Day 936: Sespe River - Filmore & Western

Filmore & Western Railway

Day #936 * Hike #1184 * New Track #920
Sespe River - Filmore, CA
Sunday June 9, 2013
My Tripometer: .5  Hours * 1 Mile * +25  Feet

 Trailhead?

 A sign...

 The Sespe

 

Trails above the creek

Today did not go as planned.  After our movie in Santa Paula, I drove with Ayden and Jess up Goodenough Road in Filmore.  If you're unfamiliar with this road, it will take you all the way up to 5000 Feet - Dough Flat & The Condor Sanctuary of the Sespe.

We began our drive up the dirt/concrete windy road.  The views were phenomenal.  I should have taken pictures of the ride, but didn't.  Anyhow, to reach the top would take a good 45 minutes.  Instead, we turned around about 10 minutes in and drove back to the creek.  At some random spot, we attempted a hike under the hot sun as seen in the pics above.  I've been told that there are some swimming holes back here.  Not exactly sure where, but we hiked just a little bit around...


Day #936 * Hike #1185 * New Track #921
Sespe River - Filmore, CA
Sunday June 9, 2013
My Tripometer: 1.25  Hours * 2.25 Miles * +25 Feet

 Next Trailhead

 

We drove back to the neighborhoods and settled up at a random park for the next hike.  On the back side of the soccer field we found a bike path, so here we go...

 

 ah, creek right, ayden and Jess stay on pavement...

We walked about a mile but then turned back.  Jess agreed that I could walk through the creek and then rendezvous back to the car...

I remember many years ago this overflow portion of the creek was a raging river.  Logs like the one seen in the pic above fell off the mountain and pushed into the Old Telegraph Bridge...

Up and over the wide dry creek and to the next section.  Just searching and wandering...

I finally climbed up to the track which parallels Old Telegraph Road.  It just so happened that the trail was a passn.  Hmm, all those eager people anticipating an exciting ride.  Many years back we took the Filmore and Western.  From Filmore it heads out to Piru at about 5mph.  So slow, hot and boring.  Once in Piru, you are dropped off in the middle of a nothing town with no instruction.  The temps commonly climb to 100 degrees and there is no shade.  Just one little liquor store around the corner to buy some wrapped up ice cream.  It melted halfway through the second lick...

Piru has a cool lake, but its way out of reach from Downtown Piru.  Anyhow, other than a dinner on the train and a random guy playing the banjo, the ride is worthless.  That is, unless, you are looking to stock up on honey.  The train takes a pit stop at the honey farm - joyful....

So that's my hike today anyhow.  About as exciting as that train ride way back when...