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Ojai Valley is surrounded by the 5,000-foot-high drew the Chumash to the valley has been cele-
Topatopa and Santa Ynez Mountains to the north brated through the years and many believe today
and the 3,000-foot-high Sulphur Mountain to the that Ojai is a ‘vortex’ — an unseen force that concen-
south. The Chumash natives, whose ancestors set- trates energy,” according to the inn’s history. Some
tled this valley more than 10,000 years ago, be- think this vortex is owed to the valley’s unusual east-
lieved “the valley holds mystical powers and that a west positioning while others say the stratified
magnification of energy exists exuding a peaceful mountain rocks are inlaid with quartz that harnesses
sacredness that can be felt,” according to some his- energy. Good vibrations abound.
tory shared by the much-loved Ojai Valley Inn. Hike a trail here in one of several open spaces
After just one afternoon there, I felt so relaxed managed by the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (http-
and rejuvenated, I actually asked some locals if we s://ovlc.org). OVLC manages about 27 miles of trails
were, in fact, in a vortex. “This energy that first in several preserves in the valley.
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