J is for Julian, California

Julian, California is not a secret but it’s not as well known as some of the other California historical districts. Julian is very proud of its heritage and even offers a History Hunt Card to insure that historical sites are not missed.

Our love affair with Julian doesn’t have a lot to do with the history. We know Confederate soldiers settled it after the Civil War. The town was named for Mike Julian who eventually became the San Diego County Assessor. We actually go there for the apples pies and the camping.

There are many state and county campgrounds surrounding the area. You have your pick of semi-desert to forested areas. However, I do have to give a nod to the private campground, Pinecrest. As a vintage trailer aficionado, I have enjoyed touring this campground with close to 100 vintage trailers. I have three vintage trailers of my own. Although it is a private campground, they do rent some of the vintage trailers for a unique camping experience. It’s sort of a California version of the Shady Dell campground in Bixby, Arizona.

The other reasons to visit Julian are the pies and all things apple. I can make my own apple pies, but why? Several places specialize in apple goodies and I like them all.

If you are not sold on the history, the camping, or the apple pies, Julian also has some interesting shops, unique restaurants, and wine tasting.

Looking for a day trip that has something for everyone, try Julian. Save me a piece of pie.

F is for Felton, CA

Our introduction to Felton, California came from an unusual request. It was the 50th anniversary of the founding of Henry Cowell State Park and they wanted vintage trailers from that period to show what it would have looked like when the park opened. Never being one to miss a chance to show off my 1959 Dalton travel trailer, we gathered some friends and made the trip. We arrived a day early and setup our camp. Henry Cowell is a beautiful state park and has its own stand of redwood trees.

The trailer the day before the vintage trailer display. The campsites are wonderful and secluded so you think that you have the forest all to yourself. 

Once camp was setup, we went to see this charming town. It is everything that one could ask for in a town that began in the late 1800’s. The major industry at that time was the railroads that put it on the map. Today, it caters to visitors with many places to eat and shop. It is also the home of the already mentioned Henry Cowell State Park and the equally interesting Roaring Camp Railroads.

We did not have an opportunity to ride the trains. A trailer show is a trailer show and we stay there to show off our trailers and to answer questions. However, every time the whistle blew, I wanted to run across the parking lot and hop a train. However, the state park staff did provide us dinner in the dining room of Roaring Camp so we got to see all the lucky people enjoying the train rides. Roaring Camp Railroads has two routes that visitors can take. One travels to Bear Mountain through redwood groves and the other takes visitors to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Both of them are on my list of things to do because I have a thing about trains.  

We moved our trailer to the display area. This is my 1959 Dalton. It is completely original except for the paint job. We were losing the graphics so we had it repainted following the original lines in the original Chevy Gold color.

     A few of the other trailers that shared the camp-out with us.

                              

Henry Cowell State Park is breathtaking. We were there for four days and it just wasn’t enough. The self-tour of the groves makes it easy for those of us with bad knees to enjoy the whole park at our leisure. Camping in the park takes you away from everyday stresses, as the forest seems to envelope you with the mystery of the past. I honestly can’t wait to go back and we are looking at next year for this adventure.

 A few more pictures to share. It is impossible to take a bad picture.