The Kobester Wants To Go, Too :) (Browns Canyon Road) (In Your Arms)

My Awesome and Beautiful Lady,

I just wanted to check in real quick to say Good Morning. I have the Kobester with me, he is waiting in the car. When I took Pearl to crafts just now, he wanted to come along so bad that I couldn't turn him down. So, I am gonna take him to one of the parks or trails, but I will be back here for most of the afternoon, after I pick Pearl up at 1pm. Have a great morning, I Love You!!  :):)

1:20pm : I'm back. Well, I finally did it. Sort of. Driving with Kobi, I was unsure where I wanted to take him, and I decided that Stagecoach Trail and/or Garden Of The Gods would be too much for the little guy. So I thought, "where to go"? Then I decided on Browns Canyon Road. That's the road I've always wanted to drive up, because of the huge park at the top of the mountain where the old Nike Missile Base used to be. In the past, I've always been intimidated by the big "Residents Only" sign at the bottom of the hill, but I read blogs from other people saying to just ignore those signs, because the park at the top (4 miles up the road) is a city park, and therefore open to everybody. Still, until now I never wanted to chance it because I didn't wanna get pulled over, going up a very steep mountain, by some gung-ho Sheriff.

But this time I was emboldened by the presence of the Kobedog. I thought, "If anybody asks, I'll just say I'm taking my dog to the park". And it would have been the truth (even though I was also hoping to see the missile base). In years past, whenever I would drive by that location, I would always see an SUV parked at the bottom of the mountain, just in front of the "Residents Only" sign. It was always a black one, or a white one, with tinted windows, and you could tell it was the kind a security guard would be driving, or in this case sitting in, and once or twice I saw the driver's window rolled down, and you could plainly see it was a security guard sitting there. That always kept me from going up the road, too. Don't want any trouble, of course. But I'd been reading so much about the park, Antonovich Park, and it was clear that it is an L.A. City park, part of the Mountain Conservancy, so I figured, "well that's why they have a private security guard and not the police or Sheriff. It's not illegal for people to go up there. But whoever owns the big ranches on the way to the park is trying to intimidate people". Now, it did used to be illegal to go up that road, back in the 60s and 70s when the missile base was there. And as it turns out, from something I read just a few minutes ago, that those signs, all the Residents Only, Private Property and No Trespassing signs are relics from 40 years ago. Apparently, they were supposed to be taken down years ago, but never have been. So, whoever owns the big ranches pays for a private security guard to sit there in his SUV, and seemingly scare people away, just by his presence, even though the land at the top is now the public Antonovich Park. So this time, with the Kobester by my side, I said the Hell with it. I'm gonna drive up.

When I got to the start of Browns Canyon Road (about a mile from Chatsworth Park, for reference), I saw that there was no SUV parked there. "Now we're going for sure", I said to Kobi. It's super steep, the steepest of all the mountain trips I've made so far, at least for the first mile or so. You pass a residential area of McMansions that overlook the Valley. Then the road, which is ancient and in disrepair, dips down into a mountain glen, and suddenly - five minutes from the bottom (and the Valley), you are in the Boondockiest Boondocks of any of the places I've been so far. This is Nowheresville. You might as well be out in the middle of the country on a deserted two-lane road. The road winds, sometimes climbing, sometimes dipping again. Then you see a sign that says, "Warning! Road narrows to one lane. Use caution".

Oh boy!

So I slowed waaaaay down, to a crawl, and I saw that the "one lane" part was just a short bridge over a dry creek bed, maybe 100 feet in length. The asphalt was all beat up, so I crossed it real slow. No other cars in sight. About a quarter mile past the bridge, still going relatively slow, I saw an opening into the mountainside, with a closed gate-rail to keep out vehicles. But there was also a trailhead, marked with those dark green Mountain Conservancy signs, identifying the site as a public trail, listing rules and regulations. So I figured I was nearing the park. But I also noticed I still had a ways to go to get to the mountaintop, and it was supposed to be 4.5 miles up from the bottom, and I knew I hadn't driven that far yet. Also, there was nowhere to park, so I couldn't get out there. So, I kept on going. Then, about another half mile up, I came to an open chain-link gate, one that would cross the road and stop traffic if closed. Just past this gate were parked a whole bunch of trucks, just regular trucks like Fords and Chevies. By the side of the gate I saw a big yellow sign : "Private Property - No Trespassing". Aha! This is the Big Ranch you have to pass through to get to the public park at the mountaintop. They must be in a battle with the Conservancy, because the rancher keeps his signs up, and his big chain link fence, even though open, is still intimidating. He clearly doesn't like people driving through his ranch - on a public road, mind you - to get to the park. So he intimidates in every way he can, even though he is misrepresenting his rights.

