Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, June 9, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, June 9, 2018 


WALKING SIERRA MADRE... The Social Side By Deanne Davis

A TRIBUTE TO A TRAILBLAZER

“Those who stay away from the election 
think that one vote will do no good. ‘Tis 
but one step more to think one vote will 
do no harm.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

 You all voted last Tuesday, right? I 
did, too. Took my carefully pre-marked 
sample ballot down to Ascension Church 
where we’ve been voting, my never-
missed-an-election voting buddy, John, 
and I, for the past scores of elections, only 
to be informed that I was supposed to be 
voting over at the Methodist Church and 
didn’t I look at my sample ballot? Well, 
actually, no, I didn’t look at that part. I 
just assumed...sigh. So, jumped back in 
my car and drove over to the Methodist 
Church, cast my ballot and proudly wore 
my “I Voted” sticker all day. 

 So pleased to see the crews all over 
town transforming our curbs into 
handicap friendly curbs. Big project! 
But such a necessary one. Thanks Sierra 
Madre! We’re all going to be happy they 
are there.

 My Arizona (formerly Texas) girls 
have been here for the past few days, 
bringing with them their Disney Princess 
and Hatchimals sheets and quilts. We 
have had an excellent time together. The 
dining room table was stripped for action 
and transformed into Puzzle/Coloring 
Book-Crayon Central where Jessie 
enjoyed putting together a new puzzle 
featuring Dorie from “Finding Nemo” 
and a bunch of her under the sea friends 
and Emily colored a variety of unicorns 
in astonishing shades that only a unicorn 
would wear.

 We saw “Show Dogs” which was better 
than we thought it would be, watched 
People’s Court and Judge Judy, went out 
to lunch, Emily got her hair cut and so did 
her mom. The highlight of our visit was a 
trip to Huntington Beach where we dined sumptuously on sweet 
potato fries, fish tacos, hamburgers and Mai Tai’s at Sandy’s on the 
beach. Well, the big girls had Mai Tai’s, the little girls had Sprite. The 
sand was hot but we got to the water and a good wet sandy time 
was had by all. The picture is Emily and her mom, Crissy. Beautiful 
day, good time.

 We’ve survived May Gray and now we’re doing June Gloom. 
That’s OK, the roses are looking fabulous and various cactus, 
succulents, Hawthorne and mock orange are blooming around 
town. Bees love these blooms and it’s a joy to see so many sipping 
at the flowers. The Jacarandas are blooming, too, and purple clouds 
grace every street in town. The wistaria I planted a couple of years 
ago launched itself off the fence while I was otherwise engaged and 
has now entwined itself into the lemon tree to the extent that the 
lemon is shrieking in protest and the shears will have to come out. 
That wistaria has outdone my wildest dreams for it and if it will just 
stick to the fence and leave the lemon alone, it will be gorgeous.

 It was Trivia Night at Corfu on Election Tuesday and Trivia 
Master, Rich Johnson, expected us to know Celebrity Children’s 
Names. As, currently, all celebrities seem to be naming their 
children ridiculous things such as Apple, Denim, Zuma, Blue Ivy 
and Dream, we didn’t do too well. Remember when Grace Slick of 
Jefferson Airplane supposedly named her child, “god?” Great story, 
but she didn’t really do that. Her daughter was named China. Can 
you imagine all these little kids going to school and announcing 
their name is “Apple” or “Egypt”? School is hard enough without 
having a name nobody can figure out. And, of course, Michael 
Jackson’s youngest child is “Blanket.” 

 “Cheez-its loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!”

 Vacation Bible School season is coming right up. Pretty soon 
every church you pass will have a banner outside inviting the 
whosoever will to come on in! A few years ago, our now-Arizona 
girls, Jessie and Emily were attending VBS at First Baptist Church 
of Wylie, TX. The above version of “Jesus Loves Me,” is what they 
both came home with. I have a mental image of Jesus, who loved 
hanging around with little kids; in addition to tax collectors and 
ladies of questionable virtue; laughing heartily at “Cheez-its!” 

 Enjoy the Jacaranda blossoms, even as you track them inside. 
They are glorious and don’t last long.

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 

Kindle books of all sorts and hardcover “Tablespoon of Love” are 
on there, as is “Star of Wonder.”

 Star of Wonder the CD is now on TuneCore! Take a look!

 Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@playwrightdd

“There is no exercise so beneficial, 
physically, mentally, or morally, nothing 
which gives so much of living for so little 
cost, as hiking our mountain and hill 
trails and sleeping under the stars.” 

 This opening quote from explorer and 
historian, Will Thrall kicks off a book 
titled, 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels: Trails 
of the Angeles, first published in 1971 
and written by John Wesley Robinson 
III, the very well-known, admired and 
dearly-loved author and teacher who 
greatly enthused Californians, including 
many Sierra Madrians, to get up off 
the couch and hit the many amazing, 
beautiful, hiking trails our wonderful 
state has to offer. Robinson, who was 
born in Long Beach and resided in 
Fullerton, completed 26 hiking guides 
and several historical books chockfull of 
breathtaking photos, detailed trail maps 
and captivating history. 

 Many gathered on Saturday, June 2, 
2018 to honor the man who inspired so 
many through his historical teachings, 
inspiring stories, and great knowledge of 
the outdoors, nature trails and mountain 
ranges. John Robinson died at age 88 
on April 24, 2018. “A Tribute to John W. 
Robinson” was presented by the Sierra Madre 
Historical Preservation Society at the base of 
Mount Wilson Trail Park at Lizzie’s Trail Inn 
and Richardson House, located at 167 E. Mira 
Monte Ave. in Sierra Madre. 

