Conejo Valley Namesake - The Rabbit

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Yes indeed, there are a LOT of rabbits in the Conejo Valley, or Valley of the Rabbits! This little guy was seen at Cheeseboro Canyon in Agoura Hills. Looking for some great hiking, running and cycling? You'll find plenty of it there!

Rabbits like to run. How about training for an upcoming 5K or 10K? Great way to stay fit while enjoying the camaraderie of a local group run. CLICK HERE for upcoming local races!

Beautiful Views of Newbury Park, Conejo Valley and the Western Plateau

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Last Sunday I decided to hike up the hills that are adjacent to the Seventh Day Adventist Center and Home Depot/Target Plaza in Newbury Park. These hills overlook Newbury Park and provide a panoramic view of the Conejo Valley and portions of the Conejo Canyons Open Space in northwest Thousand Oaks. What an amazing view! Thousand Oaks is surrounded by a 15,000 acre ring of open space. To learn more about our open space, visit the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency website at www.conejo-openspace.org.

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Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone - "Snow Daze" by Chuck Trunks

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The latest work of Camarillo artist Chuck Trunks entitled "Snow Daze" depicts a snow man looking frazzled over the transition from winter to summer. We all feel some degree of discomfort when moving out of our own comfort zones; and sometime all we need is a little push. See Trunks' other work on Conejo Valley Guide by clicking here.

Interesting and Amazing Facts and Tidbits About LEGO® Blocks

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My kids are LEGO® fanatics and I'm constantly being nagged for new LEGO sets. Our house must have thousands of dollars of them. So recently we visited the only LEGO store within an hour range of the Conejo Valley, at the Glendale Galleria. To make it a full day, we stopped by the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park for mini-train rides. Needless to say, they loved the LEGO store and we spent quite a bit of time exploring.

Some amazing facts about LEGO bricks and products (Source: Lego.com):

  • There are over 915 million ways to combine 6 8-stud LEGO bricks. Go try it for yourself! The exact number of combinations is 915,103,765.
  • The LEGO Group made over 31 billion LEGO elements in 2010, or 1,000 per second.
  • There are over 3,900 LEGO elements and 58 different LEGO colors.
  • Over 400 million children and adults will play with LEGO bricks this year.
  • Laid end to end, the LEGO bricks sold in one year would circle the earth 10 times.
  • With over 300 million tires produced each year, LEGO is the world's largest tire maker.
  • Nearly half a TRILLION LEGO elements have been manufactured over the years.
  • Over the years, an estimated 4 BILLION LEGO minifigures have been produced, making them the world's largest population group!
  • There are 4 LEGOLAND® parks in the world, including Denmark, England, California and Germany. A new LEGOLAND, the largest ever, will open in Florida (midway between Tampa and Orlando) in mid-October 2011! A 6th park is planned in Malaysia in 2012.
  • Our "local" LEGOLAND here in Carlsbad, California opened in 1999 using 35 million LEGO brocks in the park's 15,000 LEGO models.

The name LEGO originated in 1934 when Ole Kirk Kristiansen took the Danish words LEG GODT "play well" and created the name that has become a household word. The LEGO Group is very protective of its brand...they require the following:

  • LEGO should always be written in capital letters.
  • LEGO must not be used as a generic term or in the plural (e.g. LEGOs).
  • When used as part of a noun, LEGO must not appear on its own (e.g. LEGO bricks).

ROCK ON, LEGO!

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Latest Work of Camarillo Artist Chuck Trunks: "Signs"

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The latest work of Camarillo abstract artist Chuck Trunks (previous work posted here) juxtoposes scenes and experiences from his life with components of texts and emails. I think. Well, that's my interpretation of this interesting and unique piece :>

Speaking of texts and tweets and such, make sure to follow CVG for updates at www.twitter.com/ConejoJoe and www.facebook.com/ConejoValleyGuide.

Looking for a job in and around Ventura County? Check out THIS LIST of over 200 local company job websites.

Go take a hike at some of these local trails and hiking venues.

Get involved at one of these 70 or so local service organizations.

6th Annual Amgen Tour of California Final Stage Will Finish in Thousand Oaks on Sunday, May 22nd

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Route details have been announced for Stage 8! Race starts in Santa Clarita at McBean Parkway and Magic Mountain Parkway to the 126 West through Piru/Fillmore. Then it cuts south to the hilly Balcom Canyon Road to Stockton Road, then east on Los Angeles Avenue in Moorpark. From there it goes south on Tierra Rejada Road on to Moorpark Road and the Norwegian Grade...ouch! Up and over the top of the grade to Olsen Road west, then boy is it gonna be a blistering pace down Lynn Road! The cyclists will turn left (east) on Hillcrest to what looks to be Old Conejo School Road (adjacent to The Lakes), and from there it will be another 5 lap, 4 mile per lap circuit that includes Thousand Oaks Boulevard and ends at the T.O. Civic Arts Plaza (Thousand Oaks Blvd and Conejo School Road). There will be miles and miles of great race coverage in Thousand Oaks!

Amgen Tour Street Closure Map in Thousand Oaks this Sunday

View 2011 Amgen Tour City of Thousand Oaks Route with Street Closu­­res/­R­oad Blocks in a larger map

The 6th Annual Amgen Tour of California will take place over 8 days, from May 15-22, 2011. This year's event starts in a new location, South Lake Tahoe, on May 15th. From there it goes to North Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Auburn, Modesto, Livermore, San Jose, Seaside, Paso Robles, Solvang, Claremont, Mount Baldy, Santa Clarita...and, finally...THOUSAND OAKS once again in the 8th Stage finale on Sunday, May 22nd. Over 800 miles of riding. The Thousand Oaks final stage will finish at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Last year's final stage in Thousand Oaks had 128 cyclists and 63 finishers. Hopefully we will see many of the same from last year's top 5, winner Michael Rogers, 2nd place David Zabriskie, 3rd place Levi Leipheimer (winner of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 events), 4th place Christoper Horner and 5th place Ryder Hesjedal. Lance Armstrong rode in the 2010 event but had to bow out after a crash in Stage 5.

For more information, visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com or the City of Thousand Oaks Stage 8 website at www.amgentourconejo.org.

Watching the Sun Set Down the Camarillo Grade by John B. Mueller

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Photographer John B. Mueller took this great shot of the sunset looking down the Camarillo grade. I've tried capturing this shot while driving down the grade but have never been successful. John did it right by actually getting out of the car at Camarillo Grove Park, climbing the hills and waiting for the right moment. Kudos and thanks to him for sharing it! Visit his website at www.johnbmueller.com and his Facebook page to see more of his work.

Speaking of Camarillo. Here are some upcoming Camarillo events, things to do in Camarillo, fitness and sports activities in Camarillo and kids fun and activities in Camarillo.