Sisar Canyon to Topa Topa Bluffs

Hello. I hope you have been well.

Last weekend, and this weekend; like many others, Java
and I were fortunate to experience some quality time
in the great outdoors. As with many of our recent
hikes we stayed close to home, wandering about, and in
the Los Padres National Forest.

last Sunday, we explored Sisar Creek and Canyon. We
had set out with modest ambitions of a simple short
day-hike, but the allure of the Topa Topa Bluffs far
above was overwhelming, and only briefly into our hike
Java and I resolved to summit the top of the bluffs.
An hour before sunset we had achieved our goal.

The trail to the summit was initially easy but as the
miles added up and the elevation increased, the trail
turned steep and strenuous. As with every other
summit though, in the end, the views and their
inspiration was worth the effort.

From the summit we had unrivaled views and could
easily see 60 - 70 miles in every direction. The best
sight being the Channel Islands floating offshore on
an ocean glittering with the light of sunset.

Our hike coincided with the change in Daylight savings
time, and much to my dismay I had not correctly
adjusted for time which meant Java and I got to finish
our hike in the dark. That may sound disconcerting,
but in fact it was very nice - Walking in the dark
under the stars, on a clear, cool night was very
pleasant. Summary: Hike ~ 18 miles; Ascent 4900 ft.;
Max Elevation 6410 ft.

Today, our ambitions were very much more modest - We
did a quick hike to visit a portion of Wildwood Park,
in Thousand Oaks, CA. Our hike was along the
southeast boundary of the park, that we had not
previously visited. The trail was very pleasant, it
meandered on top of various ridges and through several
small canyons, and then finally along Willow creek - A
very nice easy hike.

Also included in our activities the past two weekends
were several walks along the beach - If you haven't
been to beach lately and walked barefoot in the
breaking waves - Go Do It! You'll be happy you did.

I'm loving life, and hope you are too.

-Manny