More pics Stough/Wildwood 3/18 and 3/22

Stough and Wildwood Canyons Verdugo Mountains

These are coming back pretty quick after the significant fire of 8/2005. The live oak, sumac, and most of the chaparral are coming back with new shoots. It will be a number of years before it gets as lush as it once was. The flowers just perking out...first on the south slopes and later on the more shady north slopes. Mountain lupine and mustard in abundance. The Wildwood hike rather steep...a quick 1600 foot elevation gain in .8 mile thereabouts. The Stough fire road more gradual.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

What once was...remnants of the Old West

These type pics stir up the imagination.

Northeast Valley hills 2/28/09

Some examples of the picturesque northeast valley. For a brief period it almost gets Irish green...then brown much of the year. One pic is of Condor Peak, seen to the southwest. The other the hills above Lakeview Terrace. With overpopulation, the danger of potential fires increases; hence the brown denuding of the hills above Sylmar and other places.

Effects of smoking pics

Here are some examples of a bad heart and some lung cancer. The patient has constant oxygen sent to his lungs.