Tortoises and roses

Drive south on Balcom Canyon, then go east on Stockton Road, which in 3 miles becomes Broadway Road. Head east another mile and turn north on State 23, which gives you 5 miles of twists, turns, and views into the Santa Clara Valley. Just before you get to Fillmore, turn right on Guiberson Road and head to Otto & Sons Nursery (8-5 Thu-Sat through Oct; 1835 E. Guiberson Rd., Fillmore; 805/524-2123). If roses are your weakness, you'd better bring the SUV: More than 800 varieties of rosebushes are for sale.

From here you can exit rural bliss on State 126 and continue east to I-5.

 Backroads tour

Somis, the center of our driving tour, lies about 10 miles west of Moorpark via State 118. Some area roads were affected by winter rains; visit www.goventura.org for current conditions.