Part Two.
My Badass Road Trip to California.
 

San Luis Obispo to Ojai, Ca.

After my time at the Madonna inn, I didn’t really have a plan. The question was, what to do next? 

 

Should I stay another night in San Luis Obispo, where I could hang out with my new pals I met the night before? Do I go back to San Francisco and get lost in my favourite city? Or do I head more south and see where it takes me?

 

The world was my oyster.

 

It was a hard choice. The final decision came down to a flipped coin; heading south won. I figured to myself, “I’ve gone this far; let’s do it.”

 

First stop: Solvang, California.

 

I had never heard of this town. The day before my journey down south, I ran into a lovely couple while thrifting in San Luis Obispo and they recommended checking out this small, unique town called Solvang. It’s a city in California's Santa Ynez Valley, known for its Danish-style architecture.

 

Why not stop and check it out? Apparently, they had a lot of delicious bakeries.

You don’t have to twist my rubber arm.

 

 

Just before entering the town of Solvang, I happened to come across a side-of-the-road tourist attraction called Ostrich Land. It was definitely a no-brainer to stop and hang out with some ostriches and emus (and I got to feed them too).

 

The best $7 USD I’ve spent.

 

Now, let’s head to this Dutch-style town. I could’ve spent way more time wandering this unique little town, but then probably would’ve eaten way too many of all the tasty treats.

 

Let’s wander more south. Why not Ojai?

 

Second Stop: Ojai (pronounced "OH-hi")

 

I thought it was pronounced Oh-ji-a.  I'm really good at sounding out words. Ha. 

 

How did I even hear about this small, tucked away town? A few months back, prior to having this California adventure on my mind, I had heard a certain celebrity mention this restaurant on a late-night talk show. I googled it and the food looked amazing. I had also just smoked some weed, so my taste buds were especially loving this restaurant in Ojai, California. I had never heard of Ojai before so I deep-dived into learning about this town and thought it was very unique. I said to myself, "If I'm ever in the area, I’ll have to check it out."

 

Fast forward a few months later. 

I was in the area. I checked it out.

 

California State Route 150, through Casitas Pass and the Los Padres National Forest, was my favourite part of my drive in California; it was so beautiful and I was in utter awe. I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’m from British Columbia. I appreciated every moment.

 

Made it to Ojai! It was dark and I was hungry. But guess what? This restaurant I wanted to eat at was closed … on a Tuesday. Oh well, next time?

 

After a long day of driving, I was pretty beat. I headed down to Ventura (a 25-minute drive from Ojai) to find a place to crash. On the way out of Ojai, I found a cute little inn. My gut told me to stop. So, I did. I had the best sleep. Bonus, there was also a jacuzzi tub in the room, which I definitely utilised.

 

The next morning, I went and walked around the town, met some cool people, and took in this new experience.

 

Ojai is pretty neat.

 

Oh, I should also mention I ran into that celebrity while I was having brunch. How strange is that? My mind was blown. Obviously, I was nervous and had an awkward conversation with him. I had to do it; I would have regretted it if I didn’t. But I do regret not telling him that he needs to make another Muppet movie.

 

After wandering the town and driving up the hill to catch a view of all the peach orchards, the sun was coming down, so I decided to drive back to San Francisco to spend Thanksgiving with Andy and his friends the following day.

 

After 6 hours of driving, singing car karaoke, and eating a delicious In-N-Out burger, I made it back to San Francisco safe and sound.

 

More to come on my BADASS road trip to California...

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Shot with Fujica ST801,

Nikon EM, Minolta AF-DL.

Kodak Gold 200, Fuji 400 35mm,

LomoChrome Purple 100–400 and Black & White expired film, 35mm.