Hiking Echo Mountain Trail

After last night's adventures in ramen town, I decided today would be a great day to try a new hike and the weather was perfect for it. I'm always on the lookout for new hiking trails to try and the LA area seems to be great for that, with its abundant mountains and canyons. On today's menu was the Echo Mountain trail in Alta Dena, just outside of Pasadena. It's a 5 mile round trip trek with a 1400' gain/loss up the mountain, with the peak elevation being just over 3200'. My personal requirements for a good hiking trail are that it be a minimum of 5 miles and have a significant elevation climb. I like a workout!

To get there, take the 210 freeway and exit Lake Avenue. You'll want to head north for about 3.5 miles towards the mountains and you've arrived once it turns left at Loma Alta Drive. There's plenty of street parking just past the bend on Loma Alta.

The entrance to the trail is a bit misleading unless you know what you're looking for, because otherwise you might think you're trespassing. Fear not, the Cobb Estate gates is where you do want to go, and you'll see places on either side of the gates to continue onto your adventure. Simply follow the paved path until you see a small marker indicating a trail to the right. This is high tech stuff folks. :)

I'm not sure if I went on an exceptionally busy day or if this trail is just that popular, but there were people everywhere. I wasn't used to that since nearly all of the trails I normally hike are void of human life. I actually prefer to not see anyone whilst footing it because it makes the journey that much more enjoyable and peaceful. However, I sucked it up and began on my way.



























If I could offer any advice for this trail, it would be in two very simple words: Pace Yourself. I'm one of those weirdos that gets really excited like a race horse out of the gate and speed walks until I'm dry heaving and feel my heart pounding in my ears. Don't do that with this trail, no matter how much you want to. Why you ask? The entire first half of the trail, 2.5 miles, is practically straight uphill with no breaks. You'll find yourself zigzagging up the mountain and just when you think you should be at the top soon, you see yet another corner to go around. At one point, I stopped and said, "Seriously?"



Another thing that made this trail slightly unpleasant was the constant line of people coming down as I was going up. Because the trail is very narrow for the most part, it made me feel like I was part of a line of ants passing one another on a leaf stem. There were plenty of other distractions, such as the sound of traffic from the city below and something else that sounded like a marching band practicing somewhere. Perhaps I've turned into the Trail Snob, because one of the things I love most about hiking is the perfect silence you hear. Living in such a large city, you take things like that for granted. On most of the canyon hikes I've done in LA, at any point you can stop and the sound of a bumble bee's wings buzzing will seem extremely loud. It's like Calgon for my eardrums. Don't expect that on the Echo Mountain trail though.

Don't get me wrong though, this is a ruggedly handsome hike. You get great views of downtown LA and Pasadena below... even on an overcast day like when I went.

Once again though, I reiterate, that you'll find yourself saying things like "Are you shitting me?" every time you think you've made it to the top.. only to find another damned turn. Yes, it's a bit ridiculous like that. Extremely ridiculous. As soon as you hit the little 2 mile marker, rest assured that you only have another half mile to reach the top! Make sure to congratulate yourself when you do reach the junction point at the top, though it's not quite the final destination. Note that when you do hit the junction point, to continue straight ahead in the direction you had been going. The trail branches off into a couple of different paths and going left, uphill, will lead you another 3 miles or so to a camp site. You instead want to head toward the Castle Canyon trail.




Fret not, you're really almost there. Along the way, you'll see all kinds of interesting historical items left over from the Mount Lowe Railway and "The White City", which were built in the late 1800s, but were destroyed. Apparently this was the spot for well-to-do folks back in the day, who were lucky enough to take a trolley up the mountain to a nice resort area. Sadly it burned down in the early 1900s.

If anyone was kicking themselves in the ass for not bringing something to snack on, it was me. Tons of people were lounging at the top, where the resort ruins were, lunching. A group had brought boxed meals and when one person called out "Does anyone need mayo?" I almost said yes just so I'd have something to tide me over. I instead tapped my empty water bottle against my leg and decided to explore the historical markers.


One of the more fun attractions was the Echo Horn, which faced the mountain. Everyone was tempted to shout into it to hear themselves echo off of the hills. My favorite was the older hispanic man who literally screamed like a girl, several times. After leaving the fun metal toy of science, I explored the old picnic grounds and found that yes, anything you yell into the echo horn can be heard all over the place. I can only imagine what the picnic goers were thinking of Mr. Girlie Man.

