Page 186 - WDT Magazine Egypt

take you to those special vortex places, but any trail will
transport you to the natural beauty of this gorgeous
valley.
After my hike, I lunched at The Farmer and the Cook,
on the road to the Ventura River Preserve. I had never
forgotten my meal here years ago when I had its ve-
gan cashew cheese taquitos. This time I had the potato
flautas, which were just as memorable.
The Ojai Valley Inn also offers complementary bicy-
cles for its guests, and I rode one from the inn to the
Ojai Valley Trail, which takes you right into town. But
this trail also skirts the town and for 9.5 miles follows a
former railroad line to offer a dedicated path for hikers,
bicyclists and equestrians all the way west to Ventura.
A fellow I met on the trail told me he often bicycles
all the way to the ocean — about 15 miles, he said —
which is a lot easier on the way back, he added, if you
have an electric bike, like the one he rented in town.
The inn’s Discover Ojai Center opened in late 2016
to create experiences for guests that spotlight the spe-
cialties of Ojai Valley — guided hiking, olive and winery
tours, art gallery tours — as well as those adventures
on the nearby sea, from sailing to fishing.
At the inn’s Artist Cottage and Apothecary, where
you can dabble in plein air painting or custom fra-
grance blending, I did two things that I loved: I painted
an Ojai river rock and created a succulent planter. With
guidance from the staff, I chose a smooth, small rock
and tried to paint an oak tree — I am not a good artist,
but I loved this activity. And when I was set up at the
succulent bar under The Wishing Tree, an enormous
live oak off the cottage patio, I could choose any ves-
sel and any plants to which I added some of the tiny
colored pebbles to evoke the sparkle of my moment. I
will cherish these mementos.
But perhaps my best activity at Ojai Valley Inn was
The Bee Experience. Meeting at the Discover Ojai
Center, Glenn Perry, a beekeeper for 27 years, drove
me by golf cart to the aviary on the resort’s property.
Covering up in a bee suit, we headed for Perry’s hives
where he explained to me the bees’ amazing work.
“I have a unique spiritual, medical and scien-
tific connection which gives me an understanding of
bees,” he told me. “The more you’ve worked with them,
the more you admire them. They continually transform
the way I look at the world.” He then shared with me a

186 WDT MAGAZINE SUMMER 2018