April 16, 2011

Once Mike got us hooked on the idea of touring on our trikes,  we started looking for a short trip that would be relatively easy and beautiful at the same time.   We decided to ride from Ventura, California to Ojai, California on the Ventura River Trail.   We spent the night in Ojai and returned on Sunday to Ventura.   Not so much riding – only about 40 miles – but very fun.   It was the first time Nancy ever contemplated riding a bike anywhere that would force her to be dependent on herself (and not have a car to drive to a store or restaurant) and Mike.

We woke up early and drove to Ventura.  I had exchanged e-mails with Wayne Leggett at the 32GO Trike Shop 1813 E. Main Street in Ventura. Since we had never been to Ventura before, we didn’t know  where to park our car in a safe area. We were grateful when Wayne graciously volunteered to let us park our car in front of his shop overnight.

While we were setting up the trikes, we met with Wayne, his wife Kay and his son Cameron. They are a great bunch of people, very friendly, easy to talk with, and run a recumbent cycling group called the Ventura County Recumbent Riders. We rode with them for about 12 miles up the trail until the restrooms break,  then we continued on to Ojai on our own.

It’s not a difficult ride but it is uphill although it never gets very steep. There are some lovely sweeping views of the surrounding mountains, and passes through some nice spots. We spotted a bald eagle soaring by close to us at one point.
We were in Ojai on time for lunch at Osteria Monte Grappa, 242 E. Ojai Ave. ,  a lovely little restaurant in the heart of Ojai. This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. We spent a little time walking and riding around the beautiful, quaint, and quiet little town. Later we headed over to the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa to check-in.

The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa, 905 Country Club Road, is a beautiful place with amazing views and gardens. The staff is incredibly helpful and when we rode up in our trikes, the valet gave us a spot to keep them so they would be safe. The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa has a history that might be of interest to some of you.

In 1923, Edward D. Libbey wanted to build a private country club and golf course that would harmonize with the unspoiled beauty of area but he died before the hotel was built. Austin Pierpont, another noted architect added 22 guest rooms per the original drawings of architect Wallace Neff. These rooms are now known as the Wallace Neff Historical Rooms. In 1942, it became Camp Oak, a military training center for a battalion of 1,000 Army troops. The Army turned the base over to the United States Navy for a rest and recuperation facility. By the end of World War 2, the property was returned to private ownership. It became a place for the stars of Hollywood to visit. The movie “Pat and Mike” starring Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy was filmed at the Inn. Over the years until today, millions of dollars were spent renovating and adding to the Inn and building the spa while retaining the beautiful character and sweeping views of the valleys. The golf course is not to be missed.

We had a wonderful sunset dinner overlooking the mountains at Olivella, their excellent restaurant. Much of food is local and they have a great wine list as well. We also had drinks at Jimmy’s Pub, a lively bar on the property.

The next morning we rode into town to have breakfast at Knead Baking Company, 469 E Ojai Ave. Ojai, CA 93023.   This is a “must stop” for anyone visiting Ojai. Their baked goods and coffee are just delicious and you sit outside under a tree and just enjoy the air that is Ojai.

After that, we rode over to the farmer’s market in downtown Ojai. This is a wonderful farmer’s market – an incredible variety of local produce for sale. We saw some of the nicest artichokes, but were unable to bring them home with us. Next we rode back to the trail and headed for home. This was a better trip because it was 14 all downhill miles.

After this trip we knew touring and adventuring on the trikes was for us – we were officially hooked!    And we knew there would be many more similar trips in our futures.