Oakbrook Vista Trail in Thousand Oaks

The Oakbrook Vista Trail is a relatively easy out and back climb that provides nice panoramic views of the Lang Ranch area of Thousand Oaks. Access to the trail is on the south side of Lang Ranch Parkway, just east of Westlake Boulevard. See access point below.

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The first portion is a narrow trail that zig zags its way to a bench, where you can rest and enjoy the views. But I'd estimate this is only 1/4 of a mile, so keep going if you're game!

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After the bench, the trail opens up and continues up and up and up and if you reach the top, roughly a mile or so up the hill, you'll be enjoying 360 degree views towards Boney Mountain on the west, Lang Ranch/Woodridge trails on the north and more.

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Same view as above, in May 2020.www.cosf.org/website/html/oakbrook-vista-trail.html

Same view as above, in May 2020.www.cosf.org/website/html/oakbrook-vista-trail.html

For a trail map and additional information, visit the Conejo Open Space Foundation website at cosf.org/trails/lang-ranch/lang-ranch-woodridge-easy-hike-oakbrook-vista-trail.

White Horse Canyon Trail in Westlake Village

The White Horse Canyon Trail trailhead is located off of Potrero Road, just east of the little bridge next to Vista Oaks Way. From Thousand Oaks/101 take Westlake Boulevard to Potrero Road, turn right, and the bridge is less than half a mile away. Park either in allowed spots on the opposite side of Potrero Road or in an adjacent neighborhood.

You walk into this gulley to get to the nondescript trailhead. In fact, I don't see signage that actually says White Horse Canyon Trail. But there is the following entry point that does make it clear:

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The trail is really more like a fire road, wide, somewhat rocky, but not particularly difficult. The climb gets you up to some peaks that provide views of all the surrounding areas.

Wide trail. Be aware that private residences are adjacent to the first portion of the trail.

Wide trail. Be aware that private residences are adjacent to the first portion of the trail.

You can take the White Horse Canyon Trail to the Los Robles Trail and do a 6 mile loop back the start, or you can reach the first peak at about 1,300 ft, take in the views, and turn back, for about a 2 mile hike.

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There's a nice little map showing a counter-clockwise loop from White Horse to Los Robles going east, looping back to White Horse. Visit cosf.org/trails/los-robles/los-robles-strenuous-hike-los-padres-to-white-horse-cyn.

Folks often ask me if trails are stroller friendly or not. This one in my estimation is not particularly stroller friendly because the surface is often uneven, with many loose rocks and soft dirt at times. It is do-able but not one of the better trails for that purpose...in my opinion.

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Vista Del Mar Trail in Newbury Park

Trail access off of Via Ricardo in Newbury Park (Dos Vientos section).

Trail access off of Via Ricardo in Newbury Park (Dos Vientos section).

Other end of trailhead off of Via Ricardo.

Other end of trailhead off of Via Ricardo.

The Vista Del Mar Trail is a 1 to 1 1/2 mile long trail along the west side of the Dos Vientos residential development in Newbury Park. The trail is maintained by the Conejo Open Space Foundation.

The trail can be accessed near the corner of Via Ricardo and Via Rincon (parking on Via Ricardo). The other end of the trail is near the corner of Rancho Dos Vientos and Via El Cerro (where there is no parking on Rancho Dos Vientos).

"Vista Del Mar" is Spanish for "View of the Sea" and while the overcast early morning photos below do not show it, on a clear day you will indeed be able to see down the Potrero Grade to the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands. The Vista Del Mar trail also provides views to Camarillo and the Oxnard Plain.

The trail is nice and wide, good for walkers, runners and cyclists.

The trail is nice and wide, good for walkers, runners and cyclists.

The north section of the trail before intersecting with the Edison Fire Road Trail is where the "Twin Ponds" are. The image below of one of the ponds was taken after the Springs Fire of May 2013 ravaged the area. More on the Twin Ponds Conservation Area at this link.

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The Twin Ponds are more easily accessed via the northeast Vista Del Mar trailhead near the corner of Via Ricardo and Via Rincon. About a mile.

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About 1/4 mile into the trailhead from Via Ricardo, you'll reach this junction. Veer right to the single track public access trail, as the trail to the left is on private property.

