AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTORY NOTE: This Travelblog article was conceived and written prior to the widespread wildfires currently devastating more than 3.5-million acres in the state of California. Our hearts and prayers go out to the residents, front line firefighters, on-site law enforcement implementing safety protocols, and courageous volunteers who every day during this nightmare and the concurrent global pandemic are putting their own lives at risk doing their best to evacuate and save other lives, homes and businesses, agriculture and livestock, pets and wildlife, schools and houses of worship, farms and ranches, historic towns and cities, California's ecosystem and its centuries-old Redwood forests, from destruction. ~EJ
=========================================
One of the best ways that I have found to immerse oneself in the culture of a travel destination, short of actually living there for a while, is to take an extended road trip en route to, and around, the general region -- taking in the scenery, local history, and regional cuisine along the way. This particularly applies to well-known, but often less-traveled, places requiring a detour off the main highway and on back roads "off the beaten path".
 |
| Overlooking Pacific Ocean near Big Sur, California ©Snobby Tours®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
Interestingly, I ran across an article recently which focused on 10 road trips to places within the USA which are considered "off the beaten path". One of the 10 recommended road trips mentioned, coincidentally, happens to be one of my own personal favourites -- the back roads between Los Angeles and Santa Cruz, California, detouring off US Hwy 1/ Pacific Coast Highway, or off US Hwy 101, and where I have taken road trips numerous times over the past few decades -- during various seasons of the year -- each time discovering something new and exciting "en route" that I had not previously experienced in my travels.
Traveling north/south between Los Angeles and Santa Cruz, California, some of the highlights on my road trips along California's "back roads" have included:
1) Ojai and Ojai Valley, California
The town of Ojai, and the fertile Ojai Valley, in Ventura County, are located approximately 35 miles North of the city of Ventura, California, taking CA Hwy 33 off US Hwy 1/Pacific Coast Highway, or alternatively, from Los Angeles by taking US 101 North to CA Hwy 126 West to CA Hwy 150 North/West. Both routes are very scenic, with Ojai being about 85 miles northwest of Los Angeles by either route.
Ojai has for decades been known for its focus on health, wellness and spirituality, having numerous restorative spas, spiritual retreats, health/wellness centers, locally owned and operated boutique shops and B&Bs, hot springs resorts. ecologically-friendly arts/crafts, and locally-sourced organic agriculture. Early settlers in the 1870s with respiratory problems flocked to the area because they "fared well" in the climate of the Ojai Valley -- causing Ojai's reputation to grow as a healthy place to live. One of the most famous Spas in downtown Ojai for decades was The Oaks at Ojai, founded in 1977, and operated for over 40 years by fitness guru Sheila Cluff. The Oaks at Ojai literally introduced "spa retreats" into public awareness.
Ojai Valley's history is colourful and diverse. It is a wonderful combination of farms and ranches owned by families dating back to the time of Spanish exploration and Mexican occupation, and mid-20th Century "New Age" rejuvenation and wellness spas.
Located on ranch land purchased in 1837 called the Rancho Ojai Mexican Land Grant, the town of Ojai can be traced back to 1874, when it was initially laid out. It was originally named Nordhoff, after a book author who, in 1873, had touted California as a healthy living environment. Its name, however, was changed from Nordhoff to Ojai in 1917, thought by some to possibly have been due to anti-German sentiment during WWI. The name "Ojai" itself reaches much farther back into the area's history, and is derived from the Native American Chumash tribe's word for "moon". The Chumash were early inhabitants of the central and southern coastal regions of what now is California. Chumash artifacts and exquisite "cave paintings" can be found throughout the area between Malibu and Ojai, especially in caves near the foothills of the local mountain ranges.
 |
| The Arcade on Ojai Avenue, circa 1970s |
Ojai's cultural arts history is due in part to the influx in the early 1900s of wealthy families from the Eastern and Midwestern parts of the US, who spent their harsh winters out West in Ojai, then called Nordhoff. One such family were the Libbeys, owners of the Libbey Glass Company in Toledo, Ohio, who arrived in 1907. Much of the "urban landscape" of Ojai is due to Edward Drummond Libbey, who had an interest in beautifying the town, invested heavily in land on the south side of Ojai Avenue, and who brought in world-renown architects to create The Arcade (pictured above), complete with bell tower inspired by the campanile of the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Havana, Cuba.
