Hidden Hills, Yorba Linda, CA

[alanmcorcoran]

I live in the eastern tip of Anaheim, CA, an area known locally as Anaheim Hills. Like its namesake, Beverly Hills, it's not actually a town or a city. 92808 is just a stuck-up section of Anaheim, like our more famous cousin, 90210. Don't get the wrong idea... the part I live in was built after they sold off large swaths to greedy developers - I basically live in a housing tract. The houses are decent, even if they are essentially stacked on top of one another, but you're not going to find Paris Hilton or Mark Wahlberg living in one. There's a nicer older part up behind me, and you might find a Mighty Duck or Angel reliever up there, but for a more pure rich bastard experience, you need to cross the tracks to Hidden Hills, Yorba Linda.

[pbss:cencvi35]http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd7/alanmcorcoran/HiddenHills/?action=view&current=86fae203.pbw[/pbss:cencvi35]

For the last eleven and a half years I have been looking out across the Santa Ana Canyon, from my neighborhood, over to the Hidden Hills and trying to figure out what exactly was perched at the end of Hidden Hills road. A golf club? A library? Maybe an equestrian center (the Yorba Lindese are very much the "horsey" set.) Having failed again to hook up with the Moedadster for a more manly ride, I decided to hop on the GZ and go check it out, once and for all.

To get to Hidden Hills you do have to literally cross the tracks. And the crossing is not convenient to get to. They don't want every Tom Dick and Harry driving around the place. It's actually sort of on my way in to work. Went down past the regional park, did a left, right, right - back underneath Fairmount to Esperanza and I was soon up in the heights of Hidden Hills.

Take a look at some of the little houses I snapped while up there. Afterwards I wandered around the rest of Yorba Linda. At one point I was slowly being tailed by a LEO for a good stretch. Didn't actually get stopped though. I suspect one of the locals called them when they saw me taking pictures. Probably thought I was the OC paparazzi.

Finished up in style at the Jack in the Box just outside the gates of paradise. Never figured out what that giant white stucco and blue glass thing is. I think it's just someone's house.

UPDATE: I did some Googling on the word "Satsang" that appears on one side of the building entrance. This is a Hindi word for a kind of religious get-together, so the mystery building may serve, at least part of the time, as a Hindu temple.

[Moedad]

Having failed again to hook up with the Moedadster...

One of these days we'll do it. I've never been up there. Good report and slide show, as usual.

[alanmcorcoran]

Thanks Moe.

Didn't think anybody was looking at these anymore...

We got to get out to where Busy's been going, or maybe we can go down Santiago Canyon to Ortega Highway. I'm not the greatest canyon rider, but Ortega is a lot closer (traffic-wise) to me than Angeles Forest.

[OC Hoosier]

We got to get out to where Busy's been going, or maybe we can go down Santiago Canyon to Ortega Highway. I'm not the greatest canyon rider, but Ortega is a lot closer (traffic-wise) to me than Angeles Forest.

Whenever you guys are ready for a cruise, let me know. I completed the MSF last weekend. I actually went camping in Caspers Wilderness Park (just off the 74) this past weekend. It was my first time on the Ortega Hwy...I was in a car, but still fun and gave me the itch to get out there on two wheels. Beautiful!

[alanmcorcoran]

I'm thinking of a OC/Riverside loop:

Santiago Canyon to Santa Margarita Parkway, to Antonio Parkway down to Ortega over to Ramona to Cajalco to Chino Hills EXpway to Carbon Canyon and back to where I live (Anaheim Hills.) No freeways. Lots of good backroad.

Maybe this Saturday.

I have always ridden the motorcycle alone, but I'm up for trying a group thing. Used to ride with 3-5 other guys on bicycles. Fortunately we were all relatively close in fitness/ability and could maintain a decent ride formation without stressing anybody out.

On the GZ, I'm a little concerned about my ability to keep up in the twisties as I tend to take them slower than I probably ought to. I also tend to be slow on the climbs.

If there is a lot of impatient traffic, I pull off to the shoulder and let them pass.

Have I mentioned I'm kind of a pussy?

I have Moedad's e-mail. Send me a PM if you want me to touch base before I go...

[BusyWeb]

On the GZ, I'm a little concerned about my ability to keep up in the twisties as I tend to take them slower than I probably ought to. I also tend to be slow on the climbs.

If there is a lot of impatient traffic, I pull off to the shoulder and let them pass.

Have I mentioned I'm kind of a pussy?

Hello, Alan...
I don't think a pussy will ride bike..., they might not even think to try seat on.
I do same things like you do when I don't feel that I could speed up. :blush:
May be we can show them a finger after couple of years riding experience... ha ha ha.
Just for a laugh... :2tup:

[alanmcorcoran]

Update to Hidden Hills. If any of you guys were watching our SoCal Real Estate barbecue this weekend on the TV, some of the larger items on the menu were the HugeAssed Homes of Hidden Hills. One of them was cooking for about 5 hours and was heavily featured on Fox News. The pool survived, but not much else. Rest of Yorba Linda got hit pretty good too, as well as a few areas of my (less ostentatious) neighborhood. This is the fourth major fire to get within a mile of my house in the last three years. Starting to be a regular thing, like weather.

One thing different this time: Not worried about getting stuck in panic traffic if I had to evacuate. Part of the reason I bought the GZ is I wanted the ability to escape "civil unrest" if things got out of hand with the global financial meltdown. So far, very little impact here in SoCal, but I suspect we're just getting started.

[Easy Rider]

This is the fourth major fire to get within a mile of my house in the last three years. Starting to be a regular thing, like weather.


Urban dwellers in many (most?) areas are now installing inside sprinklers in new construction and retro-fitting some old. Anybody in your area putting in OUTSIDE sprinklers? Simple logic tells me it might be a good idea.

[alanmcorcoran]

We nearly all have outside sprinklers - mainly to water the grass (it doesn't rain here too often.) Doesn't sound like much, but if left on for 4 or five minutes, can give everything a good soaking. The real problem is, during the change of seasons we get a wind effect in the canyons (called the Santa Ana winds, after the canyon/river) that can gust up to 70 miles an hour. It's also extremely dry (and it was about 90 degrees this weekend) so the effect is like an acetlyne (sp?) torch. Many of the homes that burmed were ignited by blown embers from as far away as three miles. The houses that burned were almost all adjacent to undeveloped land that is basically a tinderbox of dry brush.

[Easy Rider]

Many of the homes that burmed were ignited by blown embers from as far away as three miles.

Apparently those with sprinklers don't have any heads high enough to wet down the roof.
Maybe that would ruin the aesthetics. :biggrin:

OK, so I get it that sometimes NOTHING would help.......but if I lived there, I'd damn sure be trying, none-the-less.

[alanmcorcoran]

The sprinklers on the roof is not a bad idea. Here's what else I think might help:

1) Equip all homes that are occupied by healthy, fit (men or women) with a standard set of fire fighting gear including breathing apparatus and goggles.
2) Allow them to become "instant" junior volunteers with their garden hoses under the same rules of engagement as the firemen.

It might backfire and result in the misguided or overconfident getting occasionally cooked (this happens with the pros as well) but many of the homes that did not burn were saved by the homeowners, neighbors, or, in one case, an off duty policeman, that simply kept the flames from getting a foothold. Often, they simply stationed themselves up on the roof with nothing more than a garden hose.

When you have very high winds, this approach is dangerous, but a number of these houses that went up caught on fire from a stray ember blowing into the eaves, or through an open window.