Nicholas Canyon County Beach in Malibu, East of Leo Carrillo State Beach

Nicholas Canyon County Beach is 1 mile east of Leo Carrillo State Beach at 33850 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. This is a nice beach where you can hang out, fish, picnic, surf and go for a great walk in about 25 acres. There's a decent sized parking lot with 150 spaces available, as well as parking on PCH. Parking costs range from $3 to $10 (as of July 2019), depending on time of the year. There are also portable restrooms on hand as well as showers and picnic benches. More information at beaches.lacounty.gov/nicholas-canyon-beach.

LA County beach rules at https://beaches.lacounty.gov/la-county-beach-rules/ - as an fyi, animals (including dogs), alcohol, smoking, fires/BBQ and amplified music are allowed.

View from the top of hte staircase near the parking lot.

Bench yourself for some nice views of the Pacific Ocean.

View looking northwest towards Leo Carrillo.

INFORMATION ABOUT DOZENS OF LOCAL AREA BEACHES AT THIS LINK

Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page Followers Share Their Father's Day Plans

Bunnies pondering their Father’s Day plans.

In a recent drawing on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page, we asked folks what their Father’s Day weekend plans were. The response was outstanding and of course we’re going to share some highlights of these responses right here for future reference!

CVG Facebook Fan Selected Responses:

All the ladies in my family are going to cook for the amazing dads in our family. We are going to cook a traditional dish. Of course all of us are going to enjoy.

Chores at home and spending time together ❤️

My daughters and I will spend the morning baking my husband's favorite cake 🤪😊

We are going to church in the morning and then lunch with my husband's parents. Hopefully a relaxing day.

Both our kids will be over, we have not had any quality time since Christmas as we have been so busy with work, school, fixing house up and new puppy!

Channel Islands Harbor vintage boat show!

Church and family BBQ! (BBQ and lunch was a recurring theme).

Our Fathers Day plan is to bbq and play games with family and friends who have become family. Family is what my husband loves.

My husband and I are taking a Sunday drive along Mulholland and having dinner at PF Chang’s (lettuce wraps)

We have planned a family hike through Wildwood Park and then home for waffles!
We will be spoiling my husband with Fathers Day gifts and taking him out for lunch at Cheesecake Factory, one of his favorite places to eat. Not a bad day at all.

Going to the beach😎

Finney’s with my family, and seeing my father in law after!!

Going to the Channel Islands car show in the morning followed by bbqing at home with family 💙

Dinner at Bandits tonight. Miss the crowd!

BBQ swim party with family

My three boys and I are surprising my husband by making an omelette bar (*which is huge, cause I don’t cook 😂) and then we are all going bowling! 🎳

Spending time together as a family, and letting dad sleep in!

Taking my dad to breakfast then for a walk in Oak Canyon Park!

We don’t have plans for this Sunday for Father’s Day as my daughter's father (my hubby) is serving overseas. But he will be visiting later this month...so we will celebrate then ❤️ Happy Father’s Day to all you wonderful daddies out there, near or far xoxo.

We are going to church and then out to a Fathers Day lunch at my favorite place. Then a nap 💤.

Here are some more ideas for future Father’s Day or any day for that matter plans:

OVER 50 THINGS TO DO IN THOUSAND OAKS

LOCAL AREA BEACHES

LOCAL HIKING AND TRAILS

LOCAL AREA CAMPING

BIKE PATHS IN AND AROUND VENTURA COUNTY

Filmed at Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, "The Biggest Little Farm" Documentary Is a Must See

My kids had no idea what the film was about. I had heard good things about “The Biggest Little Farm,” and on a hot Sunday afternoon we headed over to the Regency Westlake Village to catch the 1 pm screening.

The Biggest Little Farm is a documentary that follows the dreams of John and Molly Chester and their dog, Todd., as they achieve their dream of creating a certified biodynamic farm. This farm happens to be Apricot Lane Farms, located right here in Moorpark (10700 Broadway Road).

Prior to pursuing the farm, Molly was a private chef and food blogger, while John was a career documentary filmmaker.

The film was truly an engaging tale of how these farmers found the inspiration to create their dream, enlist the help of many others - investors and support team - build the farm and sustain it, encounter numerous obstacles and challenges, and find creative solutions to these challenges.

