7 July 2019 - Cleveland National Forest, California, USA

Waking up early, we packed up our camp and headed to Temecula for some breakfast. Before heading down to Lake Elsinore we enjoyed one more view of the mountains.

I didn't really have much of a plan for the day. I figured we would pay a visit to Palomar mountain and the 200ft observatory there and then figure out the next step from that point. The initial view from the mountain did not disappoint.

The observatory was an interesting scientific stop. I respect the work the scientists are doing here.

We had a small picnic, enjoying some fresh oranges from the Pala Ranch, and then headed down the south part of the mountain. At this point, I decided to loop around and head for Idylwild. Along the way, we found one of the crossings of the Pacific Crest Trail. Someday...

I had forgotten that a forest fire (and resultant mudslides) had closed the approach from the Ortega highway. But this ended up helping us out as the town was not crowded with tourists. The road was partially open too, using a Caltrans escort truck system for safety.

Mayor Max still makes me grin!