Final Descent of Alaskan Airlines Flight from Portland to the Hollywood Burbank Airport

Why am I posting this? Why not! I rarely have such a clear view on such a beautiful day through a window over the wing of the aircraft that is actually pretty clean. So I filmed it. Blue skies on a clear, crisp, Sunday morning in the San Fernando Valley.

Living in the Conejo Valley, all else equal, it is much easier to fly into and out of the Hollywood Burbank Airport (technically Bob Hope Airport - but I call it Burbank Airport) over the Los Angeles Airport anytime. But if usually is more expensive than LAX, with some exceptions.

In this instance, I needed a last minute flight to Portland to watch the Newbury Park High School Cross Country team compete in the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland. I preferred a direct flight. A direct flight on Delta from LAX was $750 round trip. I was determined not to pay such a ridiculous fare for a 2 1/2 hour flight.

Thankfully, Priceline has some great deals, including a non-stop flight on Alaska out of Burbank as well as two nights at the Embassy Suites and 2 days of car rental, for $200 less than Delta was offering out of LAX.

In any case, it was well worth the trip the NPHS XC team, winners for the first time of both the CIF Southern Section Division II title as well as the California State Division II title in 2018, It finished 6th overall in this prestigious event, teeing off for some even greater performances in the coming years.

To support Newbury Park High School Cross County in its annual travel, supplies and equipment needs, please consider giving a donation at bit.ly/DonateNPHSXC.

Historic Structures Destroyed and Other Areas Burned by the Woolsey and Hill Wildfires in the Santa Monica Mountains

The Woolsey Fire of November 2018 has burned nearly 100,000 acres of land, including 20,839 of the 23,621 National Park Service (NPS) owned acreage within the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA).

Other partners in management of the SMMNRA include California State Parks, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

The Western Town at Paramount Ranch was destroyed. The only buildings left intact are the church building and train station. The NPS has announced “The Paramount Project” campaign to raise fund and rebuild Western Town in 24 months. Also destroyed was the residence of a park ranger. NOTE: PARAMOUNT RANCH WAS RE-OPENED TO THE PUBLIC ON 12/3/18.

Farmer’s Exchange structure in the Western Town at Paramount Ranch

The aftermath at Paramount Ranch’s Western Town.

The Morrison Ranch House in the Cheeseboro Canyon area of Agoura Hills, was destroyed. Rancher John Morrison and his family occupied this house in 1904 and lived and worked in the home for nearly 60 years. The original ranch house, modified over the years, dates back to the late 1800s. It is now gone.

Morrison Ranch House one year ago - November 2017.

Morrison Ranch House after the Woolsey Fire (Photo courtesy of Friends of Morrison Ranch House at twitter.com/SantaMonicaMtns/status/1062025537927827456)

Peter Strauss Ranch was decimated by the Woolsey Fire. The Rocky Oaks ranger residence and archives building were destroyed and Rocky Oaks park was just devastated; you can barely recognize it. The Arroyo Sequit ranger residence was destroyed.

The National Park Service’s Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area website at www.nps.gov/samo/index.htm will post updates.

Other structures destroyed in the Santa Monica Mountains falling into lands maintained by other organizations include the historic Sepulveda Adobe, Red House, White Oak Barn and Reagan Ranch. Malibu Creek State Park updates at www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=614.

KTLA reported on November 11th that the Woolsey Fire also destroyed the MASH set. After the park reopened on December 18th, I checked it out and found that nearly the entire set is still there.. The iconic sign is still in place, though it is barely readable and needs some work.

Iconic sign post Woolsey Fire. Faded but still standing!

Iconic MASH sign last March.

NOTE: THE TAPIA DAY-USE AREA WITHIN MALIBU CREEK STATE PARK WAS RE-OPENED ON 12/3/18.

