Views Abound at the Zev Yaroslavsky Las Virgenes Highlands Park in Calabasas

In greener times (April 2018).

The Zev Yaroslavsky Las Virgenes Highlands Park is located on Las Virgenes Road, just south of Mureau Road and north of Highway 101 in Calabasas.

In greener times (April 2018).

This is not a park in the traditional sense, with grass, a playground and BBQs. This park is nearly 200 acres of grasslands dotted with oak trees facing drivers on the 101 as they reach the bottom of the Calabasas Grade.

A steep trail takes you to peaks that offer panoramic views towards the Santa Monica Mountains, Agoura Hills, Calabasas,  Simi Hills and beyond.

View from near the top facing south.

These photos were taken in November 2015, after four years of drought. After the winter rains, these hills green up quite nicely.

The land is also known as "Firehouse Hill" as it is situated next to Los Angeles County Fire Station 125 on Las Virgenes Road.

To access the park from the 101 coming east, you go north on Las Virgenes and there's a small, dirt parking lot on the left. Problem is, there's no left hand turn lane to the lot and there are "No U Turn" signs for like a mile. So you could make right on Mureau Road and turn around and make a left turn back onto Las Virgenes to get to the parking area. Or you can drive half a mile north and do a U turn at Thousand Oaks Blvd.

This land was acquired by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) for $6.25 million in 2010. It was previously owned by Fred Sands and at one point was owned by Bob Hope. 

The park was named in honor of former long-time L.A. County Supervisor and City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, who retired from office in 2014. Zev worked with a coalition of parties to make this preservation of land happen.

About MRCA: MRCA is a local government public entity established in 1985. It is a local partnership between state agency Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. The MRCA is dedicated to the preservation and management of local open space and parkland, watershed lands, trails, and wildlife habitat. MRCA manages and provides ranger services for almost 72,000 acres of public lands and parks that it owns and that are owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy or other agencies and provides comprehensive education and interpretation programs for the public.

Orange Clouds in the Conejo Valley Skies on the First Sunset of November 2020

Yesterday was Halloween and today was the end of Daylight Saving Time as well as the beginning of November 2020. The skies turned bright orange tonight in celebration of this final stretch of 2020.

The Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard is a Ventura County Crown Jewel (Closing Its Doors February 10, 2024)

On January 17, 2024, the Mullin Automotive Museum announced it will be closing its doors on Saturday, February 10th, in light of the passing of Peter Mullin in September 2023. More information at THIS LINK.

The 46,000 square foot Mullin Automotive Museum in Downtown Oxnard is spectacular!

Open only a few days a month to the general public, this is one museum that is a MUST SEE. The autos, made by Bugatti, Voisin, Delahaye, Delage, Talbot-Labo, Hispano-Suiza, Renault, Peugeot and others, are works of art from the 1930s and 1940s, when autos were more than transportation. In addition to the autos, there are representative furnishings and works of art from the era on display.

Visit www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com and reserve a visit. The photos and video footage below are great but don't come anywhere close to a visit in person!

The museum will be reopening on November 6, 2020 after closure due to the pandemic.

The California True Colors Garden and Learning Center in Thousand Oaks

The California True Colors Garden and Learning Center in front of the Goebel Senior Adult Center in Thousand Oaks is a cooperative project with the University of California Master Gardener Program, Calleguas Muncipal Water District, Conejo Recreation and Park District and the City of Thousand Oaks.

The Garden, located at 1385 East Janss Road in Thousand Oaks, is adjacent to the Thousand Oaks Library and surrounded by plenty of parking. It was established in 2011 to provide the public with examples of plants and practices to conserve water, reduce maintenance and pollution, while offering beauty and a habitat for wildlife.

The mission of the University of California Master Gardener Program is “To extend research based knowledge and information on home horticulture, pest management, and sustainable landscape practices to the residents of California and be guided by our core values and strategic initiatives." Learn more about the Ventura County Master Gardeners Program at ucanr.edu/sites/VCMG.

The Garden contains plenty of California "all star" plants that are well suited to our dry environment. You will find truly "water-wise" plants, grasses and trees here. It is also a training ground for the Master Gardener program. Go check it out next time you're over there!

The Historic Elizabeth Bard Memorial Building in Downtown Ventura

Elizabeth Bard Memorial Building in Downtown Ventura is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Elizabeth Bard Memorial Building is located at Fir and Poli Streets in Ventura. Built in 1901, it operated as the Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital for 30 years. This building, listed as a Ventura Historic Landmark and added to the coveted National Register of Historic Places in 1977, is a Mission Revival structure featuring covered terraces and a covered porch with a three-story bell tower at the southeast corner.

In 1932 the building was sold to the County of Ventura and was used as county offices and as a detention facility. Eventually it fell into disrepair and was sold to private investors in 1982, after which it was extensively renovated...but the external facades were preserved.

Now it is home to a variety of businesses. Yours truly worked in this building for about a year many years ago. Great location! Close to the Ventura Botantical Gardens Trail, which is making a comeback from the Thomas Fire of 2017.

While the building is not open to the general public (unless you are visiting one of the businesses located in it), it is worth admiring this beautiful and historic part of Ventura County.

Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital in 1910.

Point Mugu Missile Park in Port Hueneme

Naval Base Ventura County hosts "Missile Park" at the juncture of Wood Road and Naval Air Road in Port Hueneme. It is roughly 20 miles from central Thousand Oaks. Take the 101 west to Lewis Road south, then left on Wood Road until it ends at Missile Park. You can't miss it!

While it is called a park, Missile Park is primarily an interesting display of various aircraft and missiles that have been tested at the Naval Base since World War II.

Aircraft on display include an F-14 Tomcat and an F-4 Phantom II. The Phantom II was a two seat, tandem, twin-engine, all weather, long range supersonic jet interceptor fighter that was in service from 1960 to 1996. The Tomcat is a supersonic, two seat, twin-engine fighter craft. The F-14A on display was the 24th F-14 Tomcat manufactured by Grumman Aerospace Corporation and was last flown in January 1993. It belongs to the National Museum of Naval Aviation and is on permanent display at Missile Park.

There is quite a wide array missiles on display at the park, including an AMRAAM missile, Regulus submarine-launched missile, Sidewinder missile, the Loon missile (an American copy of the German V-1), the BQM-34S "Firebee" Aerial Target, the Polaris ballistic missile, Petrel torpedo, Harpoon missile, Phoenix air-to-air missile, Bullpup air-to-surface missile and others.

There is a small parking area at Missile Park, a picnic bench, trash receptacles, but nothing else, other than the displays. No restrooms. Open daily from sunrise to sunset. 

Ventura and Oxnard Historical Pictures, Courtesy of the U.C. Cooperative Extension

The University of California Cooperative Extension brings research-based information to Californians.  It is an educational outreach program, that, with the help of thousands of volunteers, assists with nutrition and 4-H youth development programs, agriculture, horticulture, natural resources, gardening and other areas.  For more information, visit http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu.

Through the UCCE website I came across this really neat slideshow with historical pictures of Ventura and Oxnard from mid to late 1800s to the early 1900s.  The slideshow was originally created in 1963.  There are interesting and informative descriptions with each photo.  Many thanks to Steve Griffin of the U.C. Cooperative Extension in Ventura who patched the original pictures and descriptions together to make this available to the public.