It was a wonderful film to bring the kids to see. The film brought a lump to my throat many a time. The farm animals played a large part in the film and led us through emotions of joy to sadness, cheerfulness and grief. The story flowed nicely and the hour and a half brought not a dull moment.

While most of us would never entertain the thought of opening a farm, the lessons of perseverance and finding clever solutions in the film is of value to all. I’m glad I brought my teenage sons to the film.

Visit www.thebiggestlittlefarmmovie.com for showtimes at local theaters. Highly recommended!

Learn more about Apricot Lane Farms at www.apricotlanefarms.com. Their produce, meat, eggs and products are available at the Thousand Oaks Farmers’ Market and Calabasas Farmers’ Market, as well as at the Erewhon store in Calabasas.

Annual Hay Bale Sighting in Hidden Valley

Every year in the May/June time frame we are greeted by this display of hay bales on the farms lining Potrero Road in Hidden Valley. This annual sight reminds us that we are about to enter the summer months.

SWIMMING AND WATER PLAY IN VENTURA COUNTY

LOCAL AREA BEACHES IN MALIBU TO CARPINTERIA

SUMMER FAMILY MOVIES IN VENTURA COUNTY

Annual Bloom of Matilija Poppies at Conejo Valley Botanic Garden in Thousand Oaks

The Conejo Valley Botanic Garden in Thousand Oaks is home to thousands of Matilija Poppies and they are blooming like crazy right now!

The Matilija Poppy bears the largest flowers of any California Native plant, up to 9" in diameter. They bloom in late spring to early summer.

The Chumash enjoyed this plant that was named after Chief Matilija and his tribe in the early 1800s. Matilija is pronounced ma-til-a-hah (not jah).

The genus of this plant is "Romneya," named after Irish astronomer John Thomas Romney Robinson. Romneya produce the largest flowers of any members of the poppy family.

Go check em out!

Oakbrook Regional Park in Thousand Oaks Back Open to the Public Post-Woolsey Fire

Oakbrook Regional Park sustained quite a bit of burn damage from the Woolsey Fire of November 2018 and was closed to the public for a number of months. The popular replica Chumash village was destroyed by the fire.

The good news is that the park is now back open and most of the trees, many with visible blackened trunks, are recovering and showing distinct signs of regrowth.

Docents from the Chumash Indian Museum are organizing an effort to rebuild the popular replica village and are raising funds on a GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/chumash-indian-museum-wildfire-fund to support this effort. They are also seeking volunteers to help place the tule (plant used for Chumash house structures) on the aps (traditional Chumash houses).

New Chumash houses (or “aps”) in process of being built.

26.2 Miles or Bust: Marathons Within a One Hour Range of Ventura County

The marathon has an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards). Most of us marathoners refer to it as a 26.2 mile race. Let's put some perspective on that. We're talking roughly the distance from the Muvico Theater in Thousand Oaks to Downtown Ventura (Main St at California St).

FindMyMarathon.com shows that there have been over 500,000 marathon finishers annually in the United States in recent years. That’s a lot of mileage!

Until fairly recently, there were no marathons run on Ventura County soil. When I began running in the mid 1990s, the closest marathons to us were in Los Angeles, Santa Clarita and Culver City. Now there are marathons in Ventura, Ojai and Camarillo.

While it's fun to travel to faraway lands to run a marathon, there's something to be said for sleeping in your own bed, waking up early, and driving out to run a local marathon. So how about a rundown of local marathons within a one hour range of Ventura County!

Los Angeles Marathon (www.lamarathon.com)

• Time of Year: A Sunday usually in March

• Course Description: The course route has changed a number of times over the years, but most recently the point to point "Stadium to the Sea" route from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica Pier has proved extraordinarily popular. The course takes you through sections of Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. There are race day shuttles that take runners from Santa Monica to the start.

• Other Events: 5K

• Pricing: Registration starts at $175 for the 2020 event on March 7, 2020.

• Other: On a personal note, I set my personal best time on this course back in 1997. This is THE race to do if you enjoy lots of crowd support along the course.

Mountains to Beach Marathon (www.mountains2beachmarathon.com)

• Time of Year: Late May; generally last Sunday of May.

• Course Description: Point to point course that starts with a 10K loop in Ojai, then 10 miles of bike path to the Ventura oceanfront, down the Ventura Keys to Marina Park and back to the Ventura Pier. Net downhill of 700 feet makes this a fast course.

