Along the PCH
On the very clearest days, one can see three mountain ranges to the east. The San Bernardino Mountains are only visible from the headlands of Point Dume. The headlands, by the way, were flattened in 1942 to facilitate a military installation during World War II. The state acquired the property in 1978.
The Budget Rental Car building was once a restaurant. It was called Wine Cellar, circa the 1970s. Before that, it was a hamburger joint.
What did the Point Dume School look like in 1925? Actually, it was just flat barren land. Oh, and the Rindge Railroad crossed over the site about where the basketball courts are now.
How many state capitols have less population than greater Malibu (including all in the 90265 ZIP code)? The answer is three: Augusta, Maine; Pierre, South Dakota; Montpelier, Vermont.
Has anyone walked all 27 miles of Malibu’s coastline and also the 60 miles of the Backbone Trail? (Not me-yet). Have you ventured out to stroll even one of the above noted miles in the past year?
The four public schools in Malibu currently have a total of about 2,300 students.
Twenty years ago the Trancas Outpost was entirely occupied by the Trancas Restaurant, which included a popular nightclub that had large standing-room crowds and name bands in the space now occupied by Starbucks.
According to census data, the median age in Malibu is 41. The percentage of citizens with graduate degrees locally is three times the national average (18 percent). Per capita income is also three times the national average ($78,000).
Nice to see the canyon roads are now designated as “Tsunami Evacuation Routes.” Good thinking. More helpful road signs. The only tsunami evacuation sign so far along the PCH is in Santa Monica and if you look very, very closely, the arrow clearly points in the opposite direction of the ocean. Most enlightening.
According to Yahoo.com, there is an average of 281 sunny days in Malibu. Malibu is 63 percent Democrat. There are 684 persons per square mile within the city limits.
The Malibu Times has the distinction of having the longest-running phone number of any local commercial establishment: 456-8016, in effect for about 60 years. Originally, it was designated “Globe 6-8016.”
I have discovered one of the most enchanting hikes in all of Malibu (after 33 years, finally exploring such a haven for the first time recently). It is not very far from the highway. The hike, however, is steep and difficult …
… You already know about idyllic Solstice Canyon (just off Corral Canyon, a quarter mile from PCH). Once you get to the Tropical Terrace home site at the very back of the canyon do, this: Ascend the Deer Valley Trail to the west. Take it up the canyon. You will have to do some rock-climbing and slow treading up the waterfalls. Eventually, you will come to the burned-out stone house and be in a whole new eco-zone of lush forest. Catch the new trail at the house and wind up the left side of the grassy meadow to absorb incredible peacefulness and seclusion beneath a granite mountainside. Go another half mile up the fire road to an unmistakable spot of breathtaking ocean vistas. From there, you will have to turn back. No other way out. Total distance from your car- about three miles, one-way.
Pepperdine University is annually voted as the “Most beautiful college campus in America.” Bluffs Park across the street, I believe, could get the same accolades for the Malibu Little League.