At the end of Ocean Blvd. just before the bridge that crosses the Los Angeles River, is the entrance to the 710 Freeway. The Freeway circular on and off ramps creates a small island of grass and trees where a dozen or so homeless camp for the night. Lisa had told me about her great sleep spot. Sleep deprivation, confused brain, I never "got it", where she meant. Some time later, wandering, I realized: ah, that is what Lisa tried to describe, that stripe of land and that building.

I was in quite a bad mood one night when I decided to go sleep there. The tree to the right of the ivy covered pole is where I laid out my plastic, then curled up with my blanket on my backpack pillow. Did not last long. Rain woke me. Only it was not rain, it was a sprinkler. I scouted out other areas, but anyplace dry was occupied. Grabbed my stuff and found another tree, closer to that road. Oops, original sprinkler shut down, only to have another start up. Again picked up my stuff, and stood in the corner by the road, watching the synchronized sprinklers spay all the grass. I considered sleeping next to the tall ivy covered wall which is below the bridge railing shown in photo.

Assured that night watering was over, I returned to my spot under the first tree. I could feel the cold, damp ground underneath my plastic. May have had an hours sleep before heading back downtown to wander the streets until morning. No one from the groups of homeless approached me. My mood was so angry, I did not care if any of them tried to rob me while I slept and hoped to die if I was stabbed. I had heard that it was a rough area to hang out. The usual: drugs. When Lisa slept there on a regular basis, she was part of a group of homeless friends who watched each other's backs. After a scary incident she deemed it unsafe and refused to go back.

Exploring the area, I found there was a much safer way to get to Bear's sleep spot then running across the 710 Freeway to get there. It amazed me that Bear with his bad hip and wheelchair was able to safely cross every day. To the left of his cross spot, the 710 curves. Cars speeding onto the freeway coming round that curve could be quite dangerous to anyone crossing the road.

Illegally, I might add.