Adventure Pass Is a Good Deal

I continue to be amazed at the opposition to the Adventure Pass.

As an avid hiker and lover of nature, I was one of the first people in Ojai to purchase such a pass. The prospect of even a minor portion of my fee being used for the forest delighted me.

A few months ago I took four of my grandchildren to a movie and paid $23 for admission. (Don’t even talk about the cost of popcorn and soft drinks; you don’t pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a trip to the theater.)

Last week I took them to Matilija Canyon; admission (for someone who uses the forest pass at least 15 times a year) about $2 for all of us, or 40 cents apiece.

I know you can’t compare watching a movie with the experience of breathing sweet fresh air, hiking the trails, crossing streams, basking in the beauty and stillness of nature. Yet even from the financial aspect, the forest is a huge bargain. How much is spent on movies per year? Or video rentals? Or Disneyland?

I’m not happy about a lot of things that are done with the taxes I pay. But I am supremely pleased to be able to contribute even a tiny amount to the care and keeping of the forest.

JOANNE CRANDALL

Ojai