Today started out with a quick drive-by of the rebar being installed on Highway 101 for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. It crosses several lanes of freeway in Liberty Canyon and will eventually allow the local mountain lions to safely cross between the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains. Because the big cats are cut off they have become inbred which is impacting their survival rate. The crossing will help a variety of wildlife finally safely cross this blockage.
King Gillette Ranch- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
We found out the hard way that museums and visitor centers are closed on Mondays. The Santa Monica NRA visitor center at King Gillette Ranch was closed. That was so disappointing because I'm a real VC groupie. I peaked in as many windows as I could to get an idea of what I was missing. There was a big exhibit about the mountain lion, P-22 and the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing bridge. Next visit.
We wandered around the grounds so I could check out the birds. There were several Acorn woodpeckers in the oaks. Probably stashing acorns from the coast live oak in tree trunks for later. There was a large area on the grounds decorated for the holidays which would have been fun at night but we had other places to visit.
Malibu Lagoon and Adamson House Museum
I fell in love with Malibu! The energy was so calming. The beach absolutely gorgeous. The birds fantastic. It felt so yummy. Unfortunately, houses that are decent are in the $2 million plus range.
Wide sandy beach, rocky areas with tidepools, crashing waves, lots of birds, mountains in the backyard, amazing views- what more could one ask for?
We wandered over to the historic Adamson House to look at the gardens and the outside of the house since it, too, was closed. The Rindge family owned 17,000 acres and 20 miles of coastline here. It's a Spanish Colonial Revival style home. It's one-of-a-kind craftmanship is a mix of Spanish and Moorish influence built in 1929 and used as a beach house. Lots of bright handmade tiles, hand-carved doors, and so much more.
Paramount Ranch
There's not much left but the small chapel and fake train depot at the Paramount Ranch. The 2018 Woolsey Fire devastated the historical area. Movies and TV shows have been filmed here since the 1920s, including Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, The Cisco Kid, Bat Masterson, Westworld, American Sniper and many more.
The area was originally leased by Paramount Pictures and, later, William Hertz bought part of it. He built Western Town (which burned down) and attracted TV companies. The history and changeover continued through the years until part of the ranch was purchased in 1980 by the National Park Service. They are currently making plans to rebuild.
At one point, there was even a racetrack out here (the Love Bug was filmed here). The hills in the area are where the intro scenes in the MASH TV show were filmed.
We wandered around a bit. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough time in our day so we were there at sunset. We then headed to Canoga Park to the Follow Your Heart Market & Cafe for a delicious vegan meal and some shopping. Follow Your Heart was founded in 1970. Yes, it's the Follow Your Heart vegenaise and other vegan products we find in our stores!