Upon completion of The Arcade in 1917, the town changed its name from Nordhoff to Ojai,and established an annual celebratory "Ojai Day" which generally occurs in October. Additionally in 1917, the land across from The Arcade was designated as Civic Center Park, later to be called Libbey Park and become the venue for the famous Annual Ojai Music Festival since its founding in 1947 and outdoor performances commenced at Libbey Bowl in the Park in 1952.
 |
| Ojai Music Festival at Libbey Bowl, circa 1960s. |
The Annual Ojai Music Festival features famous national and international Music Directors and performers, and occurs Thursdays thru Sundays during the second week of June. The 2020 Festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues; however, the 2021 and 2022 Festival Dates are anticipated to be Thursdays thru Sundays, June 10-13, 2021 and June 9-12, 2022.
2) Santa Barbara County and Los Olivos, California
CA Hwy 154 between Solvang, California and Santa Barbara, California has some of the prettiest stretches of back roads which I have driven in that State. Santa Barbara County has over 300 wineries, perfect for "winery-hopping" in the Santa Ynez Valley, with many providing tours of their facilities and wine-making processes. Los Olivos, is a small, unincorporated community of just over 1,000 residents in northeastern Santa Barbara County known for its olive groves and olive oil production -- and the 2004 feature film, "Sideways".
While in the city of Santa Barbara before taking the back road north along CA Hwy 154 North to Los Olivos, I always first have to take a little detour to the expansive and spectacular Rose Garden located at the Santa Barbara Mission -- literally, to "stop and smell the roses".
 |
| Mission Santa Barbara Rose Garden ©Snobby Tours®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
Known today as the A.C. Postel Memorial Rose Garden, but more commonly referred to as "The Rose Garden", it is located on land adjacent to the Santa Barbara Mission formerly owned by the Mission. The city of Santa Barbara purchased the land in 1928. In 1955, The Rose Garden was first planted with 500 donated rose bushes. In 1962, the Santa Barbara Rose Society received permission from the City to sponsor The Rose Garden. Today, it contains over 1,500 rose bushes of different varieties and colours which bloom primarily between April and November each year, and is a favourite place of locals as well as travelers. It is also one of around 130 "demonstration" rose gardens throughout the USA which display top-performing new varieties of roses.
The section of CA Hwy 154 between the southern region of Santa Barbara County and Los Olivos is quite interesting, because along this back road there are miles of well-maintained ranches with white picket fences along the way which are home to farms breeding miniature horses and large ranches for breeding Arabian thoroughbreds.
 |
| Miniature horse farm along Hwy 154 ©Snobby Tours®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
Wine tastings and olive oil samplings are a "must do" when visiting Santa Barbara County and Los Olivos -- in fact, so much so that both activities have become firmly entrenched in today's "travel culture".
Los Olivos is located at the north end of Santa Barbara County, off US Hwy 101 by taking CA Hwy 154 North/San Marcos Pass Road at Ventura, California for approximately 65 miles. It is also easily accessed from US Hwy 1/US Hwy 101 staying on US Hwy 101 North after these two US highways split, and traveling through Buellton and Solvang, California -- a total of about 75 miles from Ventura, California. Either way, the scenery as one gets into the Santa Ynez Valley and nearby mountain range is beautiful, especially in the Spring and Fall of the year.
In many ways, the history of Los Olivos is typical of the settlement of California in the mid-to-late 1800s following the Civil War, with persons from the Eastern and Midwestern parts of the USA coming to California to escape harsh winters, or who were lured by the California Gold Rush.
