Our weekend outing to Lake Casitas, on an artificial island in a Ventura County reservoir some 80 miles south of Los Angeles, was my first camping trip since Girl Scouts, and this time there was no sit-upon or mess kit. Camping today is a first-class affair, with all the creature comforts of home to go along with all the creatures, and the rest of nature.
From the moment we pulled up to the front gates of Lakes Casitas Recreation Area (http://lakecasitas.info), we felt at home. The park rangers and the camp host were exceedingly helpful and friendly. We lucked out in reserving a primo campsite, Angler A-1, which was everything the Lake Casitas website had promised. The site was the perfect size for our two-family party, consisting of four adults and two preschool children. It boasted a beautiful view of the lake, a canopy of shade trees, a grassy play area, proximity to the marina, electric hook ups and unlimited water and sewage.
Trailer Treasure
Our set-up consisted of an 18-foot Mallard Sport camper from Casitas Trailer Rentals. The veteran camper among us, Merritt, remarked immediately upon entering that it, “Smells fresh.” Indeed, the camper was spic and span top to bottom and extremely well maintained. It had a double bed with a bunk above it, a sofa bed, and a dinette that could convert to a bed. Our entire party could have slept in the camper, snuggly albeit, but our friends chose to sleep under the starts in a 9x9 tent next to the camper.
We backed up our Suzuki Grand Vitara Ultima and used the SUV’s spacious rear cargo area to store coolers, lounge chairs, towels, fishing poles and other extra gear. The car’s full-time four-wheel drive and touch-screen navigation also came in handy cruising around the campsite and the local Ventura sites, and the traffic info feature helped us avoid some delays on our 80-mile trip each way from Los Angeles to Ventura and back.
Go Jump in the Lake - NOT
No body contact is permitted at Lake Casitas because it is a drinking reservoir, but the temptation to take a dip is mitigated by the park’s Water Adventure, an enormous water park that features a long and winding lazy river, a shallow kiddie play area with fountains, water cannons and other creative climbing and sliding structures and plenty of lounge chair seating, including shady spots available by reservation.
Even though no swimming or water skiing is allowed, there is still plenty to do on the lake, like boating and fishing. Casistas Boat Rentals (http://casitasboatrentals.com) at the marina offers motor boats, patio deck boats, kayaks, canoes and paddle boats by the hour or day. We enjoyed tooling around the island in the center of the lake in the six-passenger motor boat one day; and on our second day we cruised, fished and had lunch on a 12-passenger deck boat, which was covered by a shade canopy – which is highly recommended on hot sunny days.
Inn-ward Bound
We weren’t ready to go home yet, but after three days of roughing it – after all, we opted out of cable TV hook ups -- we went into the town of Ojai where we stayed overnight at the Casa Ojai Inn (www.ojaiinn.com), where we immediately hit the salt-water pool and Jacuzzi. The hotel is well-priced compared to some of the boutique inns and resorts in Ojai, and it was a comfortable and welcome retreat from, well, our retreat. The room was nicely furnished, and after being unplugged for several days, we were happy to have free wi-fi and Direct TV. The inn also offers a complimentary continental breakfast and free passes to the nearby Bryant Street Gym, though we didn’t have energy this trip for the latter.
The inn is close to the Ojai Village, which features a plethora of quaint shops, restaurants, galleries and spas. At the town’s center is the adorable Libbey Park, where my son made fast friends with some local kids playing in a little creek adjacent to the park. The park features large oak trees, a playground, tennis courts, and a beautiful amphitheater with a chine gateway that plays music when you pass under it.
At the end of our stay, we were refreshed and ready to go back to LA. After a quick stop at Ojai Ice Cream for a double-scoop and then shopping for a couple souvenirs from Kingston’s Candy Company and Serendipity Toys, we piled back into the Grand Vitara for an easy afternoon drive back to Los Angeles. We were sad to see the pink mountains of Ojai fade out of sight, but it won’t be long before we go back again.
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