6 36 pm pdt [ many miles ]
I decided to take a long hike while my mom was out of
the house at a meeting. Dogs aren't allowed in the state park, so I could
only go to the entrance if I took my pooch, though that in itself is a
substantial enough walk that most people drive it to start walking at the
park entrance. But I decided to go alone. I wore no wallet, watch, id,
pager, or jewelry. I was nude beyond my shoes, sweats, underwear, tank top, and sun
glasses. At the last minute I grabbed my mum's digital camera.
I happened upon four boys hunting bugs in the field
next to my house. I gave them some hunting tips, specifically, to look under large pieces of wood.
They had a modest collection of rolley polleys and centipedes in their
bucket, which they were proud to show me. The two boys on the left are my neighbors whom I previously talked
with. [This is my favorite picture I have ever taken!]
I happened on a stink bug shortly after I left the
boys. I considered taking it back to them, but was dissuaded by the fact
of its name. I don't know if stink bugs actually stink, but I do know
that when they feel threatened they stick their butts up in the air, which
causes children to run away squealing "stink bug! stink bug!"
We have several religious communities in my
neighborhood, as well as a well know nudist colony. I find the statuary
to be the most fascinating.
Half way up the hike to the park entrance, I spotted my
house.
The walk to the park is unpaved, and I noticed where
the ground split and looked as though it wanted to slip away. The
landscape always changes when we have our rare days of rain.
The news had said that it would rain a bit in the next
few days, but we had only gotten the lightest of sprinkles and I was
certain it wasn't going to start up while I was out.
Wild cucumbers grew abundantly on the side of the road.
Also, many of the wild flowers were in bloom. I remembered learning about
coyote scat and bird watching and chaparral shrubbery in elementary
school.
When I finally reached the park entrance, I passed
three people coming out. In my neighborhood, you say hi to strangers you
pass, so we exchanged greetings. As I passes by the third person, his
cell phone rang. He stopped to answer it. I rolled my eyes. A few steps
further, I spotted an interesting rock on the ground. When I was younger,
I would have picked it up and carries it with me the whole way for no good
reason.
The caves are the best part of the state park. When I
was younger, I would have chosen playing in the caves over a trip to Toys
"R" Us any day!
My journey started out very grey, and ended with a
brilliant sunshine casting long shadows. I walked about four miles, and
goodness did my butt hurt when I finally got home!
On the horizon, you can see the San Fernando valley
sprawling.
In the opposite direction, you can see the ocean beyond
Pacific Palisades. In the other two directions you could see communities
nestled in the canyons.
