Our dear friend, Leila, offered to drive us. A long time resident of the area, she had never been to Julian herself, so it was a new experience for all of us.
We headed out about 10 a.m., and took Highwayy 78 through Escondido, past Safari Park, through Ramona, and on up to Julian. The road did have its winding spots, usually in 5-7 mile sections. Sitting in the front seat, with Leila driving, I did okay. It is not a road I would want to take often. However, the scenery was lovely. It took us about an hour to get there. As we were driving along, admiring the horses and cows and sheep, we came upon some camels! Yes, camels! Apparently, there is a camel dairy there with camel milk soaps and lotions, camel milk chocolate, and camel rides. Unfortunately, visiting is by appointment only. Check them out here: The Camel Dairy
While not what I would call 'busy' - there was plenty of activity in Julian for a Monday, after a weekend festival. Our first stop was at The Birdwatcher. Oh my kinda store! I do miss my birds at home. The gold finch are probably arriving soon. Anyway, lots of cool stuff in this store.
Next up - lunch! We went to the Julian Cafe and Bakery. A fun little place with great food. We elected to have lunch, then wander around the town a bit, and have pie a little later. Good thing, because I was stuffed after lunch.
I chose the half sandwich (roast beef on rye) and cup of the house special tortilla soup with a side of coleslaw. All very yummy - especially the soup!
Kim and Leila both had the french dip and fries. Both said it was very good, and judging by their clean plates, I would take them at their words. (Oops - Kim - I deleted the wrong pictures. I was getting a scolding here for taking too long to get the shot. He was hungry.)
Our water was served in these cool cowboy boot mugs.
After lunch, we strolled down the street, and popped into a few stores and galleries.
Now who wouldn't stop in a store named Pistols & Petticoats. Lots of cool stuff including these masks which I love (but have absolutely no use for) and my new friend.
We strolled about and appreciated the quaintness of some of the shoppes. (If they are quaint, aren't they automatically "shoppes" instead of "shops"?) There was a small cemetery up the hill that looked so peaceful.
We stopped in at A Rose Path Gallery A small gallery, featuring local San Diego county artists.
And this very cool bird bath!
How convenient that right next door was the Julian Pie Company! The last stop on our visit to Julian.
Leila and I opted for the cherry pie (I had mine with a half scoop of vanilla and a half scoop of cinnamon ice cream), and Kim chose the pecan pie. I started eating before I even snapped a picture. It was that good!
There was a discussion about apple pie and cheddar cheese. None of us had ever had it, but we had all heard of its being served that way. A very nice younger man ahead of us in line told us he was going to try the apple pie with melted cheddar today. He is a marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, and was visiting Julian with some family members visiting from Alabama. We were all sitting out on the back deck enjoying our pies, when he came over and offered us a bite. That was so sweet of him, and oh so good. I'm pretty sure the next time I have apple pie, I'll ask for some melted cheddar on top!
And a last shot over a Julian side street as we headed to the car, and our drive back.
We opted to go back via Highwayy 76, and I'm so glad we did. It was a nicer, prettier drive, with not so many twists and turns. In fact, the worst of it was the 5 miles between the Pala Casino and I-15, which wasn't as bad as it seemed when we went earlier in the week.
My only disappointment is that we did not stop at the Mission Santa Ysabel. My bad; Leila offered to stop, but I declined. Now that I've looked at the website, I'm sorry I didn't take advantage of the opportunity. And what the heck was I thinking - we passed two casinos without stopping : Santa Ysabel Casino and Viejas Casino. Oh well, next time!
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