Burner friends, that I met at BEquinox, told me about Julian, CA which is known for its apples. What surprised me was the transition from desert to a pleasantly forested valley. Parking an RV is a little problematic in this extremely hilly tourist town. This view is near the Julian Pioneer Museum which was closed for the day.

I stopped at the Candied Apple for Apple French Toast and coffee. As I sat there I pondered the nearby decorated Christmas tree. I asked the waitress “Is the Christmas tree up all year?”

She said “I don’t know. It’s been up for awhile this year. “

An old guy at a table with two couples said, “Don’t disrespect our Christmas tree. It’s been up for fifteen years.” I looked back at the tree, and he continued “They’ll add a few things to it in a couple of weeks.”

For Easter I guess.

I discovered public restrooms nearby but you had to insert coins to unlock them. One lady said “It’s un-American charging for the toilet.”

There were many small shops and I found my way into a bookstore. It had statues of children reading in its garden.

I thought they were a nice touch. It was cooler in Julian than the deserts that I had been in recently. The bookstore and a yarn store both had fires going in their fireplaces.

I went to the Eagle Mining Co. gold mine for a tour. The steam driven crusher would have made Julian a very noisy town when it was running.

I got to pan for gold but unfortunately you’re not allowed to leave with any.

We got taken inside the mine.

The shaft bells weren’t demonstrated.

To show how dark it was, the guide turned off the electric lights leaving only candles. Miners left the mine in the dark by feeling the wall. If they heard a cart coming, they had to rush to jump into a hiding hole along the tunnel.

I recommend checking out Julian. It’s a cool little town with lots of places to poke around for a few days. It was my first time in a gold mine. Have you been in one?