To Anza-Borrego Desert State Park . It s a two-hour drive from downtown. A must in the springtime when wildflowers and cacti are blooming. Don t go in the summer, when it s too hot for all but the reptiles.
Winter can be wonderful.
To Julian . On the site of the Placer Mining s gold rush in 1869, apple and pear trees grace the hills and valleys. Visitors can do antique sleuthing in a dozen shops. Fishing in nearby Lake Cuyamaca and a fun-time dinner theater in Pine Hills at the Lodge a few miles away make for a good weekend jaunt. To Tijuana and Ensenada .