I’m a senior lady, just four months short of my 71st birthday. Walking is still an activity I can enjoy. That is, as far as strenuous activities go. But, parking restrictions at the Point Dume Headlands now prevent me from strolling in that lovely place as I once did.
Climbing the steep hill from the parking lot below is a bit too much for me now. Especially when you add the long trek from Westward Beach road where it meets Birdview — just to get that far!
Besides, it takes too much time. All I desire is a quiet stroll through the preserve; go up to the “lookout” landing at the top to watch one of Malibu’s fantastic sunsets, or perhaps view an early moonrise just at sundown, while inhaling the fragrance of the chaparral. There, one can feel the soft ocean breeze on one’s face and especially enjoy the quietness, with maybe only the distant bark of the seals from the rocks below.
Are these simple pleasures to be denied me? I don’t need a bus ride — or want one! Nor do I wish to be accompanied by a tour guide, or endure a lecture every time I stroll there. Solitude these days is in short supply, and to be treasured. Serenity can be found there, far from this harried world.
Isn’t the preserve owned by all of us? The street still is a public one, isn’t it?
With thoughtful, sensitive planning, the nearby residents’ fears can be allayed — and “We the People” can still enjoy what was set aside for all to enjoy.
J.L. Bone