715 January 27, 2022 Julian

We left today after our morning routines were accomplished.  We took the Jeep to nearby Julian.  The road to get there began as a winding road that climbed.

We have traveled this way before and we were surprised again by the drastic change in landscape.  The diversity was evident as we drove from the barren desert ascending into the mountains and then descended into the greener valley with trees and streams and cattle ranches.

Last year we passed through Julian but due to COVID, we elected not to stop.  It had been a weekend and the town was extremely crowded.  Today, we were able to snag a parking spot and we walked along the streets, popping into nice stores with all kinds of beautiful gifts and clothing.  There were shops filled with honey and preserves and cheeses.  There were lots of restaurants and a brewery, a cidery, and a winery. 

There were lots of pie shops.  There are orchards here and Julian is famous for their pie.  We were able to leave without buying any pie…or anything else…as fun as it was to look, we really don’t need to buy anything!

It has been our observation that people who live here in California are different that those people we know back east.  Not in a good way or a bad way…just different…and that’s okay!

We drove to Jeremy’s on the Hill for a late lunch.  The food was outstanding.  Tim had lobster bisque and we shared a plate of the restaurant’s famous crispy Brussel sprouts.  Tim had salad topped with ahi tuna and I had been craving a burger.  They featured grass fed beef and I knew that it would be delicious.  The menu offered a burger keto salad bowl…no bun, no fries.  This was an amazing alternative and I was thrilled with my meal!  I should have taken pictures of our food…it was beautiful.

We took another way back. 

On our way out of town, we saw a mountain lion crossing the road.  It was the highlight of our day!  Of course, he was moving too quickly for a picture!  We then saw a coyote standing not far from the road.  There were lots of hawks and other raptors hunting today as well.  The apex predators were out today!  It makes sense that these animals were more plentiful in the greener areas where smaller mammals and other tasty treats might be more available.

We took a detour onto Plum Canyon Trail.  There is a very sweet little campsite at the end of the canyon.  We will have to see if it is warm enough to go back and stay there.  It has been in the 30’s at night and that’s a little chilly for tent camping. 

We had another great day!