February 22-2026. Sad to leave Borrega Springs, but the drive to our next stop was spectacular! 50 miles of switchbacks to get up and over the Volcan Mountain range, through the super cute town of Julian (no..we didn’t stop for a pie) to Ramona…home to Hatfield Creek Vineyards. Very relieved not to have driven off a cliff. It’s fascinating to see the changes in vegetation. We were in the desert..about 1250 feet above sea level. Few trees, no grass….not a lot of green. After climbing up to almost 5000 ft, we found thick forests and lush valleys on the western side of the range. Cash crops changed from dates in the desert to citrus farms, orchards and vineyards. Amazing. The vineyard was special. We had a tasting of their amazing reds, and met some of the wonderful locals…including the town’s funeral director. She also runs Ramona’s community theater! We talked about everything from wine to theater to the funeral business. We are finding that people out here are super nice, and they love to talk with strangers (although we generally keep politics out of the conversation)🤪
