When a wheelchair-riding guy from Texas moves to California and hooks up with a skateboarding gal, the search for wheel-friendly beaches begins. So when Coastwalk and the Coastal Conservancy decided to publish a wheeler’s guide to the L.A. and Orange County coast, we jumped at the opportunity to research and write it. The guide, to be published in September, chronicles our search for wheelchair access along 150 miles of coastline in the year 2000.

We drove every mile between Malibu and San Clemente and hiked about a hundred miles of trail. (Yes! We found that many usable trails!) We were prepared to find lots of barriers; instead we found a remarkably accessible shoreline, with many surprises.

In addition to world-famous beaches such as Santa Monica and Venice, which are packed with people, activities, and entertainment, we also found serene plant and wildlife refuges where shorebirds easily outnumbered people. We camped under the stars in a sycamore-shaded canyon at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains, hiked through the fragrant sage of the coastal scrub at state parks, and dined al fresco in the beachfront town of Laguna.

Erick loved the urban beaches where he could cruise at high speeds on the bike trails in his sporty manual wheelchair. The only way Elisa could keep up with him was to jump onto her skateboard and hold onto the handles on the back of his wheelchair. Elisa’s favorite spots were the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve for its geological beauty, and Crystal Cove State Park with its botanical restoration area. Our happy medium was Laguna Beach, which is a charming, walkable town nestled around a coved beach.

What makes this southern California shoreline so accessible? A passion for exercise is part of the answer: concrete bicycle and jogging paths line all of Santa Monica Bay and much of Orange County’s southern coastline. They are perfect for exploring on wheels. And if family or friends want to join in, they can rent a set of wheels at one of the many bicycle and skate shops. Erick traded his wheelchair in for a three-wheel recumbent bike for one high-speed afternoon.

Balloon-tire wheelchairs are another contributor to beach access. There has been a huge effort to place these sand-worthy wheelchairs at public beaches, where visitors can borrow them at no charge. If you’ve never crossed the sand to the water’s edge, the balloon-tired chairs can be a real adventure.

Of course, parks and beaches don’t always fall neatly into the simple categories of “accessible” and “inaccessible.” So in A Wheelchair Rider’s Guide to the Los Angeles and Orange County Coast, we tried to include enough detail for readers to make their own evaluation. We described plenty of gentle trails, but also included some wheelchair-riding adventures that resemble mountain biking. The book also describes the features of restrooms and other facilities, since what is “accessible” to one person may not work for another. Maps, photos, and illustrations will help readers pick destinations.

There were more great sites than we could fit in the book, so we expect that people will be writing to us with their discoveries. Also, beach access gets better every year, so there will soon be more places to explore. We found that many new restrooms and ramps had been built on the beaches since Erick first began this research several years ago. And more improvements are under construction.We’d be delighted to tour L.A. and Orange County all over again for a later edition.

Meanwhile, as we write these words and the book is almost finished, we’re a little wistful, wishing we had time for one more trip.

Erick Mikiten, an architect, and Elisa Mikiten, a planner, have offices in Berkeley.

To receive a copy of A Wheelchair Rider’s Guide to the Los Angeles and Orange County Coast, email name, address, and number of copies desired to the California Coastal Conservancy.