CUYAMACA RANCHO STATE PARK

zmartian
Sep 7, 2016
3 min read

Happy labor day weekend! With an extra day off, you know we'll be out getting in touch with Mother Earth. This trip was an short drive up to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Within the park, there are two campgrounds; Green Valley and Paso Picacho. Green Valley is our usual destination and is wonderful in the spring when thesnow melts and creates a stretch of waterfalls and swimming holes. The campground is well enough spread out- you will usually have neighbors, but never so close you're basically sharing a site. 5 miles North up highway 79 is Paso Picacho, where we made our home for the weekend. Along with campsites, they also have several cabins if camping isn't your thing, but you still want an easy get away.

Our campsite was tucked away in the back of the campground, trees covered the area, giving us shade, but had a small, flat clearing above our site where we could see the stars. After learning some astrophotography tips from Zoe Abrams (fenchtoastphotography.com), we set up camp on a tarp and fell asleep under the stars.

The next day we headed out to spend the day in Julian. The historical town is filled with small, locally owned shops and, of course, the best pie you can find. My favorites are always the Birdwatcher, Cider Mill, the Warm Heart, Geppettos Clocks and Candles, and Mom's Pie House. If you go at the right time, you'll catch a candle-making demonstration at Geppettos. Seven of us crowded around the counter in back as the artist, Jeff, dipped the candle into colorful waxes and walked us through his process. He proceeded to hang the candle by the wick and cut slices into the wax, which he then molded to twist and spiral to create his masterpiece. He cut the bottom of the candle off - where the wax had dripped down and now hung at the bottom - and handed it to us, then showing us how to twist it to create a mushroom-shaped candle to take home.

The town was packed with tourist- we attempted to get into several restaurants, but the waits were all over 45 minutes, and we were starving. That's what we get for going on a holiday. So instead, we headed over to Jack's Grocery, where we grabbed deli sandwiches, which were surprisingly delicious. To end our time in Julian, we grabbed a classic dutch apple pie from Mom's to bring back to the campsite.

Our next stop was a hike that supposedly lead to a trout pond (no such pond was found). However, after attempting to find several places, such as the Stonewall Mine Trail, we stumbled across a herd of deer. We caught them just as one went running through a small clearing, and discovered there were six others hiding in the surrounding bushes.

Just after the deer sighting, we found a bench to rest that overlooked a valley, and led to yet another hiking trail. I didn't quite catch the name of the loop as we chatted on the bench.

The last checkpoint on our hike was a bit of nostalgia. Our adventures together - zammitch and I - started a little under a year ago with a small two night trip we planned with a few friends. With snow still clinging to the trees and ice on the road, we had headed up to Lake Cuyamaca to camp. Regardless of the snow, we continued on exploring the campground and the lake, which led us to a tiny trail which leads to a small hut and a fallen tree, which we climbed. I almost didn't recognize the trail without the snow when we visited this weekend. But as soon as I realized what it was, I took off running, until I reached the top of the fallen log. It made for a great retake of a great memory from last visit