Led by Gail Wise and Nancy Beverly
By Nancy Beverly
Two outings in a row we had 18 people — the Dec. 8 pre-holiday party hike and then Dec. 14 for our walk through the south end of the Arroyo Seco where native plants and trees thrive and then up through a glorious Pasadena neighborhood of spacious mansions.
Gail led the way, pointing out lots of cool things. Besides craftsman style homes and modern garden architecture, we also got to see the Rose Parade HQ building and some actual roses in their garden. The Norton Simon Museum and grounds were closed, so that’ll have to wait ’til another time.
We did get to see the famous Colorado Street Bridge (built in 1913). It was retrofitted after the 1993 Loma Prieta earthquake plus other safety measures have been installed more recently.
Then it was turn-around time — saw the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and once we were down in the Arroyo again, we passed by a trout pond and the archery range where lots of folks were doing the bow ‘n’ arrow thing. We chose not to walk around the stone labyrinth (but took photos, of course).
The whole tour was a smidge over 5 miles — jam-packed with beauty, both people-made and nature-made. Besides Gail’s tidbits, we also got some architecture and history facts from Oliver and Darl — thanks everyone!
