Merigan Fire Road was the main road for a ranch owned by Dr. Haig Merigan, a pharmacist and dentist. His family lived and rode horses in La Mesa until it became difficult to ride due …
June 14, 2017
Watch out for horse pies on Dead Horse Trail
Get an early start on Descanso’s Blue Ribbon Loop along Sweetwater Creek
If you are looking for a loop hike in the Cuyamacas with a mix of sun and shade, old road and narrow trail, a variety of wildflowers, and a shady creekside spot to rest, then …
August 9, 2017
Other people’s stuff
The OPS standard has been used for as long as I can remember. Other People’s Stuff. As in “I smoke OPCs” or “The cheapest boat to fish from is an OPB.” Investors like to use …
July 16, 2018
Live in rural East County? Get an air horn.
Janie Agostini, Lakeside resident who lives in Moreno Valley, announced October 5 that 11 of her chickens were killed the previous night, but she wasn’t able to track the animal that did it. Her neighbors …
October 8, 2018
San Diego gas prices edging up – want to drive to Pauma Valley?
The chance for San Diegans to pay $2 a gallon for gas in 2019 appears to be over. Concern over trade tensions with China is the reason being given for the current rise in San …
February 11, 2019
Sleepy Descanso
Roberts Ranch Opens its Gates to Hikers Thanks to the crusading efforts of Descanso cabinet-maker Duncan McFetridge, affectionately known by some as the "Robin Hood of Cleveland Forest," two inholdings (islands of private property inside …
July 29, 2019
Spotty internet makes it hard to stay at home in Descanso
In Descanso, 40 miles east of San Diego in the foothills of the Cuyamaca Mountains, internet service is iffy, patchy - and pricey. Residents don't see that changing any time soon. The 5G battles being …
July 7, 2020
Cuyamaca Peak in Winter
Located above Paso Picacho Campground in Cuyamaca, Cuyamaca Peak from Milk Ranch Road is a moderately strenuous hike. With a length of 8 miles and an elevation gain of around 1,900 feet, the hike will …
Descanso dream: Rancho de Sol a Sol
It’s good to get out of the city sometimes. This is something I tell myself frequently as I wander with my dog through the abundant urban canyons east of Downtown. But the background drone of …
July 20, 2023
Escondido man gathered 2500 Engelmann acorns this year
It’s the rarest oak species in the U.S., it’s endangered, and 93 percent live right here in San Diego. In the 1840s German doctor George Engelmann, studying plants along the U.S.-Mexico border, noticed some distinctions …
January 3, 2024