La Brea Tar Pits (Los Angeles County, California)

 

I remember seeing pictures of the La Brea Tar Pits in school books I used as a small child. I've always been fascinated by natural wonder/prehistoric death trap. And since I'm in LA for the weekend, I had to take the opportunity to visit. The tar pits exist right in the middle of Los Angeles and though they fenced off (probably wisely), access to the area is completely free. 

While this more sightseeing than hiking, I take the opportunity to walk around the numerous black bubbling lakes of tar. The largest, Lake Pit, features figures of an elephant family unit, with the female hopelessly stuck in the tar, while the male and calf look on helplessly. My childhood memory is actually of these statues, which probably simulate events that occurred thousands upon thousands of times in the distant past. As I will later learn while touring the museum that sits nearby, over three million fossils have been recovered from these death traps, making it the singles riches sight of ice-age fossils in the world. 

Walking around the various smaller pits, the occasional methane bubble reaches the surface and gurgles a deathly belch. While its obvious a lot of tragedies took place here for the animals buried in this black goo, the knowledge gained from our finds here are invaluable. It's a short leisurely walk around the area, but its definitely worth seeing if you are ever in the area.