Lone bench on the Vista Del Mol trail that has views to the Channel Islands on a clear day

Lone bench on the Vista Del Mol trail that has views to the Channel Islands on a clear day

The Vista Del Mar trail connects on the southeast to the Sierra Vista Trail, which in turn connects to the Potrero Ridge trail, with an endpoint on Reino Road.

Views from the Vista Del Mar Trail on a clear morning.

Views from the Vista Del Mar Trail on a clear morning.

Map courtesy of the Conejo Open Space Foundation

Map courtesy of the Conejo Open Space Foundation

Disc Golf in Ventura County

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Looking for disc golf options in Ventura County? You’ve come to the right place. These are all available to the public, free of charge.

The newest disc golf option is at Sapwi Trails Community Park in Thousand Oaks. The course has 19 holes. Hole #1 is located off the parking lot on Avenida de los Arboles at Kensington Drive. The park and course opened in March 2019. and is managed by the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD).

Rabbit Flats Disc Golf Course is located on the west end of Thousand Oaks Community Park, 2525 N. Moorpark Road (next to Thousand Oaks High School). This course opened to the public in May 2010. Park managed by CRPD.

Coyote Point Disc Golf Course is an 18 hole course located at Lake Casitas, 11311 Santa Ana Road, Ventura.

Chaparral Park, located at 217 N. Medea Creek Lane in Oak Park, has a newer 10 hole course. Course map at THIS LINK (that link also provides detailed instructions on how to play!). Park is managed by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District (RSRPD).

Also managed by RSRPD is a 12 hole disc Sycamore Park Disc Golf Course at Sycamore Park, 855 N. Planetree Avenue, Simi Valley. Detailed map and instructions at THIS LINK.

There is yet another disc golf course located at Sequoia Park, 2150 Tracy Avenue, Simi Valley. Also managed by RSRPD, this is a 9-hole course. Course map and instructions at THIS LINK.

Finally, there is a 9-hole disc golf course located at Lake Piru Recreation Area, 4780 Piru Canyon Road, Piru.

Oceanview Pavilion - Performing Arts Theater in Pt. Hueneme

Theater by the Beach at Oceanview Pavilion

The Oceanview Pavilion located at 575 E. Surfside Drive in Port Hueneme (directly across from the beach) offers concerts, theater, fairs, shows and a variety of other events for all ages.  The venue has a capacity for up to 1400 people and can be rented out for special events. Banquet hall can accommodate 450 guests. A full bar is available.  For more information, visit www.oceanviewinfo.com or call the box office at 805.986.4818.

Scarlett Belle Riverboat Cruises

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The Scarlett Belle is a modern riverboat located in the scenic Channel Islands Harbor. The boat can accommodate from 40 to 150 passengers and is a fun, luxurious venue for weddings, parties, corporate events, anniversaries and more...casino nights, graduation parties, public holiday cruises, etc.

For more information, visit www.scarlettbelle.com or call 805.204.0977.

Located at A&M Boat Charters & Cruises at the Marine Emporium Landing at Channel Islands Harbor, 3600 S. Harbor Blvd., #219, Oxnard.

Exit the 101 freeway at Victoria, proceed south on Victoria, at West Channel Islands Blvd, turn right. Go to the second stop light and turn left onto Harbor/ W. Channel Islands Blvd. Go to Cabezone Circle make a left. Into the Marine Emporium. Walk to the back of the three buildings facing the street to the dock where you will see the Scarlett Belle and Sunfish. Free parking.

Old Mission Santa Barbara

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The Santa Barbara Mission was established on the Feast of Saint Barbara, December 4, 1786 and was the 10th of 21 California Missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans.

More than 200 years later, the Mission continues to be the chief cultural and historic landmark in the city of Santa Barbara. Home to a community of Franciscan friars, the Mission also has a retreat center with guest rooms, conference rooms, a fully equipped commercial kitchen and dining room, a beautiful church with a large and active parish, a museum and gift shop, a cemetery and mausoleum and ten acres of beautifully landscaped gardens.

