Before The Road Trip Begins: Early Days In California
With a four week full on tour of California ahead of us, our first few days here feel something like a warm up exercise before the green light goes on and we’re away on the tour. Shorter but varied walks, some steep climbs and a measure of acclimatisation have been in order, though not without some surprises along the way – never mind the whole of California, there is plenty of variety in LA County, it seems.
Our first base before we commence our road trip is my daughter Lindsay’s home in Acton, some 47 miles north of Los Angeles – although in truth we are a couple of miles outside of downtown Acton on the other side of Highway 14 in the foothills of the mountains. This is a piece of small town America just how we outsiders might picture it, the wide open spaces of rural California unmissably reflected in the private houses each perched on its own sizeable plot of land, each plot proudly bordered by gleaming white ranch fencing.
These plots could never be described as gardens, lawns are non-existent and the dusty arid ground supports little in the way of flora – due not only to the non-conducive climate but also the very real need for protective fire breaks around each property. What these houses lack in greenery they make up for in vehicles: almost every house seems to be home to cars, a pick up, an RV, horse boxes, trailers and various other modes of mechanical transport. Stars and stripes flags flutter in the breeze, horses mooch around the stables, quails and rabbits scuff around in the dirt. There’s at least one dog guarding each property.
We look over all of this from the top of the nearby ridge, climbing the steep incline, ambling along the top of the ridge way above the highway and scrambling down the crazily steep eastern end. Birds of prey circle overhead and gophers kick up dust as they scurry around. With a combination of jet lag, the steep climbs and the intense heat on this first day, we limit ourselves to five miles of hiking before we call it a day and grab an iced coffee. The terrain around Acton is truly parched, crisp plants crackling underfoot, the brutal heat only partly soothed by the mountain winds.
Like so many other California towns, Acton owes its existence to gold, although a railroad workers’ camp apparently existed here before the prospectors came on the scene. Gold was discovered here not as part of the major Gold Rush of 1849-1853 (what a wonderful piece of history that is!) but a little later in 1887, first at the Red Rover Mine and subsequently at the Governor Mine just off what is now Highway 14. In downtown Acton the saloon bar, providing the locals with food and beer since opening to serve the miners in 1889, is called The 49er and properly looks the part.
With temperatures comfortably lower by Friday we revisit Malibu and its stretch of sumptuous coastline, taking a stroll up and over Point Dume and along some of the fine sand beaches. At one point just south of the headland, a colony of sea lions bask in the sunshine on the rocks down below the cliff path, seemingly relishing the cool spray as the rollers turn to white surf on the rocks. Pelicans glide overhead like heavy military aircraft, gulls gang up to scavenge from picnics. The sea lion colony is the highlight though, maybe a foretaste of all California is destined to show us.
A half hour drive from Acton, beyond Santa Clarita, lies Towsley Canyon where hiking trails wind around the hills and through valleys far more lush than most of this arid, drought suffering area. Following the 5-mile Towsley Canyon Loop Trail provides some surprises on the bird spotting front, incorporates a near-1,000 foot elevation gain, and takes us past a natural phenomenon which is a first for us.
As well as the woodpeckers, wrentits and scrub jays, we see a spotted towhee, house finches, hummingbirds, an unidentified bright yellow bird, and an oriole, all while vultures circle silently above the canyon. Wild oats thrive amongst the greenery, strong scented herbs fill the air with an almost medicinal odour, empty seed pods of every shape and size hang from the parched plants, their job done for another season.
Descending towards the bottom of the canyon a new smell reaches our noses – the familiar but somehow incongruous scent of tar. Here lies the unusual natural phenomenon: natural tar pits. Thick black tar oozes from the earth’s pores, slides languidly down the hillside to reach barely moving pools and rivers at the bottom, the liquified remains of the dead wood of millennia, some dating from as far back as the Ice Age.
With LA’s famed La Brea tar pits, where the tar brings dinosaur bones to the surface, not so far away, this strange sight may be common in these parts, but for us it’s a new one!
We may not have even started the big road trip yet, but these first few days have already provided some surprises.
28 Comments
Gilda Baxter
You have described Acton so well that I feel like I am there with you. I love that Saloon Bar, is the inside as interesting as the outside? Great start to your USA road trip.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you, Gilda. We went in the saloon bar last time we were here in February, and the answer is….it absolutely is!! It’s a classic American saloon bar exactly as you would picture it. Unfortunately this time it’s closed due to the owner being unwell…we’ll just have to make sure we come back.
leightontravels
A fabulous start to your California road trip. The Point Dume views are wonderful and what a contrast to the tar pits discovered on your hike. Acton sounds absolutely fascinating.
Phil & Michaela
Cheers bud.
Annie Berger
Never actually seen a tar pit before so I was glad that Michaela captured the image to go with your evocatively written text, Phil.
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Annie..we’ve also seen photos of the La Brea pits in LA…crazily large pits right in the heart of the city. They are an odd sight indeed.
Annie Berger
I meant to add I’m commenting from as far east in Canada as you are west in the US – namely 4.5 hours ahead of you in Newfoundland!
Phil & Michaela
Wow, enjoy! Just catching up on your San Francisco posts before we head there next week.
Lookoom
The heat is one of the aspects that made me consider California a brutal land. Modern amenities make it possible to accommodate this brutality, but basically nature is hostile to man here.
Phil & Michaela
Especially at this time of year
Alison
It does look so dry and parched. I’ve never heard of a tar pit let alone seen one, very interesting. Love the beach scenes and of course the seals. Looking forward to the rest of the trip
Phil & Michaela
Those pits are definitely unusual, but from the smell there’s no doubting what it is!
Monkey's Tale
I’ve been to Malibu but your pictures of Point Dume see so much better than I remember. Maggie
Phil & Michaela
If the rest of the coastal drive is as good as that stretch, we are in for a treat.
Toonsarah
Glad your trip has got off to such a great start! I really admire you for walking ‘just’ five miles on your first hike in those conditions – I’d have been happy with one or two 😀 Thanks to your wonderfully evocative descriptions I now feel I really know Acton CA – interesting as I live only a stone’s throw from the very different Acton in west London! The saloon bar looks fabulous – I’d have great fun taking photos there. And although I’ve heard of natural tar pits I’ve never seen (or smelled) one -how fascinating!
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Sarah…yes not a lot of similarities between the two Actons…
grandmisadventures
One of the things I love about California is the dynamic changes in landscapes within just a littles ways. I love the desert pictures and then that beautiful coastline all close by each other. What a wonderful way to warm up to the rest of your trip 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Yes! That’s exactly one of the things we are most looking forward to – the constant changes of scenery.
Mike and Kellye Hefner
What a lovely beginning to your trip – and getting to see your daughter too! We’re looking forward to following you on your US road trip. Welcome, and happy, safe travels.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you guys – we are looking forward to this!
wetanddustyroads
Hmm, I like the look of Acton … but also the coastline of Malibu. Strange how two places (so totally different from each other) appeals. I have never seen (or even heard) of tar pits – interesting.
WanderingCanadians
We have an Acton here in Ontario as well. It looks nothing like the Acton in California. The landscape looks dry and dusty. I love all those stunted trees though. The coastline around Point Dume looks gorgeous!
Phil & Michaela
Also a London suburb called Acton and that’s very definitely nothing like it! First impressions of California are that it is extremely varied and diverse. We’ll see.
Christie
Acton hills look so arid, but knowing the coastline is quite close is a relief. We’ve never been to California, it’s still a ‘dream’ 😀 The coastline looks gorgeous!
Joe
It must have been a real pleasure to spend some time with your daughter. I am glad to see you are already getting off the beaten path and discovering some of California’s hidden gems.
Phil & Michaela
Thanks, Joe – yes it was good to be with her
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderers
And you’re off. Enjoy California. No place like it!
Phil & Michaela
As we are discovering!