Adventures in Malibu- A Tale in Two Parts: Part 1

Editing the final draft of this post, my fiance, Michael, told me that Neil Peart- writer and drummer/lyricist of Rush passed away. To put it lightly, I was, and still am devastated. Neil is an enormous inspiration for this blog, my writings, and coincidentally, this drive to Malibu. So, this is for Neil.

I never understood the hype about Malibu. It seemed like another beachy and luxurious destination I could never afford. Does anyone remember Malibu Barbie from the early/mid 00’s? Barbie had an ugly “dream house” and went to the beach with her lame friends and lame male love interests. That was my expectation of Malibu.

Barbie totally undersold Malibu. In summary: if you are ever in Los Angeles, you must go to Malibu. The place is surreal.

Last June, my fiance, Michael, his Mom, and I drove the Pacific Coast Highway from Laguna Beach all the way up to Malibu. We stopped at sites such as Huntington Beach, the Santa Monica Pier, and of course, Malibu. By the time we hit Malibu, we did not have an itinerary besides eating at a very over-priced restaurant. It was also chilly and dank. We encountered the luxury of Malibu Barbie with terrible weather. But on the way back, we drove through an amazing stretch of road from the 101 down to the Pacific Coast Highway. On display were the stunning Santa Monica Mountains- which unlike much of Los Angeles, were too grandiose and majestic for man’s big houses and fancy things. Driving through the hills, clouds hovered over the green mountains as we drove from Malibu into Calabasas. It was my favorite drive. Furthermore, over the past several months, I found different hikes in the Malibu area on various social media platforms and was seeking a chance to go back.

Michael running away from freezing waters: a summary of our June excursion to Malibu.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw on a social media that there is a Duke’s in Malibu. A Duke’s in Malibu? Michael’s favorite drink is the Lava Flow from Duke’s in Huntington Beach.  So I created an excuse to go to Malibu- for the Lava Flow, and the hiking and mountains.

I am making this a two-part series to make it more digestible. There is a lot to say about this beautiful area, and I think my thoughts will be articulated more effectively by splitting this in half. If you are reading this during the early stages, the second one should be finished in a few days. I will post a link at the bottom of this post when it goes live.

We left around mid-day and drove down my new favorite highway from the 101 to the Pacific Coast Highway. I am almost positive that it was the road from before, but the drive from civilization into the mountains, and then the sea was incredible.

It is although a storyteller designed this road. During the exposition, you veer off the 101, one of the biggest freeways in Los Angeles and California. The adventure starts as Las Virgenes Road, at the crux of civilization and the beginning of ritzy suburbs such as Woodland Hills and Calabasas. Soon, the road becomes one lane and you venture around the mountains and through the canyons, taking slight turns and then into a windy road. At this point, Las Virgenes becomes Malibu Canyon Road, and the story’s excitement continues. Nature amazes with diverse vegetation. There are the occasional scattered houses but they are a footnote in this exciting journey. The star is obviously the Santa Monica Mountains. And there is no way any person in the world could take its spotlight. The action continues to rise as the road narrows and becomes windier the climax- the sudden sight of the Pacific Ocean, glistening over the horizon amongst the beautiful mountains. The story ends as you glide down the canyon’s end and onto the Pacific Coast highway.  Among you is a land of blue waters and towering cliffs.

For our first activity, Michael and I went on a “hike.” I found a nice two-mile hiking trail called Solstice Canyon Trail. There were ruins, which I tried to convince Michael were “oooh cool, metal…”(he plays in a death metal band, for reference). But I kinda screwed up and only went to the first ruin which was actually halfway. According to the first paragraph of the hiking trail page, it was easy to navigate on an asphalt path. Therefore, I thought it was entirely on an asphalt path. So when the trail was not asphalt and we were at a ruin, I shrugged my shoulders and went back, all while Michael looked perplexed.  Ah well. It ended up being a blessing in disguise that the hike was cut short. And we have a reason to go back!

Solstice Canyon Trail is an ideal hike for anyone. Seasoned hikers will love the biodiversity and views around the canyon. Beginners and families with young children will love that it is a gentle and navigable hike with tons of rewards.

I thought the first ruin was pretty cool. Named The Keller House, the site holds the stone foundations to an old house of “stone and tin” made in 1903 to withstand the wildfires which took out the original wooden cabin built two years prior. In 2007, despite Keller’s efforts, the house burned down, meaning this dream of a natural oasis was shattered. To quote Kurt Vonnegut(and Billy Joel!)- “so it goes.”