MALIBU CREEK STATE PARK DAY-USE AND BACKCOUNTRY TRAILS REOPENED 12/18/18. CAMPGROUND REMAINS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Other California State Park properties impacted by the Woolsey and Hill Fires, include Leo Carrillo State Park (fire burned through the campground, the visitor center, sector office, employee residences, three lifeguard towers, Leo Shop structures, the Junior Lifeguard Complex and several restrooms) and El Matador Beach. www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/852 REOPENED 11/27/18

Also temporarily closed, but not on fire, include Point Mugu State Park, Malibu Lagoon State Beach, Point Dume State Beach, La Piedra and El Pescador Beaches and Topanga State Park. THESE WERE REOPENED 11/27/18.

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority announced a number of parks it manages are closed as a result of the Woolsey Fire, including Escondido Canyon Park, Las Virgenes View Trail, Triunfo Creek Park, Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, Charmlee Wilderness Park, Zev Yaroslavsky Las Virgenes Highlands Park and others. (Updates at mrca.ca.gov/press/mountains-recreation-and-conservation-authority-issues-list-of-park-closures.) Amazingly, while much of Charmlee was burned, the structures survived. UPDATE 1/11/19: MRCA ANNOUNCED ALL OF THE ABOVE TRAILS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ESCONDIDO AND CHARMLEE, HAVE REOPENED.

On to Camarillo…Camarillo Grove Park sustained fire damage from the Hill Fire and is closed until further notice. Updates at www.pvrpd.org/parks/dog/grove.asp or 805.482.1996.

MASH set at Malibu Creek Park in pre-Woolsey Fire days.

Reagan Ranch house in pre-Woolsey Fire days.

Charmlee Wilderness Park entrance post-Woolsey Fire (Photo Credit: MRCA)

Charmlee entrance is greener, yet still dry, times.

The replica Chumash Village at the Chumash Indian Museum / Oakbrook Regional Park was destroyed by the Woolsey Fire, which is so unfortunately as the place was just magical. However, most of the beautiful oak trees canopying the grounds were saves.

Kristy’s Roadhouse Malibu and SIP Malibu at the corner of Kanan and Sierra Creek Road were destroyed by the Woolsey Fire.

Simi Valley and Oak Park: Update 12/7/18 - RSRPD indicates Challenger Park in Simi Valley and Eagle View Park in Oak Park remain closed. The public is asked to stay out of Corriganville Park, the Wood Ranch Trailhead open space and trails west of the Long Canyon Trail. Oak Canyon Community Park, including the dog park, are closed until further notice. Updates at rsrpd.org.

Calabasas: The Calabasas Bark Park at 4232 Las Virgenes Road is currently closed as a result of the Woolsey Fire.

Makeshift Memorial for Borderline Shooting Victims in Thousand Oaks

This is a makeshift memorial for the Borderline Bar and Grill victims from the shooting on November 7th. It is located at the northeast corner of Moorpark Road and Rolling Oaks Drive. **

** Note that the memorial was subsequently relocated to the entryway area of Borderline Bar and Grill, which has been closed since the incident.

There is a massive outpouring of support for the victims on display at this memorial, which was filmed here the morning of November 20th (subsequently some folks brought canopies to protect the memorial from anticipated rain on the 22nd - Thanksgiving Day).

Learn how to support the victims and their families at THIS LINK.

There is an extensive list of local fundraisers and tributes for Borderline victims and families on the Borderline Bar and Grill website at www.borderlinebarandgrill.com.

Sean Adler

Cody Coffman

Blake Dingman

Jake Dunham

Sgt. Ron Helus

Alaina Housley

Daniel Manrique

Justin Meek

Mark Meza Jr.

Kristina Morisette

Telemachus Orfanos

Noel Sparks

Letters of condolence are being accepted for the families of the victims listed above by the Thousand Oaks Police at 2101 East Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks.

Los Angeles Rams Remember Victims of Borderline Shooting at Monday Night Game

The Los Angeles Rams commemorated Sgt. Ron Helus and the others who lost their lives at the Borderline Bar & Grill at tonight’s Rams vs Chiefs game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Brush Fire Information and Links for Hill Fire and Woolsey Fire November 8, 2018

Hill Fire around 3:15pm on Thursday, Nov 8th, seen from west Los Robles Trail in Newbury Park.

