The Beach Boys 1991 "Crocodile Rock" Music Video Filmed at Golf N' Stuff Ventura

"Crocodile Rock" was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and become Elton John's first U.S. number one single in February 1973. Eighteen years later, the Beach Boys recorded the song. Funny thing is that our own Golf N' Stuff in Ventura is featured in this kind of silly music video released in 1991.

Roughly half the video features familiar scenes from Golf N' Stuff, including several of the more prominent holes and structures as well as the bumper boats. Yes, the Beach Boys are featured on the bumper boats in their fedoras at Golf N' Stuff, along an offbeat display of scenes featuring a crocodile on the piano admired by a woman in a pink bikini, brief glimpses of Randy's Donuts and a cameo appearance by John Stamos.

Golf N' Stuff is often part of our family outings in Ventura County. Sign up for their email club and receive periodic special offers. Golf N' Stuff is among over 100 venues on this compilation of birthday party options in and around Ventura County.

Squawkless in Summerland? No! Check Out the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary

It was not a planned visit.

My son and I were cycling from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara for the first time, enjoying a relaxing ride on Via Real/Lillie Ave, paralleling the 101 on the north side.

We passed a sign that said "McLeod Parrot Menagerie" and I heard birds, squawking birds. I said, let's check this out! 

Little did I know that co-located at the Menagerie is the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary.

Squawkless in Summerland!? Heck no! Lots of squawking and talking going on at this place!

The Sanctuary is a non-profit organization founded by Jamie McLeod that rescues and rehabilitates parrots that are unwanted, abused and orphaned. The organization also finds homes for these beautiful animals. 

The Sanctuary is home to over 60 of birds, some of which are ready for adoption; others may have conditions that prevent adoption.

We got the chance to chat with Jamie, who is 1984 graduate from the America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College. She showed us the Skylar Learning Center, where children can learn more about these interesting, long-lived, intelligent creatures.

And of course we visited with the birds and had meaningful conversations with many of them. We heard words and phrases like "hello," "knock knock," "how's it going," "I love you," and so on. Quite entertaining. And we caught a few cool head bobs too!

We also learned that the McLeod Parrot Menagerie provides grooming and boarding, toys and other parrot-related products and services.

The Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary is a must see and less than an hour from central Thousand Oaks. Walk-in visits are available 10 am to 3:30 pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Fees for non-docent tours are $10 for adults and $5 for 12 and under and 65+ seniors. Donations are welcomed (and tax deductible) as they help towards caring for and feeding the parrots. Docent-led personalized tours are also available with at least one week’s advance notice. You may observe the birds, but do not touch or feed them or their cages.

These fellows were quite entertaining.

To learn more, visit www.sbbird.org or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbbsbirds or call 805.565.1807. The street address is 2340 Lillie Avenue, Summerland.

Ride to the Flags 2022 9/11 Tribute Filmed at Mugu Rock in Point Mugu

Ride to the Flags began in 2008, accompanying the Wave of Flags 9/11 Memorial at Pepperdine University. Although not officially associated with the memorial - the ride does end at the memorial for a short service. Ride to the Flags is an all volunteer, charity ride with 100% of the riders' donations going to an injured warrior. The ride has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for select warriors in need of rehab equipment and life-enhancing services. Learn more at www.whiteheart.org/ridetotheflags.

This year's event raised funds for Navy EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) tech Jordan Stevenson, who sustained sever injuries on his first deployment to Afghanistan with the 3rd/75th rangers. Learn more about Jordan's story at youtu.be/T7DWSo3_1Es

This footage was taken from just southeast of Mugu Rock in Point Mugu State Park, just a couple miles away from the start of the event at Naval Base Ventura County.

Tex Ward Point and Olympia Farms Area in the Rancho Potrero Open Space

Small amphitheater in the former Olympia Farms section of Rancho Potrero.

The Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority (MRCA) purchased 638 acres of former Broome Ranch property in the Santa Monica Mountains in 1993. It transferred half the property to the National Park Service that is now part of Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa and the other half to the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA). The COSCA portion of the parcel, which was funded through contributions from the Conejo Recreation & Park District and City of Thousand Oaks, is the Rancho Potrero Open Space.

Rancho Potrero is mostly unimproved grasslands and coastal sage scrub but contains miles of maintained trails used by hikers, cyclists and equestrians. The property also houses the 20 acre Rancho Potrero Community Equestrian Center, which boards horses and offers guided trail rides.

This footage shows a picnic site on a hilltop that overlooks the former Olympia Farms facility. There is an old asphalt road leading from Lynn/Potrero Road to this site that used to be the home of the caretaker of Olympia Farms. This site is dedicated to Tex Ward, who served as General Manager for 38 years and fought hard to develop parks and maintain open space in the Conejo Valley.

The second part of the footage shows development at the former Olympia Farms site that includes an area for horses, a drinking fountain (for people and horses) and a small amphitheater. Learn more about Rancho Potrero at THIS LINK.

Tex Ward Point at Rancho Potrero. Ward was General Manager of CRPD from 1968 to 2006 and was instrumental in helping create the Conejo Valley’s public recreation programs, park system and conservation of open space.

Pillowy Clouds in the Skies Above the Conejo Valley on Saturday, July 30th

We had several days of these pretty clouds blanketing our local skies last week. The view above is from the top of the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, looking towards Tarantula Hill. A beautiful sight.

Rod Stewart's "Forever Young" Music Video is Unmistakably Filmed in Hidden Valley

After posting a photo of crows flying over the Hidden Valley “straightaway” on Potrero Road in Hidden Valley, Mario M. pointed out that the the song “Forever Young” started playing on his radio as he was driving on Potrero Road. He then pointed out that Rod Stewart’s Forever Young video was filmed on that straightway. And he certainly was right.

I’m certainly familiar with this popular song, which reached number 12 on the 1988 Billboard Hot 100 after its release on July 3, 1988. But I was not aware of this particular video.

Here’s the photo of crows flying across the north end of the Potrero Road straightaway in Hidden Valley.

Here’s Rod Stewart singing to a child in the video, played by Alex Zuckerman.

And another shot from the video, showing a car full of female teenagers not wearing seatbelts. For shame! :) We can see that the speed limit of 25 MPH has not changed since 1988.

And….one more scene from the video.

Hidden Valley is an unincorporated community in Ventura County, bordered by Newbury Park to the west and north, the Santa Monica Mountains on the south and Lake Sherwood to the east. It is not considered part of the Conejo Valley.

A key scene from the 1981 horror film, “The Hand,” starring Michael Caine, was filmed on this Potrero Road straightaway. It was THE scene of the movie, where Caine’s character’s (Jon Landsdale) hand went missing after a vehicular mishap on Potrero Road.

A Drive Down the Historic Norwegian Grade in Thousand Oaks

The Historic Norwegian Grade was originally built by hand and $60 worth of dynamite in the early 1900s by the founding Norwegian families, Olsen, Pedersen and others. The top of the grade to Santa Rosa Road is about a mile and a half. The two lane road was improved in 2010 to make it slightly wider and improve the guard rail and signage. More history at THIS LINK.