Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Followers' Favorite Coronavirus Stay at Home Order Games

In a recent drawing on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page, we asked folks to tell us their favorite games to play while quarantined at home during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. Let’s take a look at the most frequently mentioned choices. Perhaps this will give all of us some ideas for new games to try out.

Games mentioned at least 4 times:

• Uno - 18

• Monopoly - 15

• Yahtzee - 7

• LCR - 5

• Scrabble - 5

• Ticket to Ride - 5

• Cards Against Humanity - 4

• Apples to Apples - 4

• Candyland - 4

• Mexican Train Dominoes -4

• Phase 10 - 4

• Rummikub - 4

• Sorry - 4

Games mentioned 2 or 3 times:

• Charades - 2

• Clue - 3

• Hedbanz - 2

• Jenga - 3

• Life - 2

• Loteria - 2

• Mario Party - 2

• Nerf Gun Wars - 2

• Pictionary - 3

• Poker - 2

• Puzzles - 2

• Quite Game - 3

• Scattergories - 3

• Trouble - 2

• War - 3

• What Do You Meme? - 2

Other games mentioned:

• Authors Card Game

• Bananagrams

• Beat the Parents

• Blokus

• BS

• Bunco

• Chutes & Ladders

• Code Names

• Colorku

• Connect 4

• Crazy Lego

• Cribbage

• Dominoes

• Don’t Step In It

• Family Feud

• Farkle

• Five Crowns

• Go Fish

• Guess Who

• Hi Ho Cherry O

• Hide and Seek

• Jackbox

• Kings in the Corner

• Mafia

• Mancala

• Memory Game

• Ninja Turtle Monopoly

• Old Maid

• Outburst

• Parcheesi

• Pop the Pig

• Race to the Treasure

• Rummy Tile

• Shifty Eyes Spies

• Ship Captain Crew

• Snoopy Monopoly

• Taboo

• Texas Holdem

• Upwords

• Words with Friends

• Zingo

Yahtzee is one of our personal favorites.

Ten Popular Local Things To Do Based on Traffic Here on Conejo Valley Guide

With over 50,000 monthly visitors to Conejo Valley Guide, we have the opportunity to see some of the most popular things to do around Ventura County. Here are 10 of the most perennially popular things to do around town based on traffic activity.

MB2 Raceway Indoor Go-Kart Facility in Newbury Park has been popular ever since opening in September 2008. We've been to plenty of birthday parties here and the kids love it. 

Farmers' Markets throughout Ventura County are popular year-round thanks to our great weather. In addition to over 15 local farmers' markets, there are numerous organic produce stores and local delivery programs available.

Sky High Sports - The Trampoline Place in Camarillo opened in October 2010 but closed in summer 2018. Sky Zone Trampoline Park opened in east Ventura in January 2016 and Defy (formerly DojoBoom) Extreme Air Sports at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks in November 2017.

Another obvious benefit to living in Ventura County is our direct access to nearby beaches. This compiliation of beaches stretching north from Carpinteria, across Ventura County, down through Malibu, is a popular destination on CVG.

The Kids' World indoor play facility in Oak Park is a regular popular destination for kids ages 2 to 12.

This compilation of Seven Flat, Stroller and Family Friendly Hikes in the Conejo Valley sees plenty of eyeballs from local families looking for a nice, easy hike with the kids.

The Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard opened in early 2010 and has one of the finest collections of French art deco cars in the world. These cars are so pristine I would eat my dinner off of them.

For years, my kids begged me to go to Chuck E Cheese's in Thousand Oaks (also in Ventura). Now I'm more interested in going there as I know they will be entertained while I hang out, enjoy a sandwich and a beer, shoot a few hoops and catch up on my newspapers.

There are 19 movie theaters in Ventura County, including 2012 additions, Century Riverpark 16 in Oxnard and Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas in Westlake Village, 2015 addition Studio Movie Grill in Simi Valley and the newly remodeled in Regal Janss Marketplace in 2016.

Rounding out the top 10 is the Ventura Flea Market at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. This R.G. Canning event is nowhere near the size of the popular Rose Bowl Flea Market, but with over 500 vendors, is a popular destination for CVG visitors about 6 times per year.

This is just a small fraction of the thousands of things to do throughout Ventura County and surrounding areas. And of course, the Events Calendar and Local Events and Community Messages sections of the site highlight events that are organized throughout the year. Now go have some fun!

Solstice Canyon in Malibu Has a Perennial Waterfall and Much More

Solstice Canyon is a worthy local hiking destination, located at the intersection of Corral Canyon and Solstice Canyon Roads in Malibu. It is home to one of the only year-round waterfalls in the Santa Monica Mountains.

The main trail is the Solstice Canyon Trail, a fairly easy, not too steep, 2.1 mile round trip hike, largely paved, to the stone and brick ruins of the Fred and Florence Roberts ranch house. This house is referred to as the Tropical Terrace. 

Missouri native Fred Roberts founded Roberts Public Market, a chain of grocery and liquor stores, in the late 1920s. He sold the chain in 1949, while in the meantime amassing nearly 1,000 acres in Solstice Canyon.

A large portion of the Solstice Canyon Trail is paved.

In 1952, Roberts hired renowned African-American architect Paul R. Williams to design the home, which featured beautiful architectural designs that blended into the serene environment and incorporated fire protection features using pumps, pipes and water collection pools. Roberts passed away in 1976. In 1982, the Dayton Canyon Fire burned the site to the ground.

Remains of the home of Fred and Florence Roberts at the top of Solstice Canyon.

Today you can see the foundation, fireplaces, steps and other interesting features, then explore the shaded rock pool area, where you'll see the waterfall (which in drought years can be quite small, but perennial nonetheless).

