Monday, February 4, 2008

Wireless

Pasadena is well-populated with somewhere around 150,000 souls. We have street lights, telephone wires, strip malls and all the cement you could ever want. We also have more access to nature than most city dwellers do. Not just parks (although there are many outstanding ones) but actual hiking in actual nature. That's one (just one) of the best things about the place.

Looking northwest from the northwest edge of town—so far northwest, in fact, that you have to cross through part of Altadena to get there—you can see across La CaƱada-Flintridge to the mountains of the Angeles National Forest.

"Everything north of town (once you cross Altadena) is the mountains of the Angeles National Forest," you say. Yeah, yeah, I know. I just wanted a picture free of cement, street lights and telephone wires.

(click photo to enlarge)

7 comments:

Jim Klenke said...

Its amazing that you can drive a half hour or hour and be in the mountains. Here we have to drive all day just to find a hill....and I think thats man made. Nice picture.

ben wideman said...

it's exciting that we get that in our backyard... I hope I never get desensitized. Thanks for helping keep things in perspective.

Petrea Burchard said...

In some places it's only a few minutes, Jim. Pasadena's north side borders on Altadena, which is very small. From the northern neighborhoods of Altadena you can walk right up into the mountain trails. From my house to those trails it's about a ten minute drive.

I'm always grateful for that. It's a very good reason to be here.

Pont Girl said...

Great shot - nice blend of dirt, mountains and sky!

Pasadena Adjacent said...

Should you ever get to the top, on foot or by car, be sure to visit the Mount Wilson Observatory. I hear it sports a Pasadena address.

Petrea Burchard said...

Palm Axis: I hate to shoot you down! But...
From Pasadena, the Mt. Wilson observatory is directly north, or slightly northeast. (I can see it out of my window right now.) It's not on the mountain in this photo, which is looking northwest from near the Devil's Gate Dam.

Pasadena would like to claim Mt. Wilson--and we do. But it has its own zip code: Mt. Wilson, CA 91023

You're right on one count, though: it's fun to visit there.

Andree said...

I hope people looked at the huge version of the photo because the scope of the scenery is clearer there. It's huge, wild, beautiful.