Dec

Winter has arrived in California and according to some meteorologists, it’s looking to be prime time for El Nino. This means lots of rain and cooooooooooooold weather. Well, cold for southern California, anyway. We’re currently experiencing our second storm in the past week, though it’s thankfully less windy and not dumping as much water as the first of the season. That one was pretty intense.

We drove up to the summit of Mt. Helix to watch the storm arrive, earlier today. The view is always pretty spectacular from up there, no matter what time or type of day it is. And since the summit is less than 10 minutes’ drive from our home… why not? Okay, so we had an alternate motive for leaving the house today, too. Watching the news this morning, apparently a 50′ pipe fell from a truck on the 125/8 interchange, onto La Mesa Boulevard. Being so close to us, we couldn’t resist heading over there and snapping a few pictures. Nobody was seriously injured and no major damage done (except potentially to a taxi, but whatever).

So here, have some pictures…

Sep

It’s difficult to shock me. The instances in my life, where I have been surprised, are few and far between and it’s generally by out of the ordinary things. The most recent shock was no exception.

My mom revealed that my stepdad has never seen a waterfall, other than in pictures or on television.
Upon receiving this news, it threw me for a complete loop. How can one go through over sixty years of life, having never seen one of the most beautiful experiences in the world? It makes no sense to me. I have been in the presence of no less than 50 natural waterfalls in less than half the time my stepdad has been alive. Granted, I greatly enjoy being outdoors, have been camping more times than I can count, used to hike on a fairly regular basis, and still attempt to get outside as much as possible… there’s still no excuse for someone in their 60s having never experienced a naturally-occurring waterfall, in person.

So, I’ve made it my mission to get my stepdad to see a waterfall. Luckily, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in southern California is a relatively easy and short walk, though a long-ish drive from my parents’ house. It’s in Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai.

From Ojai, drive 15 miles north on Highway 33 to the Rose Valley turnoff and make a right. Continue 3 miles to the Rose Valley Campground turnoff and make a right. Park at the end of the road, about a half mile up near the trailhead sign (Lat:34.53181 Lon:-119.18315)

It’s best seen after a good rain, so I think that at some point this winter, I’m going to have to somehow get my parents to go with me on a trip for a day or two. My stepdad really needs to take in the overwhelming spectacle that is Rose Valley Falls. He gave me the gifts of jazz and photography, two of my greatest loves. It’s my turn to share.