Snow was forecast for the evening ... and the skies were leaden when I arrived at Julian to ride a short figure-of-eight loop around the nearby countryside.
The town was established after the Civil War by Confederate Veterans but expanded rapidly when gold was discovered here in 1869.
Julian is sited 4,235 feet (1,219 m) above sea level and gets an average of 26 inches (66 cm) of precipitation annually.
This is significantly more than both the coastal areas to the west and the desert regions to the east.
Lower temperatures mean that Julian provides an attractive escape from the summer heat in the rest of San Diego County.
This moderate climate also allows apples to be grown ... for which the town has become famous.
From the centre of town I headed north along Main Street ... past the Pioneer Cemetery ... and out into the countryside.
The road changes its name to Farmer Road and winds its way through deciduous trees.
The hillside to the east contains the quartz seam that was the focus of the gold rush and is now covered with the remains of numerous mines ... Washington Mine, Janet Mine, Owens Mine.
The road weaves its way through open meadows ... and passes apple orchards and vineyards ... before arriving at the junction for Wynola.
I turned to begin the descent alongside Juch Creek.
The road crosses a large meadow and enters the shady Juch Canyon to follow the twists and turns of the creek.
On the way down I snatched some photos of some riders headed up the hill.
They were part of a group of Ramona Fun Riders out for their regular Friday morning ride.
They kindly invited me to join their ride ... but they were headed in the wrong direction for me so I declined ... maybe next time guys.
Juch Canyon spills out into Spencer Valley which is the site of the small settlement of Wynola.
Wynola is strung out along Highway 78 and is home to several restaurants, an antique store, fruit stalls and a small school, with just 29 pupils.
Wynola still seemed to be waking up when I arrived ... and as it was rather early for lunch ... I decided to press on.
I joined Highway 78 and headed back towards Julian passing more apple orchards.
This completed the northern half of my figure-of-eight and I turned south along Pine Hills Road towards the Cleveland National Forest.
The road runs through large meadows ... before beginning to climb through woods to the distributed settlement of Pine Hills.
I turned onto Frisius Drive and headed toward William Heise Country Park.
The Country Park contains a number of campsites and trails as well as a picnic area.
The picnic area seemed to be a suitable spot for a snack ... I'm not sure whether I should have paid the 'day-use' fee for my short stay.
A massive area south of Wynola and Julian was impacted by the Cedar Fire which was the second largest wildfire in California's history.
The Cedar Fire occurred in October 2003 and destroyed 721,791 acres (2,921 km2) and 3,640 homes. 15 people died in the conflagration ... including a firefighter who sadly lost his life not far from Wynola.
After finishing my snack I turned to complete the figure-of-eight.
I rode along the ruler straight Park Road and Deer Lake Road to return to Highway 78.
In the final mile back to Julian I passed an artist's studio and an elegant wooden house on a bluff offering lodging.
Arriving back in Julian it was time for lunch.
Main Street is filled with wooden buildings from the early Twentieth Century.
Nowadays the buildings are filled with cafés and restaurants, estate agents, gift shops, tourist outlets, B&Bs, hotels and a museum.
I had to try some of Julian's famous apple pie ... I was spoiled for choice ...
Later that evening Julian received several inches of snow ... perhaps it was time to ride somewhere warmer ... a desert?
Kirby James
