I hiked up to Parker Mesa Overlook from Los Liones yesterday. I‘ve only been to the overlook once before, on Nov 9, 1997 (according to my hiking book). My friend David and I did a sunset/night hike that evening, and we saw a rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force (now “Space Force”) base. We actually didn’t know wtf we were seeing, but we read about it next day in the news. It looked like a massive translucent zeppelin. Amazing sight!

Delairea odorata is a perennial vine (family Asteraceae) native to South Africa. It is problematic in some of our coastal riparian areas, moist forests, and oak woodlands. The vines form dense mats of vegetation over trees and shrubs, killing plants underneath. It is toxic to animals and fish can be killed when plant materials are soaking in waterways. Unfortunately, it’s completely taken over Los Liones Canyon within Topanga State Park.