Way up High Places, Industrial Wasteland and Downtown - Day 5 on the Inman 300

Today's route started with quite a number of ups and downs in order to gather up stairwells along the route. The sun was bright and the bathrooms were few. My feet were heavy and plodding. I passed through many miles of industrial wasteland. Amidst this, I enjoyed myself. The long stretches without turns allowed me to listen to a few podcasts, something I've done little of thus far, as navigation has demanded my attention most days. In one of the parks abutting interstate 10, I enjoyed watching a mixed-age group of men assembling hundreds of toilets.

I struggled along today and thus made the decision to just try to get to end of section D and call it quits. I don't like walking after dark, and I needed to get off my feet. Around 4pm I crossed the bridge which took me over the aquaduct and into the arts district. I continued on and finished up at Los Angeles Plaza Park. From there it was a short walk to beautiful Union Station, where I caught the purple line train towards the hotel & Reed.

Crossing into Downtown after 5 days! 

Today's route was rough. It went through long stretches without the feelings of safety that are afforded by homes with people out in their yards and stretches of small businesses, with the foot traffic that they generate. The fact is, though, I was safe and I appreciated seeing these parts of the city. In general, I have chosen to live and recreate in the more aesthetically pleasing parts of cities and towns, areas populated with people similar to myself. Today's route took me through a part of Los Angeles that I would not have seen otherwise. I was impressed by people's use of public space, and how each of these places has a life and a culture to it.

The mornings have been chilly while riding metro.