Palomar Mountain in San Diego, California -2

For part one of this set of photos you can click here. 

https://virily.com/science-nature/palomar-mountain-in-san-diego-county-california-1/ 

My son and I, along with the two dogs went for a picnic in the mountains about 45 miles away from the beach where I live in Oceanside, California. 

We have been experiencing record breaking temperatures all around the county these past few weeks. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to take a drive up the mountain. 

Here are the photos from our picnic. We had ham and cheese sandwiches, with chips and cokes. Not the healthiest of meals ,but they sure were good! 

I took a picture of the table. lol

And of my car under the canopy.. yes the dogs fit!! I love my tiny car. It has a lot of room inside, the back seats fold down flat too. They prefer riding in the seats though. 

Speaking of dogs.. Meika checked out the whole campground and came back to get the pup for an adventure. 

I took photos..

Sometimes the ground can be really beautiful as well.

This little pine cone reminded me of an open rose..

This tree was so pretty. I do not know what kind of pine it is. I am going to take a wild guess and say it is a Jeffery Pine. 

I love having a conifer forest so close to home. 

Want to hear about some interesting facts you might not know about conifer forests here in San Diego?

In San Diego, Coniferous Forest generally occurs about an elevation of 3, 500 feet. and extending across the major mountain range, of Palomar, Volcan, Hotsprings, Cuyamaca, and Laguna Mountains making up about 79,000 acres of the County.  

They generally grow in areas that receive more than 20 inches of rain each season and this includes snow fall..  This mountain receives its fair share of snow. 

The conifers that are present are Coulter Pine with their massive pine cones, Jeffrey with a sweet smelling bark,  Ponderosa Pines with plate-like bark,  Sugar Pines with the clumps of 5 needles and long pine cones. The red barked Incense Cedar and the Christmas Tree look alike the White Fir. 

Hiking here in the mountains you might find,  Southern Mule Deer, Bobcat, Cougar, Coyote, and a wide variety of rodents and bat species. 

This was a big den, way bigger than a rabbit hole. And is being used by the amount of kitty cat paw prints present. The paws were the size of Bobcat. 

We didnt see any reptiles around but we have Ring-necked snakes, Western Rattlesnakes, North American Racers,  and Mountain King Snakes. There are few rattlesnakes on the mountain. 

There is a tale that might explain why. The article is here. It is a fun read. Go check it out. 

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/jun/02/palomar-pioneers-travail-and-tragedy/

Luna and Meika looking under a cut tree. You can just barely see the white dog.

The puppy wasn’t interested in the hole under the tree, but Meika sure was.

Dirty face! Anyone know of a good groomer? 

My son getting water for the dogs. The water here is natural spring water and tastes so good!! They drank so much water is was funny. I was worried about them getting car sick on the way down. Even dogs appreciate good clean water.. Water is Life ~ 

A few last looks at the forest from the campsites. I stood in front of a Incense Pine with its beautiful red bark. 

If I look tense, is because I am! I really really hate photos taken of me. I have no idea why, I have always been this way. This is why I am always behind the camera. : ) 

It is such a pretty place! 

So much green! We are a bit more brown down by the coast. 

We had a great afternoon, and now we heading back down the hill. 

The road is one laned. Only room for one car, we did meet someone on the way down, but my car is small, there was plenty of room to pull off to the side. Grins, did I mention how much I love my small car? It feels like your in a go cart. ha. 

Now we reach the two lane road. The forest opens up, they built this road right on the side of the mountain. Looking down will give you vertigo. I am extremely afraid of heights and stayed in the car shooting pictures the first time I pulled over.  All of my friends and family know I am a big chicken when it comes to high places. They just pat me on the head and go off on adventures. lol. I don’t mind at all. At least my knees don’t wobble..

Oh the view though..isn’t it grand? Can you see where the forest fire was? 

Okay, this post is probably too long. Look for part three, “The drive down the mountain” coming soon. 

Have a great day!