I'm happy to report that Aliso Canyon Park has reopened. I'm guessing that the temporary closure was related to Fire Department protocol, making sure all "hot spots" were extinguished, dangerous debris removed from the trail, etc. Grim was the one who broke the news, so I went up there at 4pm to see for myself, and sure enough, there were cars in the parking lot and some folks at the picnic tables. It was heartening to see. I went for my full 2.75 mile hike, the fire be damned. I know it's gonna take a long time, and things may not look the same, but nature will restore itself once the rains come. Man, it was good to be up there again. I was worried that the closure was gonna last weeks or even months.
One weird thing I noticed was the hawks circling overhead in the completely charred back half of the park. Before the fire, it was not unusual to see a hawk at Aliso or at any of the wilderness parks I frequent. You'd see one soaring around on the air currents in what looked like random patterns. But today, there were a bunch of them, maybe four or five, and they were circling like buzzards. There are no dead animals down there for them to eat, and they must know this, so what are they looking for?
Probably the poor little bunnies who might be hiding in their holes, even after eight days since the fire.
The hawks can see that there is no remaining ground cover and thus they may think the bunnies are easy pickings, but I say they are wasting their time. Stupid hawks. I mean, I love them too, and I know they need to eat, but they will never catch the goofy bunnies of Aliso Canyon! :)
But yeah, it was weird to see them circling. It looked like a scene from a Western movie. And I don't think that hawks are carrion birds anyhow, which means that they were waiting for live animals (i.e bunnies) to surface. Grim also reported that he saw not one but two coyotes up on the ridge at the top of the canyon. So perhaps they are still around, no doubt stunned by the loss of their home but maybe scanning the grounds to look for another one. Bring on the rains and renewal. /////
I did watch a movie tonight : "The Mothman Prophecies" (2002), which I have previously seen several times and which I think is one of the scariest movies ever made. I'd put it in my all time Top Twenty, or maybe even higher. You've probably seen it, but even if you haven't, I'm not sure how much I wanna tell you about the story, which is said to be true. "Mothman" scared the bejeezus out of me the first time I saw it - in part because it is true - and because of that factor I sought out all the information I could find about the actual series of events that took place in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1966-67.
It's the kind of supernatural event that is extremely malevolent, and rates as being demonic. For folks who don't believe in such things, good luck to you after you see this movie.
Richard Gere stars as "John Klein", a reporter for the Washington Post, who suffers a double tragedy when his wife (Debra Messing) is diagnosed with a brain tumor following a car wreck, in which Gere was the passenger. Messing saw a dark figure in the windshield just before the crash, and now from her hospital bed she draws pictures of it, over and over again.
After she dies, something really weird happens to Richard Gere. This is one of those plot points I'm debating telling you about, because this movie is so weird and so scary that anything I give away will ruin the surprise. But I will tell you this much : Gere is driving on a rural highway. Suddenly his car dies and won't restart. So he walks down the pitch dark road until he comes to a house. The time is 2:30 in the morning. He hates to knock because it's so late, but he has no choice - he's stranded.
So, he does knock and........I'm sorry but I just can't tell you because it's too weird. If you've ever experienced the phenomena of "missing time", you'll understand.
Let's fast forward a little bit. Following what happens after Gere knocks on the door, the police are called. In this case it is one policewoman, the town constable played by Laura Linney. After Gere explains himself (or tries to - he's pretty freaked out), she gives him a ride back to his motel. On the way, she tells him about other things the townsfolk have reported recently, that tie in with what has just happened. When Linney sees Gere still hanging around the next day, she becomes interested in what he is still doing there. Why is a big city reporter skulking around Point Pleasant, West Virginia?
When he tells her the answer, you can feel the goosebumps rising on your skin.
I mean - look - you are just gonna have to see "The Mothman Prophecies" for yourself. It was directed by a guy named Mark Pellington, who has eschewed big, startling "Boo!" moments in favor of low level unease that slowly builds to dread and finally to out and out terror. Less is definitely more for Pellington, who uses the story to scare you, along with some spooky nighttime photography along the roads of small town West Virginia. We see houses from another century, old abandoned factories stained with soot, their walls crumbling. We see a one block business district whose heyday was decades in the past. Pellington contrasts all of this old Americana, pictured mostly at night in dark browns and burnt orange, with the bright colors of automotive lights, lots of liquid reds and yellows. He matches everything to a softly disturbing electronic score, working slowly to build the tale of the Mothman, to give it credibility. It's rare to see a two hour horror movie, but this is a big league effort with money and an excellent script behind it. The result is an eerie movie that gets under your skin.
I'm surprised that Pellington only has one other movie to his name, the paranoid thriller "Arlington Road", which is almost equally weird in it's own way. He's got a unique visual style and is expert at moving a story forward. "Mothman" is his masterpiece, and though you've probably seen it, watch it again to re-frighten yourself. Do it before Halloween. I first saw it in 2002, then again around 2006. My most recent viewing before tonight was probably around 2012. So I see it about every 4-6 years, and it still scares me just as bad as it did the first time.
Obviously it gets my highest recommendation and Two Gigantic Thumbs Up. But don't say I didn't warn ya. /////
It's now Sunday afternoon and I am back from Burbank, having gone there to take my sister shopping. Earlier, we had a nice party at church for our departing choir director, whose last service with us was this morning. We sang extra good, and we are really gonna miss Bob. He was the best.
Well hey! The Rams finally won a ballgame, too, so things are back on track in Sportsland. I have just enough daylight for a possible trip up to Aliso (not sure if I'm gonna go) and then tonight, Ticket To Ride, the Beatles tribute band, are playing over at Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Church across the street from me. I've seen 'em a bunch of time, they always play the OLL Fall festival, but they're really good so I'll go over and catch at least some of their show.
See you later tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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