As I've said before, I work as a caregiver, and am responsible for someone besides myself, and I had to pick Pearl up at 1pm, and I saw all those 4-Wheel drive trucks parked there, belonging to ranchhands probably, and I thought, "well, even though I have every right to go to that park, I am just gonna turn around for now". I figured I'd made it that far up the mountain, I'd broken the Intimidation Barrier at the bottom, by ignoring the outdated Residents Only sign down there. I'd finally driven up the legendary (in the Valley, anyway) Browns Canyon Road, and I'd made it way out into Booneyville, and even past the scary bridge and all the way to the Big Ranch. There I was stopped by more silent intimidation.

The people who've written the blogs I read, about hiking up to the park, or going on horseback, have all written as part of a group experience. Like a group of mountain trail enthusiasts, blogging to meet at the park, giving directions, etc. So all those people went as a group, which no doubt helps to offset intimidation by the rancher. I don't see how he gets away with his signs, when the park has been there for ten years now. But he's got money, and the land has probably been in his family's name for generations, and the Mountain Conservancy doesn't have the wherewithal to keep hounding him. Not that many people go up to that park, anyway, cause it's not easily accessible, or even known about really. So, the rancher keeps his signs up, even if he can't legally keep people off the road.

Me and the Kobedog turned around at the rancher's chain link and drove back down the road, slowing again at the scary, worn-out one lane bridge, and soon enough we were back down at the bottom of Browns Canyon.

There was a big, black SUV parked there, right in front of the Residents Only sign. The driver's window was rolled down; you could plainly see a security guard sitting behind the wheel. Obviously, someone saw me turn around at the chain-link gate, and called him and he parked there. Even though he has no legal right to hassle me, or anyone else. To his credit, he did not.

So, I did make it that far, and next time I will go all the way, even crossing the Ranchland because it is, after all, a public road. But when I go again, I will do what I initially said I was gonna do - I will bring another person with me. And The Kobedog, too.  :)

I hope you are having a great day, my Darling. I will be home til 4:15, then back at 6:45. I Love You!  :):)

10:55pm : My Beautiful Elizabeth, that picture of the kitties is just wonderful. What a nice message to end the day with.

"They are in love" - that ought to be written in stone somewhere, like an Eternal Truth. Those kitties are just like us, they are in love too, and one day soon we will be holding each other like they are. I Love You, Elizabeth.

The photo of your piano - now that's the upright from "Autre Temps", am I right? Has it always been in your room? I am guessing that the decoration you refer to is the Japanese screen, and maybe the lantern, too? One thing, you framed that picture perfectly. One other question : On "Across The Sea", did you record the water sounds at the beginning yourself, or did you overdub a sample? Just curious, because you are next to a lake, and the sounds are lapping and lake-like rather than wave-crashingly oceanic, and I hear a bird chirping, too. It melds nicely with the opening notes of the song, which is very beautiful.

I had fun today, driving up that road, The Kobedog is kinda like my mascot. He is almost 14 years old, but you'd think he was four. He rides along like "yeah, let's go do this, Ad". So we had fun, without overly chancing anything.

I discovered that the Alcest in-store is gonna be at 1pm, so I am unfortunately not going to make it. Pearl's hair appointment ends right at that time, and I wouldn't get to Hollywood until it was over. But, I should get to the show in time to see all three bands, and if Alcest comes on before Anathema, maybe Neige will come out and hang in the audience or by the merch table. That would be cool.

I like the El Rey because it's easy to get to, and there's free parking, and you get home quickly. So it will be a great show all the way around.

I am still gonna remedy the computer situation at Pearl's, so I have that four-hours-per-day connection back. Unfortunately, that Chromebook Groupon deal was all sold out, but I will find something similar, as soon as possible. In the meantime, I will keep trying to fix Pearl's computer, but it's so complicated that I doubt even Einstein could figure it out. So once I find a good deal I will get a replacement.

Tonight, you and I will share our Sweet Dreams, and while I send them to you from here, in my heart I am right next to you now, in your arms and you in mine. I Love You, my Angel, so much.  :):)