Nomad Life - Day 86

After a wonderful week in Ventura County, it was time to leave.  Before that, though, I needed to complete another work week.  I got up with my alarm at 0430, still feeling tired because of my late bedtime, and started teleworking as soon as I was out of bed.  It was quiet, like most Fridays, but I did have one text engagement with a colleague - otherwise, it was a very slow work day.  As I've done most of the last seven days, I made breakfast and lunch in my room.  The Navy Inn Front Desk had told me I could have a late (1200) checkout but this didn't prevent multiple encounters with cleaning lady - she was nice and seemed to understand the situation but was clearly waiting for me (the only guest in Building 26) to depart.  During the morning, I took very short breaks to do laundry and finish packing the car.  As forecasted, it was raining and I was glad that I'd mostly finished the packing job the day before.  After departing my room at the last possible minute (1200), I teleworked for another 30 minutes in my car.  With my work week wrapped up, I started driving north, departing Naval Base Ventura County (Point Mugu) for the last time.  By then, it was still steadily raining and I had to fiddle with all of my car's environmental controls to clear up the view through the windshield.  With the precipitation, I started to wonder if I should avoid the trip through Lake Tahoe - the rain on the California Coast will likely turn into snow at the higher elevations.  Anyway, that's a problem for later...  My route today began with Las Posas Road and Lewis Road - I passed lots of farmers and pickers in the huge fields.  After crossing US-101, I used CA-34 and CA-118.  By this point, I starting to get hungry, so I stopped at the Simi Valley Town Center to start my search for a restaurant.  When I got out of the car, I was struck by the cooler weather (low 50s) but was still mostly comfortable wearing a t-shirt.  I looked around at the Mall but the options were a little higher-end than I wanted.  Reluctantly (because I didn't know if I could have found a better deal), I sat down at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (1330) and ordered a Whiskey River Chicken BBQ wrap and "bottomless" fries.  The food was good but the server never returned to ask if I wanted more (hence "bottomless".  In any case, I probably shouldn't have had anymore anyway...  At 1405, I got back on CA-118 and followed it all the way to Grenada Hills.  Ass I exited the Freeway on to Balboa Boulevard, I realized that this was where my mother's family lived when I was young - we visited them in this area in 1977, 1979 and 1984.  Racking my brain, the best I could recall was that I'd last probably visited the area in the mid 1990s.  I looked for familiar landmarks but Deja Vu never struck.  I eventually reached I-5 and crossed it to access Foothill Boulevard.  At this point, traffic got VERY heavy.  Gradually, though, I made my way to CA-14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) and then drove towards the northeast at faster speeds.  My target was Agua Dulce, a PCT Trail Town that seemed to have a good section for hiking.  I didn't have much trouble reaching the applicable exit off the highway but then found some more disconcerting indications about preparing for the upcoming winter weather: signs near the exit said that "chains required".  Soon after that, I passed a "Flooded" sign sitting off to the side of Agua Dulce Canyon Road - that didn't bode well during the incoming "Atmospheric River" weather...  During this time, I passed Sweetwater Movieland Ranch and this gave me my first clue about how many movies and television shows have been filmed in the area.  I continued east into Escondido Canyon, looking for the PCT crossing, and found the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area and Nature Center (1505).  This Los Angeles County park had a large Nature Center and, once inside, I met three employees who told me that it had been a very slow day.  Since they weren't busy, I asked them a series of questions about local chain usage and potential flooding.  After they reassured me that the conditions in the area didn't warrant worrying about either issue, I got information from them about the PCT .  After hearing about my AT hike and plans to do some section hiking nearby, one of the rangers gave me a PCT bag-tag - wow!  Another ranger told me that 84 PCT hikers had checked in at the center in 2024 but only 78 in 2025.  I told her I suspected that some more might be coming towards the area.  Altogether, we had a very good conversation about trail towns and local restaurant recommendations.  I picked up a park map (it showed where I could access the PCT), I departed for a hike.  t was dry when I started (1530) but I brought my umbrella.  Initially, I followed the park road (dirt) towards the back of the park - along the way, I got to see the "Famous Rocks" (used in at least one Star Trek episode).  After passing Parking Lot 4, I found the PCT near a picnic area.  Signage (especially about direction) was not very good.  CA-14 was visible in the distance but the map indicated that there might be as much as 1.5 miles of trail in the area to the south.  With a storm visible in the hills to the west, I didn't feel ready to go that far from my car.  Instead, I headed NOBO and made my way to Escondido Canyon Road.  This turned out to be a good idea because it started raining right after that and I used my umbrella for about 20 minutes.  Throughout this stretch of trail, I got lots of good views of the geologic formations.  During my 0.7 miles of PCT inside the park, I passed several very informative signs about history and biology.  After exiting the park on to the blacktop, I walked towards the town.  This took me back to Agua Dulce Canyon Road and towards the north for another 1.0 mile.  I found myself in the middle of the little hamlet of Agua Dulce (population 3500) and decided to start my backtrack at Darling Road.  By then, the rain had completely stopped.  Following the pavement, I arrived my car at 1630 (3.5 miles of hiking complete) and then returned to the place where I'd turned around on my hike.  I tried to get some ice cream at the Rustic Mercantile (they'd had signs along the PCT route) but learned they had just turned off the machines.  Disappointed, I walked around nearby, checking out the businesses.  I found a little shopping market that looked like a reasonable alternative to driving to a larger town.  Meanwhile, it started to get dark - that prompted me to head towards my lodging for the night.  I arrived at the Sierra Pelona Motel in Santa Clarita by 1700 and checked into my room.  The owner gave me some sparkling water and some reassurance that the area was safe from flash flooding.  When I got into my room, I was a bit sad to find that the quality did not live up to the reviews on Booking.com.  For starters, I found cracks in windows, light showing through the edge of the doorjamb (no insulation), very light window curtains (could see through them) and generally "old".  On the plus side, though, there was a new heating unit and that kept the room nice and warm.  At about the same time, a young couple checked into the room next door.  I thought nothing about them initially but, as the evening progressed, I was privy to periodic "amorous noises" seeping through the paper-thin walls.  Trying to avoid thinking about this distraction, I read, worked on blogs, made entries on eBird and watched movies.  Outside, a steady, continuous rain had begun.  The sound of raindrops on the roof might have made me sleepy but, sadly, the peaceful sounds would then be interrupted by more lovemaking next door...  Passing 2200, my horny young neighbors must have dozed off and I was able to go to sleep myself at 2230.  Hoping I can get some more hiking miles tomorrow!  PCT Today = 1.7 miles / Grant Total PCT = 8.7 miles