nature, nature|botany, photography

Tracking the Sun

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Mallow leaves tracking the sun.

Updated 03/13/08.

My run of the “keyhole loop” at Ahmanson Ranch started out as a tempo run — not so much as being part of a rigorous training program, but because of a dead battery in my car remote. It felt good to push the pace a bit.

Part way through the loop, running up a short hill into the sun, I was struck by a repetitive pattern of backlit leaves in the new growth on and alongside the road. Like little green satellite dishes, hundreds of the round leaves of mallow were facing directly into the late afternoon sun.

Mallow (Malva spp.) is an invasive plant from the Mediterranean area that has flourished in Southern California’s Mediterranean climate. In most years, it is very common. I’ve run and hiked past thousands of these plants, but never noticed this synchronicity.

Tracking the sun makes sense. Our climate has an extremely variable and relatively short growing season. A plant that maximizes its intake of solar energy and growth by orienting its leaves toward the sun would have an advantage over a less adaptable species. This is probably one of the reasons mallow is such a successful invasive. Another invasive that grows alongside mallow, black mustard, also appears to exhibit heliotropism as it is growing. It creates a rosette of leaves facing into the sun by raising leaves on the side of the stalk away from the sun, and lowering leaves on the side of the stalk toward the sun.

From a run during the week at Ahmanson Ranch — now Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve.

Technical papers:

Diaphototropic Movement of the Leaves of Malva Neglecta

H. C. Yin
American Journal of Botany, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Jan., 1938), pp. 1-6

HELIOTROPISM AND WATER AVAILABILITY EFFECTS ON FLOWERING DYNAMICS AND SEED PRODUCTION IN Macroptilium lathyroides

ARMANDO MARTINS DOS SANTOS, LUIS MAURO GONÇALVES ROSA, LUCIA BRANDÃO FRANKE, CARLOS NABINGER

nature, nature|weather, photography, photography|landscape

Vernal Pool at China Flat

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Vernal pool near the sheep corral at China Flat in the Simi Hills.

In normal to wet rain seasons vernal pools can be found throughout the Simi Hills. The pool pictured above is near the sheep corral at China Flat, and another small pond was found nearby, along Albertson Motorway fire road. I’ve also found vernal pools in the Rocky Peak area and near Sage Ranch.

Geologically, the Simi Hills are characterized by the sandstone rocks of the Chatsworth formation. These inclined layers are of varying hardness, and erode at different rates. It’s my guess that water collects in sandy soils between, or at the base of, the more resistant layers.

The photographs of the ponds at China Flat are from Sunday’s Scenic Route to Simi Peak run.

photography, photography|landscape, running, trails, trails|smmc open space

Scenic Route to Simi Peak

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Oaks along the route to Simi Peak.

When the rainy season turns wet and the grasses green, all routes to Simi Peak are scenic, but the varied trails and terrain, and the wilderness feel of the more remote sections of this 21.5 mile run makes it one of my local favorites.

It is a longer variation of the route described in the post Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Backcountry. The run starts at the Victory (or Vanowen, or Las Virgenes) trailhead of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve and explores the headwaters of Las Virgenes Creek. At the junction of the power line service road and “backcountry” trail, instead of turning south up the power line service road, this option works west over to Albertson Motorway fire road, and on to China Flat and Simi Peak.

Here’s a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of the route.

running, running|gear

Salomon XT Wings Trail Running Shoe

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Salomon XT Wings Trail Running Shoe

Last updated 07/05/10. Symmetrical lacing and new eyelets working great on XT Wings 2!

Wow — what a great ride! That was my impression the first time I used the Salomon XT Wings trail running shoes. That continues to be my feeling after using the shoe for a couple of weeks and doing several runs in the 15-20 mile range. For my particular trail running requirements, this shoe has a near perfect balance of comfort, smooth ride, cushioning, traction and support.

It’s been my experience that if a running shoe doesn’t feel comfortable when you first try it on, it’s not going to feel any better on a long trail run, and it’s probably going to feel worse. The XT Wings felt great from the start. I first tried a pair of 9.5’s — my usual trail shoe size — but found size 9.0 was better in this shoe.

Under foot, the shock adsorption and cushioning gave that “ahh..” feeling without feeling bouncy or unstable. The shoe provides just the right level of support, without overly restricting the motion of my foot. When combined with the super smooth foot strike to toe transition, the overall ride is the best of any trail shoe I’ve used.

