Day 634: Fire on the Conejo Grade!

 Charred Mountain above the Grade!

Firefighters putting out the Hot Spots!

Day #634 * Hike #748 * New Track #618
Friday August 10, 2012
Fire on the Conejo Grade - Newbury Park, CA
My Tripometer: 1.25 Hours  * 2.25 Miles * +225 Feet

 Well, I can't go that way!

 Save my Hiking Trail!

 Firefighters act fast to contain the fire!

 Trailhead

Directions:
From the 101 Freeway in Newbury Park, take the Wendy exit.  If you are coming from the south, turn left over the bridge and then make a right turn at the light, Old Conejo Road.  If you are coming from the North, proceed straight across Wendy onto Old Conejo Road.  Follow this street all the way to the end where it rounds to the right.  You will immediately see the mobile home community on the left.  Turn in and then make your very first left turn.  Take this to the end and then turn right at the little stop sign.  You are on Monte Vista.  Follow this to the end.  You will see parking spaces on your right and the trailhead is at the end of Monte Vista.

 Take a step down and begin

 Well then, there is a trail here!  Wahoo; let's go find a fire!!!

 Looking back over my first few steps, passing a wooden cross

(Possibly a family pet buried there?)

 Good Work Guys!  I'll be right there!

 The trail is easy to follow

 I smell it, I see it, I'm slowing down.  Should I be here right now?

 The road to the right, that's where all the firemen are...

 So, I'll take this Edison Road to the left

The Firefighters did a great job here.  The fire did not jump over the road.  They contained it very well.  I'm pretty sure that they saw me but I quickly began walking the other way.  I heard one say, "...he was smoking a joint".  Not sure if this pertains to how the fire started or if he was talking about his son.  More than likely, the fire started at the 101 Freeway from a car.  It happens nearly every year!

 I turned left away from the fire, you can hike this into Camarillo...

 Camarillo below...

 I made another left following an, animal trail?

 The trailhead is down below

 Let's try to gain a better vantage point

 That works!

 Hey Guys; Over Here!

 All the way back to the Edison Road. 

The coast is clear, I'm hiking up there...

 The hot ground is charred, the trail is gone.  Tip Toe across...

Flashback; I was here Day 5: Camarillo Springs Trail

 Hey, I'm over here now.  Come get me :)

 Heading back, I came up from the right path, so let's go left

Well, the trail was promising but then it ends at a cement drainage runoff.  I followed that and then looped back to the trailhead.  I decided to keep going to see if there was a more legit way to enter this area...

 My motorcycle parked below

The trail turns and faces Boney Mountain

Good enough for me today.  Thankfully, it wasn't that hot!  Probably 90 degrees, which is like 15 degrees cooler than where I hiked a couple days ago.  I am updating this one out of sequence due to the current event.  It has been one long HOT week and I have lost 7 pounds by accident.  --I'll take it!