The Chronicles of Manny and Java

Hi.

You may have been wondering, "What have Manny and Java
been up to, are they still hiking?  You Betcha!

Like the weekend before, this past weekend we went on
two separate hikes.  On Saturday we visited beautiful
Zuma Canyon, a local, yet distant vestige of what the
Santa Monica Mountains were like before urban sprawl
and the the intrusion of modern society reshaped the
face of previously wild lands.  Although the trails we
took have well established names, we assigned them our
own:  BB&BBBB.  Short for Birds, Bees & Beatles by the
Babbling Brook. 

Spring has not yet faded in the canyon, in fact its
flourishing; Purple, yellow, lavender, pink, and white
wildflowers as well as a carpet of mustard were
blooming in abundance.  Also the calls and songs of
birds in the canyon surpassed that of any place I can
recall - Their chatter accompanied constantly from the
trailhead to our turnaround, and back. it was very
nice.

Our hike took us up the canyon along side the Zuma
Creek.  We intended to work our way up the entire
length of the canyon, and return via the ridge top,
but it wasn't meant to be.  The scrambling and bolder
hopping we enjoyed finally became impossible to safely
continue with Java.  So we took several long minutes
under the shade of a nearby tree and enjoyed the sound
of an adjacent waterfall gently feeding a tranquil
pool at our feet.

Part of the way back we took a different trail and
were rewarded with a hazy view of the Malibu, the
Pacific, and Santa Catalina Island in the distance.
Our total distance traveled was relatively short, 6
miles or so, and I wish we had been able to continue -
I guess that'll have to wait for another day.

On Sunday we set out to explore the northern most
Santa Monica Mountains, specifically the hills above
Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks.  As a whole the hike
was as a bit disappointing as the background din of
civilization never fully faded from consciousness,
however having worked our way up to Angeles Vista
peak, and the views it afforded were ultimately
rewarding - As is usually the case for me, seeing the
Channel Islands in the distance was the highlight of
the hike.  Total distance hiked was a meandering 7
miles.

Take care, and expect to hear about our adventures
again in the very near future.  I guess there is no
need for me to say it, but I will anyways:  Life is
Good.  Enjoy It!


-Manny (& Java too!)