Welcome to the blog of writer and musician Andrew Martin. Here I'll post original photographs and observations as I encounter the history and culture of the San Fernando Valley, the City of the Angels, Alta California and the far-flung Pacific Rim… but mostly the Valley.
Eager to max out one of LA’s rare and rad snow days, and to show off my awesome new hat on the slopes, I leapt out of bed early, bolted my coffee, bundled up, hoisted my toboggan, and headed off in search of LA’s deepest powder.
The snowy San Gabriel Mountains, looking northeast from atop Hansen Dam, where Tujunga’s waters are held in check.
Braving near white-out conditions without chains; laughing at ice sheets; defying possible avalanches or mudslides, the View is in quest of LA’s white stuff. Base camp is the Hansen Dam. So tie on your cask of brandy; and strap on your snowshoes, Mrs. Donner: it’s Mendenhall Peak Or Bust!
Above: The sagebrush at the bottom is under my feet on the south ridge; then there are the tops of the oak trees way down in the canyon bed; then the various layers revealed by the San Gabriel Fault Scarp on the north ridge; this is topped by the “remnant former terrain;” then rise the triangular foothills. And highest of all, the snowy Mendenhall Ridge, the uplift of which, created all the land forms.
Okay, so maybe Little Tujunga isn’t Vail. But you’ve got to admit — surely — TRULY — this is A Vale For All Seasons.
Santa Claus faced some powerful, rainy storms this year, though Rudolph pulled through as usual. All day today, too, it was rainy, the sky thick with swirling fog. Around sunset, the “drop ceiling” of clouds started clearing up, so I went out to get a selfie of my great new hat. I won it last night at a White Elephant party (which ended up being a Pink Elephant party for the View… )
Anyway, as I checked the selfie, I saw what the sunshine revealed: The San Gabriel Mountains, behind me, flashing like fire in the crisp, pink December air. What a treat. Thank you, Sol Invictus, for returning our golden California light.
Christmas Da:y requires a mid-day constitutional, to burn off the champagne and eggnog. This year the time between showers was short. Thus handy, boring old Griffith Park was the chosen venue. I expected little but a trudge through wet sagebrush, but the old Park showed it still has the power to charm even the most jaded holiday hiker. First there was the rainbow:
Then there was the extravagant display of toyon berries on all the hillsides. The View has never seen so much happy, cheerful toyon. LA’s native city tree is berrying-out everywhere across the LA Basin, but here, it graces the view of the San Gabriels.
Finally, there was the Merry-Go-Round. I never knew Griffith Park had a carousel. But cloud cover in the hills and canyons creates a well-known natural acoustical effect: like a lid on a pot, it bounces sound around the landscape. At the top of a canyon trail, I heard music. Faint but distinct, a calliope was playing Christmas Carols. So I followed my ears, winding all down the trail into a little grove I’d never seen before, and found this delightful contraption. COOL.
Click on the link for two minutes of humbug-banishing, Grinch-defying, Ho Ho Ho-provoking delight.
The Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round was built in 1926 by the Spillman Engineering Company. Commissioned by the Spreckels family, it was originally housed at the Mission Beach Amusement Center in San Diego but was moved to its current location in 1937. The merry-go-round is comprised of 68 hand-made horses, all of which jump, and a custom-built Stinson 165 Military Band Organ that plays more than 1,500 songs. It’s the only full-size Spillman carousel still in operation today. The small carousel, which is tucked away into a quiet corner of the park, served as Walt Disney’s inspiration for Disneyland. When his children were young, Walt, a Los Feliz denizen, took them to the merry-go-round on weekends. During one visit, while sitting on a bench watching his kids circle round and round, he was inspired to create a large scale gathering site that the whole family could enjoy. His dream was realized on July 17, 1955, when Disneyland opened to the public.
The Valley Village View 