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SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS 20 | THE COLONY NEWS | MAY 2022 | COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD By Kathy Sullivan After the Civil War, three friends (one whose last name was Julian) decided they needed to get to the fabulously fertile California. With only a mule and a horse, the three friends took four years to walk all the way from Pennsylvania. Oh, the sites they must have seen and the spectacles they must have experienced! Somehow, they ended up in the Cuyamaca Mountains. The story goes that their mule turned over some rocks in a stream bed and Eureka! In 1870, gold was found. Today you can tour the gold mines and even pan for gold. The best place to start a tour of Julian is in the Town Hall and Visitor Center. The restored Town Hall has great photos of what the old Julian looked like and helpful people to tell you where to explore. Don't miss the Pioneer Museum, the Mercantile, the Soda Shop, arts and crafts stores and, of course, the bakeries. The best known is the Julian Pie Company. If you stop there, be sure to get your apple pie with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. This time I tried a new place called the Apple Alley Bakery. Try their Apple Carmel Pecan Pie, "It's almost heaven." Lake Cuyamaca is a couple miles past Julian. I could easily see myself sitting on the front porch of a cabin overlooking this cute mountain lake – might even make me want to stay home. Past the lake is Rancho Cuyamaca State Park, with over 100 miles of hiking trails and camping and picnic grounds. Besides pies, Julian is famous for multi-flavored, hard apple cider, craft beer and the Vulcan Winery. It is also known for the Wolf Center. There is a showroom and gift store in town, but a few miles out of town they offer tours of their critically endangered wild wolves. Julian is a four-seasons community, with autumn being the busiest. Pretty much every weekend is crowded year around. I suggest mid-week and maybe even stay for a night or two. Cute B&Bs and charmingly rustic motel/hotels are scattered around town. OHHH! On your way to Julian as you pass through San Ysabel, be sure to stop at Dudley's Bakery. The bread and bakery items are so fresh and so good. In today's supermarkets, you can never get bread still warm from the oven, so a stop at Dudley's is a must. Julian