San Diego Back Country....

One of my favorite things to do in San Diego County is to head out to Julian for the day. I actually prefer to get a cozy hotel room, rent a cabin or camp overnight, but the day drive out is fun too. Yesterday was a dreary (and lovely!) fall day and Julian seemed like the place to go. Sometimes all the freeways, traffic and people in San Diego get to me....and I just want to be where there are open spaces and old world charm. Julian and the drive there has it all. They also have some cute little wineries, restaurants, and tons of apple orchards. It is actually apple harvest right now so most people go and pick some apples. We have some many apples from our CSA and my cousin Rosemary's house that we thought it would be a waste.

First we stopped in Santa Ysabel which is on the way. We went to this really odd little "treasure shop" with lots of faux indian goods...mostly made in Pakistan? It was VERY odd.....

 I actually really wanted this basket but couldn't buy it once I realized it was made in Pakistan? Seemed to odd?

 Hsss.....

So, we ventured out to Hawk Watch (which is actually outside of Julian). It was a bit of a long drive, but the wine was very nice and the owners were so friendly. The winery was very pretty too...lots of over sized pots of flowers, big white wooden chairs everywhere, and two fat cats watching over the whole thing. I definitely recommend checking it out.

Next up, we went to the oddest fruit stand I have ever encountered. There were three random people sitting in chairs on the side of the road selling all of these random squashes, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, etc. I wanted to take a picture, but was worried they might get a riffle and shoot me. The roads in this part of the county are definitely....rustic? I bought some lemon cucumbers and a little edible pumpkin.

We then ventured to a biker bar called The Hideout, which is right by the lake we camped at earlier in the year. There were plenty of bikers when we arrived, but they all dissipated as we were there. There were also a handful of rat rods like Aaron's car, but he wouldn't let me take pictures..I guess that is against biker bar policy. As the bikers thinned out, I took some shots and even did some yoga on stage!!!!! Aaron was SO embarrassed. I guess I am not all that tough....at least I like Budweiser!

Then we headed up to Wynola, which is another little town on the way to Julian (we never actually made it to Julian proper...but that is the fun of it, just poking around and finding what you find). We tasted some cider and liked it so much we bought some with some appetizers we had, and we took a couple of bottles home. I think Aaron was over me taking pictures at this point! 

All in all, a great fall day in one of my favorite places.

I am LOVING fall. It's been cold and rainy and I just love it. I have a newfound love for squash, pumpkin, sweaters, blankets, cuddling, cider, and baking. I am also loving going to hot yoga...it's pretty easy to get in that hot room when it's cold and rainy outside.  I have some new recipes to share...coming soon.