Natural hot springs. They are supposed to be everywhere here. And do you think I have been able to sit in EVEN ONE yet??? Every attempt thwarted. Stormy weather. Lost. Four hours off my route. Closed. Bacteria ridden.
So I took matters in hand and struck off into the mountains following my trusty Google map. Who cares if it takes 2 hours to get there. I'm going to sit in a hot spring, damn it.
After driving for several hours, I began to suspect that I was heading in the wrong direction. Some careful scrutiny of my AAA map and comparison with the tiny Google map I had copied onto my phone revealed to me that Google had sent me south instead of north. I was now four hours away from the hot springs, and dusk was approaching. I stopped at a ranger station, which was closed, and looked at the map of camping areas. There was one about a half hour north that looked promising, so I struck out.
Highway 33 took me through stunning mountain scenery, on perilous winding roads, before I turned off on Rose Creek road and followed it to the promised campsite. And there indeed it was...a loop of drive with about 15 campsites, tucked close to each other. There were about 2 still unoccupied. I pulled into one, got out, and wandered over to the only campsite that showed signs of life...a dozen Hispanic men wearing army fatigues and talking loudly at each other around an illegal campfire. I walked up and conversation stopped. "Hello!" said one moustached man in a beret. I timidly asked if this was free camping, as I hadn't seen any signs about paying. "Oh yes," they said, "It's free. Well, not exactly free...you need to have an Adventure Pass. But it's only $5. You get it from the ranger. But if you don't have one you get fined $50."
"Oh," I said. "Oh dear. The ranger's office was closed. I don't have a pass. But I have nowhere to sleep..."
"Well," one guy piped up, "I say, just camp! The ranger already passed by today. If you leave early in the morning, he won't see you."
Ok! My illegal adventures continue! No other choice, really.
I pulled my van into a great, partly secluded spot. All the other spots had filled in. I started to get some things out of the van to cook supper, when what should appear down the lane but...THE RANGER'S TRUCK! What the...! I hastily threw my stuff back in the van, but there was no way to quietly pull out of my spot and just look like I was passing through...he would see me.
It was now almost dark. The ranger stopped near the entry sign, on the other side of the bushes and about 50 feet down from my site. I threw myself into some nearby scrub brush, crouched, and waited. I could hear the ranger chatting loudly with a camper about some people who had been busted for carrying drugs. They talked...and talked. I was stuck. Ten minutes later, the camper finally walked away, the ranger slowly (sloooowly) drove around the loop , and then left. I extracted myself from the bush, brushed off some leaves, and decided to just eat salad.
Then two cars pulled in near my site, and in the dark I heard teenagers calling to each other between the cars. "It's full!" - "What are we going to do now?" - "I don't know..."
I walked down, strolled over to the cars, and said, "Hey...I'm on on a site right over there, and there's lots of room if you want to share. I'm sleeping in my van - you can put tents up if you want."
"Oh, thank you!" said the young girl heading up Car #1. "That's really nice of you!"
Fifteen minutes later, slightly regretting my decision, I watched as 6 rowdy teens spilled out of their cars, set up tents, turned on a radio, and started yelling to each other across my site. I slunk into my van, put up my curtains, changed, put in my earplugs, and called it an early night.
First thing in the morning, while the teens were still snoring, I headed out, back through the mountains down to the town of Ojai, where I had stopped the previous day on my way in. Perhaps I could find some strong coffee there.
So I took matters in hand and struck off into the mountains following my trusty Google map. Who cares if it takes 2 hours to get there. I'm going to sit in a hot spring, damn it.
After driving for several hours, I began to suspect that I was heading in the wrong direction. Some careful scrutiny of my AAA map and comparison with the tiny Google map I had copied onto my phone revealed to me that Google had sent me south instead of north. I was now four hours away from the hot springs, and dusk was approaching. I stopped at a ranger station, which was closed, and looked at the map of camping areas. There was one about a half hour north that looked promising, so I struck out.
Highway 33 took me through stunning mountain scenery, on perilous winding roads, before I turned off on Rose Creek road and followed it to the promised campsite. And there indeed it was...a loop of drive with about 15 campsites, tucked close to each other. There were about 2 still unoccupied. I pulled into one, got out, and wandered over to the only campsite that showed signs of life...a dozen Hispanic men wearing army fatigues and talking loudly at each other around an illegal campfire. I walked up and conversation stopped. "Hello!" said one moustached man in a beret. I timidly asked if this was free camping, as I hadn't seen any signs about paying. "Oh yes," they said, "It's free. Well, not exactly free...you need to have an Adventure Pass. But it's only $5. You get it from the ranger. But if you don't have one you get fined $50."
