#151: Red Rock Canyon Hike

As I mentioned in my Govinda's post (#135), I get obsessed with things. See if you can find a theme in the latest books I've read:

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

Adrift by Steven Callahan

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado

The people in these biographies/autobiographies are in nature fighting to survive. Their intense stories highlight the courage of the human spirit and inspire me to explore the outdoors (which explains all the recent hiking posts!).

Last weekend we set off on one of my favorite hikes so far. The Red Rock Canyon hike is nested in Topanga just off Old Topanga State Road. It's a 4 mile out-and-back hike with a "moderate" difficulty level. You can reach there either from the 101 or from PCH. We took the PCH route, turned right on Topanga Road, turned left on Old Topanga Road (by the Inn of the Seventh Ray) and left on Red Rock Canyon Road. Continue up the windy dirt path until you see the $5 parking post. Deposit your $5, then keep going until you reach the parking lot at the end of the road.

The rock caves toward the beginning of the hike

Our friends Mike, Michelle, Dan and Liz came with us on the hike. Dan and Liz knew the terrain well and showed us all the cool rock formations. As you're walking along the main dirt path, you will see some rock caves on the left. There is a small path leading up to them, and you can scramble up the rocks to an even higher vantage point. We went up there, took a look around, then came back down and returned to the main path.

This is to the left of the caves. Go up here for a nice view.

Here's your nice view.

Soon after that, we saw another narrow dirt path to the right that led across a stream. We took that path and continued up toward more beautiful rock formations.

Starting the hike upward

When we reached a sign post (see pic below), we took a break and relaxed on the large boulders. Dan said that you can keep going past the sign post, but the trail eventually peters out and you have to turn back.

This is the post that signals that you're coming near the end of the trail. You can keep going, but it peters out eventually.

This is one of the most beautiful hikes I have been on in L.A.. There were several points on the trail where I just stopped and stared in awe at the majesty of the surroundings. There were hardly any people there, it was semi-shady, and it took about 2 hours with the detours.

Our resting point before we turned back

One warning: If you come here with dogs, be sure to keep them on a leash at all times. As we were heading back, there was a ranger waiting at the gate. Our friends had a dog off leash and he gave them an expensive ticket for it. :(

One more thing: Dan said that a good place to go star gazing at night is at the end of Old Topanga Road. I can't wait to check it out!

Red Rock Canyon State Park

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#150: Mandeville Canyon Hike

I am loving these Brentwood hikes! Brad and I took a stroll through Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness Park in the Santa Monica Mountains this weekend. We took the Mandeville Canyon trail, which has two routes. You can either go to the left on the fire road, or you can go to the right and hike up hill. Which one should you take? Well if you want a leisurely stroll that is a little more shady, stay on the flat fire road. If you are looking for a work-out with amazing views up top, hike up the hills.

The hike up the hills

There were a lot of mountain bikers on this trail, and some dog walkers as well. The hike itself isn't that shady, but we went late in the afternoon and the temperature was perfect. This is an out and back hike, 3.9 miles total. From Sunset, turn north on Mandeville Canyon Road and left on Westridge. Drive all the way up to the top of Westridge and park on the street for free.

Magnificent view at the beginning of the trail

The best part of the hike was the view. Just like the Top of Kenter hike (#149), you can see everything from the ocean to Mt. Baldy!

Mandeville Canyon Hike

The beginning of the hike

It's the same house on the cleared hill top that we saw on the Sullivan Canyon Hike!

Downtown

It's the Top of Kenter Trail!

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#149: Top of Kenter Hike

Another Brentwood hike! This one was hot, hilly and unshaded, but we were rewarded with a magnificent panoramic view of the city. From the top of Kenter we could see smog tinged Downtown, crystal clear snow capped Mt. Baldy, the Getty, and everything in between.

