i always take a gander at the pieces of driftwood at the lfs, but they always seem to cost so much. $4/lb for the "african" types and about $20 for one piece (relatively good-sized) for the regular ones. the pieces don't away look that nice tho. i want to plan a trek one of these days into a forested area or take a look or on a beach or something. i'm just not entirely sure what the legality is of going about this method, esp in CA, where environmentalism is a relatively big issue. anyone in CA know?