The River People of Los Angeles

(June 2020)

I grew up on what was once the flood plains of the La Ballona Creek and the Los Angeles River. Now it does not flood and the LA River flow to Long beach. Its got deep cement walls that can hold surges of water from winter rains and quickly flush them out to the ocean near the Marina Del Rey. So my house is safe from floods. I remember as a kid riding my bike and looking down at the La Ballona Creek, so far away and thinking it looked gross. There is just something about city creeks that seems unclean. I never got too close to it. Not until earlier this month.

While imagining what this place must have looked like hundred of years ago I connected how precious and important this creek must have been to the people who lived here. It could have been how they drank, ate, stayed clean, and maybe even traveled. Above all else, the creek was the bringer of life! When large storms caused floods, the river it would jump its banks and slither along to a new route, leaving behind fertile soil for new plants to grow. I think about that and contrast it with how we see it today- as an ugly mover of waste and a danger to houses and roads.

I don’t like seeing the Creek this way. I wanted to know if there is another option. Thats how I started sitting with the river. When you sit with the river, you just need something comfortable to sit on, such as a sheepskin, and an open mind and full heart. Just jump over the little fence by the bridge and walk down the cement bank and find a nice spot, where there isn’t too much glare in your eyes, put down your sheepskin and have a seat right next to the bank. I like to speak to the river. I let it know I am there, I say “hi La Ballona Creek, its Robin, maybe you remember me from when I was smaller. I am here because even-though we are neighbors I don’t really know you that well and, um, I am curious about you. Would you mind if I joined you for a little while?”

Next is the difficult part. When you are sitting close by listen to the water flowing but listen in a soft kind of way, like you are letting your brain relax. All of a sudden you might just hear a word. 

“Peanuts.” 

“Did you just say Peanuts?”

“Yes, have you ever had peanuts?”

“Well, yes, um, I have….”

“I love peanuts, especially the way the shells float on me.”

It usually starts with one word, but my Creek is a big talker and quite opinionated. But sometimes the creek speaks other languages too and you just kind of have to listen to the tone of its voice. Other times the creek speaks through special things happening. Like if a feather falls nearby or if three egrets land downstream in a row. This means something too but its a bit more difficult to translate into english. When you speak to a creek you have to be ready to listen to all kinds of new words. 

I learned on a website that a long time ago, before we put cement around it, the LA River would slither to the La Ballona Creek. It would happen sometime when big rains came. And then with other storms the LA River would slither back over to Long Beach, where it is today. I thought that was pretty cool and one day I mentioned it to La Ballona creek. The creek got real quiet for a long time. It was remembering.

“Back then big silver fish swam from the ocean all the way to the foothills of Griffith Park. They tickled. That was so much fun, I miss her.”

Then the Creek got quiet again. During the silence I had an idea. The LA River could be returned back to my Creek.

That evening I called my friend Jessica on the phone. Jessica is a good friend. She lives by the LA River and also knows how to speak with them. She knows the LA River pretty well. I called Jessica on the phone and shared the idea. She thought it was a good idea. In fact she was thinking about the same idea for a very long time. We would hand deliver a little bit of the LA River to the La Ballona Creek. 

This would be a very long walk- 21.6 miles, longer than either of us had walked before. We decided we would start early in the morning on June 20th, When the sun is out longer than any other day of the year. Jessica knew the perfect place to start, in Glendale at the big curve of the LA River where some of the old water districts originally were. Its nice there because there are plants and birds and the River is spunky there.

We met up on June 20th at 5:45 in the morning and made our way down to a special spot in the bend of the LA River. Jessica knows just what the LA River likes because she has been talking to it a long time. She lit candles and burned sage and placed beautiful treasures on top of a blue piece of velvet for the river to look at. We explained to the river our plan and asked if it would be OK if we brought some of its water back to the La Ballona Creek. Just then a flock egrets landed upstream from us, like a wink of approval. We knew we had permission.