From Sunset, go north on Kenter and just keep going. It's windy and long, but you'll eventually reach the end. Park for free on the street. When we were there, it wasn't that crowded. Most of the people were walking dogs or on bikes. Next to the fire road there is a BMX course carved out of the hills! The hike is 3.7 miles long and is an out-and-back hike. It is rated as "moderate/difficult" probably because of the steep inclines.

The area is open until 8 pm, so we want to go back to watch the sunset one of these days. The view from the top must be breath taking at that hour!

Top Of Kenter/Kenter Fire Road

brad and arthur. we saw a home that had its own orchard!

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#148: Sullivan Canyon Hike

Our friend Arthur frequently takes his dog walking in Sullivan Canyon. Brad and I decided to join him this weekend, and we instantly fell in love with this gorgeous shady hike. Although you don't get a panoramic view, the golden leaves and the twisting streams that frequently cross your path make it feel like you've escaped the city.

The Sullivan Canyon hike starts at the end of Queensferry Road in Brentwood. From Sunset, turn north on Mandeville Canyon, right at Westridge Road, left on Bayliss Road and veer left on Queensferry. Park for free on Bayliss or Queensferry Road. It's a 10 mile loop, but we decided to just turn back around since the sun was setting and none of us wanted to do a serious hike.

There weren't very many people around, and most of those who were there were either with dogs or on bikes. The path was flat and wide. The only "tricky" part was the giant concrete "waffles" on the ground near certain parts of the stream. (They were actually only tricky for Brad--for some reason he kept tripping on them. :P)

This setting brought out the little kid in me. I think it was all the stream crossings. I ended up running/skipping/galloping most of the way and jumping over each crossing. It was really easy to run since it was shady and flat, so I would love to come back here for more exercise.

Who lives here?

On our way back, we saw a beautiful house on the top of a cleared hill. It looked like a painting. Does anyone know who lives there?

Sullivan Canyon

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#147: Float Lab--Sensory Deprivation Float Tank

photo from www.floatlab.com

The idea of sealing yourself up in a pitch black chamber and floating in salt water for an hour and a half might not appeal to everyone, but the adventurous at heart will love their experience at Float Lab. Located in Venice just off the Speedway, Float Lab offers a unique and relaxing sensory deprivation experience for just $40 cash.

I called the float lab a couple of days earlier and the only times they had available were 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, so we took the 6:30 pm slot. We made sure to hydrate and eat a snack so that we weren't hungry or thirsty for those 90 minutes.

Once we got there, the owner let us try these Turbo Sonic machines that vibrate your body at various frequencies to accelerate healing and exercise your muscles without you moving. It felt like I was standing on top of a washing machine, only ten times more intense. My sides started hurting after a few minutes, so I stopped, but Brad lasted the whole session.

Then he showed us the two chambers. The whole lab is just one big room divided into a waiting area and two areas consisting of the flotation chambers and showers. He instructed us to take a shower first, put in our earplugs then go into the flotation chamber. He told us that we could stay as long as we wanted.

When I stepped into the chamber, I was surprised how thick the water felt. Lying down, I closed my eyes, then opened my eyes, and could sense no difference in the two. The water was warm, and only 10 inches deep, and the whole chamber was like a giant bathtub. It took no effort to float due to the large amount of Epsom salt dissolved in the water, but my neck started hurting a bit so I put my hands behind my neck for support.

Before we got to the lab, I joked with Brad that this was gonna be an extreme form of meditation. With nothing in there to distract me from my thoughts, I thought I would either be bored or anxious. I was actually neither.

The only thing I didn't enjoy about my experience was how sore my neck and shoulders felt at some points even with my hands behind my head. Your experience may be different though--I have a weak neck. I kept alternating between a sitting and lying position to alleviate the discomfort. Once I was out of the chamber, however, I felt great and it didn't bother me anymore.

Once out, I also noticed that my skin was super soft. We felt really mellow for the rest of the night into the next day, and I slept like a baby. This was a great way to relax, "detox" and meditate.... like a mini-vacation. Check it out!