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Self-guided tours are available through the main entrance. Tour tickets may be purchased in the main entry, and each visitor will be provided with a museum guide available in 8 different languages. The Mission is open daily from 9am to 5:30pm from July 4th through Labor Day and until 4:15pm the rest of the year. Tour admission (as of March 2020) is $12 for adults (ages 18-64), $10 for seniors 65+, $7 youth 5-17 and free to 4 and under. Parking is free.

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Points of interest within the Museum and garden tour include a Sacred Garden, Video Room (watch a 18 minute video), Cemetery (1789 to present; contains burial sites of early Santa Barbara settlers and Native Americans), Church, Museum (originally used as living quarters for missionaries and their guests), The Serra Shop (souvenirs and gifts), Fountain (built in 1808) and Aqueduct (ruins of the Mission's early water system visible next to cemetery outside walls).

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The Mission Museum also offers docent guided public tours Thursday and Friday at 11:00am and Saturday at 10:30am. Admission for docent guided public tours are $16 for ages 18-64, $14 age 65+ and $11 for youth 5 to 17. Children age 4 and under free. Roughly an hour in duration. Private tours are also available.

Visit www.santabarbaramission.org for more information or call 805.682.4713. It is located at 2201 Laguna Street, just around the corner from the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, which we LOVE to visit.

The Lakes at Thousand Oaks

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The Lakes at Thousand Oaks is a 7 1/2 acre, 48,000 square foot development next to the Bank of America Performing Arts Center Thousand Oaks where you can relax and enjoy park-like landscaping, two lakes, fountains, waterfalls and a children's play area, while grabbing a bite and do some shopping. The Lakes opened in 2005.

Restaurants include P.F. Changs, California Pizza Kitchen and Sunlife Organics. Rounding out the offerings are a Lassen's Health Foods and Kalologie Skincare.

The Lakes at Thousand Oaks is really a beautiful, peaceful place, daytime and nighttime.

The Lakes at Thousand Oaks is really a beautiful, peaceful place, daytime and nighttime.

There is a kids club that meets every Wednesday morning from Spring through Fall. The Lakes hosts a very popular outdoor ice skating rink.  Younger ones enjoy it here because there is a lot of room to run around, run across the bridge, around the lake, etc.

We like the koi at The Lakes. They're cool to watch. But we don't feed them as cute as they are as they are obviously well fed!

We like the koi at The Lakes. They're cool to watch. But we don't feed them as cute as they are as they are obviously well fed!

The Lakes is located at 2200 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard.  Visit www.shoplakes.com or call 805.497.9861 for more information.

The Lakes Memory Lane: Former tenants at The Lakes include Claim Jumper (closed 2/23/14; now Lassen's), Nate 'n Al Deli (closed 1/4/12), Sushi Ko (2005 to August 2009 in Nate ‘n Al Deli space), Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (closed 7/18/11), Blizz Frozen Yogurt (closed early Spring 2011), Ben & Jerry's and 9021Pho (July 2016). Others: Tommy Bahama. Umami Burger closed 1/4/20, nearly eight years after opening on 5/3/12. Sabor Cocina Mexicana closed in March 2020.

Two Trees Escape Rooms in Ventura

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Two Trees Escape Rooms is located at 2855 Johnson Drive Unit D in Ventura, near Sky Zone Trampoline Park. For those not familiar with escape rooms, they involve being locked in a room to solve a series o puzzles and riddles by gathering clues, hints and hidden objects. The goal is to solve the problem within 60 minutes.

Current room themes include Mystery at the Manor, The Runic Ritual, The 50s Diner and Davy Jones Locker,

Learn more at www.twotreesescaperoom.com.

Santa Rosa Valley Regional Park in Camarillo

Located at 10241 Hill Canyon Road in Camarillo, Santa Rosa Valley Regional Park is a 50 acre county park with hiking, trails and equestrian riding areas. Open 7:30 am - 5:00 pm - (January, February, November, December), until 6:00 pm (March, October), 7:30 pm (April, May, September) and 8:00 pm - (June, July, August). There is no playground area here...this park is mostly geared towards hiking, exploring and horseback riding. Parking is $2 on weekdays and $4 weekends.

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This park is located at the entry point to the Conejo Canyons bridge, where you can access trails in the Western Plateau area of Thousand Oaks, maintained by the Conejo Open Space Foundation.

