July 23rd - Thursday San Diego County

Our alarm clock again was the sunrise.  We could see it from the bed but were quickly awake and out on the balcony to see it better.  Then, it was back to bed for a little more sleep.

We were in no rush once we were really out of bed.  We straightened the cottage and fixed ourselves a hearty breakfast. What a delightful way to end our time on the mountain.

On the way back to San Diego, we stopped at the Laguna Mountains, to the South of where we had stayed.  It is another lovely area, with the tallest peak in San Diego County.  We again had a chance to look down on the desert far below.

As we pulled back into our home, we were glad for the chance to “get out of Dodge”…and out of the city.  We had been gone for just over 48 hours.  We were so glad to be back at our lovely home, safe and sound. And are so grateful for all our blessings.

July 22nd - Wednesday San Diego County

We woke up to the early part of sunrise peeking in our sliding glass door.  We both hopped out of the bed and grabbed our cameras as the sun began to slip above the lower mountain below us.  Then we went back to bed with the light shining on us like a spotlight. We finally pulled a curtain to get a little more sleep.

We ate a nice breakfast and packed up for a hike up Stonewall Peak as well as packing a nice picnic lunch.  Then, down through the maze of roads using a little different route. We were again back in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, but this time we were ready to hike.  We parked in the parking lot near the trail head for Stonewall Peak (5730 feet, 1747 m).  It gained that name from a granite outcropping at its summit.  The trail to the top was 2 miles (3.2 km) and of course the same back down. We were looking at a gain of elevation of 1,020 feet (311 m). 

We joined individuals, couples, families and small groups on the journey up the mountain.  Must of the time, we were by ourselves.  But, when we met or passed others, nearly everybody was using a mask, a bandana or just would pull their t-shirt up over their faces.  Hiking in the COVID era is different. People also kept pretty good social distance.

The hike was hot in places, but also had some very nice shady stretches.  Dick noted that the terrible wildfire about 12 years ago burned basically everything on this mountain, so it was interesting to see the recovery.  The switchbacks were mostly gentle, so it was a pleasant hike, but we still could feel the elevation.

We are used to living close to sea level so nearly 6,000 feet up is high for our bodies.  The last climb up the granite rocks at the top was helped by cut steps and a railing.  A slip here could mean a long fall to the rocks hundreds of feet below. 

The view from the top is lovely.  It was only slightly marred by the swarm of flying ants that had settled in at the very top of the peak.  We took lots of fun photos, and then started the long walk down.  This was easier than going up.

Whenever we hike, we are always on the look out for wildlife. We hoped to see deer.  We know there are many in the area.  But, no luck on that.  On this mountain, the most abundant animals were Western Fence Lizards.  We saw so many of them as they scurried across the path.

We ate our lunch at a picnic table right by our car.  It was shady and lovely. A highlight of lunch was a visit from a ground squirrel who was hoping for a handout.  Disappointed, he went off to find another prospect at a nearby table.

After a bit of rest over lunch, we made the 15-mile drive back to Julian. We wanted to see the new visitor center for The California Wolf Center.  We had planned to see the International Wolf Center in Ely MN this summer.  We were happy to get connected with the California Center.  Tours of seeing the actual wolves only happen on weekends, but we had the chance to learn more about Mexican Wolves and decided to buy a membership in support of the center. We will come back to see the wolves another time. 

The town has some tourists roaming the shops, but we were less interested in shopping, so it was time to return to our little home.  We went yet another route back up the mountain and enjoyed the views while we drove.

The afternoon gave a chance for another nap, watching a little TV and then another nice dinner.

We spent quite a bit of time the past couple of days reflecting on all of the many grand adventures that we have been on these past 27 years.  There have been so many wonderful opportunities that we have had to see things near and far. And we look forward to doing more in the future.

July 21st - Tuesday San Diego County

2020!!  Oh, the power of a pandemic.  A big impact on us was our shrinking summer vacation.  We started out with plans for 6 weeks and 6,000 mile road trip across much of the country.  Then it shifted to 2 weeks and 1,000 miles, staying in California.  Finally, it went to 3 days and 200 miles within San Diego County. Those of you who have been following our blog know that we generally have some very grand adventures.   This year the pandemic has shrunk our scale of what we could do.  Therefore, welcome to our less than grand, yet fun adventure.

We have tried to make the best of the time we had. Fortunately, we live in San Diego county which has a wide variety of experiences, from the ocean to the mountains.  Since we live near the ocean, we decided to go to the mountains.  We chose an AirBnB on the top of a mountain (North Peak, 5993 feet, 1985 m), surrounded by 40 acres (16 hectares) of woods.  We thought that would both give us a wonderful alpine setting and sufficient distance from others to be safe.

We drove the winding roads into the mountains to the town of Julian.  Originally a gold mining town, it is now a tourist destination with quaint shops and restaurants.  The pandemic has really put a cloud over the town’s whole economy.  For us, our only stop in town was to buy an apple pie at the Julian Apple Pie Company.  They are always so delicious!

Then we were on out of town, heading south along the mountains.  Our next stop was at Lake Cuyamaca.  The lake is a popular fishing lake that is stocked with trout each year.  We found a picnic table with a good view of the lake and enjoyed our lunch, which we had brought from home. 

After lunch we took a brief walk along the lake shore, watching the anglers, families, and Canadian Geese.  The mountains were around us, including the one where we would be staying.

We were ready to find our AirBnB.  We drove the switchbacks through a residential area with many houses, and then the houses thinned as we got close to the top of the mountain.  The directions to get there were good, but very complicated, including two different gates that we put the codes into.  There were several turnoffs that made us question whether we were still on the right mountain road.  But, all the codes worked, we persevered, and arrived at our charming cottage on the mountain.    It was not a rustic cabin, but a lovely place with all of the set ups for a great two-night stay, including a full kitchen.

The house was actually the guest house for the main house just over the ridge from us.  It had a lovely view to the East, meaning we were looking down from about 5800 feet (1750 m) to the desert floor at sea level.  We could look north to see Mount San Jacinto (10,834 feet, 3302 m) and south to the Laguna Mountains (6378 feet, 1944 m).  We loved sitting out on the balcony looking at this beautiful view.

We took the advantage of being on vacation and took a nap.  Then, we walked to the very top of the mountain where we could see some lovely views including the mountain, Stonewall Peak, that we would hike the next day.  Other than the pie, we brought our own food from home, so we fixed ourselves a lovely dinner.

We could see that the sun was going down and wanted to walk to the other side of the ridge to look West.  Our host was able to give us good directions on just the right spot to see the sun set.  It was quite a lovely sunset from this elevation.  We were pleased to watch the colors change on the rocks and in the sky.

As the sky darkened, we began to watch the stars begin to appear, including the Milky Way.  We watched the crescent moon slowly setting.  It was great to be away from most of the light pollution of the city.   

We settle in to let it get even darker because we were hoping to see the Neowise Comet.  We had been hearing about it for the past week.  We had heard that we would need binoculars to see it so we brought some along.  It was exciting when we began to discern the comet from the last of the fading sunset.  It continued to get more and more distinct.  It was too dark for a photograph but a special time to watch it. Then, we walked back through the woods, using our flashlight, to find our cozy house waiting for us.  And we ate pie.  It was a lovely way to end the day.