The outsole rubber appears to have excellent friction, and the lug pattern seems to have good traction without being too grabby. The speed-lacing system is convenient and appears to work well. Some friends have had Salomon speed-laces prematurely fray at the first eyelet on their XA Comp 2 XCRs, and prevent that by using a little duct tape around the lace. I’ll see if that happens with this model.

Update 07/05/10. I now have about 190 miles on each of three pairs of Salomons with the the new eyelets (XT Wings, XT Wings 2 & XT Hawk 2), and I’ve had no problems with the laces fraying.

Update 02/22/10. In addition to new eyelets, the XT Wings 2 also uses symmetrical lacing. This should completely resolve the old lace-fraying issue.



New XT Wings eyelets
Update 01/22/10. Recently retired my fifth pair of XT Wings, again at about 300 miles. When I purchased my sixth pair was surprised to discover that the eyelet system has been redesigned. Hopefully this will resolve the problem I’ve had with the laces fraying, and I won’t have to use the “duct tape fix” on future pairs. Here’s a photo comparing the new lacing system (left) to the old one, and a close up of the new eyelet.

Update 08/05/09. Recently retired my third pair of XT Wings, at about 300 miles, and purchased my fifth pair. It’s still my shoe of choice for long runs.

Update 05/29/09. With the “duct tape fix” applied, I’m now 244 miles into my third pair of XT Wings, and 95 miles into my fourth pair — no problems. My Speedcomps, which don’t have the “toe anchored” lace like the XT Wings, have 235 miles on them, and no duct tape on the laces!

Update 09/24/08. Not good — with only 135-150 miles on my second pair of XT Wings, the lace has frayed on the left shoe at the same point (second eyelet from the anchor eyelet) as it did on the right shoe of the first pair. I’ve exchanged the pair and applied the “duct tape fix” at the second eyelets. We’ll see how it goes. Shouldn’t have to do this with a $120 pair of shoes.

Update 09/12/08. The Salomon XT Wings continues to be my shoe of choice for demanding trail runs. They are what I was in for the New Army Pass – Cottonwood Pass Loop in the Sierra, the Falls Creek Loop on San Gorgonio Mountain, the Islip Saddle – Mt. Baden-Powell South Fork Loop and Mt. Disappointment 50K in the San Gabriel Mountains, and several other long mountain runs.

Update 06/21/08. With about 250-275 miles on the pair, the lace on my right shoe broke on Thursday while running the Chumash Trail. I tied off the broken end, tightened the lace and continued the run — no big deal. In my case the lace broke at the middle eyelet on the left side of the tongue. While I hope Salomon will make the laces bombproof, the lace breaking won’t keep me from running in this outstanding shoe. I primarily use the XT Wings for longer runs.

Update 03/21/08. I’ve done several longer (20-29 mile) trail runs the last month and the shoe has performed exceptionally. I’ve had no problems with the laces or anything else. It sure seems that the smooth ride of this shoe translates to my legs feeling better at the end of a long run!

There are a couple of things I have to gripe about. At 27.7 oz, the size 9 pair I purchased is a little heavier than my Vitesses. The shoe is also expensive — $120 compared to around $85 for the Vitesse.

Related post: Salomon XT Wings 2 Trail Running Shoe

Google search: $g(Salomon XT Wings), $g(trail running)

nature, nature|weather, photography, photography|trail running, running, trails, trails|smmc open space, weather, weather|southern california

Return to Hidden Pond

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A trail runner on the Hidden Pond Trail in Pt. Mugu State Park.

Southern California can have inclement Winter weather. This January downtown Los Angeles experienced a streak with 8 days of measurable rain, and last year temperatures in the suburbs plunged to a frigid 20°F. Maybe this doesn’t compare to Seattle’s 2005-2006 rain streak of 27 days, or International Falls’ recent record low of 40° below zero, but it qualifies as rainy and cold none the less.

Today it was not rainy and cold. It was just about as pleasant as a day could be. Skies were blue, winds were light, and the temperature was in the mid-seventies. Starting at the Wendy Dr. trailhead on Potrero Rd., we enjoyed the perfect weather by doing a 14.5 mile variant of the Boney Mountain Half Marathon Course.

The photograph above is of the Hidden Pond Trail near Hidden Pond — recently restored by Winter rains.

Related posts: Boney Mountain Half Marathon, Big Sycamore Canyon Circuit, Boney Mountain – Big Sycamore Canyon Circuit

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