flekka journalaround town

I love hiking in CA in fall and winter or I burned 39 calories or I am feelin the burn

nina — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:22:34 +0000

Some time ago I started hiking weekly, by myself, in the morning after I dropped Luka off to school. It was convenient because Luka’s school is close to many hikes. But then it became too hot which I really don’t like and I stopped, planning to pick it back up in the fall. But then I didn’t. Schedules just didn’t work.
But I did it again today, dropped Luka off, and went to Temescal Canyon. I challenged myself to get to the waterfall and back in 1 hr.

This is a terrible photo of the map at the entrance to the park, but you can see the waterfall mark. That was my destination. Of course I had to take some pictures along the way:

Proof that we do have some fall foliage in Southern CA (I do miss the fall colors of the colder climates; I do not miss the cold though).

A view of the Canyon towards the ocean.

The waterfall. Ok, not too impressive, but it’s there. Much more water in the Spring (I was actually surprised there was any water at all since the “rainy season” just started. I made it up here in 35 min.

On the way down…

I ran back and made it to the car in just over 1 hr. I did not expect I would make it, not necessarily because I cannot do it, but because I did not know what the distance was and I randomly assigned myself 1 hr.

I made more than 3.6 km because I did not realize my GPS was off until point A on this map. I started and ended at B.
It was fantastic, I really enjoy hiking, especially this time of year. I used an app called GPS lite to track my hike. It calculated I burned 39 calories. I am thinking it might be a little off.
I am already feeling the burn in my legs. I will be in pain tomorrow.

Hollywood sign

nina — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:27:00 +0000

Finally, after more than 10 years here in LA, we are exploring the sights… We started at the Hollyridge trail for a short hike to a point where you can see the sign from below. It’s about 3 miles round trip. Perfect for a hike with kids. You cannot get to the sign – unless you have a permit for filming, but seeing it up close was enough (even though sitting on one of the letters would be really cool).

Trail head

Ready and willing. Snack in hand. All good to go.

Instant gratification – you can see the sign very close, very soon.

Should have been a good view of the city. Not so much.

Heat is setting in. Slower going. (I actually got a sunburn. I was totally unprepared. It was cold in Venice, and foggy. I new it would not be as foggy/cold up in Hollywood hills, but still, over 80, no cloud in the sky. After 10+ years you would think I would have this down!)

Arriving at the destination. More snacks and a bit more energy kicking in. This is the only pic of him and the sign – the only one he would agree to. I think he didn’t really get the whole thing – looking at some huge letters – why?

He was willing. He did say it hurt his arm.

Yes, we were close.

First he found the long stick. He decided he was an old man. Started limping a bit and walking even slower. Then he found the smaller stick and started putting it in his mouth. After I complained, and asked why, he said it was the smoke. ??!! Apparently old men use walking sticks and smoke pipes. When I said that smoking is bad for him, he said – “mom, it’s pretend smoke”. Of course.

Next I would like to see the Batman cave. A guy was telling me about it today on this trail. He seemed very surprised that I did not know of the original Batman show. He even sang the show tune for me. Nope. I had no idea.

canopy

nina — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:13:08 +0000

Scenes from Baldwin Hills on a beautiful Sunday afternoon

nina — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:17:48 +0000

At the top of a trail at Baldwin Hills. Then some scenes from the Culver City Park (the two are connected by a little pathway from the road leading to the top of Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook). I cannot believe we’ve never known about these two…

when you live in Venice

nina — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 06:23:32 +0000

And… I have finished the Toss It quilt but just realized that the pics I took earlier today are no good. So it will have to wait. I will wash it and then take a few more pics. I like how it turned out. Decided to donate it for L’s school auction.

can I do a 5k run? – week 2

nina — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:52:28 +0000

A little set back this week. I was able to stick to the schedule until Friday, when I started feeling pain in my right leg, just above the ankle. Then both my legs started cramping. So I ran only half of the total time, the rest I walked. The same happened on Saturday. It was a little troublesome that I kept feeling the pain even after running, all day Saturday and Sunday. My hubby says I should take it easy for a while, walk for a week maybe.. I am not sure if the Beginning Runners Training Program was meant for somebody totally out of shape, so I will have to modify it further. So for this week, I am back to week 1 – 1min run/2min walk for 30 min total.

Totals for the week: about 12 miles walk/run, in about 4 hr and 10 min.

Not going totally as planned, but I am not quitting. I am actually still having fun. I will also try new shoes: my hubby swears by the new Free Run Nike‘s – very light and very soft shoes. That’s as close to running barefoot (the new “thing” among some runners right now), or in those 5 toes shoes (they just look ridiculous) as I will ever get. (actually I might run barefoot, but on sand only).

a hot day in november

nina — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:20:07 +0000

It was very hot. So we had some ice cream and played on the beach.

can I do 5k run? – day 1

nina — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:29:40 +0000

I have never been a runner. I have always thought it is hard and well, yes, boring. But I am giving it another try. Starting slow, with a beginner training program, armed with some Ipod and web tools (see the new widget on the right and below) – my goal is to be able to run 5k (3.1 miles) by the end of the year. To keep it fun I will try to vary my routes every training day. Today it was an interval – 1min run, 2 min walk for a total of 30 min (plus 5 min walk warmup) from home to the beach and back:

good morning from venice beach

nina — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:04:12 +0000

A few pictures from Venice Beach and the Canals. I took a walk this morning and this time I had a camera with me. It was nice, but got really warm quickly.
I have to wake up earlier…

Is that snow in the first picture? It sure looked and felt like it…

Leacock Memorial Trail

nina — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:58:09 +0000

Today I picked a trail I did know about except that I saw a sign to the trailhead on Sunset Blvd, close to Bienvenida, which is on our way to school. I could not find it at first, because the road deadends at one of those posh gated communities. But when I did a U-turn I saw it: the Leacock Memorial Trail to Temescal Ridge Trail, which is inside the Topanga State Park. You can read about it here too.

It is only 0.5 miles long, and at the first junction you get to Temescal Ridge Trail. I kept right and then on the next junction I went left. I actually did the same route (purely by accident) as in the link above, and I ended at the top of the hill, with really good views of the city and the ocean. I dont know what the elevation gain is, but it is a pretty good workout. Here are some pics:

The trail is partially in shade, and partially exposed with great views towards the city and the bay.

What is this on the right. It was a little creepy (I really, really, really cannot stand snakes), it did not move at all, just stood like that frozen. Is it a lizard? But I could not see the legs. A snake? It does not really look like a snake. I wanted a closeup picture, but I did not want to go too close, so I extended my camera and shot blindly, hoping for the best.

A scream? A hiss?