Waterfall access is the right (east) of the Roberts home.

Naturally canopied rock pool area where the waterfall can be seen and explored.

On the way to the Roberts House, you will see a sign, "Built of Stone and Tin." Read about the wood cabin purchased by Henry Keller in 1901 that was destroyed by a fire two years later. Keller, who enjoyed hunting and fishing in Solstice Canyon, rebuilt the one room hunting lodge in stone and tin to withstand future fires. Over the years, wood porches were added. The structure was scorched in the Corral Fire of 2007.  But the stone walls are still there today...and are considered to be the oldest still-existing in Malibu today.

You can walk fairly close to the Keller House ruins.

Other trails include the:

• Dry Canyon Trail - 1.2 mile easy round trip canyon trail that in the winter brings a 150 foot waterfall and stream.

• TRW Loop Trail - 1.5 mile round trip loop that is fairly easy.

• Rising Sun Trail - 1.5 mile moderate trail on the eastern ridgeline of the canyon that connects at the top to the Solstice Canyon Trail near the waterfall.

• Sostomo Trail/Deer Valley Trail - Moderate to strenuous extension from near the top of the Solstice Canyon Trail of roughly 4 miles.

There is a small amphitheater at the main parking area, public restrooms and several picnic areas here. A great place to bring the kids! Dog friendly too (except not dogs in the waterfall area), as long as they are on leash.

Solstice Canyon was opened as a public park by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in 1988 and today is managed by the National Park Service. More information at www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/solsticecanyon.htm.

One way to get to Solstice Canyon from Thousand Oaks is to take the 101 south to Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road, south to PCH, where you'll turn right (west). Turn right on Solstice Canyon Road (a light) and your first left is Solstice Canyon. There is limited parking at the entrance, but the main parking lot is about 1/4 mile up the hill.

Observing Cool Coyotes in Rancho Sierra Vista

This particular coyote and a friend I've seen regularly this month in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in the northern Santa Monica Mountains. Quite entertaining watching him look for snacks in the rabbit holes. Hope he stays healthy through the remainder of the winter.

The Highly Interactive MOXI Museum in Santa Barbara

The MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation opened in a beautiful building adjacent to the Santa Barbara Amtrak Station on State Street in February 2017.

I took several pre-teen kids to the museum and the key word of this museum is --- INTERACTIVE! Every exhibit is made to be touched and experimented with. If you have kids, this is a local area must-do.

The moment you walk into the first floor of MOXI you are drawn to a gigantic handprint globe, gigantic guitar, magnet exhibit, sound studio and more.

The handprint globe exhibit near the entrance to the Museum.

Then outside in the first floor courtyard are some really fun activities involving wind propulsion, spinning devices, magnetic fields and a massive collection of see-through tunnels. Very fun!

But the fun just gets started on the first floor as the second floor of MOXI immediately brings back memories of Pinewood Derby - build a car and race it down a high tech track. Or do a jump shot, build a marble roller coaster, use your mind and compete in a game of Mindball and more.

You'll find light-driven exhibits on the other side of the second floor, with a gigantic "Lite Bright" type exhibit, a color mixing machine, light waves and more.

On the top of the building after picking up your jaw that just dropped at the panoramic views towards the ocean, State Street, adjacent Amtrak Station and mountains, there's even more to experience.  The "Whitewater" exhibit allows everyone to help move water down the line. Make music with the Weather Orchestra. Try the five observation scopes. And more!

Tickets can be purchased online for $16 (ages 13+) and $12 (ages 3-12); 2 and under are free. Or if you plan to visit several times a year, consider a family membership. More information at moxi.org.

To get there from Ventura County, take the 101 to the Garden Street exit (96B) and turn left. Take a right on Yanonali Street to State Street and you'll see MOXI. You can park in the train station parking lot or any local lot. 

Another idea to consider to make your visit more of an adventure is to take the Pacific Surfliner Amtrak train from Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Moorpark or Simi Valley to the Santa Barbara Station adjacent to MOXI and the Reagan Ranch Center Exhibit Galleries. Fun!

Residential Holiday Lights and Decorations on Gemini/Waverly in Camarillo

NOTE: The post below was originally mad in December 2012 but still applies now in 2019! For a compilation of local area residential holiday light displays, visit THIS LINK.

Every year that I can recall, a vast majority of the homes on Gemini Street and Waverly Avenue south of Dunnigan Street in Camarillo are lit up and decorated with cartoon characters, trains, Santas, snowmen, and plenty of lights and other decorations. Quite a sight! Either drive the route or park and walk it. Plenty to see and your kids will love it.  From the direction of the 101, take Arneill north past Ponderosa to Dunnigan. Turn right on Dunnigan and Gemini is the 4th street on your right.

Brief tour of the display in 2010 with whiny kids in the background:

Ventura County Deputy Sheriff Yevhen "Eugene' Kostiuchenko Memorial Highway in Camarillo

California State Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 14 filed with the Secretary of State on July 21 2015 honors the life of Ventura County sheriff who was struck and killed by a drunk driver on October 28, 2014.

The Legislature designated a 2.04 mile portion of Highway 101 between Lewis Road/State Route 34 at mile post 13.848 and Las Posas Road at mile post 15.888 as the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff Yevhen “Eugene’ Kostiuchenko Memorial Highway.

Other information about Deputy Kostiuchenko:

• He was born in the Ukraine in January 1973 and was fluent in four languages.

• Eugene began working at the County of Ventura in April 2003 as a program administrator.

• Eugene was sworn in as deputy sheriff in November 2007.

• He was an avid runner who competed in the 12 mile Baker to Vegas Relay.