Brief side note for clarity: From California to the Amazon to Australia, wildfires are making headlines around the world. The uptick in wildfires and their devastating nature is due to climate change. The science is there. Here are some academic sources for you to peruse on wildfires and climate change.

NASA on The Amazon

Super Recent Study from the academic journal, Science Advances

Article from Yale that is accessible and cites many credible sources.

Wildfires are a natural occurrence.  It is nature’s self-cleansing mechanism and a moment of rebirth and renewal. It is part of, to quote The Lion King, the “Circle of Life.” Taking my inspiration from Mufasa and Rafiki, at the Keller ruins, I realized how small we are and our material worries are fleeting. The important things are not material but rather the life we lead and the relationships we create and sustain. Nature will kill man before man kills nature. I am reminded of The Byrds’ song, “Turn, Turn, Turn,”(or known to Old Testament Fans as Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) Yet it seems that this is a difficult concept for so many to grasp.

We went on a Thursday afternoon and lucky for us, it was almost dead. There were times I heard nothing but the running stream, a rarity in Southern California. There were moments we stopped to enjoy the silence. Real silence. Along with the natural beauty surrounding us, it was difficult to see any houses. When Michael and I saw an eyesore of a house, we pointed at it in shame and gossiped with each other how so many ultra-rich Malibu residents are destroying the planet with their superfluous way of life. They barricade themselves in enormous houses which are eyesores to everyone else trying to enjoy their planet.

Anyway, I think shaming on social media is wrong, not necessarily morally speaking, but effectively speaking. However, as I was strolling along the brook in silence, there was an ugly house/mansion/barricade thing…blocking my view…of the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains. This house(or fortress) epitomized everything that irks me- excess, hypocrisy(everyone in Hollywood lovvvves to preach how eco-friendly they are), disrespect, environmental degradation, and extreme wealth. So anyway, here is my post of shaaaaammmme.

Do it with me- point and yell “SHAAAAAAAAAMMMMMME” SHAAAAAAAMMME

Despite my act of pettiness, this connects to Henry Keller. Keller’s home was modest by modern standards. He wanted a stone cabin in the mountains within close proximity to ample fishing. It was not a gargantuan testament to wealth and power but a shelter for one’s interests. But all good things must come to an end. And nature does not care for man’s intentions.

Even with the natural beauty of Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains, man is daring in its quest to undertake this by building enormous houses, vast shopping centers, and other various vestiges of the modern world.

The originally “settlers” of the Malibu area were a tribe called Chumash. From writings around Malibu, I learned a bit about the Chumash and did some research online from various Indigenous American resources. This description stuck out:

Ceremonies commonly marked significant seasons, and to display their dependency on the world around them. During the winter solstice, the shaman priests led several days of feasting and dancing in honor of the power of their father, the Sun. Each village had a shaman or astrologer, who charted the heavens and interpreted them to guide the people. The Chumash believed that the world was in a constant state of change, so decisions in the villages were made only after consulting the charts.

I do not believe in astrology, fate, or anything of the matter. However, we also live in an age of unbridled scientific advancement. Despite scientific understanding, many “western” societies, no matter how “advanced,” think that the Earth is the center of the universe, hence the enormous house and vast shopping centers. Yet the Chumash understood the idea that we cannot bend nature. Man is not the center of the universe. We exist in the world. The world does not exist in us.

Anyway, Michael and I walked back to the car, laughing that we probably did not finish the hike, but excited to see the beach. We had a discussion about climate change and excess while bemoaning car culture and that in a modern American city, being eco-friendly can be expensive and time-consuming. And time is money.

But we try. Hard as we can. For nature is not only cathartic but imperative.

 

Despite what you think of Ricky Gervais and the entirety of his speech the other night, his final remarks were spot on although wildly taken out of context. Gervais was not telling Hollywood to stop speaking out about political causes. Rather, to shut up about climate change and social issues when their entire existence is excess, greed, and hypocrisy. Decipher it yourself. Below is the full bit:

Apple roared into the TV game with The Morning Show, a superb drama. A superb drama about the importance of dignity and doing the right thing, made by a company that runs sweatshops in China. So, well, you say you’re woke, but the companies you work for. I mean, unbelievable: Apple, Amazon, Disney. If Isis started a streaming service, you’d call your agent, wouldn’t you? So if you do win an award tonight, please don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your God and f*** off.

And on that note, join us next time as we muse the constant contradictions of lovely Malibu. I loved my day in Malibu not only for the intellectual stimulation but for the natural beauty and fun experiences with Michael. Malibu is way cooler than Malibu Barbie. I would love to hear your thoughts about Malibu or any of the themes from this post.