temescal canyon and anisette

on my first hike since summiting kilimanjaro, i chose an easy hike -- max 1.5 hours. temescal canyon in the pacific palisades fit the bill. the entrance is on temescal canyon where it meets sunset boulevard. you can park inside for $5.00 or park on the street for free. methinks, free is always the best.








this trail was a loop. in my opinion, the best workout was to take the trail clockwise (to the left) as the trail went through more switchbacks and was steeper. the counter-clockwise (to the right) trail had gentler slopes and the downhill on the way back to the trailhead would have been steeper and thus, harder on the knees.








the trail was dotted with wildflowers that have started to bloom.
















the funny thing about this hike was that ther was a "waterfall." the problem with it was that, for most of the year, the waterfall was dry. after a downpour, you might see a waterfall. let's put it this way: don't get your hopes up.




but waterfall or no waterwall, this trail has always been pretty, a good workout but would not take the whole day, and close to civilization. beware though that because of its closeness to civilization, weekend warriors love to frequent this place.




temescal canyon's close proximity to santa monica meant that the after-hike brunch had to be in santa monica. this time, we chose anisette.



i had the hot chocolate, which was ok. (my friend's coffee and soup apparently were not hot enough.)




i also had the croque madame. for whatever reason, i don't think the gruyere worked well.



my share came to about $24, which was a bit pricey for average food. it wasn't great but it definitely wasn't bad. oh well.