• Other Events: Half Marathon, 5K

• Pricing: 2019 event pricing ranged from $99 (early bird) to $134.

Camarillo Marathon (www.camarillomarathon.com)

• Time of Year: The Camarillo Marathon is now in the mid-August time frame.

• Course: Starts at Pleasant Valley Fields, goes along the Camarillo Bike Path and nearby roads. New course.

• Other Events: Half Marathon, 5K, 10K

• Pricing: $130 for the August 11, 2019 event.

Lexus Ventura Marathon (www.venturamarathon.com)

• Time of Year: The inaugural event was Sunday, September 8, 2013. The event now takes place in mid to late October on a Sunday.

• Course Description: The course starts in Ojai down the bike path to finish at the Ventura Pier. There were 687 finishers in the 2018 event

• Other Events: Half marathon, 5K, kids fun run, bike rides.

• Pricing: Pricing for 2019 event currently $120 to $130.

Finish line of the Inaugural Ventura Marathon on September 8, 2013.

Santa Clarita Marathon (www.scmarathon.org)

• Time of Year: Generally runs on the 1st Sunday in November

• Course Description: The course starts and finishes at the Valencia Town Center and has a number of out and back turns, mostly along bike paths. One of the more low key marathons in the area, with around 350 to 400 finishers.

• Other Events: Half marathon, 5K, Kid K

• Pricing: Usually in the $80 to $100 range. Registration opens July 1st for 2019 event on Nov 3rd

Seaside Marathon (www.seasidemarathon.com )

• Time of Year: Mid-February

• Course Description: Two out and back runs along the boardwalk and bike path and shoulder of Highway 1 in Ventura. (Same course as Surfer's Point Marathon.)

• Other Events: Half marathon, 5K

• Pricing: Pricing for the 2020 event ranges up to $130 depending on timing.

Surfer's Point Marathon (www.surferspointmarathon.com)

• Time of Year: Sunday in mid-November

• Course Description: Course is along the ocean/Highway 101, starting at Emma Wood State Beach Group Campground in Ventura.

• Other Events: Half marathon, 5K, 10K

• Pricing: Ranges from $95 to $130 for the 2019 event on November 10th

Just a little farther but still possible to commute to if you are an early riser:

jetBlue Long Beach Marathon (www.motivrunning.com/run-longbeach)

• Time of Year: Early to mid-October range on a Sunday

• Course Description: I've run the Long Beach Marathon several times and it is probably the most twisty, turny course I've ever run, yet it is still a reasonably flat and fast course. It starts and finishers in the heart of downtown Long Beach near Shoreline Village. There are sections along the beach, then it turns inland, up and around Cal State Long Beach, and back to the finish. Generally over 2,000 finishers.

• Other Events: Half marathon is hugely popular

• Pricing: $129 for the 2019 race

Surf City Marathon (formerly Pacific Shoreline Marathon) (www.runsurfcity.com)

• Time of Year: Generally run on the 1st Sunday of February

• Course Description: Much of course runs on PCH, streets and bike paths in and around the Huntington Beach Pier with views of the Pacific Ocean. This race generally sells out each year with between 2,000 and 2,500 participants.

• Other Events: Half marathon

• Pricing: $100 for 2019 race

OC Marathon (www.ocmarathon.com)

• Time of Year: Generally takes place the first Sunday of May

• Course Description: The marathon starts in Newport Beach, runs past Balboa Island in kind of a figure eight-ish pattern in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and adjacent cities. The race generally has around 2,000 participants. The race finishes at the OC Fair and Event Center.

• Other Events: Half marathon and 5K

• Pricing: 2019 event starts at just $80!

Marathons No More

There was a Pasadena Marathon in recent years but organizers announced it has been cancelled.

Malibu Marathon was cancelled in 2014, though the half marathon and 5K continue on (www.malibuintmarathon.com).

The Santa Barbara International Marathon also ran its final event in 2014, though a Veterans Day Half Marathon continues. www.sbmarathon.com

Looking for marathons around the world? My favorite place to find them is www.MarathonGuide.com. They do a great job of compiling a massive amount of information strictly about marathons.

CLICK HERE for other local races...5K, 10K, half marathon, etc.

I've run over 30 marathons or so through the years and periodically babble on about my training, experiences and other random running and training related items THIS LINK.

And last but not least, here are 26.2 training tips for running your first marathon.