Wildfire

As it happens, I'm outside the Los Angeles area at this writing, so the news footage of the wildfires seems particularly surreal. The blaze largely destroyed a mobile home park where a late friend of mine used to live. (She died a few years ago -- not in the fire.) The fire has also hit nearby Angeles National Forest, the scenic (albeit unofficial) burial spot for those who run afoul of organized crime in the region.

The adjacent area of Kagel canyon, now completely evacuated, is my favorite place in L.A. county. Despite being 20 minutes away from the city, this canyon (supposedly once owned by C.B. deMille) has somehow escaped the developers. It's a rustic enclave known for its splendid views and aging ex-hippies, where the saloon still has a hitching post and (don't tell anyone!) land prices remained low even during the go-go years.

Many charming ghost stories surround Kagel Canyon. The area boasts both a "gravity hill" where cars drift upwards and an unfenced cemetery where little trolls come out to bash the vehicles of any fools who dare to park there at night. Actually, the hill is an optical illusion -- and, despite having spent an unhealthy amount of time in that graveyard, I've never seen any trolls. Bobcats, yes. I hope the residents, human and otherwise, can come back to their homes soon.