 Dr. William White coordinated the event, 
Lesley Ziff, president of the Sierra Madre 
Historical Preservation Society kicked things 
off with opening remarks and many friends 
shared stories of their fond experiences 
trekking alongside Mr. Robinson. 

 “John Robinson was really a true friend, 
a historian and a legend,” stated Dr. White, 
who hiked with Robinson starting in the 90s 
“He would go out of his way to help people 
understand history.” The Richardson House, 
built around 1860, and Lizzie’s Trail Inn, which 
began as a lunch stand by 1890 once famous 
for its yummy chicken and savory ravioli, 
now serves as a historic museum sitting at 
the base of Mount Wilson Trial. Formerly 
known as “Turtle Park,” it’s believed that as a 
result of the influence of John Robinson, who 
pointed out the historical significance of the 
site, “Turtle Park” is now known as “Mount 
Wilson Trail Park.” 

By Kevin McGuire

 A few small groups started hiking Mount 
Wilson Trial in the late 60s, while being 
entertained by Robinson’s vast historical 
insights. These small groups turned into 
hundreds, who didn’t go just to hike and take 
in the beautiful scenery, but to hear a story 
or maybe get an autograph from John W. 
Robinson. Of course, there is also the Mount 
Wilson Trail Race which started in 1908 to 
around 1950, then, thanks to the newly found 
interest, was revised in 1965 and continues 
today. The race stretches 8.6 miles from 
Kersting Court to Orchard Camp and back. 

 In 1992, the Historical Society of Southern 
California presented Robinson with the 
Donald H. Pflueger award for “excellence in 
writing local history.” In 2010, Mr. Robinson 
became one of only 59 persons honored 
by Westerners International as a “Living 
Legend” in its 70-year history. Joe Feeney, of 
the Huntington Westerners was a friend of 
Robinson’s for over 30 years. “He truly loved 
the history of these mountains. His vision 
was broad and he brought his artistry to 
the books that he created. And you can feel 
it when you’re looking through them,” said 
Feeney. Other speakers included: Bob Cates/
Sierra Club, James Macklin/Los Angeles 
Westerners, Glen Owens/Big Santa Anita 
Historical Society and Casey Schreiner/
ModernHiker.com. John Robinson’s daughter 
Robyn and her husband, Ron Franz, were also 
in attendance and said a few words. 

 After serving in the army during the Korean 
War, Mr. Robinson received a B.A. in history 
at USC in 1951, and went on to receive a M.A. 
from Cal State LA in 1966. He was a teacher 
in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District 
in Orange County for 32 years. Robinson 
began hiking excursions with the Sierra 
Club in 1950 and tackled ranges in Alaska, 
Southern California, and Mexico. One of 
his most popular books, 100 Hikes in the 
San Gabriels: Trails of the Angeles, sold over 
100,000 copies and is in its ninth edition with 
the help from updates by Doug Christiansen. 
His other books include: San Bernardino 
Mountain Trails, Mines of the San Gabriels, 
The Mount Wilson Story, and Gateways to 
Southern California. 

 The hope is that, one day there will be a 
dedication naming a trail, or maybe even 
a peak to the “legend” John W. Robinson. 
Until then, the races and hikes will continue 
and Mr. Robinson’s stories will carry on for 
generations to come. 

Kevin McGuire/MVNews


Photo courtesy Bob Cates, Sierra Club-
Angeles Chapter Archives.


HEALTHY LIFESTYLES


A REVOLUTION

Change the tides, 
shift the paradigm, 
or create freedom 
with yoga and its 
philosophy. If 
there’s anything 
yoga teaches us, it’s 
that there’s always 
MORE to learn and, 
further, it’s never too late to create positive change and forward 
momentum in life. This includes all states of being - physical, 
mental, energetic and spiritual. To initiate this revolution or 
evolution, there are two key necessities: an open mind and 
dedication to practice. 

 Being a yoga practitioner for several years, I had the experience 
of reaching new understandings, insights, and even new physical 
accomplishments in yoga. I also uniformly accepted that I had 
physical limitations and, unknowingly, mental boundaries. I 
had past injuries, chronic health conditions and I had my mind 
made up in certain areas of life. So I progressed in practice and in 
many areas of my life. However, every time I was on a plateau of 
development, I didn’t realize it. I felt comfortable at first, and then 
the feeling turned to irritability. I just knew that I was irritated or 
had to further accept what joy or ease I wasn’t feeling. 

 During every stage, my dedication to practice—abhyasa- is 
what kept me in good stead. The wiser self knew somehow that 
change would happen, that transformation would take place. 
At times my mind was not as open as it could have been. I was 
still attached to what I wasn’t capable of. For some students, 
they are COMPLETELY open-minded the whole time but lack 
consistency and dedication in practice. BOTH are needed 
and, let me tell you, hang in there because these physical and 
spiritual practices of yoga do deliver!

 They deliver in the short term by freeing up the body and 
mind and bringing relief. In the long term, these deeply ancient 
techniques create a profound personal revolution. After a while, 
you will not be the same. If the course of practice is right for you, 
your entire well-being will be nourished. This usually spills over 
into your life. In summary, start practicing, keep practicing, and 
look out for your personal evolution and revolution. Contact 
me to learn more and find what practice is right for you! keely@
keelytotten.com Namaste, Keely Totten, E-RYT 500, Yoga & 
Meditation Teacher, Dedicated Student


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