the Great Outdoors...

Last weekend, I headed out to the horse ranch, up in Ventura County, to see my girls. As I pulled into the long driveway, 4 turkey vultures took flight from the ground, with the carcass & entrails of an unfortunate ground squirrel swinging in the wind from the clutches of one of the vulture's claws. Life, real life & the great outdoors! This is one of those images that leave a lasting impression in your mind. Don't you just love it? These types of scenes are just a 45 minute drive away for your viewing pleasure. Go in just about any direction and you will find the advantages of living in such a diverse environment, here in the L.A. area.

You need not drive to Ventura County. Within the city limits of Los Angeles, is Topanga State Park, filled with 36 miles of hiking trails and scenic views of the Pacific Ocean. There is one great hike down to a beautiful, secluded waterfall. A few years back, when I did volunteer work as a docent at the Nature Center in Topanga State Park, I would see plenty of scenes as described above with the turkey vultures, along with bounding mule deers, frisky rattlesnakes, entrancing bobcats and yes, the roadrunner and the wily coyote. So take that short drive up PCH to the park. My next exploration needs to be up to Lake Arrowhead.