California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

antique shops and wine-
tasting bars. Temecula
Olive Oil Company
(www.temeculaoliveoil.
com; 28653 Old Town Front
St; h10am-5pm) offers
free samples of its
herb- and citrus-infused
oils, some pressed
from the same types
of olives that Spanish
priests cultivated at
18th-century California
missions.
Although you may
imagine there’s nothing
but desert down here,
Temecula is only 20 miles
inland from the Pacific.
Every night, coastal fog
and ocean breezes blow
inland to cool down the
valley’s citrus groves and
vineyards. Wine grapes
flourish, especially sun-
seeking Mediterranean
varietals. A 10-minute

drive east of Old Town

along Rancho California

Rd, you’ll find the most

popular wineries (www.

temeculawines.org) with

patio views of vine-

planted hillsides. If

you don’t like crowds,

start your wine tasting

fairly early in the day,

especially on weekends.

Visit family-owned

wineries with less

crowded tasting rooms

by following the De

Portola Wine Trail (www.

deportolawinetrail.com).

54 p363

The Drive » From Temecula,

take the I-15 south 11 miles to

the Pala exit. Turn left onto Hwy

76 eastbound, which winds

through wide green valleys

bordered by citrus groves,

protea farms and mountains.

After about 20 miles, take the

signposted left turn onto County

Rd (CR) S6, aka South Grade

Rd, which climbs 11.5 miles up

Palomar Mountain.

2 Palomar

Mountain

Run by Pasadena’s

prestigious California

Institute of Technology

(CalTech) university,

white-domed Palomar

Observatory (%760-742-

2119; http://www.astro.caltech.edu/

palomar; 35899 Canfield Rd;

h9am-4pm, to 3pm early

Nov–mid-Mar) has a lofty

perch atop Palomar

Mountain. On weekends,

guided tours focus

on the dome’s history

and current scientific

research. They’ll also let

you peek at the 200in

Hale Telescope, once

the world’s largest until

the Keck I opened on

Hawaii’s Mauna Kea.

Bring a fleece jacket –

temperatures inside the

observatory hover just

above around freezing

during some months of

the year. Call ahead to

check road conditions

and opening hours

before making the long,

winding drive here. Even

if you’re not a science

geek, the sprawling

views of the San Diego

backcountry from the

summit are worth the

trip. To stretch your

legs, nearby Palomar

Mountain State Park

(%760-742-3462; http://www.parks.

ca.gov; off CR S7; entry per

vehicle $8; hdawn-dusk)

has forested hikes along

panoramic-view trails

where wildflowers bloom

in early summer.

The Drive » Drive 4.5 miles

back down CR S6, then turn

left onto CR S7, which winds

southeast 11 miles down the

mountainside. Turn left onto

Hwy 76 and drive east past Lake

Henshaw recreational area to

Hwy 79. Turn right and head

south toward Santa Ysabel,

where you can stop for a bite to

eat (p363), then take a left onto

Hwy 78 to Julian.

3 Julian

Winding through pine-

covered mountains and

tree-shaded valleys,

you’ll finally arrive

at Julian. Settled by

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

r

Fun on the San

Diego Coast

San Diego’s sunny and
bodacious beach towns
are only an hour’s drive
southwest of Temecula’s
vineyards.

x

Palm Springs
& Joshua Tree
Oases

From Borrego Springs,
drive east toward the
Salton Sea, then north
to the Coachella Valley’s
date farms, a 50-mile
trip.

LINK

YOUR

TRIP

SOUTHERN.CALIFORNIA..

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.TEMECULA, JULIAN & ANzA-BORREGO