Week 13 : Rio Vista to Fashion Valley

This week some of you might ask: wait a minute, aren't you going the wrong way?  And where's Anita?
Anita is at a workshop today (though she's been proofreading this blog all along).  I am going downstream today because sometimes the nature of the journey is that one revisits old places and sees something new.
For the past three days Doug from the San Diego River Park Foundation has been hiking the river from its source to the ocean averaging over 15 miles a day in the name of raising awareness of the river.  Indeed the work of Doug and his colleagues make what Anita and I doing more possible and were probably part of seeds that inspired our journey.   I've been wanting to meet Doug and more folks from the San Diego River Park Foundation (of which I am a member) on this walk and today I spotted an open invitation and so drove out to Rio Vista and walked a few miles along other shoes:

Appropriately named.

Here comes the group, I think Doug is still behind a tree.

I met Doug and the fellow walkers / support crew a few minutes after arriving and was quickly recognized as fellow walker.  Indeed the whole experience feels familiar in a good way, reminding me of a time when I was 13 & 14 and hiked with the Sierra Club on a regular basis.  Overall an incredibly friendly intelligent and welcoming crowd.  (I have rarely met outdoors types that aren't friendly when they're out hiking).

Doug and some folks from San Diego River Park Foundation.

Mile marker 6.42. The homestretch

The mood was of course celebratory, Doug was 55 miles or so into a 60 mile hike and many others had been with him for a good part of the journey.  After 3 days of blistering heat, the onshore flow had returned and there is shade along this stretch of the river.  I'd say this, (the Mission Valley) and the Santee segments are the most well-developed and accessible and easy going.  Doug explained the work he had done to make this a reality and I can only imagine how awesome it would be to emerge from a long hot journey into such a welcoming environment and know that part one played in making it so.

Views to the water

Anything river a lot of stakeholders.  If done right it can be win win overall, though the exact definition of "win-win" changes from stakeholder to stakeholder.  In the end however we all do need one another.  and if the river goes bad everyone looses.  One of the interesting stories was of how the benches got replaced by exhibits.  Apparently the benches were attracting a number of the types of people who make river walking unpleasant for the rest of us, whereas exhibits tend to attract a crowd more mindful of their social footprint.

Nice shade in the afternoon.

What's that "snap crackle pop"?

As if to illustrate this concept, hardly 100 yards later we heard a "snap, crackle, pop" from the riverbottom.  While there are certainly some sketchy people who eat Rice Krispies cereal and lurk in the shadows, this seemed a bit more serious.  And low and behold it was a brush fire just below a picnic table.  One of the group called 911 and learned that crews were already on the way.   We gazed on for a bit as the flames seemed to spread through the grass behind the Mission Valley Shopping Center.  It did not appear to be spreading fast but wildfires are generally not compatible with urban areas and it was important that this get put out.  It almost looked like one could just grab a garden hose and deal with it that way (I recalled for a moment a rather memorable firefighting scene from the movie "Strange Brew.")

Brushfire!

Plume of smoke.

A pigeon takes flight.

Hearing the sirens approaching it seemed the situation was under control.  We were moving at a brisk 3 mph pace and it didn't leave much time for musing or drifting as I have done on other walks.  At some point putting one foot in front of the other is what is needed to make time.

Here comes the fire crew.

And onward.

Some of Doug's work.

Some more handiwork.

When Anita and I came through this way the underpass was under construction still and we went around the south side.  Now it's a full blown trail and everybody seems to like it.  It boasts effective lighting and freshly painted-over walls and something that will make outdoors minded types feel safe.  I've been told I tend to be less afraid of sketchy areas perhaps because I am tall and don't look like I carry a lot of money.  I know others who feel less safe and believe it's important to have a park where a diverse spectrum of people feel safe.  I am fan of some of the informal / unsponsored artwork on the underpasses, but part of the unspoken agreement behind even the most tasteful and brilliant graffiti is that it will be painted over sometime, whether by the city, or another artist, or whoever owns the wall.  You can still go to certain towns and neighborhoods where the infrastructure promotes walking and secret passages via alleyways and overpasses, and the feeling of free flow is unmistakeable.  I recall a few in Riverside, where I grew up.  In the 80's and 90's many of these alleyways had become magnets for transients and drug users so people started blocking them off.  I get why this was done.  Where I live now there are several footbridges that are pretty much de-facto encampments.  I can't really fault someone for wanting a relatively safe place to lie down for the night, (or even just enjoy a nice malted beverage in peace), and I know the fear and unease it stirs in people who pass through.  It seems investing in better housing for these folks would pay off many fold.   In the mean time we create a few locations where safe passage is assured and lower the barrier to the awareness that comes from walking / biking / jogging the earth.

The recently completed 163 underpass.

Lots of lighting in the underpass

At Fashion Valley I got a call from a friend who needed me (long story there) and so waved goodbye and caught the trolley.  It is exciting to see the change afoot here now and meet some of the people behind this progress.  We shall meet them all again in 2 weeks when this journey concludes at the source.

Now back at Rio Vista some trail I missed.