Okay, so we're driving in the San Fernando Valley, heading west on Ventura Boulevard in the lovely city of Encino, when traffic stalls. In the distance, smoke arises from the line of cars ahead of us. The smoke competes with the bright late afternoon sun. There's a tragedy going on. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.
My feet hit the sidewalk. My hands carry my camera. There it is: a gorgeous CORVETTE in FLAMES!
Firemen hurry to pour water over it. Policemen reroute the traffic. The smoke abates. The precious vehicle begins to smolder. Water falls from the wreck and slides into the gutters.
There's a car wash across the street. Is that ironic? This car will probably never see another washday.
An aggressive driver tries to pull too close to the emergency and threatens to drive over the water hoses. Authoritative shouts demand the driver to stop.
The Corvette's owner returns. A fireman asks him if he has anything of value inside to be removed before the fireman soaks the interior. Confusion remains. But the fire is out. The emergency is over.
We get back on the road and drive slowly past the scene. To this day I still wonder how the fire started, if the Corvette proved salvageable, and if Encino ever returned to normalcy?
(This incident occurred on Wednesday, September 14, 2016.)
We all know that trying to drive from L.A. to Palm Springs at certain times can result in a traffic nightmare. But what do we know about the best times to drive from Palm Springs to L.A.?
The first time I went to Palm Springs, I was 17. My high school pal had relatives nearby and we planned to stop for one night in Palm Springs before visiting them. My pal said it was a long drive and decided we needed to leave early in the morning. I still remember driving westward on the freeway with the sun rising in the east. I believed him. We wound up in Palm Springs in time for an early breakfast. After pancakes and coffee, we drove around until the motel opened for check-ins. Turns out the tram was closed for the season. The town looked empty. We wound up going to the movies. I mean, what else can you do when you're 17 in Palm Springs?We went on to visit his family and spent a few days enjoying the desert, but I have no memory of our drive home.
That was then and this is now: On Saturday 11/25/23, we decided to try driving home to L.A. in the nighttime. The day of the week being Saturday (thus the time of departure being Saturday night), the combined day and time became more data to factor. Now, Saturday night could be more busy, could be more trafficked, and could be more dangerous. Sunday afternoon could be even worse with all the going home traffic. We wanted to be home on Sunday to enjoy the remainder of the weekend, so driving Saturday night remained the choice. What was the drive home like? See for yourself. Zone out. Zen out. Run a treadmill mile or two. Find some delight in your rare taste for ASMR (if driving videos affect you that way).Enjoy!
Watching the sunsets from Westward Beach at Point Dume in Malibu can prove to be a genuinely ethereal experience. The "point" at Point Dume marks the top of the Santa Monica Bay crescent shape. Standing on the beach, one can see a northern coastal view not possible from most of the shoreline within the crescent. Add to this a fog covered mountain range and a sunset worthy of a painter's brush, then you'll find yourself in a little taste of paradise.
I have frequently driven a self-guided tour from Santa Monica, along Pacific Coast Highway to Topanga Canyon, to Mulholland Highway, into Ventura County, and stopping at Point Mugu. My return trip usually includes a drive along Westward Beach Road just south of Zuma, a jaunt through the residential areas of Point Dume, and a reacquaintance with Pacific Coast Highway to facilitate the drive home.
California Historical Marker on the site reads:
NO. 965 POINT DUME - On November 24, 1793, English explorer George Vancouver, commander of an expedition to determine the extent of settlement of the northwest coast of America, named this rocky promontory, Point Dume, after his Franciscan friend, Father Francisco Dumetz, at Mission San Buenaventura. Point Dume is the western terminus of Santa Monica Bay and has been an important landmark for navigators since Vancouver's voyage in 1793.
I recommend frequent visits to Point Dume. Check out the cove where the final sequences of THE PLANET OF THE APES (1968) were filmed and where the beach was clothing-optional in the 60s and 70s. Watch out for tides if you're wearing street shoes.
Growing up in Gardena, California, an incorporated city in Los Angeles County south of downtown, we would refer to this "wildlife" area around Artesia Boulevard as the "swamps." Older siblings of my peers would romantically recall the "swamp wars" of days past when rowdy teenagers would participate in minor gang wars in this urban wilderness.
Photographs in this video were taken on Sunday, October 14, 2018 while on a tour hosted by the Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc. The skies were overcast that day, allowing for soft lighting without harsh shadows or blinding sunshine.
