pipes and "watching cars" (like a parking lot security guard) parked alongside the road at surf spots. Meade and Robot enjoyed "a friendship that lasted a couple of years, until he (Robot) moved down the beach to a place I've yet to locate. He shared secrets of Big Sur and the delightful stories of his life and adventures, and I, more often than not, provided the beer, some epoxy from town and sometimes a "loan" of five or ten bucks." Meade's coastal adventures include colorful characters, such as Ewing and Robot, and scenic descriptions of the coastscape, "A flock of birds argued enthusiastically in the tree above me, while the world of man was reduced to a thin line of cars passing far below." One of my favorite lines, "The comfortable patch of tall grass under the sprawling Live Oak, upon the ridge, above the rugged, always dynamic coast of Big Sur provides more nature than a hundred nature shows, with their carefully selected images." When not riding in his old Toyota or atop his Kawasaki, Meade takes to the water in a kayak at Elkhorn Slough, "A sudden darkness under the bridge of Highway One and I was officially out of the harbor and in the slough." Here Meade enjoys a brief respite from light pollution, "Then the magic began. Suddenly there was almost no artificial light, only the distant house lights of rural south Monterey County. The moon, low in the east, cast a broad avenue of ghostly white that led me ever onward." Or Meade's ride becomes a surfboard, "My favorite surfing spot in Pacifica, in fact, my favorite in the Bay Area, was Rockaway Beach. The beach is less than a half-mile wide, between two rocky points. A channel through the reef at the south end leads to a line-up that you can paddle around. You can slip into position without getting in the way of someone taking off on a wave. The place breaks from two to three foot waves, until it closes out, which can be double overhead at times." Meade contributes his philosophic insights, such as, "As humans, we seem to need to find a reason, a greater purpose for everything, a natural law that causes it all to make sense to us. I'm beginning to suspect that there really isn't anything like that out there, that the order we discover is a product of our own minds. Even the wonderful concept of ecology may be rooted in our persistent need for order and reason." In one night, I read through Meade's Cosmic Coastal Chronicles. Absolutely original as a local's guide book to travel on Highways 1 and 101, M.L. Fischer's Cosmic Coastal Chronicles may also be compared to Jack Kerouac's, "On The Road," and John Steinbeck's, "Travels with Charley." As a re-read, Meade's chronicles snaps me out of my winter hibernation (a doldrums as it were), and I'm re-inspired to hit the Coast Road in search of my own cosmic coastal adventures. As Meade describes, "Each of these trips adds to the growing collage, the ongoing coastal trip."
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read,
By JR (Carmel, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cosmic Coastal Chronicles (Paperback)
This is a fun, philosophical travelogue up the Pacific Coast. Meade knows this coastline well as he has traveled it extensively; surfing, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking and meeting the people who make the place what it is. If you never get a chance to explore and experience the real West Coast yourself, here's your opportunity to do it, vicariously.
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