OJAI THERE DELIGHTING IN SMALL-TOWN LIFE.

Byline: Eric Noland Travel Editor

OJAI - Those who have wearied of Southern California's cookie-cutter suburbs are naturally drawn to Ojai, a small hamlet tucked into the mountains of western Ventura County. It stubbornly resists the notion that progress is evidenced by a Blockbuster, a Starbucks, left-turn arrows and convenient freeway on-ramps.

Ojai is the kind of town where three independent book stores thrive in a five-block stretch, where mature oak trees are allowed to create huge lumps in sidewalks and push aside stone walls, and where dogs follow their owners into shops and the proprietors don't so much as blink.

There's a lot to like about it. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of people doing the liking. On weekends, Ojai Avenue can lock up with the vehicles of urban refugees eager to bask in these small-town rhythms.

But if you park your car and walk, or explore Ojai's back roads, this can still be a beguiling place.

Here are some select places to shop, dine, sleep or wander off to:

Bart's Books: Imagine a bookworm purchasing a residence, then letting the collection get a bit out of control. This legendary store at the corner of Matilija and Canada streets has an inventory that exceeds 100,000 volumes, almost all of them secondhand, and the books spread into every corner - hallways, living room, kitchen, patios.

There is a semblance of order to it all, and the categories are all over the map: astronomy, religion, sex, ship's navigation, handicrafts, biography.

There are even books kept on shelves outside, and a lending-library sensibility prevails. Local residents or visitors can stop by after hours, pick up a book and return it when they've finished reading it. It's entirely on the honor system. Phone: [phone].

The Ranch House: The restaurant offers gourmet dining alongside a serene garden. It's just west of town, in the microscopic community of Meiners Oaks, on South Lomita Avenue (the only address it lists).

The French-influenced menu includes a half-dozen fresh fish entrees and a wide array of innovative salads. Main courses are in the low $20s, and can be complemented by a selection from an outstanding wine list.

Like many of the residents and businesses of Ojai, this is an establishment that is pugnacious in its nonconformity. Some notes on the menu declare that ``it is not a restaurant in the sense most people in the United States use that term - i.e., a corporate, ultra-business-like combination of things like portion control, convenience ingredients'' blah, blah, blah.

Phone: [phone]. Web: www.theranchhouse.com.

Ojai Valley Museum: You'll learn here that this town used to be called Nordhoff, after its founders. But a new name was sought in 1917 because there was a war on, and Nordhoff sounded so ... well, German.

You'll also learn that in the area's earliest days of settlement, there was a Chumash village at the east end of the valley. It was called Awhai, meaning ``moon'' (and have you seen the moon in the dark skies above this place?). When the Spanish explorers happened by and heard the name, the closest approximation they could come up with in their language was ``Ojai.''

The museum, housed in a former Mission Revival church that was built in 1919, has a fairly limited collection and isn't particularly well- organized. But it's worth a look if only for its array of old photographs.

It is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 130 W. Ojai Ave.; admission $3. Phone: [phone].

Gridley Trail: You can stretch your legs and gain a delightful view of the valley on this trail that meanders into the northern foothills.

Finding it is easy enough: From Ojai Avenue (the town's main street), drive up Gridley Road until it ends in a cul-de-sac. After parking there, backtrack on the road for about 100 feet and you'll find the trail entrance on the west side of the road.

It ascends along a creek through shrubbery that is almost tunnel-like, but you'll pick up that view as it emerges onto a service road above a citrus grove. If you're game, the trail climbs five miles to the summit of 4,485-foot Nordhoff Peak.

To get a hiking map, stop by the Ojai Ranger Station at 1190 E. Ojai Ave. They'll also sell you a Forest Adventure Pass - a euphemistic way of referring to a parking permit - in the event you want to wander into the Los Padres National Forest on Highway 33. (You do not need the pass to park on Gridley Road.)

Moon's Nest Inn: In addition to the popular Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, there are several bed-and-breakfast lodgings in Ojai, and this is among the more interesting.

It occupies the oldest building in Ojai, which was constructed in 1874 to serve as the first schoolhouse in the valley. It's a comfortable place, especially when proprietors Joan and Rich Assenberg are serving breakfast on a patio that overlooks the inn's garden or laying out appetizers and wine in the afternoon (all are included with the room rate).

The inn has five rooms with private bath (ranging upward from $130 per night) and two rooms that share a bath (ranging from $95). The rooms are tastefully appointed and extremely comfortable. If you want to sleep in, however, you might want to request something toward the back of the house; the rooms at the front pick up a lot of the hubbub of Ojai's town center coming to life in the morning.

The Moon's Nest Inn is at 210 E. Matilija St. Information and reservations: [phone].

Local Hero Books & Cafe: Another of those terrific independent book stores in this town, this one has an added feature: food and drink dispensed on the premises. There's something inviting about the smell of freshly brewing coffee as you're looking through the book titles.

Local Hero (254 E. Ojai Ave.) embraces Ojai's affinity for all things New Age. The section on ``body, mind and spirit,'' for example, is nearly as large as the one for fiction.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) At Bart's Books in Ojai, cases of volumes line the front of the building. After hours, shoppers pick something out and come back to pay for it later.

(2 -- 3) Above, the cozy living room at Ojai's Moon's Nest Inn. At right, the distinctive tower of the town's post office fits perfectly with the vintage automobiles that occasionally roll through.

David Crane/Staff Photographer

Eric Noland/Travel Editor