After milling around for a little bit, I decided it'd be a good time to head back down. This was the absolute least favorite part of my entire hike. I'm what is known as "Downhill Walking Challenged". No matter what kind of surface I am on, I will inevitably slip and slide down, tearing up my ankles in the process. Yes, this is far worse for me than hiking straight up a mountain and busting my calves. If anyone can give me pointers on how to walk like a normal human, please let me know! On the hike up, I saw numerous people actually running downhill. One guy even had untied shoe laces. Wtf. Me being the Walk-tard that I am, I did manage to fall down right in front of some nice older ladies. I assured them I was ok and that "I do this all the time". I hurried past them in embarrassment and tried not to land on my hands again. I found myself taking painful baby steps around corners when others were blasting past me. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly twisted my ankles going downhill.

This uphill one way, downhill the other factor is another tally mark of the Echo Mountain trail list of "Things I Didn't Care For". I love hikes that go up and down, giving me a constant challenge by mixing it up. There was very little challenge on the return trip down the hill other than staying on my feet. I almost wished they would have had a zip line from the top of the mountain to the bottom. I'd have paid $20 to go on that. Not because I'm lazy.. but because a one legged ostrich would have an easier time walking down than I would. :-p

Despite all of the bitchery, this was a decently good trail. I made it and felt like I got a moderate workout. Would I go on this trail to relax? Probably not. Would I go to get a nice leg and ankle workout? Yep. I took lots more pictures along the way of the trail, vegetation, etc. Click to view-- Echo Mountain Trail Pictures

Continuation of the Ramen Battle

Questing to find the perfect bowl of ramen means you have to try a lot. Luckily, this is not a bad thing. :) After my adventures at Daikokuya, I agreed to try out Asa Ramen in Gardena, CA (http://www.yelp.com/biz/asa-ramen-gardena).

The picture above is the front of Asa Ramen. If you don't know what you are looking for, you may never find it. I was very happy that I can read Japanese, because I knew those red katakana down the middle of the sign (ラーメン) spelled "Ramen". Most people look for the red awning with kanji over top of the restaurant, which also gives no indication of what the restaurant is to the Western eye. The inside of the restaurant is extremely cozy and seems to probably seat no more than around 20 people. It has a very comforting traditional Japanese feel and you may find yourself thinking you've been transported to a small ramen bar outside of Tokyo. There is a bar that is connected to Asa next door, but it was closed when I visited. (and believe me, I tried to get the doors open several times!)



The menus are somewhat of a conversation piece themselves, being half English and half Japanese. Once again, I was happy to be able to use my Japanese reading skills. :) We started off our order with beer (no sake since the bar was closed), edamame, fried oysters and gyoza. I was already comparing Asa's gyoza to Daikokuya's, noting that they had the more traditional crescent shaped ones. I dipped it in their special sauce, took a bite and was able to continue listening to the coversation going on at the table. Sadly I was not mentally drifting away to a happy place like I do at Daikokuya when I eat their gyoza. Asa's seemed to have a little more pork in their gyoza than I prefer, but it was still good.

I was eagerly awaiting the glorious bowl of their kotteri shoyu ramen (I added an egg to my order since it did not seem like it was included with the ramen) and green onion takoyaki (battered & fried octopus). The frosty beer helped my nerves calm down while I sat and imagined what wonderful food was awaiting me. Finally our outrageously hot bowls were served, which were a little on the small side. Note: this is great for those of you who have a gluttony problem, such as myself.



Upon visual inspection, the broth didn't seem as rich as Daikokuya's.. and it wasn't. It was much lighter and didn't pack as much of a "I've been simmering all night in goodness" punch, but was still tasty. The noodles weren't as firm or chewy either. My special egg also seemed different because it had been sliced in half and looked very egg-like (whereas Daikokuya's is whole and looks brown from marinating in secret sauces overnight). It was very soft and still retained its egg flavor, but also had some of the flavor of the broth. Different, but delicious! The chasu pork was also another question mark I eagerly wanted to answer. The pieces were thicker and while they did not melt like butter in my mouth, I did prefer their flavor over Daikokuya's. They had more of a pronounced pork fat flavor, which any lover of bacon products will tell you, it's a good thing. (note: chasu is not bacon hehe) I very easily ate the entire bowl of ramen, since it was of managable size.

