Julian, CA

It was shaping up to be another hot day in the desert so I decided a little road trip to the nearby town of Julian might bring some relief from the heat. Julian is at around 4,000 elevation and always cooler than down in the desert valleys. It’s not too far from San Diego and I think when it gets too hot there, the locals head into the hills for some relief from the heat.

Julian is a typical tourist town. It has a history of mining and there are still apple orchards which produce apples that are baked into local pies. I saw several shops boasting that theirs was the best pie in town so there appears to be little truth in advertising. It was Saturday and the place was crawling with tourists. Not oppressively so; but it was certainly busy.

 

Returning to Borrego Springs took us past the second collection of metal sculptures by Ricardo Breceda. This is another favourite. A huge bird with two chicks in a nest being attacked by a snake. (The snakes a bit hard to make out.)

Like the collection to the north of Borrego Springs, this southern collection is spread out over a wide piece of desert. Some of the pieces (the dinosaurs) are so far back from the road that you really have to look for them. And they take a bit of getting to over sandy and rocky back roads. I was glad the van has lots of clearance.

While I was looking at these creatures, I ran into an interesting fellow who’s originally from Bulgaria. He told me that he’s been studying astro-physics in San José but has decided to give it up as job prospects are very poor. Instead he’s accepted a job with Pandora the on-line music service and will be doing data analysis for them.

And so after conversations with strangers in the desert, it was back to the RV park and a desert sunset.