Oil Rigs and Barbed Wire Fencing

As I made the trek along my usual 5-mile walk through Culver City today (I walk 15 miles a week), I decided to venture through some undiscovered territory - Culver City Park. Now the section of the park I normally walk by is the skate park. The part I never see is in back of the skate park and then along a road that takes you up to the top of a hill, revealing a couple new softball diamonds - I was impressed. Great vantage point for a picture of the surrounding city. This path was more scenic of a walk.

Once at the top I had a great view of Century City (background) and Culver City (foreground). For those of you who don't know, Century City used to belong to 20th Century Fox studios. Much of that land was the backlot - old west town, etc. It was replaced by offices in the 70's and one of the Planet of the Apes flicks (the one when the apes take over the city) was filmed on that spot.

Now adjacent to the park are these oil rigs. They're all over Los Angeles County. You can see some from the beach, near the airport...strange site for Los Angeles. Signs read - Plains Exploration and Production Company. I looked them up on the internet - they're an "independent oil and gas company primarily engaged in the activities of acquiring, developing, exploiting, exploring and producing oil and gas properties in the United States. They own oil and gas properties with principal operations in - the Los Angeles and San Joaquin Basins onshore California, the Santa Maria Basin offshore California, the Piceance Basin in Colorado, the Green River Basin in Wyoming, the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, and the Gulf Coast Basin onshore and offshore Louisiana, including the Gulf of Mexico."

Sometimes the rigs work in pairs.

And sometimes they prefer to work alone.

As I descended down the hill out of the park (I took the road), I noticed the fencing along the side of the road enclosing the oil rigs.

And I read the signs posted on every section: Barbed Wire Fence.

And I wondered just how many idiots are living in this city.

As I left, I turned back and waved goodbye. 'Goodbye, ole 59'.

And I wondered what secrets lie beyond the Barbed Wire Fences put up by the Plains Explorations and Production Company that they would prefer I don't trespass-loiter-trespass.