It’s not everyday you see a trike with a motorcycle front end and a Volkswagen rear! As you can see from the background, this one was driving through Julian. My preference would be for a Baja Bug, which I really wanted as a teenager but never had the guts to do the required surgery on my 1964 Beetle.
These wild turkeys were along the roadside of the Banner Grade on Highway 78 heading east out of Julian down into the desert. According to the CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife, turkeys now inhabit about 18% of California. Whenever I see a wild turkey I think of Ben Franklin and his preference of the turkey over the bald eagle as our national bird. It might be hard to enjoy eating your national bird though!
One of the interesting hotels in Julian is the Julian Gold Rush Hotel, a national historic landmark, which was established in 1897. Rooms are decorated with American period antiques, including canopy beds, armoires, and quilts. Our room came complete with a journal in which to record any haunting experiences we encountered during our stay. It was fun reading previous guests’ comments, but sadly we had no other-worldly encounters!
Julian is a town of about 1,500 located an hour and a half or so east of San Diego at an elevation of 4,226 feet. The first European settlers arrived around 1850 but the town came alive in 1869-1870 when gold was discovered. During this gold rush era, apple trees were brought to Julian and thus began the tradition of baking delicious apple pies that still continues today. Julian Pie Company, Mom’s, and Apple Alley (delicious gluten-free pies) are but three of the many establishments offering several varieties of pie, so grab some friends and do a pie (not pub) crawl. For great craft brews, try Nickel Beer Co.
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