Downey, CA

Yesterday was a trip down memory lane. I rode my bike from Long Beach, CA to Downey, CA (a 3.5 hour ride in total). Downey is where I spent 24 years of my life...and this was my first trip back in 15 years. I made a small mistake biking up the concrete river beds and ended up near Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park) later having to bike through the ghettos of Norwalk (yikes) to get back to the San Gabriel River Channel.

These river beds are austere and a nascent, macabre indication of irreverent attitude toward mother earth as they finger from the hills throughout the LA basis. These concrete channels are great for Hollywood action flicks and are an efficient way for water to get back to the ocean given that the entire 400 square miles of Los Angeles is paved. Oh, they are also great for biking as it is nearly 100 miles of uninterrupted riding paths.

Exiting the surreal riverbed at Florence Avenue in Downey, I first cruised by my ol' buddy Vicki's house. Gosh I found it right away even through the school across the street had been sold off to a housing developer and there were McMansions all over the place. I was amazed at how much the place changed, yet stayed the same. Trees were taller, homes the same but different colors or additions made. I marveled most at how the water gathered in the gutters in the same locations I remembered, how the grass looked the same, how the pavement held the same grain and hues...and each of these elements unleashed crazy memories that likely would have remained lodged in my brain never reaching consciousness without this journey.

So Downey is a crazy town. It is home of the oldest original McDonald's (2nd one built after San Bernardino) and the first and original Taco Bell. Its rather shocking I will not step foot in any processed, mass marketed fast food joint with these deep roots is junk food. Downey is also home to the Blasters, Carpenters, Rockwell's Space Shuttle, Tinker Juarez (mountain bike 24 hour fame) and now a population that is largely 60% Hispanic. Wealthy Latinos moved into Downey during the late 80's and early 90's and the simple suburban lawns spotted with orange trees of my childhood have been transformed to expensive brickwork, moats, dolphin fountains...and the Christmas decorations are out of control. All of this visual exploration reinforces that change is a part of life...