Perous Secret Diary - Keep Out

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adrenaline junkies

(a double adventure: keep scrolling)

took Madelyn, Jake and Ghost for a spot of Jeep Wrangler thrashing up a mountain range a little way out of LA

this HUGE park is all designated as good for boosting 4x4's, quads and motorcycles up and down.

there are easy routes and routes designated 'most difficult'

guess which we chose?

Lucy wouldn't let me do this in her Jeep Wrangler, so a big thankyou to the rental company that hired me this vehicle to drive round LA in.

it could have done with some extra height, some bigger tyres with more tread, but it did the job quite effectively even when only three wheels were touching the ground.

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as YAZZ says

it's (much) steeper than in looks here

when I was younger I used to have almost nightmares in which I was driving a car up a hill that got so steep, it tipped over backwards

this kinda reminded me of that dream

especially at the top when all you can see is blue sky

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shaken not stirred

stunning landscape: just empty space

america is SO big.

we were almost alone.

was able to FaceTime Lucy from the top

in England it was cold and raining

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ROWHER 4X4

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Jeep Wrangler ad

i can confirm this is a decent 4x4 and it goes places you wouldn't expect it to be able to

even as a standard / stock car.

at this summit we were kind of between Lancaster and Santa Clarita

we came down the easy way

still a 4.5mile bumpy decent, bending around, slowly coming down

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ambulance chasers

just as we were heading back to the freeway, several interesting looking fire engines drove past us in the opposite direction

so we HAD to turn around and follow

there was a little whisp of smoke on the horizon as MANY other fire engines and fire-fighters turned up, live streaming on their iPhones out the windows

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it was just starting up

(we didnt start it, honest)

so i parked us with a good vantage point: not too close and started taking pictures, annoyed with myself for not having the longer lens i brought to LA with me.

just out of frame to the right of this, was a house

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then the helicopters and planes started flying over and dumping water...

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then the fire kicked OFF

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not sure i'd be happy about walking towards these flames armed with a flappy stick

the strong winds were really blowing hard: the ground's so dry the fire is spreading REALLY fast

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then the popo told us to clear OFF

so we dropped back to this ridge

i was pretty sure this scene was going to turn into a money shot: the fire here is just beyond the ridge: we could see the flames licking over it

and they were heading in the direction of this house.

had the car pointed in the right direction for a rapid departure

but realising i had my bill and zep's kids with me, decided not to wait to profit from someone else's misfortune, risking a hot exit, and left

i'm pretty sure we saw this house on fire on the news when we got back to LA central

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leaving the scene, we couldn't return to the route we had been taking

the view in the distance was apocalyptic: dark like night with flames

i didnt get to shoot that: i was driving and being turned round by a cop

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jake took some pictures out his window as we let the area

passed 30(?) fire engines heading in as we heading out

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(photo: Jake Yukich)

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wild

wild

this is now a major news event and a major emergency in canyon country

there are three separate wildfires burning hard

people's homes are completely GONE

as much as i liked the idea of staying to take some serious photos, i'm glad we left when we did

and thank GODS it didnt happen on the mountain we were on, when we were at the top

it was just a mile away and an hour later

dramatic day

much love and thoughts to everyone who have lost everything today and BIG PROPS to the LAFD and other service men and women who were heading INTO the fire to save whoever and whatever they could.

and remember kids: there's no such thing as global warming

Perous Secret Diary - Keep Out: October 24, 2019