Barbara and I hiked multiple trails north of Burbank Boulevard in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, the largest open space in the San Fernando Valley, but never the trails on the south side because of an old reputation for homeless camps and trash. Rumor had it that L.A. Recreation and Parks in conjunction with landowners Army Corp of Engineers, cleaned up the south side. I really wanted to see the Sepulveda Dam up close, so we headed off this morning not expecting much and got a series of treats. Starting behind the baseball fields off the entrance parking lot, the first part of the hike we followed tractor tracks around a huge, plowed dirt field on our left, and the 101 up a hill of stones to our right. Not much to see, then as we walked, a closer look at the mustard plants revealed branch after branch of caterpillars, BIG caterpillars with black and golden brown fuzzy stripes wrapped on and around stems. The caterpillars will morph after 2 weeks into Salt Marsh Moths with a wingspan of 1.7 to 2.8 inches. These beauties kept us entertained until we closed in on the Sepulveda Dam, a dry dam built in 1941 by the Army Corp of Engineers to withhold L.A. River winter floods in response to the 1938 floods that caused 144 deaths. We got as close as we could to the dam (marked with the usual L.A. graffiti) then followed a dirt trail along the Haskell Creek channel, a small arm of the bird sanctuary in northern basin. Socializing ducks and pairs of big Canadian Geese ignored us, but one insistent black-necked stilt made distinctive kipping sounds as we passed. Turning west at the top of the trail, we passed a line of ricinus, the castor oil plant and 2018's poisonous plant of the year. The trail along the north side of the field paralleled Encino Creek and hosted two turkey vultures brunching on a dead something. Ugh. Completing the trail around the field, we detoured to the other side of the parking lot and found another field, presumably one of the lots agriculturally leased out for planting. There were rows and rows of vegetables from beans to squash, tomatoes to corn and more. Good hike for a gray day—the sun remained behind a cloud layer all morning. Good hike for small details, and seeing the dam I've driven over for years was pretty cool. 

   

   

   

   

Barbara and I knew we could extend this 1.4 mile hike in the San Gabriels to 2 miles, but truth is, there's so much to see and do in this park it felt more like a 3 part, 3.5 mile hike. The morning was clear and warm, the large parking lot jammed with cars, yet we never felt crowded. At least 7 different trails web from the bottom of the canyon around the Nature Center or rise up into the north side of the San Gabriels. Well-tended and well-marked by LA County Parks & Rec, our hike followed three trails, each with its own area and personality. We started west on the Heritage Trail into "butterfly world." The Butterfly Garden Pond, a butterfly puddling station (kind of a butterfly health bar), and a butterfly garden. Next up, the Walker Cabin, a 1920 pioneer homesteader cabin where Frank, his wife, and 12 children lived during winters when the rains blocked passage to their larger residents up the canyon, and years later a setting for cowboy movies of the 30s/40s. The next stop was an early 20th century oil pump for the rare "white oil" found in the area c. 1901. And finally, one of the most famous California historic landmarks, the Oak of the Golden Dream where Francisco Lopez fell asleep the afternoon of March 9, 1842, dreamed he was surrounded by gold, and when he woke (hungry?) he dug up an onion and found gold particles clinging to the roots—the first authenticated gold discovery in CA, six years before Sutter's Mill kicked off the Gold Rush of 1848. Next portion of the hike required a wet stone hop across the stream running E-W across the valley to pick up the Karen M. Pearson Hillside Trail, a pretty, well-kept hike up the side of the mountain to a water tank and rest stop before we made our way down a series of rough, manmade mountainside steps to a picnic area at the bottom. But we weren't done yet. We picked up the Ecology Trail on the north side of the Ecology Center, where we stopped for a look at the Batavian Indian Dwelling exhibit, life of peoples in the area who can be traced by artifacts as far back as 450 AD. A beautiful trail around the backside of the Center returned us to the Nature Center, for me, the coolest part of the hike. Out on the plaza, we met Sierra, the Great Horned Owl, and Aiyana, the red-tailed hawk both who live at the center and have their own handlers. Barbara and I have seen many red-tailed hawks in Griffith Park and the Santa Monicas, but never had the opportunity to meet one so very close. Both feathered girls were HUGE. So much more than we expected, Placerita Canyon was a real treat. We won't hesitate to return—so many trails left to explore! 

    

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

An escape from inland basin heat led Barbara and me to 87 acres in the Palos Verdes Hills filled with 150K landscaped plants and trees. We're used to the pristine landscaping of Huntington, the Arboretum, and Descanso, so what a treat it was to hike the perimeter of the casual but delightfully pretty South Coast Botanic Garden. An open mine pit from 1926–1956, LA County owned the land from 1957 to 1965 and during that time an experimental land reclamation project was established and became the South Coast Botanic Gardens. Built on a sanitary landfill, and despite the difficulty of gardening in soil that's almost 100% diatomaceous earth, and subject to heat and irrigation problems, the trees, plants, and palms thrive. It's only mid-March, yet it felt like we walked into Mother Nature's Spring Closet. We pictured multiple species of trees and flowers below, more to come this spring and summer. Today's hike circled the perimeter of the gardens on the Tram Road. Fun and a bit jaw-dropping in the uniqueness of the species, if you're up to exploring Rolling Hills, make a stop here. It's casual, and so very pretty. The squirrels and kids love this living museum. We did too.