[Bloated Chipmunk]

I say "Oh my!" cuz it was a super hot wknd. in SoCal, & the start of the Valley Fire not far from where I live. Kinda unsettling to be out of town for the wknd & then hear that a big, rapidly spreading fire has broke out near home. I read updates throughout the trip but thankfully it never reached the point where my area had to evac (but a couple of my friends had to). DAY 1: San Diego to Ojai, Cozy Dell Trail, B-day Dinner I left town & drove up the 5, encountering marine layer by the rest area.

Foggy coast

But of course that cleared up & I arrived in Ojai, going straight to my first little hike. I wanted something short & near town as I'd need to leave enough time to check into the hotel, shower, & meet my friend/SA Rafael for dinner. After a little confusion of the TH location, I found it & reluctantly started up. I say reluctantly cuz it was probably around 100 degrees & uncomfortable. However, after driving a few hrs. I needed a leg stretcher & this fit the bill.

Ojai below

Pano shot over Ojai

Stats

Tired & dehydrated I checked into the hotel, speaking to the front desk person through the window from outside due to Covid concerns. I started schlepping my stuff upstairs, encountering an older shirtless guy on the balcony next to my room. As I went in & out of my room, he talked about "just needing to get out of L.A. for awhile" and before I knew it he was offering me hard liquor but TBH @ that point I was beat from the heat & just wanted to shower & rest in the A/C before dinner so I declined. A few minutes later I heard a knock on my door & it was him w/a big jug of water. I accepted it but didn't wind up using it as I'd brought plenty of my own (so left it @ his door a few days later when I checked out).

Hotel rm

Thankfully I had enough time to rest/recover before Rafael showed up. We went to a nearby Mexican place, Jim & Rob's Fresh Grill, where he bought me dinner & margaritas for my b-day as we sat on the back patio in the shade. Later @ the hotel rm I had him take a pic of me w/the back massager my sis gave me. I now take it on most of my trips.

Dinner

New back massager

DAY 2: B'fast @ Ojai Cafe & Reyes Pk. In the morning, we went to b'fast @ Ojai Cafe (highly recommended!) before we said our goodbyes for awhile.

B'fast

B'fast

I then did another short hike w/the time remaining, to Reyes Pk. It was a relief to get up into the pine trees & away from the heat.

TH sign

Woodsy trail

Left by someone else

Reyes Pk.

Short hike

DAY 3: Sespe River Trail, Agave Maria's Restaurant & Cantina Yet another hot day, so I limited my hiking mileage. Walked a ways along the Sespe River Trail until I reached an area that was ez to find a nice little shady spot along the creek.

Sespe River

Sespe River

Sespe River

Sespe River

Sespe River

Stats

I attempted to do some shopping, but wasn't very successful cuz many of the shops were closed due to the heat. I did find a few places but overall it wasn't quite the experience I was hoping for. Maybe I'll try again on a cooler wknd.!

I stopped @ Agave Maria's Restaurant & Cantina, & sat there on the patio (interior closed) under an umbrella & w/inadequate misters nearby & wondered why I still felt so miserable. Finally I checked the weather on my phone & it proclaimed that the current temp in Ojai was 115 degrees. Dafuq?

Marg to cool off

Enjoying marg in 115 degrees

DAY 4: Pete's Breakfast House, Grant Park I check out of the motel, then started the drive home. I stopped @ Pete's B'fast House in Ventura, then checked out the smokey views from Grant Park, a hilltop park sporting views of the ocean. Kinda crappy views on this day tho.

Smoky haze over Ventura

Pano shot over Ventura

Ventura

Ventura

Smoky haze

I continued the drive home, then walked around the 'hood a bit, capturing a smokey sunset.

[Olympic Hiker]

Can't beat birthday margaritas!