Before going to San Diego, I’d done a Google search for the cutest small towns in California. The one that piqued my interest most was Julian, mostly because it’s only an hour east of San Diego by car. I’d sort of forgotten about it until just before the long weekend as I was trying to figure out what I could do to escape the heat. It had to be dog-friendly, of course, since I was still on dog-sitter duty. When I saw Julian on the map, I decided to go there. I didn’t bother refreshing my memory first, which is good and bad. Bad because it’s touristy and was crowded. Good because we had an even cooler adventure as a result of wanting to escape those crowds.
Apparently, Julian is the southernmost spot in California where apples are grown, so apple pie is a big thing there. The lines were ridiculously long for apple pie, so I didn’t partake. Instead, I just moseyed around town gawking at things and people and doing a little shopping. The day was overcast and cool, with temps in the mid-60 range, which I thought felt like heaven (San Diego had been in the 90s!). Much to my amusement, quite a few people were wearing coats and knit hats against the “cold” temperatures. Not jackets, COATS. I was among the minority strolling around clad in a t-shirt and shorts.
The town was charming, but there were far too many people there for my comfort. Jasper gets nervous around people when he’s on his leash. It’s easier to avoid crowds, so I looked at the map and was happy to see that there’s a state park east of Julian.
The drive to Julian had been interesting, going from the densely populated coastal city into the mountains east of town, so I figured the drive into the desert would be nice, too. I was right. The road was curvy, which is fun in Shannon’s tiny Smart cart, and the terrain was fascinating. In spots there were huge boulders scattered about the hillsides. There were lots of different varieties of cacti, too, and a surprisingly wide range of colors. The sky even provided some drama as the clouds seemed to be hanging along and west of the mountains, so it got bluer and bluer the further east we went.
I embedded an interactive Google map below if you want to get a better idea of the geography I’m struggling to describe.
I did mention that I hadn’t really planned the whole outing, right? It really was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Which is why I hadn’t bothered to check how much fuel the car had. We were about halfway through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park when I noticed the low-fuel warning light on the dash. I hadn’t planned on going as far as the Salton Sea, but we sort of had to at that point since we did not have enough gas to return or to even explore the park itself as I’d hoped.
Salton City was the closest population center, so that’s where we headed. After gassing-up along the highway, I figured I had to get a closer look at this inland sea while there, so I headed for Marina Road, thinking there’d be a marina at the end. Not only was there no marina, there wasn’t anything. By that I mean, nothing. It was the weirdest “city” I had ever seen! Really. There’s a whole network grid of streets, complete with street signs, but very few dwellings. It is basically a city that wasn’t. Here’s the Wikipedia link if you want to know more.
I did get out and look around a bit, but didn’t linger. The air smelled strongly of rotten eggs. I didn’t find out why until later. It had been unusually hot there, too. Government officials had issued an “odor advisory” for the area due to elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide, which is associated with natural processes occurring in the Salton Sea. Ew.
Even if we’d spent most of the day in the car, with only periodic stops for photos and potty breaks, it was a very interesting day, and it did provide a welcome break from the heat of the city.
As with previous posts, I’ve shared my favorite images below as well as a slideshow followed by a link to the album of images on Google Photos.
The state park is supposed to be stunningly beautiful in the Spring when the cacti are in bloom.
I have learned that when someone tells you they live in San Diego, it probably does NOT mean in the city of SD itself. It’s just easier for them to say San Diego.
On a future trip, I want to actually explore the state park and drive on to Joshua Tree National Park. I really wanted to visit the national park, but just didn’t feel right doing so without Mike. Plus, it gets REALLY hot there and probably would not have been fit for me or the dog.
Below is that slideshow of images.
If you’d prefer to see them one-by-one, check out the shared album on Google Photos.
