Monday Blues: Parking Lots Full

 As I rode the short distance up Mills between Alamosa and the Thompson Creek Trail I noticed the sign in the middle of the street, assuming it was the familiar "Park Closed" sign. But as I got closer, I noticed there were a heck of a lot of cars, and the buses made me think there was maybe a film being shot, and that was what had brought the park to a close. I was wrong.

 By now you know that I gave up riding the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park (CHWP), on the weekend, years ago when it began to become oversaturated with people; Friday afternoons are okay, but Saturday or Sunday? Fuggitaboutit!

With that in mind, imagine my surprise when, after a loop around The Out There, I rode up Mills for a short spin down the TCT and saw this sign. 😮 Has this become a regular weekend occurrence at the top of the street? Has it been for a while? And the tour buses? What The Heck? Has the CHWP become an international tourist destination? I was shocked, I tell ya. Shocked. In fact I rode down Powerline, and then turned around because I just had to get a photo. 

For years, decades, my whole life really, we have heard about the dearth of open spaces, places where people (most notably those living in urban areas) can get out and experience something other than pavement and traffic congestion, and escape, even if only for a short time, the noise and stresses that fill such areas. 

You can find reports like the two referenced below going back decades. The benefits of parks and open spaces have been so long and so well documented that you would think the expense of one more study would be unnecessary, if not downright frivolous. Perhaps the more recent revelation about the distribution of such places should be the signal for greater action in that direction. 

From a recent report in the North Carolina Medical Journal by NC State University professors Lincoln Larson and Aaron Hipp, "these spaces are especially important for physical health. They create environments that support active lifestyles and improve access to exercise opportunities... Parks and green spaces also provide a number of mental health benefits. People who spend more time in nature enjoy enhanced cognitive functioning and attention and reduced stress. They are also less likely to display anxiety disorders and depression..."

From a report on the health benefits of parks and their economic impacts: "Parks and green spaces have intrinsic value, but they also provide a range of direct and indirect benefits that support healthy, productive lives and resilient, cohesive communities... Several studies highlight the link between time spent in parks and physical activity and the correlation between that activity and positive health outcomes... Research suggests that park usage also positively affects mental health by reducing stress levels and improving mood, with onward benefits from those outcomes to decreased use of mental health services and increased job productivity... Studies also suggest that time in the natural environment promotes prosocial behavior and builds social captial..."

Now, I have my own ideas about the necessity of that sign that was put up on Sunday morning, not to mention the appearance of the tour buses - it is wildflower season after all. More people may have shown up for that reason (I think they will have been disappointed by the way - the show is not that great, at least not yet. Some of the yards in the neighborhood have better displays of poppies simply from seeds being hand-scattered around). Clearly there is a correlation between the great influx of people on the weekends to places like the CHWP, Chino Hills State Park, the North Etiwanda Preserve, the various trailheads in the Pasadena / Altadena area, to name just a few - there is great and continued demand for places where people can be outdoors, demand that was magnified during the Covid pandemic, and does not seem to be relaxing.

Of course, if the tour buses are going to become a regular thing, maybe it is time to consider a cable car, from some remote parking location, up the center of Mills to the park. Come on, if you're in shape to walk the loop, you can surely ride your bike up the street. With just a little effort we can render those signs moot.

The Monday Blues has been an occasional feature here at the blog since inception; the blues, an emotion, a color, a genre of music, with a cycling twist.