“I am going to take my kids out to the waterfall this weekend!”

This response to my small talk about the rain made me listen more carefully. “Waterfalls? Real ones? More than just a little water trickle?” I asked the teller at my bank. “Sure! REAL waterfalls with a pool at the bottom that my kids love to swim in.” He wrote down the address on the back of my deposit slip and handed it back to me.

The next morning I woke up to warm sun and blue skies. I granted myself a day off and headed north along the Pacific towards the spot the teller had marked as a parking place. Just 40 minutes later I arrived at the start of the promising hike and soon I was marveling at unexpected natural beauty so close to the city: meadows with old oaks, sun reflecting in a creek, tender flowers of all colors and a salty breeze from the ocean. The hike began with a very easy walk through the valley and later turned into just enough rock climbing to make it an adventure - I especially liked the part with a rope attached to trees for better safety. After about one hour the path opened towards refreshing sights and sounds: water falling down over mossy rocks in several tiers, creating small rainbows along the way and gathering at the bottom in a pool. I immediately took off my shoes and stepped knee deep into the water showering in the mist. Later I put my blanket down, enjoyed a nice picnic watching teenagers getting into the pool and climbing towards the top of the waterfall. I stepped into the pond one more time before returning through the meadows to my car.

On my way back home I thanked the guy at the bank for sharing his weekend plans reminding me of the beautiful spots of nature we are surrounded by in Los Angeles. Even though it was tempting to keep this hike a secret I decided to follow his example and tell people about my new favorite spot in the Santa Monica mountains.

I also plan to use the ATM machine a little less and talk to more people. They might let me in on some hidden places I don’t want to miss.