Wednesday, January 6, 2010

January 6 - Another Glorious Day


Up early again,



passing up the local stake house,



out with John to



Augies, then back up the



Yucaipa Grade,




returning to views of the



Crafton Hills and



Mt. San Bernardino to the




scene of



Oak



Glen



Station.



The walk, in the 4800-5000 foot range, progresses through land now saved by the Wildlands Conservancy, in the environs of



Pisgah Peak,



Mt. Wilshire, and



Los Rios



Rancho



(named after the Rivers Brothers,



rather than the local drainageways),



where land preservation is still the



hot topic, complete with a



free direct line to the



Los Angeles Mayor's Office to voice concerns,



to which we avail ourselves



(also making a donation at the Preserve Headquarters).



Adjacent is



Oak Knoll Park for



another look



down



Little San Gorgonio Canyon, then



winding up at the Conservation Camp



Gate.



Next walk will be down towards the canyon,



but at this point it must be driven,



back to that notorious narrow divide with the Wildwood watershed,



recapitulating the



San Jacinto and



Wilshire/Gorgonio views,



Jacinto now closer from



Highland Springs Avenue and the



I-10 onramp.



West back into the Greater Los Angeles Basin,



north on Central with the three graces of Mounts San Antonio (Old Baldy), Ontario, and Cucamonga, to lunch under the



warm sun of Claremont's



Mongolian




Barbeque.



Mountain Avenue



north,



back on



I-210 through



Baldwin



Park,



Altadena,



La Canada-Flintridge, the



Verdugos and



La Tuna Canyon beckoning,



with some vistas reminiscent of the



Mexican Highlands.



This high country, however, leads below the face of the



Tujungas in the



San



Fernando



Valley,



beyond which are the



I-5 ascent and



descent (including Gavin Canyon's



big cone Douglas fir and



cliffs), to the diminishing


oak



hills of Santa Clarita.



The human-natural symbioses of Rye Canyon and



Castaic Reservoir fall behind in the ascent of



reverse-road



Violin Canyon, where the



alterations are



fewer



and



far-betweener.



Up



and



over Tejon Summit,



down into the Frazier Park area,



past Lebec,



Ridge and



Valley,



plummetting down



the Grapevine



into the foggy



San



Joaquin



Valley --



it's hours home, but it's



enough.