In 1880, 22-year-old Alden Marsh Boyd from Albany, NY bought 157-acres of fertile farmland and the dwelling house thereon. In 1885, he planted 5,000 olive trees, and named his place, Rancho de Los Olivos. Since olive trees generally live for about 500 years, it's safe to say that most of Boyd's original olive trees dating back to the 1880s are still alive today, and can be seen throughout the area.
 |
| Vintage photo of Mattei's Tavern and Inn |
These days, in addition to wine-tasting rooms, Downtown Los Olivos is filled with art galleries, upscale shops, quaint Victorian houses used for residences and small businesses, and restaurants serving locally-sourced agriculture prepared in in the manner which has become known as "California cuisine". In addition to the vast expanses of olive groves now are also lavender fields and fruit orchards.
Los Olivos also holds an Annual Jazz and Olive Festival in early June, where visitors can sample wine from over 30 nearby wineries, enjoy the music of world-class jazz musicians, and try 30 different "olive-themed" dishes prepared by local "O Chefs".
This event, first held back in 2004, is sponsored by the Los Olivos Rotary Club and raises funds for local nonprofit organizations.
The Scarecrow Festival is another annual event. Held throughout the month of October each year, local residents and businesses compete for the "best scarecrow" in a number of categories, such as scariest, most humorous, all "naturally-constructed", and even most representative of a type of business.
3) Castroville, California
Castroville, California in Monterey County, is known as "the Artichoke Center of the World". Castroville, population around 6,500, is located approximately 11-miles North of Salinas, along CA Hwy 183.
California's artichoke history began in 1922 when the first artichoke shoots were planted in Castroville. Today, nearly 100% of the USA's artichoke supply comes from California, with about 2/3rds of that supply being grown in the small town of Castroville.
In 1948, Norma Jean Mortenson (birth name) was crowned California's very first Artichoke Queen. A few years later, she was better known as Marilyn Monroe.
 |
| An Artichoke Ranch in Castroville, circa 1976 |
Castroville's Annual Artichoke Festival has been a "local fixture" for over 60 years. Begun in 1959, its mission has been to celebrate the artichoke by exciting the public about the farming, harvesting and preparation of artichokes, and in doing so, raising funds to support Castroville-area nonprofit organizations which provide services for local Seniors, student educational enrichment programs, and parks/recreation facilities. The Festival is generally held around the end of May/first of June each year, and is anticipated to occur next year the weekend of June 5-6, 2021.
4) The original Casa de Fruta in Hollister, California
Hollister, California is approximately 50 miles southeast of Santa Cruz, California, taking US Hwy 1 South to CA Hwy 129 East merging into CA Hwy 156 East and then taking FM 1568 East. Hollister is also approximately 250 miles north of Santa Barbara, California, taking US 101 North to CA Hwy 156 East and then taking FM 1568 East.
The first orchards which led to the establishing of Casa de Fruta were planted in 1908 in what now is Santa Clara County. The name is Spanish for "House of Fruit". Casa de Fruita began as the family business of an Italian immigrant family, the Bisceglia brothers, as a stop for locals and travelers along a roadside just west of the Merced County line in the fertile Pacheco Valley between Monterey and Yosemite. The original location was well known to Native Americans living in the region, and was first documented in the 1790s by Spanish missionaries after an artesian well was discovered there. Later in the 1850s, the well was a water source during the California Gold Rush.
In the 1943, three teenaged grand-nephews of the Bisceglia brothers established a fruit stand selling fresh-picked cherries about 10-miles northeast of Hollister on what now is called Pacheco Valley Pass. It can be visited by taking FM 1568 North, merging into CA Hwy 156 North from the town of Hollister. It is at this location that the business flourished and expanded during the following decades into the multi-faceted enterprise that it is today, still owned and operated by Bisceglia family descendants.
 |
| Original Casa de Fruta fruit stand in Hollister, CA |
The original Casa de Fruta fruit stand still exists, and continues to provide travelers along the Pacheco Valley Pass/CA Hwy 152 with an impressive selection of locally-sourced fruits (fresh and dried), vegetables, nuts and condiments.
To me, it's a "local historical treasure".
==========================================
