Ojai, California

It’s a fleck warm, dusty, together with the bees are swarming some the rosemary.  A brace of friendly dogs wander around, a weimaraner together with 1 of indeterminate lineage, every bit Ron Asquith leads a tour into a nearby olive grove.

After turning off of the highway; onto a side road; onto some other smaller road; fording a creek inwards our car; together with and then upwards the lastly dirt road; Letty together with I create upwards one's remove heed to skip the tour together with caput into the Quonset hut that serves every bit the Ojai Olive Oil Company’s production facility together with tiny tasting room…

Watch the Video!

From Los Angeles, Ojai is a ninety infinitesimal campaign away, tucked most a dozen miles upwards the colina behind the coastal town of Ventura.  If you’d similar to skip the drive, AMTRAK tin dismiss accept yous from L.A. to Ventura.  From the prepare station, yous tin dismiss grab the SCAT trouble sixteen bus which volition accept yous upwards to Ojai.  A local  trolley tin dismiss larn yous some town. The entire route is wheelchair accessible.

Our trip was a driving trip.  While Tim spends the black amongst his uncles, Letty together with I are having an anniversary getaway.

It’s yet early on when nosotros arrive, thence a side trip to the olive farm at Ojai Olive Oil is inwards order.

Ron’s wife, Alice, mans the counter within together with chops upwards breadstuff cubes. 

Stabbing a cube amongst a toothpick, nosotros dip it into the kickoff of the oils.  The extra virgin crude oil tastes a fleck grassy…I don’t know if that is how it’s supposed to taste, but non 1 I peculiarly enjoy.  Better are some other oils downwardly the trouble that exude a pepperiness, 1 that is infused amongst basil, together with some other tinged amongst garlic.

Also on sale hither are a arrive at of Balsamic vinegars imported from Italy.  While most of the tasters inwards the room are wild for the peach flavored vinegar, I’m partial to but the plainly variety.

We pick upwards a few bottles together with pay.  Outside, upwards against the rocky hillside, is a bully picnic area.  Up above, 1 powerfulness watch a giant aeroplane flight inwards the distance if they’re lucky.  Nearby is the habitat of the extremely endangered California Condor, 1 of the largest birds inwards the world.  Saved from the absolute brink of extinction, they are gradually beingness re-introduced inwards the wild here.  We’re non lucky today together with stimulate got no nutrient for a picnic thence nosotros brand our way dorsum downwardly the colina to Highway 33.

Once dorsum at the road, a quick brace of blocks takes us to Boccali’s, a roadside Italian eating theater but exterior of town.  There’s a quaint, roadhouse experience to the identify amongst its lively patio, large lawn surface area (closed today), together with pocket-size dining room out inwards the country.  At this cash-only restaurant, nosotros but stimulate got a salad, some bread, together with a drinking glass of beer from their tap.

The pizzas together with sandwiches looked delicious, but we’re also saving room for a skillful dinner later.

After lunch, nosotros figure it’s fourth dimension to depository fiscal establishment agree inwards now.  Our lodging would live at Casa Ojai, but E of downtown.  Although the exterior looks pretty generic, the room is a fleck beyond that amongst a rattling comfortable Rex size bed, a dainty sized living surface area off to the side amongst beloved spot together with java table, apartment enshroud TV, pocket-size refrigerator, together with a large cupboard area.

Casa Ojai makes it known that they are the “greenest” hotel inwards town.  That agency diverse things are done to cut down waste product together with the hotel’s carbon footprint such every bit using saltwater inwards puddle & spa, putting recycling bins inwards each room along amongst the trash cans, using depression menses shower heads, depression even out toilets, together with putting all soaps, shampoos, together with lotions into wall-mounted dispensers instead of little, plastic bottles on the counter.  Even the java mugs are ceramic to eliminate Styrofoam cups.

We’re traveling without Tim thence our room is a non-accessible, instant flooring room amongst an amazing stance to the east.  Two barrier-free rooms are available amongst roll-in showers, 1 amongst a Rex bed together with the other amongst 2 queen size beds.

After check-in, nosotros larn over to the pocket-size downtown surface area to exercise some shopping.  Not a lot of bargains to live had hither but Rains, an actual old-town, independent upscale subdivision store, is a bully identify to browse around.  It’s form of amazing that it yet exists inwards this the world of large mergers together with disappearing stores.

After parking dorsum at the hotel, nosotros walk a brace of blocks to the Ojai Beverage Company where vino together with beer tasting are offered for a nominal fee.  The store has a huge choice of wines, beers, together with liquor.  We larn a brace of Belgian-style sour ales together with a regular Belgian tripel to accept dorsum to the hotel where nosotros bask them piece swimming a sunning past times the pool.

For dinner, nosotros larn dorsum into downtown together with larn a window tabular array at Azu, a Mediterranean-influenced bistro serving tapas together with entrees.

Starting off amongst a bully salad together with creamy Lycopersicon esculentum soup, nosotros larn 3 tapas to share…a crawfish dish that was on special that night, lamb kababs, together with a chile relleno.  I stimulate got to depository fiscal establishment complaint that it was all delicious together with the relleno the star of the show.  It was non similar a Mexican relleno amongst the thick batter together with sauce, but to a greater extent than European inwards the lightness of gustatory modality together with the Lycopersicon esculentum based sauce it was served with.  It was incredibly good, different, together with the pepper was spicy.  The ingredients entirely served to heighten the natural flavor of the chile.

After a skillful night’s slumber on the rattling comfortable bed, nosotros caput to the westward side of town together with stimulate got breakfast at Egg’s ‘n Things.  This is the Ojai branch of a small, Ventura based chain.  After ordering our food, the server pops a brace of crepes on the table.

“This is your costless Swedish pancake piece yous hold off for your food,” she says.

It’s perfect amongst the buttery crepe, sprinkled amongst powdered saccharide together with topped amongst a dollop of jelly.  Breakfast arrives together with nosotros stimulate got a picayune feast amongst omelets, pancakes, biscuits, together with bacon.  Not a bad affair on the table.

After eating, it’s a halt at the local farmer’s market, held each Dominicus morning time behind Rain’s.  We pick upwards some tangerines together with sample some bully oranges…this is citrus set down together with this is the season.  We also encounter some orchid growers that worked at the same plant nursery nosotros did many years agone together with pick upwards a establish for my wife’s mom.

We depository fiscal establishment agree out, together with caput domicile via the dorsum road…a continuation of Highway 33 through Santa Paula together with Fillmore.  Numerous fruit stands trouble the road, beckoning us to sample their citrus.  We halt at 1 together with purchase some of the tastiest omphalus oranges I’ve had inwards years.

With that, together with a toast amongst 1 of our newly purchase oranges, nosotros say goodbye to some other quick trip together with caput dorsum downwardly Interstate v into Los Angeles together with and then home.

Darryl

Copyright 2011 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved