If you have little ones, you probably know that the movie version of Maruice Sendak's children's classic, Where The Wild Things Are releases on Friday. Director Spike Jonze has turned this iconic picture book into something to fit the big screen.

I remember the book well from my own childhood. It describes the fantasy world of a boy named Max. When Max is sent to bed without supper, his imagination transforms his bedroom into a setting anyone would want to visit.

So for part two in the Wanderlust series dedicated to National Book Month, let's go where the wild things are.

Given the right amount of time, this is a reasonable itinerary you can enjoy with or without kids. Where else might you go to honor this famous tale?

Max starts his adventure where the forest meets the ocean. For this trip, let's go to beautiful Southern California to the LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST.
Photo: chuck	LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST Los Padres National Forest encompasses approximately 1.75 million acres of central California's scenic coast. A visit to the southern, and largest, part can include a beautiful drive along highway 33 on the Jacinto Reyes National Scenic Byway into Ventura, CA. "Wild Things" You Might See Los Padres is one of the most diverse National Forests in California. It's inhabited by mule deer, black bears, wild boars, antelope, elk, and many varieties of smaller game upland and marine birds on the coast.
Max sets sail from the forest edge to the place where his imagined "Wild Things" are.
Photo: Snap Man	CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK Off the coast of densely developed Southern California lies a chain of islands preserved as a national park. Only accessible via private plane or park service boats from Ventura or Santa Barbara, this isolated wonderland is home to unique animals and plants found nowhere else on Earth. In fact, they are often called "The Galapagos Islands of North America." "Wild Things" You Might See Among a huge array of marine mammals, reptiles and birds, the islands are a breeding sanctuary for seals and sea lions — On San Miguel island is recommended by GORP as a must-see spot where you can see as many as 50,000 of them at once!
When Max encounters the "Wild Things" they realize that he's the wildest thing of all. After some fun adventures, they decide to make him their KING.
Photo: Brian	KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK If you're up for a five hour drive once you get off the ferry in Ventura, celebrate this kind of royal honor at Kings Canyon National Park. Dubbed by John Muir as a rival to Yosemite, this park exhibiting rivers, canyons and caverns is also adjacent to the giant trees. Sequoia National Park is just next door. A visit to both is certainly fit for a king. "Wild Things" You Might See Wolverines, big horn sheep and black bears, oh my. The park is also home to several exotic and endangered species.
Finally, Max realizes that he wants to be where he's loved the most. He leaves the "Wild Things" for his bedroom, and is happy to find his supper waiting.
photo: Yourdon	VISALIA FARMER'S MARKET Whenyou come down out of the mountains that encompass Kings Canyon and Sequoia, you'll be in California's central valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural regions. What better place to spend suppertime on a tour to honor this book? If you really want to make the "Wild Thing" in your stomach growl, check out the recipes made with what's fresh at the farmer's market blog: The Seasonal Table.