Cool it!

Sunday, 30 April 2023, Oxnard CA

What a difference a day makes.

Well, a day and 130 miles. After five days in the cauldron of the desert, I welcomed temperatures in the 70s in Orange County, this land I once called home. The drive down was both familiar and foreign. I followed the Riverside Freeway into Orange County. What used to be a three-lane freeway each direction now sported five free lanes, along with two express lanes. What hasn't changed: traffic still slowed and stopped on a Sunday morning, despite the wider road.

I met Nick, a friend I'd visited Alaska with 32 years ago (and who recalled our trips through the Cookie Oven) for lunch in Orange. Our hour together passed too quickly as we reminisced over old adventures and discussed new ones. Afterwards, I checked in with Ron, planning to visit him and Joanne before moving on to Ventura County. Unfortunately, the doctor had not yet released him from the hospital, so I reluctantly headed north.

It's all about managing expectations.

I certainly expected heavy weekend traffic heading up I-405 and US-101, and traffic obliged. An hour into the slow slog, I saw an exit sign for the Visitor Center of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMM NRA), and quickly moved over. Time to get out of the car, as well as plot out my time for tomorrow before my final park on Tuesday.

Las Virgenes Rd led three miles to the famed Mulholland Highway, which snakes along ridgelines in the Santa Monica Mtns, providing views of nature and palatial estates. A left turn here took me to King Gillette Ranch, named for the inventor of the disposable razor. Gillette built his mansion there in the late 1920s.

When he died, his wife sold it to an MGM film director who hosted A-list movie stars at extravagant parties. Today the former horse stable serves as the Visitor Center for the SMM NRA, with picnic grounds and well-maintained grounds.

By the time I arrived, the building was closed, with no park brochure available. I wandered the grounds, looked at the signs, and noticed one touting a short trail to Inspiration Point.

The trail took me to an overlook back on the ranch, with greenery all around. To the south, clouds rolled in, washing over the hills in the park. Time for the final in my photography class: The clouds draped over the hills played havoc with the camera's automatic metering, leaving the sky and background washed out. I switched to manual, adjusted by three f-stops, and took a creditable shot. Nice!

With the temperature falling back into the 60s - how I would've welcomed that last week! - I headed out to find my AirBnB. At least I knew where I could start my exploration of the park on my 'day off' tomorrow.

Monday, 1 May 2023

When I made my reservations for a kayak tour in Channel Islands NP, they had no slot available for Monday; luckily, I snagged a slot on Tuesday's tour. To make sure I'd have time to pack up and get to the boat for an 8:00 check-in tomorrow, I took a dry run in the morning, verifying any details. At the harbor, the NPS had a Visitor Center, hosting displays about the five islands that comprise the park,

and the wildlife living there. I collected my passport stamp, and though they had no brochure for SMM NRA, they did have a few guides for the trails in that park.

It took me 40 minutes to drive back to Gillette Ranch, where I discovered that the Visitor Center only opened Wed-Sun. Still no park brochure to get further info on my options there. I settled in for a quick lunch, looking at the trail guides I'd thankfully grabbed while I enjoyed my APB sandwich. I noticed two attractions along Mulholland Hwy, so I took off to explore.

I had driven only a few short portions of Mulholland while I lived in California, so I saw it with new eyes. The views, the pristine land covered with wildflowers - it all washed over me. A temperature hovering near 70° kept the day comfortable.

Paramount Ranch was noted as a filming location in Agoura Hills, a place where Hollywood shot numerous movies and TV shows (mostly westerns). I had visited Paramount Ranch several times while living in CA, since the site also hosted Southern California's original Rennaissance Faire until 1989. For those wishing to relive those days, you can visit the Witchy Woods, where fortune tellers had set up their booths; I did not get that far. Instead, I sought the Medea Creek Loop Trail, which (re. the trail map) offered a viewpoint down on Western Town.

I could find no signs for the trail, though I appeared to be on it.

I couldn't find any overlook. I couldn't even find Western Town, featured in so many films. I did find an old-timey church that looked familiar to my eyes.

As I wandered about, signs told me why: The 2018 Woolsey Fire had devastated the park, burning Western Town to the ground (though the trail guides have not been updated). The NPS plans to rebuild the ranch, using the improved site for film productions and education.

I spent a little time there, enjoying the continued cool temperatures, surrounded by the greenery I'd missed in the desert. The short hikes I took highlighted the spring flowers bursting forth.

Further down Mulholland, the Peter Strauss Ranch beckoned. Named for an Emmy Award-winner actor, this site got ht hard by the Woolsey Fire, which burned down his historic ranch house. I strolled the grounds, but didn't stay long, not wanting to get in the way of crews working there. The terrazzo dance floor (site of numerous big band concerts and appearances by Johnny Cash

and Willie Nelson), a still-thriving cactus garden,

and the one-time largest swimming pool on the West Coast (holding 650,000 gallons of water) hinted at the site's former grandeur.

Crews had closed Mulholland there for unknown work, so I backtracked to avoid it, then drove through the hills to the coast.

Heading north on Pacific Coast Highway, I passed by surf pounding the rocks and a few clutches of houses. At the pull-off for 'beach access', I turned in, choosing to let the sound of surf ease me into the trip finale. Oh, wait, it's pay-to-park.

I turned to go, then decided I could afford an hour there. Unfortunately, the automated terminal didn't work - it would accept no payment.

My day was full, and I had to prepare for the impending end of the journey. Time to pack up for the next-to-last time...