The Greening of the River

Am I ready for the 10th annual Los Angeles River Bike Ride On June 6? A definite maybe for the 15 mile family ride, which begins at 11 am (registration at 10) and costs $50. It makes a loop beginning and ending at the Autry Center in Griffith Park and it's completely on a bike path.

And if I wimp out on the bke ride, there's the Friends of the Los Angeles River is sponsoring a Carpool Tour of the river ending at its mouth in Long Beach on June 13 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. For $25, you get a guided tour of the downtown spot that’s in all the movies, Maywood Riverfront Park, Compton Creek, and the brand-new stunning Dominguez Gap Wetland in Long Beach. There'll also be a stop at a Long Beach taco shop.

And if I just can't cut organized activity, The Glendale Narrows Riverside path for a 10-mile walk or ride or the Yoga course downstream from Los Feliz Boulevard on the east bank. Check out the Los Angeles River Center, an old Spanish-style estate, at 570 West Avenue 26, open mornings 7:30 to noon and some afternoons. (Bike path: right on Avenue 26, right on Figueroa, and right onto Riverside Drive). Ride through a series of 8 riverside parks. (From Frogtown exit through the Great Heron Gates at Rattlesnake Park and cross Fletcher Drive onRipple Street, which become Crystal Street and ends at the path. On the river's east side on Glendale Boulevard there's an arty row of row of shops in Atwater Villate (take the path upstream from the bridge).
Returning to the path on the west side of the river, continue upstream to the Sunnynook Footbridge and cross for the yoga course.