That One Time I...

…Made A Bread Run

One of the reasons why I bought Miku was to take day trips in and around San Diego County. I was hoping this would be one of those things I could enjoy with The Muse, but sadly she is almost six feet under with her freelance project and gets motion sickness.

I suppose I should clue you in on why we’re not on a date. She has one of those occupations that requires people to be extremely smart, creative and almost always available. It’s not quite like being a game developer where she’s working 80 hour work weeks and rushed for deadlines, but it sure seems like it from what I've seen so far. It tests my patience at times, and with her unavailable to meet today for lunch… I decided to hit the open road with Miku. 

The attraction of Highway 79 in eastern San Diego County is its roller coaster like turns. For someone like me that drives two street legal go karts, it's a delight to take many of those in second through fourth gears. Miku literally hugs the corners like she's on rails, and I'm assuming Artoria would feel the same despite her larger size.

In the above picture she's parked at one of the handful of parking areas in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. I continued northward on Highway 79 until...

About ten minutes south of Julian there's a vista point that gives you a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains, the high desert in the background, and the other mountain ranges beyond. The temperature dipped below 60 degrees at this point of my cruise, so I had no choice but to put Miku's top back up as I headed into town.

I really wanted to walk around Julian and take pictures for y'all. It's this not so sleepy mountain village that's famous for its apples, antique shops, and other artisan businesses. Unfortunately today was Julian's Mountain Christmas Festival, so I had no chance in hell of parking within a quarter mile of downtown.

Julian was one of those towns made famous during The Gold Rush, well before San Diego was an established city. I love the architecture from the Wild West days.

Oh, I forgot this "glamour shot" of Miku at the aforementioned vista point. I wanted to photograph the cows, the sheep and the horses that ran around open fields that dotted the landscape, but unfortunately Highway 79 has precious few safe places to park on the shoulder. You'll have to settle for this picture instead.

Once I escaped Julian and headed west, I finally arrived at my true destination...

Dudley's Bakery in Santa Ysabel has been around for just over sixty years. Their bread can be found in most local grocery stores, but there's nothing like getting it fresh from the bakery itself. Whenever I've done this "Mountain Loop" in the past with my muscle cars, I've always stopped here to buy a loaf of whatever flavor I can't find at the neighborhood market.

This time I picked up their Julian Apple Nut flavor and I can't wait to try it. I also bought two apricot macaroons, something I've never eaten before, and the one I ate once I got home was delightful.

Surprisingly, Miku got 30 mpg on those twisty roads, and we drove over 100 miles on both Highways 79 and 78 in just over three hours. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and we returned home just before sunset.

I would love to do this "Bread Run" again, but next time I'll go during a weekday when it's not busy. I'd love to stay for a bit and try one of their fresh sandwiches and special coffee drinks for lunch. Of course, I'll have to keep an eye on the weather before I leave Le Crash Pad. This is the part of the county where it snows whenever I get rain.