more Ojai Meadows

After the KFA trails I explored parts of the Ojai Meadows Preserve that were less familiar to me. I especially liked the thicket above as it was full of birds including what I think were bullock's orioles (or some other yellow and black birds. Sorry, no photo).

Ojai Saddle Trails

The Ojai Saddle Trails are on land owned by the Krishnamurti Foundation of America (KFA) and connect with the Ojai Meadows. This was a delightful discovery. From the trail I took you could see the Ojai Retreat (below). I hiked all the way to the Loma Drive trailhead (second photo from bottom) and back.

Ojai Meadows revisited

Stumbling upon this sign that explains that the meadow was the site of the Happy Valley School, you sense the presence of history along with the presence of nature and realize that all around you are pieces of a much larger puzzle. One of those pieces is the Ojai Retreat right next door.

The Dutchess revisited

 

The drinks are well-made as are the baked goods. It's a busy place but if you time it right you can have your coffee and pastry moment in peace.

Daly Ranch Park

 

It took us decades, but we finally made it to Daly Ranch Park in Ojai.

Royal Bakery revisited

Somewhere to go while your car is being worked on...

Oxnard State Beach

I had thought this may have been Hollywood Beach, but scrutinizing the map it would seem to be Oxnard State Beach, although they are right next to each other. What the beaches down here have in common is that they are very, very wide.

Channel Islands Harbor revisited

 

A ship from Mystic, CT (above) and a nice mural (below) that may or may not be new.

Honey Cup

We were happy to see that Honey Cup, the coffee house down at Channel Islands Harbor, had a makeover. For our purposes it is now cozier and more user-friendly. The coffee is good too.

vintage camper show part 3

In addition to restoring old campers, one guy also restores old Coleman stoves. Not something you see every day.

vintage camper show part 2

vintage camper show

Two firsts: our first vintage camper show and our first time to the Oxnard performing Arts Center. I must say I was impressed by the presentation and condition of the vehicles and the friendliness of the owners.

more solid vintage architecture

 

Strolling back to our hotel we passed this solid vintage post office and many other fine buildings. Below, the Mount Baker Theater - an ornate "movie palace" opened in 1927 and still going strong thanks to decades of restoration (beginning in 1991). Here is link about its history: www.mountbakertheatre.com

Mount Bakery

More good coffee was found at the cleverly-named Mount Bakery (the most prominent natural feature of Whatcom County being Mount Baker).

Old Town Cafe

We had a nice lunch at the Old Town Cafe. The restaurant, along with the rest of the town, reminded us of Portland, OR before it got too popular. That is to say, the things we liked about Portland in the early 90s seemed to be alive and well in Bellingham, WA.

Old City Hall

The beautiful Old City Hall in Bellingham, WA was built in 1892 and today houses the Whatcom Museum. When it was built it was the city hall of the former city of New Whatcom. The building was originally perched on a bluff overlooking Bellingham Bay, but since then land was filled to create what is today Maritime Heritage Park (above). Also interesting is that the design of building was modeled exactly on the Saginaw County Courthouse in Saginaw, Michigan.

Camber Coffee

A fine example of a solid older building that was fully renovated and put to good use is Camber Coffee, right in the heart of downtown Bellingham. The interior was clean, light and airy with high ceilings. Not only were face masks required, but you had to show your vaccination card. And the coffee was great.