The Conejo Valley and nearby areas have been inundated by emergencies, including the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting and the fires - Hill Fire (originated 2:03 pm in the Hill Canyon area of Thousand Oaks/Newbury Park) and the Woolsey Fire (originated 2:25 pm in the Simi Hills near the old Rocketdyne facility, 25000 Woolsey Canyon Road - bordering Canoga Park in Los Angeles County).

While CVG is not a news site and we cannot provide up to the minute updates, we do want to provide information and links to help local resident stay closely dialed in.

For updates including evacuations, shelters, etc., visit www.vcemergency.com. Or call (805) 465-6650.

For evacuation notifications, sign up by texting VCAlert to 313131 or visit www.vcalert.org.

If you are a Twitter user, the Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Officer provides periodic updates via Tweets at twitter.com/VCFD_PIO. The VCFD Twitter page also provides updates and some useful "Retweets" from other sources at twitter.com/VCFD.

Ventura County emergency alert radio stations: KVTA 1590 AM, KHAY 100.7 FM, KMLA 103.7 FM (SPANISH)

VISIT VCEmergency.com FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON MANDATORY AND VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS, ROAD CLOSURES AND EVACUATION CENTERS.

City of Westlake Village emergency updates: (Woolsey Fire): www.wlv.org/AlertCenter.aspx

Donations:

• Ventura County Community Foundation has established a Hill Fire/Woolsey Fire Sudden and Urgent Needs Effort Fund

• Founded in response to the destruction of the Woolsey Fire, LV Fire Relief raises money and collects goods for families who lost their homes or have been displaced long-term by severe damage to their homes. LV Fire Relief is a community effort by local parents, staff, students, and business owners. Donations are processed with support of the Southeast Ventura YMCA and are tax-deductible. For more information, visit lvfirerelief.org.

Other Updates:

• National Park Service announced the Western Town at Paramount Ranch has been destroyed by the Woolsey Fire.

• Peter Strauss Ranch was largely destroyed by the Woolsey Fire.

• The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority announced a number of parks it manages are closed as a result of the Woolsey Fire, including Escondido Canyon Park, Las Virgenes View Trail, Triunfo Creek Park, Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, Charmlee Wilderness Park, Zev Yaroslavsky Las Virgenes Highlands Park and others. (Updates at mrca.ca.gov/press/mountains-recreation-and-conservation-authority-issues-list-of-park-closures.)

  • Update 1/11/19: All of the above parks have been re-opened, with the exception of Charmlee and Escondido.

  • Update 1/30/19: Escondido Canyon is now open. Only Charmlee remains closed.

• The MASH set and Reagan Ranch at Malibu Creek State Park were destroyed by the Woolsey Fire, according to the L.A. Times.

• Malibu Creek State Park was closed until 12/18/18 due to the Woolsey Fire. State Parks lost some structures, such as employee residences, the historic Sepulveda Adobe, Red House, White Oak Barn and Reagan Ranch. For the latest information on how the wildfires have impacted state parks, visit www.parks.ca.gov/newsroom. 

• Other California State Park properties impacted by the Woolsey and Hill Fires, include Leo Carrillo State Park (fire burned through the campground, the visitor center, sector office, employee residences, three lifeguard towers, Leo Shop structures, the Junior Lifeguard Complex and several restrooms) and El Matador Beach. www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/852

  • Also temporarily closed, but now re-opened, were Point Mugu State Park, Malibu Lagoon State Beach, Point Dume State Beach, La Piedra and El Pescador Beaches and Topanga State Park.

• The Morrison Ranch House in Cheeseboro Canyon in Agoura Hills was destroyed by the fire.

• The Hill Canyon Bridge in Thousand Oaks was torched and we be closed for at least several weeks until repaired.

• The replica Chumash Village at Oakbrook Regional Park in Thousand Oaks was destroyed by the Woolsey Fire.

• Conejo Open Space closed until further notice. Follow the COSCA Facebook Page for updates.

  • Opening 11/16: Los Robles, Rancho Potrero, Dos Vientos, Tarantula Hill

  • Opening 11/17: Wildwood

  • Closed until further notice: Hill Canyon, Western Plateau, Conejo Canyons, Lang Ranch, Woodridge, Oakbrook, Hillcrest and North Ranch open space areas.

