Just over this tranquil hill is the urban expanse of the San Fernando Valley.

From a run on Lasky Mesa in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch).

From Sunday's Long Canyon to Simi Peak trail run. California primrose (Camissonia californica) is also known as False Mustard because of its superficial similarity to common mustard and other mustard species.

Wood Ranch Open Space

The fire road was covered with crawling and darting bees -- so many I could feel the low, resonating buzz of the colony. Standing in the middle of the buzzing bees, I heard an "Oh crap!" from behind me. A mountain biker -- stopped about 20 yards away -- explains he's allergic to bee stings.

We were a little east of the China Flat "T" on the Albertson "motorway" -- a fire road in the Simi Hills. Taking advantage of cool, sunny weather in the Los Angeles area, I was doing a course I had not done for years, an out and back trail run from the Wood Ranch trailhead to Simi Peak, with a short circuit around China Flat.

I had taken a short detour to check a small vernal pool hidden in the oaks off the fire road. There are surprising number of these ephemeral water sources in the Simi Hills. They sometimes have water when it's unexpected, but this time the pool was dry.

The bees on the road were digger bees, ground nesting bees that look like fuzzy honeybees. Like honeybees, males have no stinger. Males swarm over the burrows of females, waiting for them to emerge. Females can sting, but in my experience, and from what I've read, are generally not aggressive. Here's a very short video (from later in the run) of a second colony on the Simi Peak Trail.

Not being able to risk being stung, the mountain biker waited on the side of the road for his buddy to realize he wasn't behind him anymore. I headed back to the China Flat Trail, and then continued to Simi Peak. Here's a Google Earth image and Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of my approximately 10.75 mile route.

Note: A mountain biker on the Long Canyon trail told me he had seen a mountain lion in the area earlier in the morning. He was certain that it was a mountain lion, and not a bobcat or coyote.

A search on the phrases "stride rate" or "running cadence" will turn up numerous articles extolling the benefits of a running cadence (stride rate) in the neighborhood of 90. An often quoted source of this axiom is Daniels' Running Formula: Proven Programs: 800 M to the Marathon (Human Kinetics, 2004). The idea is that for a given speed, the faster your stride rate, the less time your body will spend airborne, the less you displace your center of mass, and the softer you hit the ground on landing. Less up and down should translate to more energy efficient running.

From a run at Ahmanson Ranch.

One of the more unusual watercraft at the 2009 Kern River Festival was Dan Gavere's ULI inflatable stand up paddleboard.

Dan finished second in the 2.5 mile Downriver race, and made all the gates in the Slalom event!

Study of a mushroom-like arrangement of newly sprouted Big Leaf Maple Leaves. From Sunday's Red Box - Bear Canyon trail run.

Study of color, form, and texture in decomposing wood. From Sunday's Red Box - Bear Canyon trail run.

Tom Sloan Trail in Bear Canyon

Update August 9, 2009. A section of trail necessary to complete this loop has been closed by the Forest Service, and there is no workaround. According to the Angeles National Forest web site "The Mount Lowe Truck Trail (Forest Trail No. 2N50) has been closed from its intersection with Eaton Saddle, west ½ mile to its intersection with Markham Saddle." See Forest Order #01-09-02 (PDF).

The creek burbled a gentle song of Spring, and downstream a Canyon Wren replied. Standing near the bottom of the narrow gorge, my eyes followed the soaring trunks of a grove of alders to their canopy of new leaves -- backlit and bright green in the sun.

Bright green in the sun... In my run-altered state it was one of those aha! moments. The alders are just tall enough to reach from the shadows of the canyon into the sun - and - without the water in the stream that cut the canyon, the alders could not grow to the necessary height. The pieces fit -- or was it the endorphins talking?

Macro still life of Douglas' nightshade at Stoney Point, a bouldering and top-rope climbing area in Chatsworth, California, northwest of Los Angeles.

Part of the fun of running trails is the challenge of overcoming obstacles that may block your progress. These can range from fallen trees and swollen streams, to rattlesnakes and rockslides -- or as was the case yesterday on Lasky Mesa in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, the occasional stray truck.

The truck was part of a assemblage of vehicles associated with a production company. The Ahmanson Ranch area is favored for film production, and classics such as Gone with the Wind, They Died With Their Boots On, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Thundering Herd, and Duel in the Sun were filmed here. More recently, the bridge scene in Mission Impossible III was shot here.

Brrr... I picked up the pace -- even with long sleeves it was COLD on Rocky Peak Road. Another in a series of blustery April systems was stirring up the weather in Southern California. Thickening clouds spritzed rain, and a belligerent wind told me in laughing gusts that I could not run fast enough to stay warm.

Occasionally a patch of sun would find its way through the clouds, briefly warm and encouraging. I needed only  to think of the 100 degree days ahead to appreciate the chilly temps.

Another cool system is forecast to move through Southern California on Friday, bringing with it a chance of rain -- and more great running weather. Easter weekend should be spectacular!

Some related posts: Simi Valley from Rocky Peak, San Fernando Valley from Rocky Peak

Lupine is blooming yards from the parking area at the Victory Trailhead of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch), and the Valley Oaks are now nearly fully leaved. Annual grasses have gone to seed, and the hills are just starting to turn from green to gold.

Observant, clever, mischievous and adaptable, the coyote often plays the role of Trickster in American Indian mythology.

This short Chumash story is from the course notes of an Introduction to Classical Mythology class at the University of Texas:

"Coyote begs to accompany the Sun one day, promising to behave himself. Coyote persuades Sun to let him carry the torch, and Sun warns him not to let it get too close to Earth. Coyote (of course) forgets, drops the torch, and almost burns up the world before Sun rescues it. Thereafter he stays meekly behind Sun."

From a run at Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch) on May 15, 2007.

Related link: Native American Trickster Tales

Wildflowers at the Slippery Rock put-in on the Lower Kern River.

Bob and Joe Setting a Slalom Course at Riverside Park

Thanks to Bob, Joe, Tom and Smiley for another great GMC. As always, the paddling instruction was exceptional.

Training sessions were held on the Upper Kern River at Riverside Park in Kernville, and on the Lower Kern at the Miracle Hot Springs Slalom Course. Instruction ranged from fundamental skills to advanced techniques -- all of which can be applied to paddling whitewater rivers, freetyle boating, or slalom racing.

Here are a few pics:

Getting ready to start the morning paddling session at Riverside Park.

Former Olympic Team Coach Bob Campbell and the slalom group watch Olympic Gold Medalist Joe Jacobi demo a slalom course in Riverside Park.

Joe Jacobi explains the intricacies of paddling a series of gates on the slalom course at Riverside Park.

Smiley -- former National Slalom Team member Anne (Mitchell) Long -- keeping warm on day 2. It was windy and cool, but not bad in the water!

Drying wet gear at the host motel, the Kern Lodge.

If you're curious about slalom, or whitewater boating, the 2009 Kern River Festival is April 18-19 at Kernville's Riverside Park. The Festival will feature two days of non-stop action with a steep creek race on Saturday, and a downriver race and the T.J. Slalom Race Sunday. It looks like the weather and water should be great!

Related link and post: Gold Medal Connections, Whitewater Slalom Racing

From Sunday's run of the Will Rogers - Temescal loop.

Related posts: Spring on the Bent Arrow Trail, Will Rogers - Temescal Loop