Julian Loop Offers Another View of San Diego

Out-of-towners, drivers enjoy trip to mountains

From October 2009

Folks come to San Diego for a variety of reasons. My grandfather moved here about 90 years ago because he hated the cold but still wanted to be a fisherman. All these decades later, a young cousin from that Swedish clan also wanted to get out of the cold for awhile.

With the cousin, Sofia, in town for a few months to take a semester at San Diego State, plua three of her friends, it was time to show her that not everything in San Diego is all about a metro area with more than 2.5 million people. There are also small places here, more in tune with her home, the southwestern coastal town of Varberg, population: about 29,000.

So, with help from Chrysler, which supplied a 300c (five just won’t fit in the Miata), we headed northeast to everybody’s favorite mountain town, Julian.

For the route, I chose a loop through Scripps Ranch and Ramona, then back through Cuyamaca and Descanso, giving them a good look at our mountains. The drive up took us through smooth Scripps-Poway Parkway, by the rocky terrain surrounding state Route 67 and over the hilly farm country around Ramona.

Conversations along the way centered on where they could go horseback riding (stables abound, with several around Ramona), the cattle ranches and a quick look at the Camel Dairy. Not too many camels in Sweden.

Although it was September, it was still a Sunday, so rather than drive all around Julian looking for a parking spot, I opted to pay the $5 and park in the lot off of 4th and B streets; it saves much more than $5 in time and agrivation, honestly.

We tried a couple of new places for lunch and dessert. I’ve been to Miner’s Diner in the past, which is a great nostaliga spot for lunch; also grabbed sandwiches at the market at Main and Washington. We went a bit more upscale at the Julian Grill, 2224 Main Street, (760) 765-0173. The cozy cottage atmosphere probably made the Swedes feel at home, although the faire was American. On a hot day, we opted for the dining room, although there is a nice outdoor, tree-shaded patio.

After a walk around town, it was time for pie. We waited through the lines at Mom’s Pie House, 4510 Highway 78 (Washington Street), (760) 765-2472, right in the middle of downtown. Mom’s has been baking pies since 1984. We all opted to get the mini-pies, single-seving in their own tin; the gals had apple but I went for the lemon merangue. Good times.

On a sunny afternoon in September, Julian was busy as ever, but not overflowing. Just enough of the visitor crowd to make it interesting, with waves of Harleys and classic cars rumbling by the bench on Main where we gobbled down our pie.

On the way back, I took them down through Cuyamaca, where it’s still beautiful despite the obvious scars from the 2003 fires. By the time we cruised in, the visitor center was closed, but we went by and looked at the adjacent Dyer House, the historic ranch home that was virutally destroyed in the blaze. The county’s sixth-grade camp is there as well, bringing back memories of my trip with fellow students from Green Elementary way back when.

Had it been a few weeks later, say late October or November, we would have come back over Sunrise Highway, one of the best roads in the county for fall color. Yes, we do have the changing of the seasons in Southern California and I have the photos to prove it.

As the 300 gobbled up the miles, we hit Old Highway 80 for a quick history lesson; yes, this little two-lane road did carry most of the traffic east from San Diego up to the 1970s. The slap-slap-slap of the old expansion joints on the low-profile tires were a reminder that the road wasn’t built yesterday.

All too soon, we were on Interstate 8, headed west as the sun set. The girls were impressed that San Diego is much more than just a big city, plus they got some all American apple pie. I’m sure it’s a drive that they’ll remember.