Nike Missile Base Hike

OK, let's take a break from Nevada pictures for today.  This past Sunday, I went with a hiking group for a hike in the Santa Monica mountains, to the old Nike Missile Base that was operational back in the 1960's.

Here's a view of Mandeville Canyon, where we started the hike.  This is just north of Brentwood, which is a neighborhood in west L.A.  When you're in the canyons, you wouldn't guess you were in the middle of a major city:

The group heading up the fire road which doubles as a hiking trail:

 

The fire road is a pretty easy hike, so hikers have made a secondary more difficult trail that parallels it in places:

 

Here's some of our group heading up the more difficult secondary trail:

 

View into the neighboring canyon from the trail:

 

Looking back on the trail:

 

A reservoir serving the San Fernando valley:

 

We're here.  This is the old guard hut:

 

From what is written on the plaques, I think this is the missile tower, with a viewing platform on top of it:

 

 

 

 

On the trail heading back:

 

Lots of deciduous trees still have their leaves on them, and they are dropping in other places:

 

The end of the hike, back at the road in the canyon.  I think these are oranges on this tree, or they could be grapefruits: