We Could See Forever: A Road Trip to the Back Country

Is there any other place better to live than Southern Cal, specifically San Diego? Not! You can cover a myriad landscapes in a few hours, as my husband and I did this weekend.

With the relative humidity at about ten percent, the air was crystal-clear, perfect for a drive in the country. We fortified ourselves with an omelet breakfast at Brother’s Restaurant in Allied Gardens while reviewing the notes and sketches of The Back Roads of California written by Earl Thollander.

We normally head east on the 94 or go up the coast, but we decided to try something different. We set out on I-8 east to Descanso, turned right on Japatul Road, and followed the winding ribbon road southwest through horse country and ranch lands. Then we hooked up to Lyons Valley Road.

The road took us through surprisingly green woods and dropped us right in front of the Lyons Trading Post. We used the old-fashioned bottle opener just outside its door to open our bottles of orange soda and root beer.

Back in the car, we headed further down the road past Lucky Kid Ranch. One of the horses let us get up close to him. He had the eyes of a dreamer.

Consulting our book, we found Proctor Valley Road in Jamul. The book—and the up-to-date Thomas Brothers map—both indicated that the road was unpaved. At first, Rich didn’t want to try it, but after going a quarter-mile up the road, we saw that the road was at least county-maintained. The smooth, wide dirt road weaved along the backside of Otay Mountain area. It was so peaceful that we could hear the bright, clear song of a Western Meadowlark.

On the horizon, we could see the sparkling silver thread of the ocean. That would be our ultimate destination.

Following Proctor Valley Road to its end led us right into the edge of the Shea Homes development of Eastlake. The traffic, dust and noise began again in Bonita along the Sweetwater River. Got on I-5 for a short stretch, took the Palm Avenue exit and went all the way west to the South Bay Study area on the Strand. We saw Western Grebes, Marbled Godwits and American Avocets.

The chill was beginning to get to us so we drove up to the Loews Resort and watched the sunset’s reflection in the buildings behind the Coronado Bridge. The ocean blushed pink from the sun.

Dinner in Coronado at Costa Azul on the outside patio was the end to a picture-perfect day. I think 2012 will be a very good year.