CONSUMER BRIEFS / TRAVEL

Eric Peterson says California “just might be the greatest state for road trips.” And he’s written a new book to prove his point: “Ramble California: A Wanderer’s Guide to the Offbeat, Overlooked, and Outrageous.”

The book includes sections on Los Angeles and Southern California, on San Francisco and Northern California, on Central California’s coastal areas and valley, on the High Sierra, and on places in the California desert such as Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley and Palm Springs.

Listings highlight quirky attractions like the Bunny Museum in Pasadena, San Diego’s haunted Whaley House, and Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood, where chili has been the house special for decades.

Some chapters are more travelogue than guidebook, like “A Beer Drinker in Wine Country,” and “Sand and Surf and a Fence into the Ocean,” about a six-day, 300-mile trip that included 50 miles by bike and time on a surfboard.

The $19 paperback, published by Colorado-based Speck Press, is part of a series of “Ramble” books by Peterson, which also includes guides to Colorado and to the U.S.

Separately, the California Travel and Tourism Commission has just released its free annual road trips guide.

Free copies of California Road Trips 2009 can be had by calling (877) 867-3748 or going to www.visit california.com/visitorsguide. The booklet highlights places like Calico Ghost Town, Old Mission Santa Barbara and the Sundial Bridge in Redding.

The website also has a deals section at www.visitcalifornia .com/summerdeals mentioning hotel offers, gift cards and gas card credits, and options like the Southern California CityPass, which bundles theme park tickets at a discount.