Ojai, Ca

Camping and kayaking for the weekend! ...Or at least this was the plan.
Saturday morning we headed up to Lake Casitas with the dog and my dad's kayak for a day on the lake.  I grew up camping here and still love it as an adult because of its proximity to Ojai.  Ojai has a lot of great little shops and food so it makes for a good day trip destination.  When we made it to the gate we were immediately informed that the kayak had to go through an inspection (which included a 10 day quarantine) before it could be allowed on the lake.  So, kayaking was out.  ...Apparently there is some mussel invading California lakes and my recreational pass time.

The good news, we were able to get a spot in my favorite campground, Area C.  The gate workers were nice enough to lock our kayak in their storage for the weekend and then let us on our way.  We set up camp facing the creek that runs along the shaded campsites of Area C.  When we were finished setting up we decided to go for a walk and explore.  We ended up at the camp store and decided to buy some marshmallows to roast and some popcorn that was later burnt over the fire.  When we came back to the site we lounged around next to the fire until it was time to eat.  We grilled some burgers on our portable grill, including one for the dog, since someone forgot dog food...

After our meal Hubby mastered the fine art of marshmallow roasting but broodily failed at over the fire popcorn popping. After filling are bellies with sticky mallow goodness and letting the pup in on the action a bit we three headed into the tent for bed.

Photo Credit: Yelp via Chris W.

Photo Credit: Yelp via Connie T.

When we woke up Sunday morning we headed into town.  Apparently too early because all of the stores were still closed.  Just our luck.  So we decided to have brunch and stopped in at Knead Baking Company.  Hands down the best part of the weekend!
We happen to stop here because they had a large outdoor seating area so we could bring the dog.  When we walked up we noticed that it was cash or check only so my Hubby had to run down the street to an ATM while I stayed with the dog.  After arriving with cash and mulling over the not too large menu.  I chose the House Sandwich and my Husband chose the Quiche.  The house sandwich has prosciutto, cheddar, roasted tomato, mixed greens, and cornichon all on a freshly made Italian country roll.  They have four breads they make in house which make their sandwiches out of this world fresh and flavorful.  The Hubs quiche was good too!  We ended our meal with a pastry, that I allowed Hubby to pick for once so I don't know what it was called.  But it was also made fresh and had some kind of fruit in it, all you need to know is it was amazing.
Discovery of the weekend: If you find yourself in Ojai, stop at Knead!


Destination: Ojai, Ca
Points of Interest:
http://www.casitaswater.org/lower.php?url=camping
http://www.kneadbakingcompany.com/KNEAD/KNEAD.html