Wikipedia describes the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve as:
"The Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve occupies 13.6 acres (55,000 m2) of land owned by the City of Gardena, in Los Angeles County, California. The preserve is the last intact remnant of the former Dominguez Slough, an important vernal marsh and riparian forest with riparian zones that once covered as much as 400 acres (1,600,000 m2) of this area, known as the South Bay region. The preserve has 9.4 acres (38,000 m2) of wetland and 4.2 acres (17,000 m2) of upland. The wetlands have a natural depression where water remains for such a significant time that plants and animals not adapted to water and saturated soils cannot survive. The upland, which remains dry outside of the rainy season, supports plants which thrive with these drier conditions. The slough is a part of the Dominguez Watershed, 96% of which is now covered with concrete and man-made structures. Located on the traditional lands of the Tongva, it is believed that these indigenous people were able to commute by canoe around much of the area. Tongva villages were located throughout much of what is now Los Angeles and Orange Counties as well as three southern Channel Islands (San Nicolas, San Clemente, Santa Catalina) as distant as 60 miles (97 km) from the coast of Los Angeles County.
The upland area which surrounds the wetland includes the Perimeter Trail, about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) long, from which the public can view the upland, wetlands and wildlife. From the Trail, the public can access the Overlook Deck and ZigZag Bridge, both of which afford closer views, without disturbing wildlife. This basic infrastructure was built around 2001.
From then until 2006, occasional volunteer work days were organized at the preserve. Dedicated management of the preserve began in 2007 with the formation of the non-profit corporation, Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc., a 501(c)(3) California tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. The preserve has no fixed revenue stream and no staff members. The preserve is closed to the public except for monthly events. The Board sponsors a variety of activities to attract both children and adults into the preserve.
When open, the public are welcome to walk through the Preserve or take one of the themed self-guided tours. All of these regularly scheduled events are offered free of charge, though donations are welcome. They are held with the stated goal of educating the public on the importance of the Preserve, how it fits into the larger environmental picture and how each person can contribute to the viability and health of this wetland preserve, a vestige of a once-great watershed."
Please consider becoming a member of the Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc. and/or volunteering to help this wetland preserve.
Growing up in Gardena, California, an incorporated city in Los Angeles County south of downtown, we would refer to this "wildlife" area around Artesia Boulevard as the "swamps." Older siblings of my peers would romantically recall the "swamp wars" of days past when rowdy teenagers would participate in minor gang wars in this urban wilderness.
Photographs in this video were taken on Sunday, October 14, 2018 while on a tour hosted by the Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc. The skies were overcast that day, allowing for soft lighting without harsh shadows or blinding sunshine.
Wikipedia describes the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve as:
"The Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve occupies 13.6 acres (55,000 m2) of land owned by the City of Gardena, in Los Angeles County, California. The preserve is the last intact remnant of the former Dominguez Slough, an important vernal marsh and riparian forest with riparian zones that once covered as much as 400 acres (1,600,000 m2) of this area, known as the South Bay region. The preserve has 9.4 acres (38,000 m2) of wetland and 4.2 acres (17,000 m2) of upland. The wetlands have a natural depression where water remains for such a significant time that plants and animals not adapted to water and saturated soils cannot survive. The upland, which remains dry outside of the rainy season, supports plants which thrive with these drier conditions. The slough is a part of the Dominguez Watershed, 96% of which is now covered with concrete and man-made structures. Located on the traditional lands of the Tongva, it is believed that these indigenous people were able to commute by canoe around much of the area. Tongva villages were located throughout much of what is now Los Angeles and Orange Counties as well as three southern Channel Islands (San Nicolas, San Clemente, Santa Catalina) as distant as 60 miles (97 km) from the coast of Los Angeles County.
The upland area which surrounds the wetland includes the Perimeter Trail, about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) long, from which the public can view the upland, wetlands and wildlife. From the Trail, the public can access the Overlook Deck and ZigZag Bridge, both of which afford closer views, without disturbing wildlife. This basic infrastructure was built around 2001.
From then until 2006, occasional volunteer work days were organized at the preserve. Dedicated management of the preserve began in 2007 with the formation of the non-profit corporation, Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc., a 501(c)(3) California tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. The preserve has no fixed revenue stream and no staff members. The preserve is closed to the public except for monthly events. The Board sponsors a variety of activities to attract both children and adults into the preserve.
When open, the public are welcome to walk through the Preserve or take one of the themed self-guided tours. All of these regularly scheduled events are offered free of charge, though donations are welcome. They are held with the stated goal of educating the public on the importance of the Preserve, how it fits into the larger environmental picture and how each person can contribute to the viability and health of this wetland preserve, a vestige of a once-great watershed."
Please consider becoming a member of the Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc. and/or volunteering to help this wetland preserve.
After a morning and early afternoon of some clouds and huge patches of clear skies, torrential rain with thunder suddenly appeared. The noise of rain, thunder, car horns, and people running reached a pinnacle, then the harshness retreated and the rain turned steady and peaceful.
Who says "It never rains in Southern California?" I love the rain.
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