By Jené Shaw
Join Bearfoot Theory founder Kristen Bor and friends as they travel along the Pacific coast on an adventure-filled vacation
1. What were the top three highlights of your trip to California’s Central Coast?
During our bike ride from Ojai to Ventura, Shelley, the owner of Ventura Bike Depot had strongly recommended we visit the Art City Gallery, located just around the corner from her bike shop. We wandered into this indoor/outdoor art gallery and studio and were not disappointed. There we saw some incredible stone sculptures, picked fresh fruit off a tree, and met a local artist-in-residence, Ramon, who showed us around. It was so worth the stop.
2. Can you tell us a bit about your bike ride in Ventura/Ojai?
The bike ride follows the Ventura River Trail which takes you from downtown to Ventura and out to Ojai. It’s also a part of the Rails to Trails Association. This is a beautiful route that is well-marked and easy to follow, so you can tune out and just enjoy the scenery. If you can, go during the spring while everything is green and it isn’t too hot yet. We rode past gorgeous rolling hills and vineyards, saw some wildlife, and took in all the history and culture of the place.
Oh, and stop at the Ventura Spirits Company if you’re there on a weekend!
3. What were the best things you ate and drank on this trip?
California is known for its fresh food and delicious meals, so the entire trip was chock full of good eats. However, Bob’s Well Bread Bakery was a standout, as were the overstuffed tacos at Beach House Tacos on the Ventura Pier. If you want to chow down on quintessential healthy California food, go to Food Harmonics in Ojai. Empty Bowl in the Santa Barbara Public Market has amazing Asian food. Go to Zaytoon for its outdoor dining atmosphere and really good Lebanese dishes that are great for sharing.