Jessica took out a blue bottle and filled it with water then tucked it into her backpack. We started walking. We crossed a bridge and walked by the river then at once turned away, taking the old route the river used to take a long time ago when it flowed to the La Ballona Creek. We walked along the edge of Griffith Park, through Los Filez, and Hollywood, stopping for breakfast at an excellent El Salvadorian Restaurant. 

During Breakfast I got a phone call from Siku. I have known Siku for 12 years and what I can tell you about Siku is that she is a natural at listening to all kinds of things that people don’t normally speak with. She agreed to join us once we got to the headwaters of La Ballona Creek. 

Jenny Funkmeyer lives and works right at the headwaters of the La Ballona creek where she is researching Now OS and also teaching her findings at the Parallel University. Jenny knows a lot about plants and how to talk with them. Jessica and I arrived at Jennys house very tired from a long mornings walk. We were happy to rest and excited to be joined by Siku who arrived dressed as a fox and carrying delicious popsicles. After finishing our popsicles we placed some special objects on some soft felt, lit some candles and we spoke our intentions for the rest of the trip. Then We continued on, leaving jenny to join her neighbors mariachi party.

From Jennys house we continued on to Washington where the bike path along La Ballona Creek Begins. At last we arrived. We found a nice spot where the banks are not too steep to go down right next to the La Ballona Creek. When you get close to the La ballona creek its easy to see how beautiful the water is. There is something clean and crispy about it. We all sat down right next to the banks of the creek. I was happy to see the creek and to be sitting next to it and to introduce it to my friends. I explained our long days walk and the blue bottle full of LA river water. Jessica handed me the blue bottle and then pulled another bottle from her bag explaining that it contained water from the Kern River. I poured a little from the blue bottle into the creek. It smiled. Everything shimmered. We had planned to pour out half the blue bottle and mix the two waters in it, but after I poured it I just wanted to let the whole thing out, which I did in great delight. Siku then took the bottle from my hand and filled it up from the the creek, right where it was mixed. She would carry it all the way to the ocean.  

We watched the orange sun get lower in the horizon on the last leg of the trip. Jessica and Siku talked about Mayan astrology and the state of the world and Siku explained that pretty soon everyone is going to have Kundalini awakenings which will be startling for some people. We were greeted at the end of our walk by the innocent expression and kind heart of Raul who brought treats to share, an ice chest full of cold drinks and a fire. Later we were joined by Jenny with her blind person cane, Joel who had just road his bike in from Big Bear earlier that morning and Tunisia who crafted a ceremonial object out of a palm frond on her way from her car to where we all were gathered. Tunisia would be the MC for the evening ceremony.

Soon it was time for sunset and everyone went off for the beach to return the water Siku collected to the river. I stayed behind to look after the fire where I had a nice chat with the leather skinned old men drinking beer one bench over. They were curious so I explained to them we were celebrating the longest day of the the year. One of them corrected me that every day was infact the same length- 24 hours. Then he asked me what solstice means to me. I explained that when there is the most light it is the time to be out in the world doing things and that today is the absolute peak of this for the entire year. He smiled and told me that his daughter was born on the shortest day of the year. Then he had another drink of beer. 

When they returned we all gathered in a circle had Jenny lead lead us in breathing and noise making, like we were one big fan motor. As the ceremony closed I had a feeling of being part of something larger than I really could see and returned home knowing with the satisfaction of making new friends.

Over the next few days something changed between me and the Creek. When I sat with it I kept watching little bits of plants and trash floating by and longed to be moving with it. I thought about my kayak which I had rigged up earlier in the month with wheels so that I could bike it to the boat launch in the Marina Del Rey. I asked the creek, “Hey La Ballona, I want to float on you like a stick or a styrofoam cup.” 

“Oh sure, Robin your welcome.”

I went home and rigged up my Kayak and peddled it right next to the Creek. As I floated down the creek foot long, silver, stealhead trout leaped through the air. 

The End