Float Lab

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#146: Road Trip to Cambria and San Simeon

Cambria and San Simeon are coastal towns five minutes away from each other and about four hours north of Los Angeles by car. Most visitors stop to take a tour of Hearst Castle, but there are many other attractions here to check out.

Nitt Witt Ridge

Nitt Witt Ridge: An artist and interesting personality named Art built the antithesis of the Hearst Castle. Nitt Witt Ridge is a castle made of junk! Art was a garbage man who literally brought his work home with him. Abalone shells, beer cans and toilet bowl seats are just some of the items used in his house's construction. Art passed away at the age of 96, but tours of his home are still given. You must make a reservation. It took multiple phone calls for us to get a hold of someone, but someone did in fact return our call eventually and we set up a time. Our tour guide was great, and we even saw a video of Art talking about his home. Tours are $10 per person. Don't be late!

This elephant seal hasn't started his new year's resolution yet.

Elephant Seals in San Simeon: Wow, these guys have it made. There are hundreds of these blubbery creatures sunning on the beach, and it seems like they don't have a care in the world. I would feel really self conscious if flocks of tourists stared at me throughout the day, but they just ignored us. Sleeping seemed to be their top priority at 2 pm. Sweet.

Scallops and bacon wrapped pheasant at Black Cat Bistro

Black Cat Bistro: This is the perfect place to take you and your special someone for a romantic dinner. Fine dining in Cambria? Yes! Fresh from the farm produce is served in a house-turned-restaurant. I was blown away. But don't just take my word for it--it has a 4.5/5 rating on Yelp!

Star Gazing: Out of all the things we did on this road trip, my favorite didn't cost a penny. Living in L.A., you forget that there are stars in the night sky. Sometimes if you squint, you can make out three or four, but most of the time our skies are only lit with the warm halo of light pollution. Both nights we were in San Simeon, we pulled to the side of a dark road, opened the sunroof in Brad's car, reclined our seats and stared in awe. I found the perfect song on our playlist for our star gazing, and we just listened to that song on repeat. Magical.

If anyone knows a great place closer to L.A. to see stars, please let me know!

A roof with a view

Abalone staircase

His and Hers toilets in the outhouse

Toilet seat picture frames

Ladies' room. It saddened me to learn that the event which motivated Art to build Nitt Witt Ridge was when a girlfriend of his cheated on him and left him. Some might say it made him a little crazy. Art then built Nitt Witt with "his and hers" rooms, toilets, etc, but he never did find a girlfriend or wife. :(

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#145: Road Trip-Hearst Castle

Brad and I ended 2010 with a trip to Hearst Castle in San Simeon, which is a four hour drive from L.A.. Armed with 5 hours of mix CDs, sushi, tangerines and three types of coconut water, we drove past rolling green hills dotted with cows, windmills and trees. The scenery just left me in awe the entire way there.

Hearst Castle is San Simeon's main attraction. The little town of Cambria just five minutes south of it is filled with tourists who have come to see the castle. I had seen pictures of the place, but I had no idea how large it really was--250,000 acres!

William Hearst was a newspaper magnate, politician, and inspiration for the film Citizen Kane. Hearst Castle was just one of his many dwellings around the world, and he called it "the Ranch". Charlie Chaplin, the Marx brothers, Franklin Roosevelt and Joan Crawford are just some of the famous people who have stayed at the Ranch.

The dining hall inspired the design of Hogwart's dining hall

We booked the Experience Tour, which lasted about 1.5 hours. The tour starts with a short bus ride from the visitors center up to the castle. A group of about 25 of us were led by a docent who showed us the two pools, one guest house, the dining hall, main hall and outdoor sculptures. Everything was over the top, as you can imagine--from the carved ceiling of the dining hall to the real gold tiles in the pool room.

Ceiling of the dining hall

Tours cost $24 for adults and $12 for children. Included in the price is an IMAX screening of a short documentary about William Hearst. The documentary was quite entertaining, although Brad (true to form) fell asleep halfway through. Something about dark crowded rooms...

Hearst Castle

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