Ojai Revisited...

I had heard of a town called "Ojai" for the first time as I sat behind my desk at Men's Journal Magazine. Through some photo research, I learned that Ojai was a funky little town of beautiful hikes, camping, art galleries, and bookstores. I remember going onto Flickr, and searching through people's vacation photos of Ojai. After that, I noticed when people talked about Ojai. Then I found out that a friend who helped me move in New York was from Ojai. There was something special about this place, so I filed it away in my mind as a place I wanted to visit.


When my cousin Chelsea came into town last week, she was just as game for an adventure. I suggested we go to Ojai and explore for the day. It only took us about 40 minutes to drive there from Santa Barbara. It's located about 15 miles east of the ocean, tucked behind the mountains of Ventura.


The first thing that we did was stop by the local coffee shop. We asked one of the girls working there, if she had one day to spend in Ojai, what would she do? She immediately suggested the "hot springs". However, after the words "hot springs" came out of her mouth, she hesitated and said " well, as long as you don't tell anyone where they are, I'll give you the directions." So she called her friend to get the specifics, and we wrote them down anxiously.

Chelsea and I went there in the late afternoon. When we arrived, no one else was there. We were both awestruck at the beauty of this special place. It wasn't visible from the road, hidden behind bamboo and tall ferns. But as we proceeded down the steep dirt path, we began to see the pools through the clearing.




I have to say that these hot springs are perhaps the most beautiful I have visited. It is one of the few places where it feels like the earth opens up and seeps all things indescribable. Each pool is a different temperature, and the water is crystal clear. The glaciers and centuries of the earth shifting has helped these boulders and rocks create perfect pools. The bushes and trees shade the area so that you are provided protection from the hot sun. Red dragonflies buzz happily around, landing on a piece of bamboo, and then a wet stone, and then your fingertip. Every living thing, animate and inanimate lives in harmony. Sitting in those pools I felt so connected to the earth. I felt I was absolutely grounded, and creativity felt like it was pouring out of me.



I went back to Ojai this weekend to go camping. My friend drove up from LA and we camped further into the hills, but visited the hot springs numerous times. Each time we went, there were a few people from all walks of life. Some people who truly loved the space, and were there to soak in the baths to heal. Families came with their children. Some came with coolers of beer, liquor and tanning oil... But no matter who came to enjoy the baths probably left healed in some way, whether it was their intention or not.


Spending time in these hot springs energized me. Last week, I had a bit of a breakthrough with my photography. I decided to focus on portraits of female surfers. Being in these springs inspired me to follow that inspiration. I met a woman in the springs who lives in Ojai. She gave me some tips, and told me about a local diner where the local surfer girls work as waitresses.

Ojai is the bomb!!!