  • As of mid-January 2019: All open except Hill Canyon Bridget and Oakbrook open space.

• Rancho Simi Rec & Park District parks/trails closed (as of 11/19/18):

  • Corriganville, Coyote Hills and Challenger parks in Simi Valley and Eagle View Park in Oak Park.

  • Wood Ranch Trailhead open space area and Long Canyon Trail

  • Oak Canyon Community Park

  • Update at rsrpd.org

• ABC News list of homes burned by Woolsey Fire.

• Woolsey Fire

  • 83,250 acres as of 7pm 11/10. 5% containment. Full containment expected by 11/15. 177 structures destroyed; 2 damaged.

  • 83,275 acres as of 7am 11/11. 10% containment. Full containment expected 11/17. 177 structures, destroyed, 2 damaged.

  • 85,500 acres as of 7pm 11/11. 15% containment. Full containment 11/17. 2 civilian casualties. 3 firefighter injuries.

  • 11/12 7pm: 93,662 acres, 30% containment. Full containment now 11/15. Preliminary estimate 435 structures destroyed;.

  • 11/13 7am: 96,314 acres, 435+ structures destroyed; 24 damaged. 35% containment. Full containment pushed back to 11/18.

  • 11/13 7pm: 97,114 acres, 40% containment; full containment still 11/18.

  • 11/15 7am: 98,362 acres, 57% containment. 504 structures destroyed (483 prelim; assessment ongoing - 370 confirmed destroyed and 96 confirmed damaged). Full containment expected by 11/19.

  • 11/15 7pm: 98,362 acres, 62% contained, 548 structures destroyed, 157 damaged. 3 civilian casualties, 3 firefighter injuries. Full containment by 11/19.

  • 11/16 7am: 98,362 acres, 69% contained. 616 structures destroyed; 183 damaged. Full containment by 11/19.

  • 11/16 7pm: 98,362 acres, 69% contained. 713 structures destroyed; 201 damaged. Full containment 11/19.

  • 11/17 7pm: 98,362 acres, 84% contained. 1,008 structures destroyed; 271 damaged. Full containment 11/22.

  • 11/18 7pm 96,949 acres (must have done a reassessment), 91% contained. 1,452 structures destroyed, 337 damaged.

  • 11/19 7am 96,949 acres, 94% contained. 1,500 structures destroyed, 341 damaged. Full containment 11/22.

  • 11/19 7pm No change other than 96% contained.

  • 11/20 6:30pm: 96,949 acres, 98% contained; full containment expected tomorrow. 1,643 structures destroyed; 364 damaged.

  • 11/21 6:30pm: 96,949 acres, 100% contained!

• Hill Fire

  • 4,531 acres as of 7pm 11/10. 65% containment; full containment expected by 11/15. 2 structures destroyed; 2 damaged.

  • 7am 11/11 - No change other than 70% containment.

  • 7pm 11/11 - No change other than 75% containment.

  • 7pm 11/12 - 4,531 acres; 80% containment.

  • 7am 11/13 - same acreage, 90% containment

  • 7pm 11/13 - same acreage; 92% containment

  • 7am 11/15 - same acreage; 97% containment. Full containment anticipated tomorrow.

  • 7pm 11/15 - same acreage; 99% containment; full containment 11/16.

  • 11/16: Fully contained! Cal Fire seeks the public’s help determining what appears to be human cause to the fire. Possible $10K reward.

• Pepperdine University has announced that classes will be cancelled until after Thanksgiving as a result of the Woolsey Fire.

• CSUCI has announced it has suspended classes through Thanksgiving, though the campus itself will be open November 15-21.

• Schools in the Conejo Valley, Oak Park and Las Virgenes Unified School District have closed through the Thanksgiving holiday.

52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards Begins with Remembrance of Borderline Shooting Victims

Garth Brooks began the 52nd Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards on November 14th with a remembrance and moment of silence for the victims of the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting one week prior.

