winte3r on Los Angeles River at Glendale Narrows
Burbank / Glendale / Los Angeles / San Fernando Valley

After El Nino the L.A. River looks much different. Not so pretty pretty!

by carollightwood
Glendale Narrow January 2016
Winter has come to Los Angeles and the plants on islands in the river have really taken a beating. See below for a summertime view.

The first of several months’ of heavy El Nino storms blew into Southern California this last week and the Los Angeles River went from being a trickle in an almost-dry concrete channel to being a flood sweeping into the ocean.  (These photos were taken after the flood had passed.)

Because the river paths, in particular at the Glendale Narrows and in Studio City, are the settings of key scenes in my new novel, ‘L.A. Ladies’, I decided to take a few photos in winter when the area is anything but the pretty pictures of the area in summer.

Cyclists ride slowly by L.A. river
The paths along the river are shared by walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and horses. The Los Angeles Equestrian Center is nearby.

I’m going to include some Summer vs. Winter photos here as well as some sights away from the river.

Here is what I saw on a walk along the Los Angeles River in January 2016:

Los Angeles River Glendale Narrows
This scene at the Glendale Narrows in July is often used to show the L.A. River. It only looks like this in summer.
I 5 Freeway overpass at Glendale Narrows
The image of a natural river vanishes in the roar of traffic on the I 5 Freeway, a main north-south highway in Los Angeles which passes over the Glendale Narrows.
Ducks walking at Glendale Narrows
What a surprise! Alongside the river were 8 ducks walking along at a very stately pace. They seem to be portaging from one part of the river to the next.  The power of the rushing water stripped leaves from the small trees behind them and debris that looks like white plastic bags coats the branches. The bags would kill sea creatures if the plastic reached the ocean.
Dreamworks Animation building
Dreamworks Animation, that yellow building, is right beside the river trail.
Palamino horse near Glendale Narrow
A horse named Katmandu spends his days beside the trail. His owner lives in the building behind the corrall.
Los Angeles River after the January storm.
Another view of the L.A. River after the storm water has swept through.

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