Little Tujunga is just one of those places that keep calling you.

Even before the Sand Fire, it is a place that offers solitude providing little context that you were biking right outside a metropolis.

It’s been about nine months since the devastation hit.

On first glance past August, I was appalled at the transformation.

Last January, it was even more disturbing seeing how mudslides enveloped the environment adding an extra layer of destruction, even though more rains were soon to hit.

This past Sunday, something just pinged in my head early morning that I needed a ride that would take me away.

Anywhere in the Angeles National Forest would have done, but something called me back to Little Tujunga.

I don’t know specifically if it was curiosity or isolation, but my guess was a ride out there would provide a balance of both.

Here are some pics that provide a little update on how the area is doing:

 

You’ll see a number of washouts that have affected the road. This one has undercut the road and damaged the surface to the point that it’s all gravel for a portion. Watch your descent.

 

This is one of the “luckier” homes along Tujunga. The first only claimed the garage.

 

The stand alone structure is now gone, but all four adjoining properties had “For Sale” signs on them from the same realtor.

 

If you want to know how deep the mud got from the rains, look no further.

 

You could tell in January they had just cleared the mud off the road… right before another storm was about to hit.

 

Now things look a little cleaner.

 

You could see part of the road split off making it a one lane road back in January.

 

The repair work is done, but you can see the stop signs are still in place.

 

This was considered washout out in January….

 

…..even more has eroded since.

 

This is how charred the hills looked back in August.

 

What’s that? Green? We’ve never seen green here before?

 

And yes, even Little Tujunga wasn’t immune from the superbloom. There were a number of spots that were accented with color that I’ve never seen before.

Let’s hope this is the sign of a new beginning.