Riding Along the Arroyo Seco on the Back of a Horse

Once in awhile, serendipity creates a great adventure.

Such was the case last week when I spotted a friend bathing one of his horses on a weekday afternoon. Surprisingly, we both had finished with work early that day and before I knew it, he said, "Let's go riding!"

For a horse lover like me, I jump at the chance to ride whenever I can, so we took off on our trusted steeds, him on Maya, me on Lobo (seen here) for what I thought would be an hour ride from the Altadena Crest Trail to the Loma Alta Equestrian Arena.

But you can't stop horse people when they are having a great ride on a beautiful summer's afternoon. Before I knew it, I was agreeing to ride all the way down to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (a four hour round trip ride, I might add)!

And what a great ride it was! Entering the Hahamongna Basin eastside trail from Altadena Drive, we enjoyed a slow quiet ride through one of Pasadena's great urban nature corridors. The birds were singing, the air was fresh from a slight breeze and the Arroyo Seco was still full of water, unusual this late in the summer season. Except for the passing of an occasional walker and photographer, we had the trail all to ourselves.

Soon we were travelling through the Devil's Gate Bridge tunnel down the trail to the Central Arroyo. I especially loved riding this section - so natural and quiet with the unchannelized Arroyo Seco stream to our right, gurgling along.

Civilization in the form of Brookside golfers and Rose Bowl Loop bicyclists and joggers soon appeared as we turned onto Washington Blvd to Parkview towards the westside Arroyo Seco trail heading back northward.

This was my first time on the Central Arroyo Seco westside trail and what a delight! Most of this trail is shadowed by old age oak trees on one side with a bucolic view of Brookside Golf Course on the other. My unflappable horse, who calmly walked down city streets, past bicyclists, cars, and joggers, stopped and perked up his ears each time a golfer teed off and the 'whiff' sound filled the air.

I really loved being on the westside trail which brought us right next to the Arroyo Seco stream north of the golf course. In fact, we had to cross the stream, about ankle deep, to reconnect to the trail back into the Hahamongna and northward home. What fun!

Sir Winston Churchill once said that 'the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man' (or woman!) and this adage was no more true than while on this ride along the Arroyo Seco.  It's incredible that it's possible to ride (or walk!) streamside in an urbanized area of Southern California....yet feel totally in nature.

I can't wait to continue my horseback riding adventures along the Arroyo Seco and look forward to future trips both northward into the Angeles National Forest and southward into the Lower Arroyo Seco and South Pasadena Nature Parks.

Franklin High Arroyo Seco Academy Students Design Urban Trails

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Los Angeles City Council District Member Ed Reyes welcomed more than 50 community leaders to the recent open house at Franklin High School in Highland Park for a special presentation of student work highlighting more than 30 urban trails connecting the Los Angeles State Historic Park (the Cornfields) with surrounding communities.

A joint project of the City of Los Angeles, the National Park Service, and the Transportation Academy section of the Arroyo Seco Academy at Franklin High School, this senior high school student generated experential learning program used a 'learn by doing' approach whereby the students had to study the neighborhoods, then walk/bicycle them to finalize the creation of their trail.

The project, under the direction of Patrick Johnston of the National Park Service, (shown right here with some participating students), engaged Academy students in developing research, planning, visual design, and presentation skills.

The open house featured an opening welcome, followed by visits to 'stations' throughout the school cafeteria where students both presented their trail design and answered questions from participants.

Here, Los Angeles City Planner Claire Bowin asks questions of a trail team who have created a bicycle path leading from the State Park to Highland Park. The students used a wide variety of visual tools - from powerpoint presentations to table displays to multi-media trail layouts.

One of the highlights of the open house was learning more about the City of Los Angeles' heritage, culture, and history. Most trails had themes: foodie places to stop, historic buildings to see, natural resources to see, monuments to see, Little Tokyo sites, Downtown Civic sites, and so on. It was fascinating watching the students 'defend' their work and this sometimes jaded writer who has been in Southern California for over 30 years had to admit she learned something new!

My personal favorite: the skateboarding trail from Chinatown to the Cornfields. Based on the terrific work done here, I see a number of promising planners for our future.

Dreaming of an Arroyo Seco Greenway

I rode my bicycle along the Ventura River Trail/Ojai Valley Trail over Memorial Day Weekend, taking in the sites and thinking about how wonderful it would be to take such a ride right here in the great urban metropolis that includes Los Angeles and Pasadena.

For many years, several of us have shared the dream of a 'trail,' 'multi-use path' or whatever label you want to call it that would connect the wonderful trails along the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena and South Pasadena southward to include the historic Arroyo communities of NorthEast Los Angeles.

This is not a new idea. Pasadena Mayor Horace Dobbins worked and actually built the first phase of a Pasadena-Los Angeles Cycleway in the late 1800s, which is today the site of the part of the Arroyo Seco Scenic Parkway (Pasadena Freeway). In 1990, Pasadena Mayor Jess Hughston formed a task force to promote bicycle riding. One recommendation of this group, led by bicycle activist Dennis Crowley, was to revive the California Cycleway plan of Dobbins.

More recently, the County of Los Angeles built an in-channel bicycle path that travels almost 2 miles from the York Blvd Bridge to the Montecito Heights Recreation Center near Avenue 43. Plans to continue this in-channel bicycle path were abandoned after safety and environmental concerns were expressed, although dialogue continues to create at least a partial bikeway

linkage with funds already committed for the project.

While riding along the Ventura River, I marveled at the great trail design ~ a paved asphalt bikeway/walkway separated from equestrian riders by a split rail fence. The signage was clear and helpful and the trail was well designed, with turn-offs into several local parks, including the famous Libbey Bowl.

It got me wondering about the 21st Century efforts of the Arroyo Seco Foundation and other community groups to create an Arroyo Seco Greenway that would integrate a pedestrian pathway, bicycle cycleway, and, dare I wish for it, an equestrian trail along publically owned land, right of ways, and conservation easements next to the Arroyo Seco. This Greenway would not only provide a great urban nature transportation corridor but would provide non-automobile access to some of the Arroyo's great treasures: The Audubon Center at Debs Park, Sycamore Grove Park (Los Angeles' oldest park), and the Lummis House, center of Arroyo Culture at the turn of the 20th Century.

One of the highlights of my Ventura River bicycle ride was stopping by the fabulous bicyclists waystation at Foster Park, complete with bicycle racks, CLEAN modern restrooms, and picnic area. I soon found out why these great facilities were there: within a short walk was the beautiful Ventura River itself, with flowing waters and picknickers catching crawfish and minnows and actually swimming in the river!

What fun would that be to fish, picnic and swim along the Arroyo Seco, the way it was for thousands of Angelenos before the River's channelization in the 1930s!

I learned a lot from my Ojai Valley-Ventura River bike trail ride, most of all that people will believe in the Arroyo Seco Greenway when they can SEE it. I think it's time for a design competition to find the best integrated Greenway plan that captures all the elements of urban nature: non-automobile transportation trails, ecosystem restoration, fishing pools (like Troutdale in Agoura, my favorite!!!!) and shallow side pools for wading in the water.

What do you think? Is it time for the best and the brightest environmental planners and landscape architects to show us what they've got?

Why not join us for the Tour de Arroyo on May 30th, in memory of Dennis Crowley, and ride along Southern California's most romantic river. (details: www.arroyoseco.org/bike). You might even get inspired to create the Greenway Plan yourself!