Scofflaw

 scoff-law: A person who flouts the law, especially law that is difficult to enforce.

I've been hiking the old Coyote Hills oil property on and off for at least 10 years now. It's private propety and fenced, but (at least until recently) there have been multiple openings in the fence for years that people use on a regular basis. I'm one of those "people". No one seems to care that people are hiking and biking on the property, no one repairs the openings, and no one patrols the property (again, at least until recently). There's even confusion on who owns the property: The oil company has been trying to carve it up and build hundreds of homes on the property, in a city that is already choked with traffic and high density housing. A local organization ("Friends of Coyote Hills") is working with the city to save the property from being developed, and the city is trying to save enough money to buy the property. At this point in time, I'm not sure who owns it or what the status is. It's the only area in my neck of the woods where I can hike and feel like I'm re-connecting with nature. There are hawks, quail, coyotes, and rabbits, to name a few of the critters one might see, in an area that feels "wild". It reminds me of "old" California, before things got so crowded and congested. It's not unusual for me to see a few other hikers, but for the most part, I have solitude.

Fast forward to about 3-4 months ago, when suddenly all the openings in the fence had been repaired. Oh noooo! For the last few months, it's been a game of cat and mouse. Someone cuts an opening in the chain link fence (at least I'm not guilty of that!), people use it for a while, then it gets repaired and closed up. Then I'll find a new opening somewhere else, only to find it's been repaired and closed a week later.

So I'll ask you: Does that make me a scofflaw? I'm thinking it probably does. I hike an area I'm not supposed to hike. There are many ways to rationalize it: No one cares if I hike here (at least they used to not care), I pick up trash and leave it cleaner than I found it, others hike here (I know, a childish excuse), there's confusion about ownership and status, etc., etc. It doesn't change the fact that it's private property.

On my last hike here (about a week ago), I found a nice big gaping hole in the fence and just couldn't resist. Yup, I'm definitely a scofflaw. I found myself over on the east side of the property (my usual hikes are on the west side) and exploring new territory, which is always fun.

After stepping through the hole in the fence, this was my view. I decided to follow this little seasonal stream (more of a drainage channel) up the hill. It had rained overnight, so everything was beautiful, wet and fresh!

 

Hazy view looking down on (I think) Brookhurst St., as it heads south. Follow it for 16.5 miles and you will end up at Huntington State Beach. It's hard to see, but you might be able to make out the shimmer on the horizon which is the Pacific Ocean.
 

Wonderful cell reception in this area!

  

Toyon berries after the rain.

Rock with old shell fragments (I think?). Cool find!

 
Geologists call this area the San Pedro formation and it was formed over a million years ago. The soil here is very sandy, and at times looks like beach sand. In fact, this whole area used to be beachfront property. Downtown Fullerton was underwater, and the ocean came right up to the Fullerton Hills. Who knows, with global warming, this might be beachfront property again some day!

 

As I was enjoying my solitude and lost in thoughts of owning beachfront property, imagine my surprise when I spotted a security vehicle about 40 yards away!! Oh well, it had to happen sooner or later... caught on private property by Johnny Law! What's a scofflaw to do? I wonder how much my fine will be? I wonder if I will have to serve jail time?? In fact, the security guard was super nice. Almost apologetic. He said "I'm sorry but I need to ask you to head back in the direction you came." He didn't say "leave the property", just "head back in the direction you came." Really? That's it?? No handcuffs?? Sure, I said, and by the way, do you have any idea what the status of this property is? Will they be opening it up to the general public anytime soon? He didn't know. Then we got to talking about what a beautiful property it is, and some of the features, said our goodbyes, and I started heading back in the general direction of the hole in the fence. I figured he would follow me to confirm I had left, and to find where the hole is located. Nope, he didn't and I guess he wasn't interested. Good, I can take my time and take some more pictures!

 

I found this spot that appears to have been a homeless encampment. It was a little spooky on approach, and I found myself calling out "is anybody here?" I'm guessing no one has lived here for at least a couple months, if not longer. See that big Pepper tree in the upper part of the photo above? There was a second homeless encampment there. Really makes me curious to know who lived here and for how long.

The second homeless camp.

 

 

 

I'm sure going to miss this place 😔

 

Thanks for stopping by!

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