Franklin Canyon, California

I went on a little hike this weekend in a jewel of a park.   Nestled between the famous Mulholland Drive and Beverly Hills, Franklin Canyon is an oasis in the midst of the second largest city in the United States.   With its criss cross of hiking trails, lakes, fountains and picnic areas it should be packed with city dwellers looking for respite  but instead is one of it's best kept secrets.

We achieved a sweltering 89 degrees yesterday here in Los Angeles.   Too hot for an early April day and hopefully not a precursor for the long summer ahead.   Due to the heat, I wait until the sun begins its slow dip into the western horizon before heading out for my hike.

Now I know you are wondering, this is a travel blog, why are you writing about a hike?  Travel is a journey into new and exciting places.  Well,  I challenge you to change your thinking about travel.  Can't
your voyage derive from exploring a familiar location in a new way?  Or changing  your perspective?

I find myself, with dusk fast approaching, walking down a familiar route but everything is different.  In the past I have been down this path in the morning, with friends.  Now, shadows are creeping down the mountainsides, the frogs are singing and the only thing keeping me company is the crunching of my shoes on the dirt.  And even though I know where I will end up,  I am in new territory with eyes wide open.

Take a new path down an old road.