Sycamore Canyon (aka Brush in My Underpants)

I finished a quilt last night, finished the binding. I’ve been calling it Bathtub 2 because it’s the second drawing I did of the apparent bathtub series. Even though I don’t think Bathtub 1 will ever be a finished quilt. But when I was getting ready to measure it this morning, it named itself…finally.

This is In Deep. Yeah, there will be official pictures taken eventually…like when I get the other one done that’s supposed to be finished in July. It’s cheaper to do two photos at once. Money is tight.

Then I cut out Wonder Under for a while…I think this one is actually going to be pretty quick.

It better be. I don’t have much time. I was watching Helix while cutting. Still trying to figure out what the freak is happening in the second season. I should pay closer attention. Or not.

I have a list of tasks today, but mostly want to finish the Wonder Under and start picking fabrics, since I’m going to lose most of tomorrow to driving to LA for the Diverted Destruction 8 opening at The Loft at Liz’s.

The opening reception is tomorrow night from 7-10 PM. The exhibit is open through September 5, 453 S. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

So yesterday we hiked in the middle of the day. Kinda crazy, although today it would have been awesome, because NOW there are clouds everywhere dammit. So I’m sunburnt even though I put sunscreen on twice. Bastard sun.

We went out to Sycamore Canyon…it’s been on my list for a while, but never got out there or it was too hot or it closes too early. There were lots of people there…

As you can see (that is my car). Very busy on a Thursday.

It was warm…we analyzed this sign and saw no evidence of anyone but us and the park ranger, who apparently lives on the property.

This is on the ridgeline trail, looking back at the lonely car in the parking lot.

Most of the ridge trail was very rocky, to the point that having poles going up and down the hills would have been helpful. You can see part of the trail going up the hill to the left.

This is looking down towards the valley we might eventually get to…it was warm, over 90 degrees by the time we got back to the car.

Boychild found this on the trail.

There were many signs of the Cedar Fire that came through here in 2003…the lower plants have come back, but a lot of tree damage.

Well, honestly, not a lot of trees at all. There was this crazy chainsaw bug that annoyed the crap out of us.

The trail continues (kids had ditched me by now).

Evidence of the fire at one of the trail intersections…

Here we headed down into the valley.

It wasn’t a super-steep descent…but again, poles would have been helpful because of all the rocks on the trail.

Down there, you can see where we’re headed…into that valley.

The area has a lot of colorful rocks.

And a very very dry river bed…

We found this sign amusing. I don’t think I could have gotten to 5 mph even if I started running downhill (obviously for the bikers).

We got down into the valley and told girlchild there was a windmill, and she took off skipping. She likes destination hikes.

But not poison oak. Not a lot of it (too dry up top), but down in the riverbed area, definitely saw it.

The random, creepy-sounding windmill…it creaks really scarily.

The meadow of the valley…

The original Goodan ranch house built in the 1930s…

Burnt in 2003…

Sad to see…but this is desert…we forget as we water everything that it’s supposed to burn…

Apparently we were on a special trail (it did not feel special)…

OK. Julie. I know you’re reading. What the hell are these? Wells? We saw about 6 or 7 of them, all different heights, with elevation on them and some codes. These two were making clanking sounds, like chains were in there banging around. Girlchild actually said “hello” like there was something alive in there…

What? We never saw evidence of this…but this was the start of the service road that climbed back up to the car. Because when you go down? You have to go back up.

It was not as bad of a climb as the other direction would have been (notice no rocks), but it was a mile long and HOT.

Another one of those weird concrete baby bunkers…

The kids got way ahead of me…well, the girlchild waited for me at one point. I don’t do heat well…

Looking back at the valley…

And again…as we climb higher…

Up the hill…on the top, is my car. Really. I know it’s there.

From the top. One thing you can say…even the desert view…it’s beautiful.

Gorgeous summer blue sky and mountains across the whole horizon. I don’t think I could live somewhere else.

That said, we’re sticking to night hikes if it’s warm from here on out…until? I don’t know, maybe October (both kids will be gone then). The hike only took about 2 hours, although the heat made it feel like longer. It’s about 4 miles with a 600-foot descent, apparently. Not sure if I believe that. The trail info is here. Oh NOW I look at the map and find that the last section is called Cardiac Hill. Nice. Oh, and there’s a porta-potty at the trailhead off State Route 67. Me? I peed off the trail behind the bush. There’s also a nice bathroom down in the valley near the ranger house. For future reference…you don’t have to have pieces of brush in your underwear like I do.

Yeah. You wonder why you don’t have as much fun as I do (sunburn, brushy underpants, and recovering from heat exhaustion)…