As we head home to Lake Tahoe, we have many stops to make along the route and several of them are in Southern California. Since we were passing right through the darling mountain town of Julian, we paused for a short explore. After the American Civil War, in 1869, A.E. "Fred" Coleman, a former slave, was crossing over what is now known as Coleman Creek, just west of Julian. Seeing a glint of gold in the stream bed, he climbed down from his horse to investigate. Having had previous experience in the gold fields, he retrieved his frying pan and began panning the sands of the creek. What interesting beginnings.

While the town is famous for many things, the item that drew us in was the Apple Pie.

While strolling, we came upon this monument. I found it kind of cool and something different which fits what I look for in a town. The plaque reads:

Our camp spot was on a side street in Vista sharing a lovely evening with David & Karen. Karen is a crack up. She was armed with numerous "Road Trip" questions and over wine and a delicious Italian meal, we think we answered them thoroughly.
I'm calling this week the "SoCal Social" due to the numerous connections we will be making with family and friends. It has begun in a very fine way. The trip isn't over yet.