Brooks said “On behalf of our country music community, I want to say that tonight’s show is lovingly dedicated to the 12 individuals whom we lost far too soon just a week ago tonight at the Borderline in Thousand Oaks, California,” Brooks said, referring to those who died after a gunman opened fire at the country dance bar. Tonight, let’s celebrate their lives. Let the music unite us with love, and their enduring memory.”

IN MEMORIAM

November 7, 2018

Sean Adler

Cody Coffman

Blake Dingman

Jake Dunham

Sgt. Ron Helus

Alaina Housley

Daniel Manrique

Justin Meek

Mark Meza Jr.

Kristina Morisette

Telemachus Orfanos

Noel Sparks

Donate to "The Paramount Project" to Rebuild Paramount Ranch's Western Town

The iconic Western Town at Paramount Ranch was destroyed by the Woolsey Fire of November 2018. The only surviving structures were the church and the train station.

The Santa Monica Mountains Fund, in cooperation with the National Park Service, has launched “The Paramount Project,” a campaign to rebuild Paramount Ranch’s Western Town, recently destroyed by the Woolsey Fire.

The site, long popular with location scouts looking to replicate a rustic town with a Western motif, was also used for many of the special events that take place at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, including weddings, star parties, music festivals, classic movie nights and a variety of other activities. A National Park Service employee, along with her family, lived in Western Town and was one of three employees who lost park housing in the Woolsey fire.   

The new fundraising initiative is expected to restore the only National Park Service site that interprets American film history. It was purchased by the National Park Service in 1980 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

DONATE TO “THE PARAMOUNT PROJECT” AT THIS LINK.

The focus of the campaign is to tap into the creativity, expertise, and resources of both the entertainment community and the general public to create a temporary set and then, ultimately, a number of permanent structures that will retain the rustic features of the past, but with more fire-resistant materials.

The National Park Service and the Santa Monica Mountains Fund have already been contacted by members of the entertainment industry who would like to be involved in the project.

In 1927, Paramount Pictures purchased 2,700 acres of the old Rancho Las Virgenes for use as a "movie ranch." Thus began an era of film production that had continued until last week with more than 300 films, television shows and commercials being shot here. The current ranch is comprised of 765 acres.

Famous Hollywood actors, from Bob Hope and Marlene Dietrich to Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper, have strolled around the dusty streets that could be magically transformed into a real town that included a general store, a sheriff’s jail, a saloon, drugstore and a variety of other settings. After it was purchased by Paramount Pictures, a veritable who's who of Hollywood, such as director Cecil B. DeMille and actors Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert, practiced their craft here for the next 25 years.

But it was the diverse landscape that was the real star of the show. It offered filmmakers the freedom to create distant locales such as colonial Massachusetts in The Maid of Salem (1937), ancient China in The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938), a South Seas island in Ebb Tide (1937), and numerous western locations including San Francisco in Wells Fargo (1937). The art of illusion was mastered in this landscape.

In the 1950s, Western Town was created for television shows, such as The Cisco Kid. More recent television productions at Paramount include The Mentalist, Weeds, episodes of the X-Files and Hulu’s Quickdraw.

More recently, Western Town gained attention as Main Street in HBO’s hit series “Westworld.” For five years in the 1990s, it stood in as Colorado Springs, Colorado, providing the backdrop for many of actress Jane Seymour’s frontier adventures on the popular TV show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.  Also, Sandra Bullock had a leading role in The Lake House here.

Less known is the history of the Paramount Racetrack. The track operated from 1956 to 1957 and was known as one of the most challenging in the nation. The movie, The Devil’s Hairpin, was filmed on the course, which closed down after three fatalities within 18 months from its opening. Most of the track still winds through the grass and oak woodlands of the park.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park System, it comprises a seamless network of local, state, and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.

The Santa Monica Mountains Fund works to protect and encourage appreciation and understanding of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The Fund achieves this by supporting National Park Service efforts in education, science, research, improved facilities, citizen engagement, stewardship and philanthropy. For more information, visit www.samofund.org.

The General Store seen prior to the Woolsey Fire.