I finally got my own photos back from my trip so I wanted to share them. I had been using my mother's camera which is the old film kind.
While out visiting my sister Michele in LA, she took me and my mother to Malibu for lunch and a walk on the beach. We took the Las Virgenes exit off of the 101 and that became the Malibu Canyon Road. We wound through some amazing scenery with shear rock walls. We didn’t have to climb over the Santa Monica Mountains as the road actually goes through them at one short strip of tunnel. The rest of the drive was winding around the canyon walls.
Map from Google Maps and Adventure-Crew.com
I was surprised at the number of parks we passed on the way, Franklin Canyon Park, Topanga State Park, Malibu Creek State Park and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Parts of the first few parks we passed were burnt black from the wildfires that ran rampant during the early summer. My sister mentioned that the fires had destroyed a castle that was located up in the mountains that you used to be able to see from the road. The fire had not reached as far as the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Malibu Creek State Park. Photo from socalmtb.com
The Recreation Area is a unique place for several reasons. It is the geographical center of LA, offering panoramic cityscapes and natural views at Franklin Canyon Ranch. It is also the place where they have filmed several movies and TV shows, including M*A*S*H and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Besides hiking the numerous trails available, you can also mountain bike, scuba dive, surf and gaze into tide pools to see what sea life you can find, as the park reaches all the way to the coast.
Malibu Creek State Park. Photo from malibucreekdocents.org
When we rounded the last bend coming out of the canyon, we had our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. The air was hazy over the shoreline and partially inland. I asked Michele if it was always foggy here and she told me that it had not burned off yet, still too early in the day at 12 noon. As we neared the intersection to turn on Pacific Coast Highway, we saw hundreds of American flags flying on 5 foot poles on the lawn of Pepperdine University. It was an amazing site and when I inquired as to the reason for the flags, I was reminded that today was the anniversary of 9-11. Lots of people were stopped on the side of the road to take photographs and we joined them. I only wish I had remembered to remind my sister to bring her good digital camera with us. We had only my mother’s old film camera to work with.
Flags flying on Pepperdine University for 9-11, Photos Corie Marks
After photos we headed on down to the Beach Café at Paradise Cove for lunch. Since my sister usually goes there for breakfast, she wasn’t sure what to expect for the lunch menu. It was surprisingly not pricey, so we all opted for burgers. They were huge and fabulous and came with some tasty French fries. They have a neat outside dinning area set up like a Caribbean beach bar, but we decided to eat indoors. We were seated ocean-side where we could watch the surfers, sun worshipers and fisherman. There were two kinds of seagulls that were quite entertaining to watch as they fought for scraps of peanut shells dropped by the customers .
Photo Corie Marks
The shoreline was so beautiful and the water a clear blue. This is a nice beach area where you pay to park in order to use the beach. It only costs $4.00 to park if you eat at the café. The ocean breeze kept it cool enough for us to wander on the beach after lunch. Even in September the temperatures in LA were over 100 degrees F. A picturesque wooden pier lay to the left of us and a rocky cliff edge ran along the right side. You could see several small boulders sticking out of the water along the shoreline. It reminded me a little of the Oregon coast.
Photo Corie Marks
My mother sat on a padded table-seat while my sister and I wandered down the beach to see what was around the bend. Several broken seashells were lying on the sand so we picked up a few of the more intact ones. I actually found one that was whole and so snatched it up before someone else could. When we rounded the bend, the view of the coastline took my breath away. When you live in a land-locked state you miss out on this kind of view. It’s what makes my husband long to move back to the west coast.
My sister, Michele Photo Corie Marks
Me, Photo by Michele
On the top of the cliffs were well designed houses spread out with palm trees waving in the breezes. The rocky cliffs seemed to run for miles and the waves of the ocean pounded the beach in their natural rhythm. Michele said that the waves were not that big right now, but the whitecaps I saw seemed pretty big to me. I went down to the waters edge, trying not to get too wet while seeing how warm the water was. It was cooler than I thought for how warm the temperature was, but Michele told me that the ocean never got very warm and it was something you had to get used to. She should know as she used to go boogie boarding in her younger days.
Photo Corie Marks
Photo Corie Marks
We didn’t get to spend as much time as I would have liked in Malibu that day, but it is definitely one of the first places I want to come back to the next time I’m in LA. I’ve read that there are quaint shops and historic architectural buildings to see there. One place, The Adamson House, has a hall where there was tile designed to look like a Persian rug and it is so real, you would think that you were actually looking at a rug! Yes, there are many unique things to see in Malibu.