"Oh," I said. "Oh dear. The ranger's office was closed. I don't have a pass. But I have nowhere to sleep..."
"Well," one guy piped up, "I say, just camp! The ranger already passed by today. If you leave early in the morning, he won't see you."
Ok! My illegal adventures continue! No other choice, really.
I pulled my van into a great, partly secluded spot. All the other spots had filled in. I started to get some things out of the van to cook supper, when what should appear down the lane but...THE RANGER'S TRUCK! What the...! I hastily threw my stuff back in the van, but there was no way to quietly pull out of my spot and just look like I was passing through...he would see me.
It was now almost dark. The ranger stopped near the entry sign, on the other side of the bushes and about 50 feet down from my site. I threw myself into some nearby scrub brush, crouched, and waited. I could hear the ranger chatting loudly with a camper about some people who had been busted for carrying drugs. They talked...and talked. I was stuck. Ten minutes later, the camper finally walked away, the ranger slowly (sloooowly) drove around the loop , and then left. I extracted myself from the bush, brushed off some leaves, and decided to just eat salad.
Then two cars pulled in near my site, and in the dark I heard teenagers calling to each other between the cars. "It's full!" - "What are we going to do now?" - "I don't know..."
I walked down, strolled over to the cars, and said, "Hey...I'm on on a site right over there, and there's lots of room if you want to share. I'm sleeping in my van - you can put tents up if you want."
"Oh, thank you!" said the young girl heading up Car #1. "That's really nice of you!"
Fifteen minutes later, slightly regretting my decision, I watched as 6 rowdy teens spilled out of their cars, set up tents, turned on a radio, and started yelling to each other across my site. I slunk into my van, put up my curtains, changed, put in my earplugs, and called it an early night.
First thing in the morning, while the teens were still snoring, I headed out, back through the mountains down to the town of Ojai, where I had stopped the previous day on my way in. Perhaps I could find some strong coffee there.
When I got to Ojai (Oh-hi), I did indeed find coffee, and, while sucking back my caffeine, I perused the local independent newspaper. In the back was an ad for Meditation Mount...a retreat center advertising a donation-based meditative walk through their beautiful gardens on Saturday mornings at 9am. I looked at my watch. It was Saturday morning, 8am. I threw down the paper, dashed back to my car, and headed off to find this Meditation Mount. A meditative walk sounded good at this point in my journey.
I arrived at the gardens just in time for the walk to start. One other woman joined me and the guide as we wound our way through the beautiful gardens overlooking the mountains I had just driven through. Large rocks with inscribed words were placed every dozen feet or so along the path. Our guide read short meditations on the words - goodwill, communal work, stillness...- as we listened in the heat, hummingbirds and dragonflies buzzed around our heads. After reaching the end lookout point, we left the more contemplative tourist to ponder the view while I headed back up the path with the guide, determined to find out from her if there was anything else I could find to see in this area in the short hours I had left there.
"I'm touring alternative schools on my road trip," I told her. "Are there any schools around here?"
"Oh, quite a few," she said. "Hmm...There's a Krishnamurti school. I used to be the principal of it."
I arrived at the gardens just in time for the walk to start. One other woman joined me and the guide as we wound our way through the beautiful gardens overlooking the mountains I had just driven through. Large rocks with inscribed words were placed every dozen feet or so along the path. Our guide read short meditations on the words - goodwill, communal work, stillness...- as we listened in the heat, hummingbirds and dragonflies buzzed around our heads. After reaching the end lookout point, we left the more contemplative tourist to ponder the view while I headed back up the path with the guide, determined to find out from her if there was anything else I could find to see in this area in the short hours I had left there.
"I'm touring alternative schools on my road trip," I told her. "Are there any schools around here?"
"Oh, quite a few," she said. "Hmm...There's a Krishnamurti school. I used to be the principal of it."
Click the button above to find out about Krishnamurti, his teachings,
and to see a short video of him speaking in the orange grove in Ojai shortly before his death. |
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