Abalone Darling is a work of nonfiction following Stephen Page's two-month kayak journey down the coast of California in 2019. In this book he weaves his travels, ecological observations, and lesser known histories of California into a manuscript that takes the reader from the sea lion rookeries of Cape Mendocino, to the kelp forests of Big Sur, and beyond.

Part travelogue, part environmental and anthropological essay, Abalone Darling is a rare glimpse of the California coast, born from a journey that has only been completed by a few people.

It is not meant as a definitive history of our state, but rather a freckle on the golden face of California travel writing.