2021/4/18 Paramount Movie Ranch with MeetUp & ETI

This is the once upon a time memory of what Western Town was.

Today we drove down to Agoura to the Paramount Movie Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and went on a short ride to the NorthEast part of the property.

We started with a lecture from a long-time volunteer who explained the history of the property as a location for hundreds of films, starting in the 1920's.

We listened to the story, but I was dreading what I knew I must see as soon as we crossed the bridge.

I have ridden here many times, and even during my times as a movie extra in high school once played a midwife delivering a circus performer's baby in a barn!

There at the bridge, the sign for Western Town, but with a faded and pathetic social distancing mask sign next to it.

But it was true, nothing left of the town. 

Well, the train depot, and the church built fairly recently for the series "Westworld".  

 

But the sets from "Dr Quinn Medicine Woman" and all the iconic Western movies

all gone.

It used to be such a thrilling thing to ride into town.

Did I ever believe I would someday come riding through these dusty streets on my own mule, heroine of my own Western Saga?

I loved it.

We could pretend we were going to tie up in front of the bar and go in for a whisky for parched throats, and listen to the piano.

And how many times did I see this building in a film, 

with a mounted cowboy below wooing a senorita above on the balcony, 

or a shoot-out and a stuntman crashing over the railing and down to the street below.

The man did say that efforts are being made to raise money to rebuild the town, but it won't be like it was.   Sigh.

So we headed out onto the trail, past the train depot.

We saw almost no one on the trails.

The evidence of the fire that burned up Western Town 18 months ago was everywhere, burned trees among the returning grasses.

But as always it is a lovely landscape, grassland meadows and a restful surrounding mountain range.

We had ten riders, some from the ETI Corral 36 who walked over from where their horses are stabled nearby.

The grass is just starting to turn into the parched summer cover, and the skeletal remains of huge burned trees lie in the fields.

But the important thing is that we are out in the fresh air, riding our animals, and in good company.

As always there was a fine assortment of different breeds of horses, although as is so often the case Tobe was the only mule.

That's OK with us.

What matters is being out in nature.

Nothing finer than exploring a new trail on the back of a willing equine.

And doing so with nice people gives safety on the trail and the opportunity to follow a knowledgeable trail boss and explore.

Sometimes we are in the front, sometimes we ride drag, sometimes we chat people up, sometimes we like to ride away from the rest and listen to the birds.

Always we are glad we are out with others, insurance against the possible untoward event.

Toward the end of the ride we came to a water crossing, and the animals were all grateful for a drink and cooling off their hard working hooves.

Some silly horses just can't resist splashing in water.

Tobe just has a nice drink and contemplates nature.

And I am grateful for another day in the saddle.

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2018/6/9 Monte Nido with ETI36

On a bright hot summer day I joined the Equestrian Trails Corral 36 for a challenging ride through the mountains of Monte Nido, a region just inland from Malibu on the coast.

A dozen riders rode out in two groups. My group did the route shown on the map and covered 5.28 miles in 2.5 hours. Our trail was often extremely (and unexpectedly) steep and required me to put faith in my stalwart mule.

The ride invitation said "This ride is not appropriate for ...inexperienced trail horses" but I had NO idea what the terrain would be like!

 We staged at Malibu Valley Farms. It is the former home of  ELSA:Experience Learning Support with Animals, a facility that serves individuals with special needs through the benefits of the human-animal bond. We got a pep talk from Susan, the energetic spirit behind ELSA, and then divided into two groups. I went with Stephanie the ETI36 newsletter editor, who promised a walking ride, while Rex took the trot-canter girls off at a brisk pace.

 First we walked across the edge of the 588 acre King Gillette Ranch, in the heart of the Malibu Creek watershed. They were setting up for a wedding, and we had more uncivilized places to be.

The ranch has many historic buildings designed for razor magnate King Gillette in the 1920s.


But we skirted around them and headed for the trails above the Malibu Creek Park area.

We saw the Fast Girls in passing as they moved by at Endurance pace.

And immediately we began to rise up into the ridges of the surrounding mountains.

It is utterly unfair that photographs never capture the steepness of trails.

What feels almost vertical when riding looks like a simple elevation.

Even the meadows full of wildflowers were a big climb, but no worries for Tobe Mule.

We crossed through some housing areas, tucked into the mountains, where many of the estates had paddocks of horses. On this steep street a rail sectioned off a dirt footpath for the safety of equestrians.

At this special ranchette we saw 4 donkeys, always guaranteed to rivet Tobe's attention.









And this unique cabin. The story is the property owners purchased it "bask East" and had it dismantled, shipped,and rebuilt here. Rustic!

But then, up we went again. The chaparral-covered slopes have thorny bushes that made me wish I'd worn my chinks, and passing through them releases marvelous smells as we brush the chemise and sage and artemisia.

And finally up to a vista, looking inland at Brent's Peak in Malibu Creek State Park, viewed across sycamore and oak covered woodlands.

Then our path took us further westward, up and over ridges, looking down on scattered housing areas.










Looking out over Las Virgenes Valley and Malibu Canyon, we could look down onto the estates of the who-knows-who rich and famous.

While I will always prefer living in Santa Barbara, it is easy to see why someone wanting to live a rural lifestyle within minutes of Hollywood would choose this special area.

It has been a center of Chumash Indian life for centuries, long before Malibu became famous.


 



Tobe met lots of nice animals on the ride,

taking turns who was leading and following,

but always following our trail boss.

Stephanie made sure to stop at scenic overlooks and explain the trail system, and what we were seeing. She is very familiar with these trails, living nearby, and my hat is off to anyone who regularly rides these ridges.

Up up up,
then down down down.

Only now do I realize why this ETI Corral 36 is called the Mountain Ridge Riders.

This kind of riding requires an attentive rider and a secure steed.

We pay attention.
I'm pretty sure if I keep my legs on either side and my mind in the middle Tobe can get us where we want to go.

It was a welcome sight when we came to the DaSilva Meadow and stopped for a lovely lunch.

Tobe Mule was right up there with us gals, sharing apples and clearly enjoying himself.

And as a diversion Rex challenged us to a test of skill, bending our animals around an obstacle, sidepassing over, turning on the forequarters and then bending around again in the opposite direction.
Must I brag? Tobe and I won!

But then it was time to wend our way back, taking a valley floor route this time, still mountainous but nothing like the route out!
A lovely time was had by all.
                                            
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“The problem with being a second-generation Californian is you're not objective about California itself. I think a lot of people come here for the comfort of it, or to reinvent themselves, and maybe creative people are natural searchers, searching for someplace to be. The lifestyle becomes very appealing."
                                                                        --Clint Eastwood”

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