The waitress brought out my plate of takoyaki while I was slurping ramen and it looked tempting. About eight little balls of fried octopus stared at me, begging to be eaten. The overall taste was good but was a little squishy for me, I wasn't sure if this was the inside batter or not. One thing that was really good was that they didn't have the token chewiness of octopus, which often times is like chomping down on a balloon. Asa offers all kinds of different ways to flavor takoyaki, including mochi cheese, so I wouldn't mind trying some of these other options out.

All in all, Asa Ramen was good, but it was no Daikokuya. It did have its advantages though-- Asa's portions were much smaller, so I was able to try more things out on the menu. They also have lots of items that Daikokuya doesn't offer. After more conversation and beer though, I was ready for another bowl of ramen. I declined on the thought of how much sodium I'd probably be intaking for the night if I'd had the 2nd bowl. The prices were in the ok range, not too expensive but you got less food for the money. Great spot, but Daikokuya still holds the number one spot in my sodium riddled heart. :)

Battle of the Ramens

My first post is a review of Los Angeles based ramen restaurant, Daikokuya (http://www.daikoku-ten.com) To get things settled, for those of you who are not educated in the world of ramen, I am not talking about the kind that comes in dry packets that you boil for 3 minutes. That, Top Ramen, is not fit for human consumption and really should only be used as packing material. Real Japanese ramen is a hearty meal, packed with enough sodium to make your eyes swell and your belly smile.



This tiny place is tucked away in the Little Tokyo district of downtown and does nothing to draw attention to itself other than the yellow awning out front. Sadly I am not the only one who is a diehard fan of this place, because I've never had less than a 35 minute wait to get inside. A note to those who want to visit: groups of 5 or more are not recommended as the seating is limited, unless you can sit at the bar. Despite the long wait outside, rest assured that you will be served quickly once seated.

Walking through the front curtains, the smell of pork and noodles overwhelms one's senses. The decor is very eclectic and Japanese, as to be expected. Red bar stools and booths line the tiny restaurant, with vintage Japanese posters hanging from the walls.The menu is pretty simple and straight forward. Prices are also very reasonable since the portions are large. I've only managed to have two items from their menu, only because they're so good that I can't fathom ordering anything else and missing out on these two gems. The first is their gyoza...

To the regular gyoza consumer, you may notice that these aren't like the kind you would find at most restaurants. Daikokuya's gyoza are made fresh in the store and are rectangular, instead of crescent moon shaped. They're stuffed with pork & vegetables, then topped with green onion slices and served with dipping sauce. I honestly don't know if they put drugs in them or not, but they do amazing things to my tastebuds. It's hard for me to describe just how incredible they are, but to quote a friend-- "Those were the best gyoza I've had in my entire life". The texture is light and crispy, not greasy, and is what happiness would taste like if it had a flavor. I have been known to mentally go to another place while consuming Daikokuya's mind blowing gyoza. All of that for only $5.95. It really should be illegal to sell something that tastes so good.

Next is the ramen. Oh, the ramen. For $8.50 you're served a giant piping hot bowl of chewy noodles that have been simmered in the richest, most delicious broth ever. Daikokuya claims to make their tonkotsu broth the night before, boiling down pork bones, secret recipe soy sauce and other ingredients from heaven. A boiled chijire style egg is dunked in and allowed to swim in pure goodness, hard boiled but yet still soft. Even the flavor of the marinated egg is fantastic. I don't know how they do it, but the chasu (pork belly) that is woven throughout the noodles will absolutely, without a doubt, melt in your mouth like butter. Even picking it up with chopsticks can be quite a challenge because it falls apart from its delicateness. Also thrown into the mix are bamboo shoots, more green onion, bean sprouts and some sesame seeds.

If I had to describe the taste of the combination of gyoza and ramen on a scale of Yuck to Yum, they would rate as Mouthgasm. I actually feel bad for some of the people who have eaten at Daikokuya with me because they've heard me let out moans of enjoyment as I slurped noodles and crunched gyoza. I was even asked if I needed a private room (yes, that would have helped). I truly wonder if they put some kind of happy pill in everything they cook, because I cannot figure out how something can taste so absolutely amazing. Eating at Daikokuya is like dying and going to heaven. Really.

My next review will be of Gardena based Asa Ramen, once I've calmed down my brain from thinking about Daikokuya. :)

Eat Happy!