The Saturday before Thanksgiving we went camping in Julian, CA. We had never been there so we weren't really sure what to expect. All I knew is that I wanted somewhere that felt like Fall!
That is exactly what I got!
The drive there was beautiful and once we got to Julian it was even better. The charm of the small town that was nearby and the colors of the trees were perfect!
Our dog Cali even loved it, she was filthy most of the time but loved sniffing around our campsite.
The girls collected acorns and had fun cracking them open. They put a pile out overnight in hopes that the squirrels would find them but I don't think that happened.
Brooklyn was a mess in no time!
Daddy and his girls went on lots of bike rides together
While I stayed warm by the fire, it was cold and so perfect!
After s'mores we went inside and watched Elf bundled up in blankets because 40 degrees is too cold once the sun goes down!
The girls are either cuddled up together in their bunks early in the morning or they are quietly reading/writing on their own.
On our first full day we decided to go on a hike. I found the Stonewall Peak trail in a pamphlet and we decided we would do that hike. It was about four miles round trip and absolutely beautiful! Below is the peak that we hiked all the way up to.
Once we got near the top we had to climb up some stairs and there was a railing because there was a big drop off.
Kayla was originally not on board with our hiking choice because of the drop off and the stairs but we talked her into it which she said she agreed with us that it was worth it once we got to the top! I wish I would've gotten a picture of the top because the standing room was just a small rock like landing but I was a bit more focused on making sure I didn't loose a child!
On our way down.
We found a flat area that was a bit safer to enjoy a picnic before we made our way all the way back down.
We stopped often just to enjoy the views
and it wouldn't be a true mountain camping trip without Brooklyn finding a walking stick!
This girl was powering through our entire hike, I had to keep saying, "Brooklyn slow down, stop going so far ahead of us!" over and over again. She spotted this stick at the very end of our hike and walked over to it and grabbed and quietly talked to herself, saying something about how she wished she would've found it at the beginning of the hike.
Back at the campsite we dumped our dirty shoes and relaxed.
Our second day there we visited an old mining spot.
The girls got to pan for real gold but did not get to keep it.
Then we went on a tour of a real mine which was really neat.
Below is where the foreman would work with just a candle lit
After we were done with the Mining tour we went to the adorable town, which I of course was most excited about!
There was one shop that was my favorite, it even had a barn attached in the back and the girls were happy to play with the train set while we continued shopping around.
After shopping we stopped to eat the most delicious pies ever! Somehow my other pie pictures got deleted from my phone but the girls had the best pie anyway which they finished in seconds. I ordered a hot caramel apple cider which tasted exactly like a caramel apple, it was amazing!!!
After all of that deliciousness we headed back to the campsite and enjoyed our last sunset in Julian.
We have definite plans to return to Julian.
I'd be happy to camp here every week of Thanksgiving and hubby and I even talked about coming on our own and staying at the cute hotels in town. I bet the town is perfect right now all decorated for Christmas!
1 comment:
I love Julian! I grew up not far from there and my family used to go there all the time. When I first read that you had gone to Julian, my first thought was pie! They are certainly known for their delicious pies! The view on your hike was beautiful and brought back so many memories. Glad you all had a great time!
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