With winter break in full swing, not a great deal of travel opportunities have arisen for me over the last month. I’ve started to feel a little stir-crazy. Based on a google search of places to visit in CA, I took an impromptu road trip a few hours from the coast into the mountains. My goal was to visit Idyllwild!
I started out by enjoying a drive on scenic, and sometimes terrifying, state route 74 also called the Ortega Highway. This area is mainly part of the Cleveland national forest. You can be sure I made a joke about leaving Cleveland. The crazy part of this road ends during a steep descent into the City of Lake Elsinore.
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It was around 2pm in the afternoon and the sun had been setting around 5pm. I was hoping there was only about another hour to my destination. Continuing on the CA74 I passed through the City of Hemit and a few other small desert towns. About an hour later, I found myself in the San Bernardino National Forest.
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Once again I found myself zig-zagging into the mountains on narrow, steep roads. As signs started indicating I might be in need of tire ice chains I started to get a little worried. A few cars coming down the mountain had a few inches of unmelted snow on the roofs and hoods. But, after 2 hours of driving, I found myself at my destination (a mile above sea level).
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It appeared to have snowed here the night before…
The unincorporated community of Idyllwild is a nice little mountain town, home to a few thousand people and is popular for its Arts and Outdoor activities. I got to meet Mayor Max:
I wandered around and enjoyed a few shops and some people watching. As the sun started to set, I started my drive back down the mountain, hoping to not get stuck in the dark (and a snow storm) on the steep winding roads. As a final gift for the day, I enjoyed a beautiful mountain sunset. Somehow, my soul needed that…
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