From Thousand Oaks, take Moorpark Road down the Norwegian Grade through Santa Rosa Valley until you see the sign shown below.

More information at www.ventura.org/parks-department/inland-parks/santa-rosa-valley-park-camarillo.

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Call Box 1-35 Beach in Unincorporated Ventura County

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Call Box 1-35 is not the official name of this beach in the unincorporated section of Ventura County northwest of Malibu city limits. But since the dilapidated staircase leading down to the beach is next to this Call Box, it seems appropriate. The address is approximately 9649 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu (yes, technically not Malibu, yet in Google maps the address says Malibu). Plenty of street parking on PCH. No facilities. This and other pocket beaches along PCH are fun to explore.

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Channel Islands Sportfishing Center

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Channel Islands Sportfishing Center (aka Cisco's) is located at the Channel Islands Harbor at 4151 S. Victoria Avenue, Oxnard. Cisco’s has a fleet of 11 boats (as of February 2020) and operates 7 days a week.

Enjoy 1/2 day, 3/4 day, full day, overnight and two day trips. The Speed Twin is a nice foray into sportfishing for newbies - a half day trip on a boat with a capacity of 75 people. it departs at 8 am and returns at 4pm. You can bring your own fishing rods or rent them for $15 at the landing. You’ll also need a one day fishing license that you can buy there.

Visit www.channelislandssportfishing.com or call 805.382.1612 to learn more and to book your next fishing trip.

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Sandstone Peak Hike in Malibu

Views from Sandstone Peak trail towards Lake Sherwood.

Views from Sandstone Peak trail towards Lake Sherwood.

Sandstone Peak is the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains at an elevation of 3,111 feet. Views from the trail stretch from the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands and inland to the Conejo/Simi Valleys.

From the Conejo Valley, take Westlake Boulevard south until it becomes Decker Canyon, make a right on Mulholland, then right on Little Sycamore Road, which becomes Yerba Buena Road, with an endpoint of Sandstone Peak Trailhead. Before you see this sign on the right, you will be passing a parking lot at the Mishe Mokwa Trailhead. Another .6 miles and you'll see the sign below.

The hike is only about 3 miles round trip. Depending on how fast you go, the 1.5 mile climb to the top can take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour. The trail is well maintained but has quite a bit of loose stones, so be sure to wear good shoes so you don't twist an ankle. The starting elevation at the Sandstone Peak trailhead is 2,030 feet, so you'll be climbing over 1,000 vertical feet over 1.5 miles.

Visit the National Park Service website at www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/circlexranch.htm for more information about the Circle X Ranch area and a printable pdf map of the trails that will get you to Sandstone Peak, including the Mishe Mokwa Trail, Grotto Trail and the Backbone Trail.

To extend the hike, check out Sandstone Peak to Inspiration Point and Tri Peaks.

There are several ways of getting to Sandstone Peak. The most direct way is the trailhead directly up to Sandstone Peak (takes about an hour) and the other is via the Mishe Mokwa Trail, which takes you to Split Rock, through a loop that connects you to the Backbone Trail to Sandstone Peak. This trail will give you views of "Balanced Rock" that you'll see pictured below. Once you reach Sandstone, you'll find a steep staircase that will take you to the peak.

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Balanced Rock

Balanced Rock

Balanced Rock from another angle.

Balanced Rock from another angle.

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Prior to the Woolsey Fire of November 2018, this sign and staircase marked the final ascent to the peak. They were destroyed in the fire, however, and a new path was constructed . See photo below.

Prior to the Woolsey Fire of November 2018, this sign and staircase marked the final ascent to the peak. They were destroyed in the fire, however, and a new path was constructed . See photo below.

New path leading to final ascent to the top after Woolsey Fire.

New path leading to final ascent to the top after Woolsey Fire.

The unofficial name bestowed on Sandstone Peak by the Boy Scouts is "Mt Allen," named in honor of W. Herbert Allen to commemorate his gift of this mountain to the Boys Scouts of America in 1965.

The unofficial name bestowed on Sandstone Peak by the Boy Scouts is "Mt Allen," named in honor of W. Herbert Allen to commemorate his gift of this mountain to the Boys Scouts of America in 1965.

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